This week we welcomed Vicki Shepherdson back to the Stride Treglown team. Vicki joins us from Boyes Rees Architects and brings with her extensive experience in the healthcare sector. Having worked with us 14 years ago as a newly qualified architect, we were keen to catch up with Vicki to find out how life has progressed…
How does it feel to be back at Stride Treglown Vicki?
It sounds naff but it’s like coming home! It’s lovely to find so many of the friends I made all those years ago are still here. I’ve had a smile on my face all week.
What have the last 14 years been like?
When I left Stride Treglown, 14 years ago, I had just passed my Part 3 and life was all about amending red lined drawings. Lots has happened since then. I got married, had two children, and somehow acquired three guinea pigs.
In terms of work, my focus has been on healthcare, a sector of architecture I am really passionate about. From Stride Treglown, I joined BDP where my role in projects gradually increased – I eventually led a team developing the plans for the new Southmead Hospital. From BDP, I moved to Boyes Rees where I won numerous projects including the Integrated Care Centre recently completed on site in Cardigan.
I feel very proud to say that I’ve designed healthcare buildings all across the UK, from a small Breast Care Centre in Bristol to a large acute hospital on Jersey.
How has healthcare design/delivery changed in that time?
For me the emphasis on designing healthcare buildings for communities has come to the foreground. New integrated healthcare centres aim to bring many services out of hospitals and into GP Surgeries, creating a ‘one stop shop.’
I was project architect for the new integrated healthcare centre in Cardigan. In this building, patients can get all the care they need in one place – there are even additional spaces for community use. The building is situated in the town centre and is designed to feel less clinical which helps to make the patient experience less daunting. These integrated healthcare centres are becoming more and more popular and I feel it’s definitely the right way to go in terms of patient needs and wellbeing.
What lies ahead?
At the moment, I’m completing a bid for a community hospital by the sea. I’m really hopeful we will be successful – it’s a project I’m very fond of, having been involved with it for four years already.
Going forward, I would like to share my passion and experiences in healthcare architecture by doing more presentations and talks at conferences. I’m also very keen to get involved in R&D work looking at healing environments and their effect on recovery. Watch this space…
Vicki will be predominantly Bristol based, but will also work closely with our teams in Bath and Cardiff.