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ASK THE ARCHITECT
As a chartered architect at award-winning
practice Marchini Curran Associates, Sara Saadouni reveals what she learnt as a trainee architect in Morocco, and the journey she has been on to design sustainable UK buildings
WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO BECOME AN ARCHITECT?
I’ve always enjoyed drawing and creative arts for as long as I can remember. Architecture only appeared on my radar when, as a teenager, I had to decide what direction to take with my academic training. I wasn’t exactly sure about what the job entailed, and my priority at the time was to be enrolled in a course that had a signifi cant focus on art and creativity. The National School of Architecture in
Rabat, Morocco, did just that and so the journey began. I quickly fell in love with architecture as I explored the work of Gaudi and Calatrava, and felt it became a vocation once I understood how good design could help reduce the environmental impact of the construction industry, as well as help us achieve the sustainability targets that are core to tackling global warming.
Sara Saadouni, Marchini Curran Associates
WHAT WAS YOUR FAVOURITE PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE WORKING IN MOROCCO? Throughout my six years of architecture training, it was common for students to work part-time in several practices. As part of this, I worked on a competition in a small practice that designed mostly high-end villas in Marrakech. The director was young, had a strong vision, and had a vernacular take on design that I hadn’t seen previously done in Morocco. I remember when the whole team had the opportunity to work from one of the almost fi nished sites we designed – a beautiful villa in Marrakech with a swimming pool.
It was thoroughly enjoyable to create Sketchup diagrams in such a quiet, sunny environment.
HOW & WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO MOVE TO WORK IN THE UK?
Halfway through architecture school, I got passionate about sustainable architecture and wanted to learn more. I applied to MSc programmes in the UK and was accepted to the Masters of Sustainable Building Technology at the University of Nottingham and secured a Developing Solutions Scholarship. As this was an MSc programme, it gave me a deep understanding of building physics and new scientifi c knowledge that helped strengthen my approach to design. After my studies, I decided to stay and gain professional experience in the fi eld, as I could see exciting opportunities on the horizon.
WHAT’S IT LIKE WORKING AS AN ARCHITECT IN NOTTINGHAM, WHAT ARE THE HIGHS & LOWS?
Nottingham is a great city to live and work in, and there are plenty of exciting ongoing projects including the Island Quarter masterplan. In a sense, it is a small community of construction professionals concentrated in the city centre and the Lace Market. This is a nice feature that facilitates face to face collaboration with consultants as well as networking through the numerous social events organised locally. I can’t really think of any lows related to working in Nottingham!
I quickly fell in love with architecture as I explored the work of Gaudi and Calatrava, and it became a vocation once I understood how good design could help reduce the environmental impact of the construction industry
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New Crematorium, Denham (illustrative aerial view of proposal from the north west) © Marchini Curran
ADF SEPTEMBER 2023
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