Listen to Olivia McKim and Heather Wasley discuss the bumpy, sometimes circuitous routes they took to an architecture career, their shared experience of hard times and uncertainty, the value of persistence, and the joy of finding a place in the profession.
Our conversationalists for this episode are Heather Wasley, now a Director at Grieve Gillett Architects, and Olivia McKim, currently working as an architect at Brand Architects. In this open, honest conversation, Heather and Olivia share their struggles through university – one supporting herself away from family and the other with experiences of grief and feelings of failure.
Heather discusses her lengthy break between degrees while raising her daughter and her difficult decision to leave her home to pursue the goal of becoming an architect. Olivia shares the joys of getting her first job working in architecture after a challenging time at university. “When I landed in a design and construct firm, we’re on site and documenting and… it really clicked to me. This is what I wanted.”
Other topics of discussion include the importance of well-designed housing for everyone’s quality of life, the valuable technical skills that can be learned while working for building designers and builders, and the motivations behind Olivia’s podcast series.
This episode of Parlour POD was produced with the assistance of the Alastair Swayn Foundation through a Design Audio Grant. Thanks!
This episode was recorded live on Kaurna Country at the 2023 Autumn Adelaide Salon. Held at the Brickworks Design Studio on 4 May 2023, it was convened by Alison McFadyen. Photos: Benjamin Liew.
