THE LANTERN

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– 12 <strong>THE</strong> <strong>LANTERN</strong> – EDITION 3 SUMMER 2015 A MODEL OF EQUALITY AT 40 CHANCERY LANE Photography by Laura Lean Charmaine Knower At the topping out ceremony for Derwent London’s new office building, 40 Chancery Lane, the many contributors to the scheme gathered, in time-honoured fashion, to toast reaching the highest point in the build of the structure. Amongst those assembled were the architectural team, the Mechanical Engineer, Structural Engineer and Project Manager. All of them women. It seemed so natural to the group, who stood together catching up and exchanging the latest project news, that no-one had remarked before on the number of women working on the building. Talking to any of them it’s plain that their choice of career is so natural that it’s not given a second thought. It’s almost unremarkable. But the numbers tell a different story. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has 27,000 chartered architects; of that number just 4,000 are women. This gender imbalance is even more evident in both the engineering and construction industries. According to RIBA, the UK construction industry employs more than 2.5 million people but women make up just 11% of the sector, with a mere 1.2% working in manual labour trades. Earlier this year RIBA President Elect, Jane Duncan, launched a social media campaign to coincide with International Women’s Day on 8 March. The aim of #SeeMeJoinMe was to celebrate and support a more diverse and inclusive construction industry by raising the visibility of women working in the sector around the world. It asked men and women, from bricklayers and architects to engineers and plumbers, to get involved by tweeting a picture and a few words on why creating a more equal industry matters. For Alison Darvill, Project Architect at Bennetts Associates, the company that designed 40 Chancery Lane, any initiative that encourages more women into the sector is to be welcomed. “Although women can now frequently be found on the design team in engineering and architectural roles – it’s probably not 50/50 but it does feel very equally split – there are still very few women on the construction side of projects.” But does Alison believe in positive discrimination? “No. Any woman working
WOMEN IN ENGINEERING – 13 in what might be thought of as a male domain only ever wants to be there on merit. No one expects or wants to be appointed because of their gender.” For Aoife Bloomer, Senior Structural Engineer at AKT II, the firm of design-led structural and civil engineers that worked on the 40 Chancery Lane build, a career in construction was she says, “A natural choice” as both her parents worked in the industry. This influence, combined with her love of maths and physics – plus a natural ability for problem solving – led Aoife to study for a degree in Structural Engineering with Architecture. Aoife was a regular visitor to number 40 to ensure that the construction progressed in accordance with the structural design. Her job involved everything from checking the reinforcement fixing prior to the concrete pour, to keeping an eye on temporary works to ensure the stability of the structure. Aoife, like Alison, stresses the normality of her career choice. “Maybe I’m a little idealistic about the construction industry but there is absolutely no reason why a female can’t do the job as well as or better than anybody else.” Kimberley Field, Senior Mechanical Engineer at Arup, the building services consultant engineers for number 40 Chancery Lane, acted as lead engineer. Her experience of working in the engineering industry has also been overwhelmingly positive. “There’s the occasional irritation, such as the odd email addressed ‘Gents’. And once in a while I encounter a raised eyebrow on site, but that’s mostly in good jest. In the main, there is a very positive attitude towards women working in engineering.” Like Aoife, Kimberley also cites a passion for maths and physics while she was at school and she comes from an engineering family background with a grandfather and an uncle who work in the industry. In fact, the family influence and an early introduction to engineering is a common thread shared by Charmaine Knower, Project Manager from design and development managers Buro Four. “My dad is an electrical engineer so I learned about engineering growing up. But when my parents built our family home I became especially interested in how it was all designed and constructed. “As a result I always chose science subjects, and in my final years at high school I elected to study Engineering Science. I had a fantastic teacher who made it all really interesting and so when it came to choosing a university course I naturally went for engineering.“ Given these positive accounts, why is the number of women in buildingrelated industries still so low? Aoife offers, “The sector needs to do more to get the message out to girls about the myriad of opportunities that exist in engineering. Many people, and not just young girls, hear the word engineering and don’t know it means much more than a car mechanic.” Charmaine agrees about promoting the variety of the role. “As a project manager I’m involved in all aspects of a job from acquisition, feasibility, design, procurement and managing works on site, which makes for a very varied day.” Kimberley adds, “Being an engineer, every project is different. It’s what makes it such a great job. It’s never boring.” So, is the female workforce behind the new 40 Chancery Lane building a sign that the tide is at last turning? Dawn Bonfield, President of the Women’s Engineering Society (WES) welcomes it as a very positive indication of the opportunities that exist for talented women, and the result of campaigning for nearly a century. WES was established in 1919 at the end of the First World War to ensure equality for those women who had worked in technical jobs during the war and who wanted to continue with their work. Its members have been working since that time to ensure equality for women, and to celebrate its 95th anniversary last year, the society established National Women in Engineering Day. The aim of the day was to focus attention on the great opportunities for women in engineering, at a time when it has never been more important to address the engineering skills shortage. This year’s event, to be held on 23 June 2015, will continue the society’s mission to showcase the wide variety of engineering careers that are available to girls. Talking to Dawn, she is full of praise for the team at 40 Chancery Lane. “The cluster of role models is brilliant. It’s so important to draw attention to these successes not only for the next generation of girls to see, but also for their parents who are very influential in the choice of their daughters’ careers.” RIBA’s Jane, who before becoming President Elect was RIBA’s equality and diversity champion, Aoife Bloomer Alison Darvill Kimberley Field
Page 1 and 2: THE LANTERN EDITION 3 SUMMER 2015 -
Page 3 and 4: THE LANTERN THE MAGAZINE FOR CHANCE
Page 5 and 6: 28 CHANCERY - 5 to potential occupi
Page 7 and 8: 28 CHANCERY - 7 28 CHANCERY GETS OF
Page 9 and 10: RODERICK CHARLES - 9 a traditional
Page 11: CHANCERY COFFEE - 11 AFFAIRS OF THE
Page 15 and 16: FOOD AND DRINK - 15 RESTAURANT REVI
Page 17 and 18: SHOPPING - 17 13 12 14 15 17 16 12
Page 19 and 20: BODY AND MIND - 19 FEED YOUR BRAIN
Page 21 and 22: A HIVE OF ACTIVITY - 21 Gustavo con
Page 23 and 24: FASHION - 23 From dramatic monochro
Page 25 and 26: THEN AND NOW - 25 Photography by La
Page 27 and 28: RUNNING SUBJECT HEADER - 27 6 21 18

THE LANTERN

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