Hester is passionate about humane design; creating spaces that will enhance the lives of those that use and occupy them.
She joined Stride Treglown three years ago, having built a versatile portfolio with a broad range of experience at Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios (FCBS) in Bath. She now works in our Higher Education team, leading Research & Innovation projects and undertaking post-occupancy evaluation on completed buildings, allowing the building process to become a learning process for future projects.
She is also a part-time lecturer at the University of the West of England for the fourth year Architecture and Engineering course.
She is currently lead designer for Computing, Mathematics, Engineering & Technology (COMET), a new STEM building for the University of South Wales that will go on site in Summer 2024.
If you weren’t in this career, what would you be?
I think I would be a Marine Biologist. I have a passion for oceans, seas and diving. Or perhaps a film or theatre set designer – that would be a lot of creative fun with a turnaround time far quicker than building design!
What’s your favourite project you’ve worked on to date?
That’s a difficult one. I have been lucky enough to be involved in so many cracking projects over my 17 years in practice. It would probably be The Woodland Trust headquarters in Grantham whilst at FCBS. I love designing with timber and this building was constructed almost entirely from timber, from the CLT frame to the Woodfibre insulation and larch cladding.By not going down a traditional concrete frame path, the carbon contained in the timber frame gave the Woodland Trust 9 years of free operational carbon in the building.
My current project, COMET, has also been a pleasure to work on. The design so far is a testament to collaborative working with the client and design team and I am really excited about seeing it through on site.
What advice would you give your 20-year-old self?
Have confidence and faith in yourself and those you work with. Stressing gets you nowhere!
An old colleague once told me ‘Hester, on a good day when you display confidence in yourself you are great, not so when the nerves show’, and that’s stuck with me to this day. The reality is we all have good and bad days!
Interesting fact that nobody knows about you?
I hold an advanced PADI scuba diving certificate. Unfortunately, it has been used very little in the last 20 years so has probably now expired!
What is your proudest moment?
The feedback I received after the first year of occupation of the Dyson Centre, a neo-natal care unit for the Royal United Hospitals Bath, was overwhelming. The project really pushed the boundaries of healthcare architecture and it proved to have such a positive impact on the parents, staff and, most importantly, the growth and development of premature babies. I am so proud to have helped design a building which actively contributes to the quality of care and the mental and physical wellbeing of those using it.
Industry bodies
- ARB
