NLA Inspiring Women - Rachel Haugh

Soon after leaving Bath University in the mid-80s and returning to the Northwest, I met Ian Simpson while working in practice. We shared similar ideals and ambitions to achieve great things. We set up a competition studio to test what could happen. In 1987, we set up our practice with no work and no idea how to run a practice, but we were young and naive. We borrowed £500, bought secondhand drawing boards, and worked all day and night. We spent our first check on a skiing holiday. We entered competitions and were shortlisted for a high-profile national competition, coming second. That gave us confidence. Gradually, projects emerged. We moved to a more central location in Manchester. In 1991, we bought into a building with partners. Black Wednesday in 1992 saw interest rates soar to 16%, and we faced financial difficulties. But we also found opportunities, setting up a hub and regeneration framework. Our first big break came in late 1992 when we won an architecture foundation competition. The project took years to come to fruition but gave us our first significant new build. We set up a London office in Clerkenwell. In 1996, the IRA bomb in Manchester provided a catalyst for the city's reinvention, and we won competitions for the master plan and the Millennium Project. Ten years on, we finally turned a profit. The early 2000s saw fruitful relationships with developers. Then the 2008 financial crisis forced us to make 50% of the practice redundant. We survived. Now in 2016, we have recovered. We have 120 people in two offices. We have widened ownership to 11 new partners. We feel privileged to be architects with a responsibility to create inclusive spaces and a more diverse profession. I am proud to be involved in the AR Women in Architecture campaign and Wonder Women Manchester. Women make up 50% of architecture students but only 25% of qualified architects – we must inspire a generation. Our key projects are moving towards completion. We remain true to our ideals. We are not winding down, we are winding up. If you have passion and belief, anything is possible. As Muhammad Ali said, if your dreams don't scare you, they're not big enough. Thank you.