Interior Designer
Name: Diana Espiritu
Career stage: Mid-level - 5-10 years' experiene
Working: Office
High School Subjects: English Advanced, Mathematics 2U, Ancient History, Physics, Visual Arts and Studies of Religion 2U
Favourite: Ancient History - anthropology & how ruins, artefacts etc. could inform us about civilisation, societal structures, cultures etc. at the time.
Further study: University
where and what: Bachelor of Interior Architecture (Honours), UNSW Sydney
"I realised construction could be for me when I studied the Parthenon in Ancient History"
the inside scoop…
What does an Interior Designer actually do? Briefing & strategy (what spaces does the client need & what are the functions), spatial planning (what spaces go next to what & how do users move through the space), design (shape making, materiality, details & documentation/drawing) & construction services (coordination with consultants, site works).
What does a day in your life at work look like? Office to review emails & preparing documents for a client design workshop. Travel to client design workshop. Depending on the stage of the project, we may bring with us: A1 plan drawings, tracing paper for sketching, pens/pencils & material/finishes samples. We may also bring our laptop to do a 3D flythrough of the space. Go back to the office. Record all the notes and items to update. Start updating our presentations (inDesign) and drawings (typically through Revit).
What's the best part of your job? The moment you go to site and you see your drawing (or even hand sketch) be built in real life.
What made you realise construction could be for you? Ancient History - studying the Parthenon.
What are you excited about in terms of sustainability in construction? The industry is searching for interesting innovation around both material sustainability & new ways of constructing. I feel we are moving towards buildings and spaces that are both environmentally sustainable & socially sustainable.
Tell us about a favourite project you're working on. Currently working on a university library which involves heavy refurbishment & new facade works. Super interesting as there is a integral Designing with Country component that underlays the design from; the library strategy and essence (what is knowledge?), concept, materiality, storytelling and built form.
Who has inspired you in your career? Many people. The first people to inspire my career were academics working in the built environment. These include people such as: Natalie Galea, works with construction companies to create better and more equitable working environments. Nicole Kalms, works with companies such as ARUP to create safer and more equitable cities.
If you'd like to enquire more, please email hello@tomorrowswomeninconstruction.com.au with the subject: "Diana Espiritu engagement enquiry" and we'll pass your message on.