Stitch Academy - Naimah

insight: NAIMAH QUAMIE

Stitch is proud to support the RE-SET-GO programme and in June hosted our first week-long placements. We immensely enjoyed inviting Naimah to be part of the team working with us in the office. She has written about how her time at Stitch Academy has shaped her future career prospects.

I thoroughly enjoyed my one-week placement at Stitch Architects. I come from a very different background to architecture and urban design. I work in data protection, and despite having little architectural knowledge, I found my placement was very accessible and supportive.

I went from not knowing what SketchUp was to massing my first building and creating a design proposal in just five days, which is a real credit to how well the week was structured and organised.

During my undergraduate degree, I chose an urban planning pathway in 2nd year and fell in love with urban design concepts. I realised, urban design forces you to evaluate what a community values in their urban environment. What does a sustainable, organic and accessible city need? At university, I relished the opportunity to delve deep into those concepts but didn’t have the opportunity to apply them in a professional, work setting. This is something I really enjoyed about working at Stitch. I was given a real design brief and asked to create and present a feasibility study/design proposal for an apartment building (stages 0 – 2 of RIBA Plan of work).

I found myself asking similar questions to those in my undergrad. I was made to consider accessibility, local culture and sustainability, as well as legal requirements such as Right to Light and Technical Housing Standards. The placement reminded me of the reasons why I enjoyed the urban planning pathway, and showed me what it’s like to apply those teachings in a work environment. 

My time at Stitch has definitely encouraged me to further my pursuit of a career in urban planning and design.

As part of the programme, I was invited to sit in on company meetings. I joined my first DTM and listened to how all the different stakeholders (clients, architects, urban planners etc.) work together on a project. These meetings showed me planning and design is not just about creating great buildings or designing amazing spaces. A lot of patience, dedication and thoroughness is needed to ensure all parts of the project work together. Moreover, I learnt that during these meetings, clear communication is key.

Stitch has shown me that the working world of architects and urban planners is challenging and sometimes quite demanding, but there is no doubt it is also exciting, mentally stimulating and fulfilling.

All in all, I have gained invaluable experience from Stitch and thoroughly encourage those interested in architecture or urban planning to participate in the programme if they can.