William Gains

William Gains is an architectural assistant at Bowman Riley, the RIBA-chartered practice with studios in Skipton, Leeds and London. He came into architecture by an unconventional route. After a difficult set of A-level results closed off the traditional university path, he took up work experience with a Skipton practice and went on to complete his undergraduate degree part-time over six years while working in the studio.

Across roughly seven years at Bowman Riley he has worked on projects spanning retail, residential, hospitality and the energy sector, including electric-vehicle charging infrastructure. His work on an EV charge hub for Shell led to an appearance in the company's national television advertising, where he spoke about the role of architects in designing the infrastructure for cleaner transport.

He is now completing the architectural apprenticeship at London South Bank University, continuing to combine studio practice with formal study on the route to qualifying as an architect. He is an advocate for apprenticeship and part-time routes into the profession, and for the value of real project experience gained early in a career.

Watch or listen to the full conversation in the Architecture Social CPD: William Gains: Pioneering the Future of Architecture and Sustainable Energy.