Lockdown Update

The AMA team has spent the best part of the last 7 weeks working from kitchens, spare rooms, bedrooms and occasionally in the garden (remember that nice week?).

Having decided to close the office in line with the Government guidelines we took our computers home and started learning what a VPN was, the occasional foibles of home broadband and how to look good on a conference call (or how to avoid appearing on camera!).

It’s fair to say it has been a fairly traumatic period for everyone, both socially and professionally, but fortunately our staff and their families have all managed to stay safe and well.

And we have managed to keep going! Bring able to work together on shared BIM models using Archicad has meant we can keep pushing forward on the projects which have been such a big part of our lives for so long - over 15 years in some cases. Microsoft Teams has been incredibly useful to chat and video call, occasionally getting glimpses into the homes of our colleagues. And we have started to explore SharePoint Online to make files even more accessible than before, something we can see real value in no matter where we are working.

With construction sites making plans to reopen, albeit with limited personnel and constrained supplies, it will be interesting to see how technology can continue to help with site inspections, sample approvals and ‘site visits’ for potential occupiers.

While this period will undoubtedly change the way we work in some ways, it will be good to get back to the office for a change of scenery.

The deserted office, as the team left to work from home