Tricia Akers
Director

Tricia is one of the longest serving members of Allan Joyce Architects, having joined part time in 1988, and then becoming becoming full time the following year. With years of knowledge and understanding of AJA, our goals and ethos, she became a partner in 2000 and then a Director in 2006 when we became a limited company. Over the last two decades, Tricia has overseen AJA's continued growth and has taken the business from strength to strength by ensuring our core values and client first approach have always been at the forefront of our work. 

From the age of 11, Tricia knew she wanted to become an architect after being fascinated by the glass facades of Royal Northern College of Music which had just been opened on her route to secondary school. Knowing that she wanted to become an architect from such a young age has shaped Tricia's approach to being a Director as she has always striven to provide as many work experience and university placements as possible as well as teaching at Nottingham Trent University to encourage the next generation of architects. Helping junior members of the team to develop their skills and watching them grow in confidence is Tricia's favourite part of her Director duties.

Creating architecture that is grounded in its context and enhances places in an environmentally sustainable way is Tricia's passion and she strives to achieve this on every project she is involved in. She particularly enjoys the collaboration that happens on architectural projects because she strongly believes that all things are better when we work together. This is something which she has passed onto the whole AJA, creating a culture of listening and learning from one another to create the best buildings possible.

Like many of the team, Tricia's favourite building changes all the time, but she particularly likes buildings that are grounded in their context. Currently, her favourite is Fountains Abbey Visitors Centre by Cullinan Studio, as she recently looked it up to explain a detail to a Architectural student and remembered how beautifully resolved it is with materials that reflect the history and sense of the place without copying from the past.

Outside of the studio, Tricia takes an active role in her local community, which is a small village on the edges of Leicestershire and Lincolnshire, where she volunteers for several community organisations. When she's not too busy she enjoys spending time with her family, walking, cooking and eating and on Sundays, you will find her running through the local countryside.