Dan and Larkfleet building for the future

20 August 2018

rainee architect Dan Wedekind has joined the team at Larkfleet Homes to help meet the company’s plans for expanding the number of new homes it is building.

Dan’s appointment as an architectural assistant is part of Larkfleet’s commitment to encouraging and developing the next generation of construction professionals.

A resident of Huntingdon, Dan took his A Levels at Hinchingbrooke School before going on to the University of Lincoln where he gained an honours degree in architecture.

Now he is working with Larkfleet Homes to develop new housing. The experience will eventually enable him to return to university for another two years to complete a master’s degree and become a fully qualified architect.

Dan said: “I am learning a lot from my boss and colleagues, seeing how a site is laid out and learning some of the more technical aspects of development. 

“I am really enjoying the experience and seeing how all the design and engineering planning finally comes together into a completed housing development.”

In the long term, Dan hopes to join an architectural practice where he can gain work on a wide range of buildings in addition to new homes. But he said:

“I hope to be at Larkfleet for about another year. I have been pleased already to get an opportunity to work on buildings other than housing as we have recently been involved with planning a development that includes some commercial buildings.”

Part of Dan’s role involves attending open evenings at Greater Peterborough University Technical College (GPUTC) and trying to get current and prospective students interested in the construction industry, in particular the design side. 

Dan said: “As a trainee myself I am able to pass on my experience and knowledge thus far on my route to becoming an architect.”

GPUTC is a brand-new £12 million state-of-the-art technical school located on the Park Crescent Campus in Peterborough. It specialises in teaching engineering and the built environment alongside traditional A Levels and GCSEs to students aged between 14 and 19.

UTCs are unique in that they have sponsors and partners which play a large part in the way that students learn, from offering work experience, industry exposure and mentoring through to providing a guaranteed job interview upon completion of study.

Larkfleet has been involved with GPUTC since before the first plans were drawn up and is one of the sponsors. Larkfleet CEO Karl Hick sits on the school’s board of governors.

Karl Hick said: “Investing in the future of the construction industry by supporting local young people in their training and development has always been part of Larkfleet’s ethos.”

In his spare time Dan is involved in several sporting activities including basketball and indoor sky diving, as well as being a cinema film fan.