Introducing Ollie Peach, design manager at our Grain House project in Covent Garden. Here, Ollie shares his first impressions on the early stages of life at Knight Harwood.
The Knight Harwood induction process
Coming into a new role, the unknown is always a little nerve-racking. Especially for me – changing direction in my career and entering an entirely different role from the one I was used to previously – I didn’t really know what to expect. The induction process was enjoyable and is a great and very quick way of getting a wide view of how the company operates.
It was interesting seeing the varied projects and meeting colleagues outside my own team.
His team
They are a great bunch of people, welcoming and helpful. It feels like real teamwork, trying to create the best outcome together and not just looking for the easiest or quickest solution. The entire team think about the overall product that we are building which has impressed me.
His project
Grain House is a complicated cut and carve of five existing buildings. Projects such as this always throw up unknowns and areas that haven’t been developed by the design team. It has been interesting having to respond to these challenges and make sure the design team pick up where coordination hasn’t been resolved.
His new role
It is enjoyable being on this side of the fence. I feel like I have been able to bring an additional set of skills to design management; it has been a steep and enjoyable learning curve!
Being new to the business
I feel like I have been here years, although it has only been a matter of months! I feel like I have embedded positively with the team at Grain House as well as the external consultants and design team.
