Restoration & Renewal Delivery Authority - Meet the Restorers

Welcome to Meet the Restorers, where we hear from our colleagues about the work they are undertaking on the historic restoration of the Palace of Westminster.

The Palace of Westminster, home of the Houses of Parliament, is one of our most treasured buildings. Recognised the world over, it’s the symbolic heart of our democracy and nation and a workplace for thousands of people. The building has played a unique role in our political history for 900 years and now it needs urgent repair.

The Houses of Parliament Restoration and Renewal Programme has been set up to tackle all the work to protect the Palace’s heritage and ensure it can continue to serve as the home of the UK Parliament for future generations.

In this article we hear from our many restorers on their role and what working on The Houses of Parliament Restoration and Renewal Programme means to them.

Amee Ewing, Head of Technical Assurance.

"I am truly amazed every time I see a photograph or walk pass the Houses of Parliament. This remarkable and recognisable building is home to our Parliament and rich in history and architecture. In other words, it comes with a wow factor!

As a female engineer who has worked on large and complex construction projects such as Heathrow Terminal 5 and Waterloo International Terminal, it’s a privilege to be part of the Restoration and Renewal Programme. My career began in New York as a Design Engineer in the manufacturing sector, since then, I have undertaken a variety of roles, particularly relating to Fire Systems and Life Safety. I’ve seen the Engineering and Construction industry transform before my eyes. I have learnt that it is critical that we make decisions today to positively influence a successful commissioning and handover. This is especially critical for Restoration and Renewal due to the scale, complexity, and uniqueness of the building and its heritage.

I work as part of the Technical Assurance and Design Management Team. My role as head of Technical Assurance is to ensure solutions and outcomes demonstrate compliance with requirements, technical standards and support us as we carry out our historic task to save the Palace of Westminster. I am passionate about my role and love being part of a diverse team – it’s the best way to solve problems!"

 

 

Kripa Dwarakanath is our Inclusive Design Manager, wanted to hear more from Kripa about her role and what inclusive design means for her. 

“The thing that inspires me is the real opportunity to change some of the discriminatory components of the physical space and renew them to reflect contemporary thinking around equality, diversity and inclusion. In turn this supports sustainable development - a subject close to my heart.

Inclusive design to me is:

1. The process of developing designs where diverse needs of people, including those with protected characteristics, is understood and incorporated as reasonably and practically as possible.
2. 2. About delivering designs that remove barriers that lead to segregation and discrimination and to remove the need to place some people in a state of dependency on others - in other words to design with independence and dignity for all.

It is these aspects of independence and dignity that is the distinction between creating an ‘accessible design’ and an ‘inclusive design’. My role on the programme is to enable understanding and support colleagues to incorporate inclusive design principles in practice, and to provide guidance and assurance on the adherence to equality requirements.”

 

Through experiences in architecture, working in a stately home and interning on a restoration project, Florence Jackson knew the Quality Practitioner apprenticeship in the Delivery Authority was right for her.

It combines her knowledge of business, love of heritage buildings, and passion for restoration projects. Florence shared a bit with us about what the start of her apprenticeship has been like:

"There is a massive support system behind me. Within the team there is a high level of trust that everyone will work to the highest of their ability and ask for help when they need it. I have really enjoyed being a part of this environment and knowing that everyone wants to see me succeed. I know that the other apprentices on the Programme will form another support system and will be a group to whom I can go to for help. The team have been looking out for me every step so far - giving me work to do, from organisation to learning how to audit. The range of tasks that the team complete on a daily basis is so broad, I feel like there is so much to learn. I am extremely excited to progress and become fully immersed in the quality role"

 

Kathryn Lowe is our Senior Architect, she said:

“Inclusive design to me is,
Transformation: Inclusive Design has a transformative power to create a more inclusive society that improves everyone’s experience of the built environment

Wisdom: Effective inclusive design is people-centred. In other words, it is informed by working closely with, listening to and observing the broadest range of people’s requirements and experience. Developing the wisdom to be open, understand and learn from others.

The Palace was designed in a period when Inclusion, Access, Diversity and Equality values were not recognised design factors. The resulting building reflects this. It is not welcoming, accessible or inclusive to a wide range of users. As Parliament, it is important that these key values are now fully realised in the Palace restoration. My role includes revisiting the design proposals to explore how the building can be transformed, enabling a more positive and dignified experience for all users.

To date good progress has been made on providing an increased amount of step free access across much of the Palace, make it more welcoming and improved welfare facilities for staff and visitors. The more subtle aspects of Inclusive Design that grant dignity and independence to all, such as improved visibility, auditory experience, age, gender, ethnicity related issues and neurodiversity are to be developed in the coming design stage.”

 

Juliet Shadrick, Health and Wellbeing Lead said:

“I work in the Health, Safety and Wellbeing team which is very exciting because in previous years health has not always been given the same focus as safety. However, research tells us that individuals working in the construction industry are 100 times more likely to die from a work-related health issue than safety. My role is to make sure everyone on the programme is able to thrive, and stay mentally and physically fit which is essential for the successful completion of this world class project.

Mental Health Awareness Week is a great opportunity to highlight the need to be open about mental health and to engage with colleagues. We have put together a special series of social and interactive activities that compliment the many other health promotion events we promote throughout the year.

I feel proud to be part of such an amazing project to restore the Houses of Parliament, ensuring that we also build a high-class standard of excellence and best practice in health safety and wellbeing.”

 

To learn more about the culture at The Houses of Parliament Restoration and Renewal Programme and to view all current vacancies  please click here