Medical workers can do so in saving lives, teachers in inspiring youngsters, farmers in helping feed the nation.The joy for Matt Spinks is seeing the fruits of his labours in a physical sense, by driving past some of the buildings he has helped design.These can be anything from projects in healthcare, education or helping owners bring their dream homes to life through the power of creative design.
“I remember, at school, how little things parked my interest. For example, as a Wolves fan, I designed a new entrance to the Molineux and created a scale model out of Acrylic Plastic. “It was really interesting and my dissertation was on football grounds, looking at disasters like Hillsborough and Bradford, what had happened and how you could improve stadium safety, looking at the future.
“My first project was one to remember – Upton Meadows Primary School. This was partly funded by the Prince’s Foundation and King Charles opened the school when it was completed. It was something that really appealed to me at the time and it was not a bad one to add to your fledgling CV.”“From the first enquiry, you go out and visit the project,” he explains. “It could be a domestic project like a new house.
“Then you have the design freeze stage where you submit to the council which can take eight weeks or longer. There are a whole host of consultees, from Highways to ecologists and many more that may affect the process. All being well, if planning is approved, the next stage is to get building regulations, where we look at the construction of the project.
“We carry out monthly inspections and always liaise with the contractor. On practical completion, once the building inspector is happy, we sign it off. There is then a six to 12 months period after it is handed over for snagging items that might crop up. “The last part of my training was to do with contracts, dealing with planners, building regulations, health and safety, issuing instructions to contractors on site so it was intense.