Following on from last week’s case study, we’d like to introduce the Project Lead for The Old Ironworks, Christelle Tippett. Christelle joined AO in 2014, having relocated to Oxfordshire from Guernsey to attend Oxford Brookes University for her Part II studies, and worked with us alongside her Part III (Post Graduate) studies at the University of Bath.
Christelle’s journey is somewhat different to her peers, having left Secondary School aged sixteen to undertake a self-funded approach to education, with an apprenticeship as an Architectural Technologist with one of the largest practices in the Channel Islands, while studying for the BTEC National Certificate in Construction at Guernsey College of Further Education. Prior to, and following her Part I studies at the University of Portsmouth – selected, among other reasons, for its close proximity to the sea – she worked on a variety of projects, including bespoke dwellings, residential developments, master plans and a luxury hotel on the cliffs, located in several of the Bailiwick islands of Guernsey, Sark and Jethou, and neighbouring island Jersey.
Her experience, at the point of joining AO, was significant, and during her time with us her passion for Design, commitment to Architecture and desire to learn and push for progress and positive change in the industry has been inspiring. Always heavily engaged and looking to further her knowledge, Christelle has extended her architectural endeavours far beyond the office. Since 2020, she has led the local RIBA Women in Architecture group, running a series of online events during COVID, and since, holding in-person social meet ups, building tours and presentations.
Also in 2020, Christelle qualified at the University of Bath as a certified Passive House Designer. Living in a Passive House of her own, she had been an advocate for an energy efficient and sustainable approach to design for many years, and to become an accredited Designer was a fantastic and personal achievement. More recently, she’s undertaken the position of Associate Lecturer as a Design Tech Tutor at Oxford Brookes for the Part I Architecture course. Alongside her many in-work and extra-curricular endeavours and accomplishments, Christelle became a mother in 2021, and has embraced this with the same passion and commitment she dedicates to all and everything she touches.
We’re extremely proud of the work that Christelle has completed, and the vital role that she plays within the company - we also look forward to seeing what (more!) she has up her sleeve, in the future.
