Fiona returns to university after Crawford Partnership internship

Fiona started her internship in August having won this year’s SBID Get Me 2 The Top 2019 student interior design competition. She’s now returned to university to continue her studies, but wanted to share her experiences whilst working at Crawford Partnership:

I really want to thank the team for taking care of me during the past 7 weeks. The internship at Crawford Partnership is one of my key experiences as a first year undergraduate, being interesting and challenging.

Initially I was looking at the staircase design for a residential project, understanding the regulations and guides to follow whilst being creative. I experienced working with ArchiCAD in 3D and developing professional skills, which will be helpful to translate back to my university projects and career going forward. I was able to attend meetings and site visits, with useful experience of speaking to clients and others in the construction industry – seeing a different side to what I had been exposed to at university.

I also started a report and some designs to address the issue of homelessness. Following some research, I have developed a few ideas of how to provide temporary accommodation or more dense housing solutions to address this key issue. The design was creating something imaginative that was also chic and solved the issues in a clearly communicated project.

Overall, I’ve boosted my passion for interior design by immersing myself in a real office environment. I appreciated all the help and friendships developed within the team, getting feedback and presenting my ideas for review. It’s been a great experience to gain maturity as I return to continue my studies.