Ironcraft

For the last few years I have been working for Cole Ironcraft, near Ashford in Kent as a design draughtsman. The company is a long established architectural metalworker, which carries out a wide variety of work - from ornamental railings and gates, to utilitarian guardrails, to structural steelwork.

The role of draughtsman similarly demands a wide variety of work - from assisting the estimators finalise the required design in liaison with the workshops, to carrying out the site survey, working with the client to finalise an approved design, and communicating with the workshop and fitting departments to ensure the drawings carry sufficient information to allow the fabrication and installation of the items.

The role within a factory environment is surprisingly different to working in the office of an architect. When the actual production of components is so close to your desk, and you can actually see the raw lengths of steel arrive in the yard, and leave transformed into things which existed only on the computer screen weeks previously, it is quite exciting.

Below are some examples of work produced at Cole Ironcraft.

 

 

King's Hill - Area 58

Working for Clague in 2008, I was mainly involved in residential schemes, including this phase of development at King's Hill, in Kent for Bellway Homes.

The scheme was for 52 units, and my work was in preparing the planning application.

Queen Elizabeth School, Dorset

Here are a selection of drawings of Queen Elizabeth School, for Dorset County Council - part of the Building Schools for the Future project. The scheme was evolved by FCB Architects, and developed to working drawing stage by Mouchel. Highly technical, the scheme also demanded a large degree of coordination of information and drawings, as well as between built elements.

The project is ongoing - photographs of the site can be seen at http://tinyurl.com/qeschoolpics.

One Classroom Extension, Leigh

This extension to Leigh Primary School was part of the government's initiative to reduce class sizes.

As well as this perspective view, submitted in support of the Planning Application, I helped produce the working drawing package.

I was more heavily involved in similar schemes across Kent, including running projects at Ightham and Herne Bay.

Private Residence, Near Canterbury

These are some of the drawings produced for a private residence designed by GDM Architects while I was there, in 2004.

The building had a steel frame, and was clad in vertical cedar boarding and brickwork. The project was notable for the large number of very complicated construction details required, for a building of this size - and for the high level and detail involved in fixtures, fittings and finishes. The practice worked in conjunction with the clients' interior designer on this very sensitive project.