We are delighted that Yoana Korendova, who started working at Roger Coy Partnership in 2016, has now completed her training to become a Chartered Architect.

Training to become an RIBA Chartered Architect in the UK is a lengthy process which is divided into 3 parts;

RIBA Part 1 consists of a 3-year degree which provides students with the opportunity to develop their core architectural skills and understanding, in preparation for a year of practical experience.  

After a year working in industry, Part II is usually undertaken as a master’s degree and provides students with enhanced architectural knowledge and project complexity.

Part 3 is the final part and consists of 24 months experience, CV and career evaluation, a written case study, written examinations, and a final interview.

In this blog, Yoana discusses her experience from start to finish.

I started my journey to become an Architect in 2009. I moved from Bulgaria to Coventry, where I undertook my Part I qualification (Bachelor’s Degree). Leaving family and friends behind to pursue my dream of qualifying was challenging but rewarding in many ways.

Shortly after completing her Part I, Yoana joined a practice in Coventry to gain professional experience prior to starting her Part II course. Her role was to support the design team, update drawings and generally developing and transferring the skills learnt from University into practice.

This placement allowed me to gain knowledge and experience and soon after that I started meeting clients and working closely with them on majority of projects within the education, ecclesiastical and residential sectors, as well as preparing documentation for planning, building control and tender.

In 2016 Yoana joined Roger Coy Partnership (RCP) just before commencing the Part II course at Birmingham City University on a part time basis.

My position at RCP has given me the opportunity to work on a variety of projects mainly within the residential sector including barn conversions, extensions and new built projects, as well as smaller housing developments. I have gained significant experience in RIBA Stages 2, 3 and 4 and in the last year of my studies (undertaking Part III), my workload was focused on RIBA Stage 5.

Part III is the last stage of the long qualification process. The course is intense and includes several assessments covering topics such as Professional Practice and Management, Building Procurement and Contract Administration, as well as Professional Experience and Development. The last component of the course is the Professional Examination in the form of an interview with two experienced Architects, ensuring that the future Architect has the skills and knowledge required for the profession.

My position at RCP has given me exposure to a broad range of experience and work stages. Over the years I have acquired good set of architectural and design skills which I continue adding to through ongoing CPD and learning from more experienced colleagues. Becoming a Qualified Architect has concluded a long stage of my life but has also given the start to a more exciting future where I apply everything I have learnt to my work. The best thing about being an Architect is the appreciation of our clients and knowing that we have improved their lives, which makes all this hard work worthwhile.

Director Brian Russell comments that this is a well-deserved achievement for Yoana, who has put a lot of time and effort into completing her studies and become a rounded professional covering multiple sectors.