Henley Design Day to Showcase Local Women Architects
Christmas is over. You’ve done it all – decorations, food, presents, visitors. You coped – but did your home stand up to the strain?
When you spend more time than usual in the kitchen, and look after guests the concentrated effort can make you wonder about reordering or even extending your living space. Once the decorations are tidied away, these dark evenings are an opportunity to dream and plan the future for your home.
A key date for making a building project into reality will be Saturday 17 March. Organised by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), this year’s Henley Design Day will feature local architects and their work, as well as interior designers and landscapers. It’s a FREE event open between 10-4pm at Henley Town Hall to anybody who may be looking to speak to an architect or designer about a new project be it a small extension or something much larger.
Sarah Miller organises the Design Day for the RIBA. As a long-time resident of Henley, she’s very aware that love for the town can often mean that you improve, rather than move your home.
Women in Architecture
This year, for the first time Henley Design Day will feature a space dedicated to showcasing the work of local women architects.
Around half-a-dozen women architects and guest designers will be available to talk through your ideas with you and to discuss their unique approach to help you bring your ideas to life – just look for the RIBA Women in Architecture banner.
Taking part together in the Design Day grew out of meetups of women architects in this area. ‘A group of us started to meet regularly after work last year. We realised that we have a lot in common,’ says Claire Truman, Principal of Reading-based Heritage Revival Design Consultancy. ‘Only one in five RIBA Chartered Architects are women. Running smaller practices, often from home, can be challenging; we have found the networking and sharing of experiences mutually beneficial to ourselves, and ultimately our Clients.’
Zoe Smith, who runs ZLA Ltd in Reading sees a huge advantage in the Women in Architecture joint marketing at Henley Design Day. ‘Clients choosing an architect for their project are always advised to talk to a number of practices to find one that they “click” with. Quite a few clients are keen to work with women architects; and all of us at the Women in Architecture table will have a range of small, medium and large residential and commercial projects in our portfolios. So come over, say hello and see what we could achieve for you!’
Organised by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), this year’s Henley Design Day will feature at least 20 architects and their work. Just pop into the Town Hall with some information about your project and have a no-obligation chat with an architect or three. This year’s event is being sponsored by Simmons & Sons estate agents and Hobsons Choice kitchens and bathrooms.
For further information please contact Sarah Miller on 0118 987 4900/07909 442 019 sarah.miller@riba.org
