Meet our Team – Matthew Wallace
As part of a series of short blog posts we will be introducing you to some of the people on the team at LEDA. I caught up with Matt this week, a Sustainable Building Services Engineer, who is our newest recruit, to find out how he is doing and what projects he is working on.
As is now becoming the norm, we chatted virtually, from our ‘home office’ set ups. I asked him how he felt about this way of working. “Well I’ve managed to find a good mix between working from home and going into the office. I share a house with 5 other people, so the wi-fi speed may be a problem at times!” he explained, “being at home all day forces you to maintain a balance between home and work, and use your time productively”. Although all of us are currently working at home, LEDA has made an effort to safely open the office to our workers who may benefit from going to a quiet, productive space occasionally.
Matt joined us in August this year, after studying Architectural Engineering at the University of Leeds. I asked him to tell me about the projects he is working on at the moment. “I’m really enjoying working on a project we have in collaboration with Mikhail Riches, innovative housing for York City Council in Burnholme where we are providing the building services design to meet highly sustainable standards for a council run project” he explained. “We can use forward-looking new technology, such as air source heat pumps to try and achieve this, it has been great to really get involved in this exciting project”
As a workers co-operative LEDA operative quite differently to many businesses, I asked Matt what he enjoyed most about working for LEDA. “I like being involved and having a voice, I feel valued within the co-op and have enjoyed having responsibility already”.
Sustainable design is important to all of us at LEDA, I asked Matt why it is important to him. “Sustainable design shouldn’t be an option, it should be the norm, a base level for us all. It is encouraging to see LEDA using high environmental standards in their designs, and using markers such as Passive House achieves this”.
Finally, I asked Matt how he is achieving a work-life balance during this time. “I manage to switch off at the weekend by getting out and about in the outdoors. Whether its mountain biking, white water kayaking or something a bit more relaxed, being out in wild places gives me a nice physical and mental break from work”.
