HELLO 2021 & GOODBYE 2020!

By Katy Esdon who is a director of Esdon Architecture Limited – Architecture Practice. The business is based in Salisbury and works in all sector however they specialise in residential new builds, extensions and commercial projects with a construction value of more than £50,000.

As the year starts to turn – how are you feeling about 2021? 

As a team we are all really looking forward to 2021. We have been fortunate that we have been able to operate working from home during the lockdowns, but we can’t wait to get back to the office. We have had some great projects in 2020, and already have several more lined up for 2021.

What are your business goals for the coming year? 

A particular goal of ours is to incorporate more sustainable and eco- friendly building methods and materials into our projects wherever possible. 

Despite the difficulties of 2020 we have come a long way as a business. We hope to continue on the same trajectory, taking on interesting and exciting projects as we go. 

Will you be looking to employ any new staff during the new year? 

We will be looking for a Part 1 Architectural Assistant to join us in the summer of 2021. One of our current Part 1 Assistants will be going back to university in September to finish her architecture qualifications so we will be looking for someone to join the team. Sophie has been with us since 2017 and is an integral part of our team, so they will be big shoes to fill.

Will you be looking for any new local suppliers in 2021? 

We work with a lot of local suppliers and contractors and we are always on the look-out for new contacts. We are particularly interested in suppliers of eco-friendly and/or locally sourced sustainable building materials.

Looking back across 2020 – name three highlights for you and your business? 

1. Not quite 2020, but we took on our first office premises on Fisherton Street in Salisbury at the end of 2019 and that certainly continues to be a highlight for us. Moving from our home office to our business premises was just the jump we needed to make.

2. We took on two new employees this year. Shane is a Part 1 architectural assistant, and James is a qualified architect. They have both been great additions to our team.

3. We began one to one business coaching sessions with Lindsey Burden this year, Lindsey has really helped us to push ourselves and the business in the right direction. 

Looking back across 2020 – were there any lowlights? How did you face them? 

The main difficulty over 2020 for us has been not being able to work together in our office. A large part of our design process is a collaborative approach across all members of our team and when we are not all working together it is harder to share our ideas easily. 

We tend to start our design process in hand drawn sketch form and will often go through several revisions before deciding which of those to take forward to develop in to the two or three options we present to our clients. 

Being able to produce drawings electronically has allowed us to get around this to an extent, and screen sharing is a very useful tool, but we will be happy to get back to sketching on paper.

Who, in your business community – have been the shining stars of 2020? 

Almost too many to mention….

1.Your Mortgage Expert have been brilliant. Adam Nanson has helped us and also a few of our clients this year.

2. Lydia Stamps Photography. Lydia did a brand shoot for us just before lockdown and we have been thrilled with the results. She is booked in over the coming weeks to come out and photograph projects of our's that have recently completed.

3. Naked Bagel. They have kept us fed in takeaway bagels this last year. I dread to think how many we have ordered!

For more information visit www.esdon-architecture.com