Future Magazine - Ivana
Ivana Plechacova
Ivana is well travelled. Educated in Prague and New York, she worked in the Czech Republic, Japan, Norway and Switzerland before arriving in London and tries to bring these different perspectives to her role.
Back in grammar school I barely showed any interest in STEM subjects and my grades in mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology were pretty average. I was more interested in cool music, skateboarding with my mates, designing and sewing my own clothes and creating artworks (yes, graffiti included). I had no particular interest in anything, felt more interested in a bit of everything.
The choice of which university to go to was pretty unclear and difficult, especially as my parents’ and teacher’s advice was not appealing. After the painful sifting process, I made a top 5 list, took the entrance examinations, got admitted to a few of them and finally chose Fashion Management. Although I wanted to study fashion designing and become a fashion designer, I was not brave enough to even try it. Not being brave enough is one of a few things I regret even now.
Fashion management turned out to be surprisingly easy (compared to the grammar school) and soon I felt, that this is not what I really wanted to do. Luckily, I met my long term best friend Kayka, who was as creative and as bored as I was. It was her idea, to try to get into architecture, so after a half year preparation we both passed the entrance examination and got enrolled to the oldest Czech Technical University to study Architecture and Urbanism.
A year studying Fashion Management might seem like wasted time, however it was a necessary step to realise what I really want to do. Studying architecture immediately felt right for Kayka and me as it’s a unique mixture of technical and creative subjects and you have the freedom to choose which part of it you want to engage with. Studying was not so much intellectually demanding as time consuming - never ending hours designing, drawing, sketching and studying other architects’ work.
Studying at the university also allowed me to travel abroad and gain professional experience via internships. While studying for a year at Union College in Upstate New York I gained enough confidence to travel alone to Japan (with only elementary knowledge of Japanese) and work there in a purely Japanese local architectural office. This experience was invaluable for my personal growth, not to mention how it helped me to get another placement in Norway and in Switzerland later on. All of this created a solid base for my current position.
Currently, my daily routine at work consists of drawing 2d plans, sections and details, creating 3d models, setting up Building Information Modelling (BIM) workflow, coordinating with other consultants and liaising with clients. The work is very varied, every projects is different and that’s what I love.
Reflecting on my journey on becoming an architect, I believe that making the wrong decision was part of the process and you shouldn’t be afraid to accept and embrace mistakes as they help you to find the right way in the end.
Ivana Plechacova
Ivana is well travelled. Educated in Prague and New York, she worked in the Czech Republic, Japan, Norway and Switzerland before arriving in London and tries to bring these different perspectives to her role.