Along with the after dinner speaker at the SCL annual dinner, the SCL Pre-AGM speaker usually provides one of the only other light-hearted talks for SCL members.

At this year’s pre-AGM talk, in keeping with that spirit, Dr Chris Vickery provided an educational and yet entertainingly insightful take on the Architect. Chris, in his natural reserved approach, managed to draw our attention (through his artistic slides) to the way Architects are perceived in the industry. This ranged from the so-called “glamorous” artistic world of the designer to the other personae regularly taken on by architects, such as the employer’s agent, certifier and contract administrator. Having described his interesting passage through life as a young student and then on to his vast experience in the profession, Chris left us wondering what it would have been like had we chosen a different path in our lives!