Meet Helen Needham Head of Architectural design

I am pleased to introduce myself as Helen Needham, Head of Oakwrights Architectural design team.

I am originally from a farming background in Lincolnshire and went to Brighton University gaining a BA (Hons) degree and Postgraduate Diplomas in Architecture, Management, Practice, and Law, with RIBA Parts 1 to 3. Prior to joining Oakwrights, I worked for practices in Lincolnshire, Devon, London, Surrey, and Sussex. I qualified as an Architect in October 2008 and have nearly 20 years’ experience. My passion is to design; I have acted as the Project Architect for many great developments and have enjoyed working through all stages, from meeting a client to handing over the keys and aftercare.

A passion for design & architecture

I have mainly focused upon residential schemes of private houses and flats, although I have worked on commercial and listed buildings, including churches. I have also had the lovely opportunity to design church chandeliers, a Scout tee pee, swimming pools, Devon cob and local Lincolnshire ‘mud and stud’. I like to hand draw, particularly in the early concept development and Planning stages, and I also use AutoCAD, Photoshop, and SketchUp. I love meeting our clients from the very beginning of a project, listening to them, getting to know their likes and dislikes and visiting their site to gain design inspiration; this drives the design process throughout. A strong concept alongside a good vision for space and colour, backed up with a technical ability to build the proposals is a fundamental formula; working closely with all members of the design team is also essential and has given me a strong foundation.

Focus on Helen Needham: Head of Architectural design