A new direction | Fabien Coupat

The story so far…

Fabien arrived in the UK in 1995 and graduated from the University of Bath in 2001, before rolling down Bathwick Hill and starting at DKA that summer. He completed his Part 3 with the support of his DKA colleagues in 2007.

Fabien says “Considering my serious case of itchy feet, having been at DKA for 16 years is a testament to the quality of the DKA team and its workplace environment. Our open studio has definitely contributed to my personal development, enabling continuous learning from my peers over the years.”

 

People may not know…

Although French (yes, he is French), you may not know that Fabien is our in-house spellchecker. Do not let him close to your presentation material with a red pen! His eye for detail is not limited to spotting spelling mistakes; Fabien is responsible for maintaining our QMS system in check, and is currently working with David Kent for our transition to ISO 9001:2015.

In case you were wondering, Fabien’s favourite word is ‘receptacle’.

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Melksham Campus

 

 

How do you approach your work, Fabien?

During my formative years at DKA, mainly working on education projects with Simon Lawrence and Andy Batty, I discovered that I really enjoy the delivery stage of a project. The fact that we have robust systems in place plays hand in hand with my attention to detail and application of regulations, enabling us to deliver projects to a brief, in a collaborative environment between clients and design team. This approach has facilitated in recent years my transition to the engineering sector which can be very challenging, but rewarding at the same time.

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Sea Mills School

What would be your dream project?

I have always been interested in museums. Probably something to do with being dragged along on numerous visits whilst growing up in different countries. The understanding of people’s culture is paramount to a cohesive society, and I think museums act as that public expression within our society and public realm. They tell you about a society’s history, art, technological advances, or even foods. At the end, museums are receptacles – what’s not to like?

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Airbus Wing Integration Centre

 

As a director, how will you lead DKA forward?

I have been responsible for resourcing across DKA’s projects for a number of years, and in my role as director I will use this to ensure we have the appropriate skills and expertise allocated to deliver our clients’ projects. We will strive to maintain a continuity of staff and knowledge across each project.

Resourcing also provides me with an opportunity to ensure that all members of our team fulfil their potential and are given opportunities to develop new skills and take on new roles, as this is something that has greatly benefited me during my time at DKA.

I look forward to combining my strengths with those of the other directors, existing and new.

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Fabien with 2017 DKA award winner Scott Chen

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