Trainee Structural Draftsperson
Name: Annalise Smalley
Career stage: Still studying!
Working: Office, Remote wokring
High School Subjects: Design & Technology, Information Processes Technology, Textiles Design, English Standard, General Maths and Studies of Religion 1
Favourite: Design and Technology as it was based upon independent learning of creative topic of my choosing. It allowed me to research, design and create something of my choosing which led me to my current career.
Further study: University and TAFE
where and what: Charles Sturt University studying a Bachelor of Educational Studies and TAFE NSW studying a Diploma of Civil Construction Design
“It is great to see the building go from 2D to 3D, and then seeing what you built in Revit come to fruition from the ground up in real life.”
the inside scoop…
What does a Trainee Structural Draftsperson actually do? As a structural draftsperson we take the architect's design and the engineer's specifications/calculation and use this information to create working building plans which can be used by builders and trades on site. We are involved in ensuring all documents for a discipline are organized and completed on schedule as well as ensuring all necessary clash detection with other areas (e.g. civil or mechanical) has been completed prior to construction starting.
What does a day in your life at work look like? A day in the life of a drafter begins by checking my emails, teams messages and my calendar for the day which helps me to get organized. I typically will have a couple meetings throughout the day about my current projects working through clashes or setting up timelines before I get stuck into modelling and drafting. Most of my day is spent on Autodesk Revit modelling, tagging and drafting components of a building. From time to time I will get out on site to a project of mine with an engineer to help with an inspection. Typically these consist of talking to the construction team on site, reviewing the trades work and comparing it to our issued plans and details, as well as helping them troubleshoot any questions or concerns they have on site about the project.
What's the best part of your job? I love modelling and seeing a building come to life. As drafters we virtually construct a building in a digital space based on 2D plans. It is great to see the building go from 2D to 3D, and then seeing what you built in Revit come to fruition from the ground up in real life. There is a real sense of pride and satisfaction seeing a finished building.
What made you realise construction could be for you? My mum built 2 houses when I was growing up and included me in the design and construction phases therefore I was exposed to the industry at a young age. From there I designed my own houses and took an interest in the local infrastructure around me. This carried on into Year 12 D&T where I designed a 3D Digital model of a train station based on local planning documents for my area. After graduating I focused on Design but it wasn't till covid where I had a realization that I wanted to go back to the construction industry, and this is when I started my drafting traineeship.
What would you tell your high school self about working in construction? Take the risk and don't be scared to be different. You'll never know unless you try.
Tell us about a favourite project you're working on. My favourite project would have to be being the drafter on the first building in the new city for Western Sydney. This project is not only a local project for me it is also my first big mass timber project I have worked on. It was a great experience and is being constructed very differently to other buildings I have done. I have loved being part of the design team for this project as well as seeing it seeing it come to life with beautiful colored mass timber.
What are you excited about doing in the future, working in construction? I'm excited about all the innovation and virtual possibilities coming to drafting in the future. The industry is changing and moving towards working in virtual design space a lot more allowing for advanced capabilities in the future. This potentially could be virtual walkthroughs of a project using VR, or an enhanced display using new rendering technologies.
Annalise is open to engaging further via: Mentoring a student
If you'd like to enquire more, please fill out the form below with the subject name: "Annalise Smalley" and we'll pass your message on.