Finola Brady

Welcome to my website, where you will find all the information you need about the architectural services I can offer you.I am an architectural technician with over 20 years' experience of working on residential, commercial and retail schemes. In August 2022 I returned to Worthing after over ten years of running my business in Nottingham, and am delighted to be back in Sussex with its beautiful mixture of architectural styles. However, I have retained my client base and industry contacts in Nottingham so I now work on projects in both Sussex and Nottingham. During my time in Nottingham I continued to provide freelance services to two Brighton-based architects so I have kept up to speed with local planning policy and have continued to work on Listed Regency, Victorian and Edwardian properties in Worthing, Brighton and The Downs. My experience with working on Listed buildings has been expanded in the East Midlands where I have worked on a Mediaeval cottage, Georgian manor houses, Regency terraces, and Victorian villas and barns. I also have lots of experience of working in conservation areas. I have also worked on several projects to adapt properties for disabled clients who have been awarded funds for the purpose, so I am experienced at working with occupational therapists and solicitors as part of team serving the client. 

I started my career as an architectural assistant in a practice in Brighton, where I worked for four years. After a few months off to travel, I returned to Brighton, this time to a different practice - so different ethos and different types of projects. I worked there for a further four years, then returned to Nottingham (my hometown) to set up my own business. I am now back in Sussex and a proud member of Worthing and Adur Chamber of Commerce. I am also a member of the Local Authority Building Control (LABC) Partner Authority Scheme, partnering with Adur and Worthing Building Control, to provide a single point of contact for plan checking and competitive fees, wherever in England and Wales a project is based.

You may wonder what the difference is between an architect and an architectural technician. Keeping it simple, in a large practice the architects will do the concept design and the technicians will draw the details for construction. I combine both of those disciplines and look at the whole building holistically. I always think about designs from the ground up: where does the drainage go, are structural changes minimised, are the walls and roof thick enough to meet the insulation Building Regulations etc.? So the building won't just look good, it can also be built as designed, which is of course what clients want.My architectural and design heroes include Edwin Lutyens, Frank Lloyd Wright, Santiago Calatrava, Mies van der Rohe, Charles & Ray Eames, Gertrude Jekyll, Diarmuid Gavin and Charles Rennie Mackintosh. This appreciation for the Arts and Crafts and Modernist movements has translated into a very strong interest in sustainable design, construction and living, and in creating spaces that can enable us to live better.I am involved in several property and business networking groups locally because I strongly believe in supporting local businesses, and that local businesses can really work well together for mutual benefit. Keeping things local is just one aspect of sustainable living! I am a member of Independent Worthing, Women in Business Worthing, Women in Construction Sussex, and Building Sussex Connections.

Previously I served for eight years on the committee of WREN (Women's Real Estate Network) in Nottingham, a networking group dedicated to advancing women in property in the East Midlands. I was also a member of Nottingham City Business Club from 2012 until 2022 (the UK's oldest business club outside of London) and have been a member of the East Midlands-based Property Face2Face networking group since 2011, still attending their quarterly curry clubs in Nottingham.

If you have a project that I can help you with, then please email me or call me and I would be very happy to talk to you about what I can do for you. Initially I would conduct a site visit to meet you, see the property, talk about your brief and permissions / services that you rqeuire. Following on from that I would prepare a detailed quote setting out my services and fees, permissions required, and other consultants required etc.

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