In April, Shamaila had an incredible week of work experience at Civic, shadowing on some fascinating projects. She has taken time to reflect and put together a short blog to share what she has been up to and what she has taken away from this invaluable experience.
“My first day kicked off with a warm welcome from Jolie, who gave me a tour of the workspace and introduced me to everyone. After lunch, I chatted with Tara, who patiently walked me through the company’s organograms and structure – a bit tricky at first, but fascinating! We also discussed the power of LinkedIn, an app I’d never really considered before. Tara showed me how to navigate it for future job applications and offered some fantastic recruitment advice and interview tips.
Following this, I spoke with Bryony about the crucial role of the Comms department in fostering a positive work environment. She shared insights into Civic’s recent award successes, including some “Pineapple” awards, which was incredibly interesting! To round off the day, Jolie gave me a comprehensive overview of the business, helping me grasp Civic’s mission and ethos.
On my second day, I had the brilliant opportunity to work with Andrea on a brief to incorporate Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) into a residential development near a canal. A key focus was preserving existing green spaces, as local stakeholders frequently use them.
After learning about SuDS, particularly their integration into urban environments, Andrea and I went on a site visit to look for potential obstructions. We even detoured to “Fright Island” (a local park near a water system!) to gain inspiration from their drainage solutions, including a shallow detention basin.
Back in the office, I was tasked with sketching potential drainage solutions. Given the soil tests showed infiltration wasn’t possible, I proposed swales for the northern side of the tramline, with embankments to protect apartments from flooding. For the opposite side, I suggested raised kerbs on Pollard Street with drains connecting to the sewage system. We also considered green roofs, but they proved too costly due to the heavier load requirements.
My final day introduced me to Oscar, who enlightened me on computational design and the benefits of technology in structural engineering. We explored software like Rhino and Grasshopper, which are used to save time on projects. I even got to see plans for a real-life project, which helped me understand how to identify welding issues during construction.
I then had the chance to listen to Oscar’s latest podcast episode featuring Andrew Ruck, gaining valuable insight into how the industry has evolved. With Oscar’s help, I even produced my own small-scale designs using Rhino, which was a fun and insightful experience into modern design techniques.
That pretty much sums up my week! While it was a bit shorter than a full five days, I had an amazing time and learned so much from so many different people. I’m sure all this knowledge will be incredibly helpful for my university work and future job applications.
A huge thank you to everyone at Civic for having me this week, and a special shout-out to Jolie, who consistently checked in and made sure I was settled!”.