This month marks a key milestone for K.K. Jayaprakasan who celebrates 20 years as part of the GAJ team. We sat down with him to talk about his journey so far.
1. What is your role at GAJ
As a technician I provide technical support and assistance to project teams and am responsible for producing, plotting and issuing detailed drawings. The delivery of projects is key and I have to ensure that all deliverables are available to meet deadlines. I am fully conversant with local authority regulations and am required to prepare submissions for the necessary approvals.
2. Why were you keen to join GAJ?
I clearly remember how excited I was when I first walked through the doors of the GAJ office. I had applied for a position as a CAD technician and really wanted to work with the British firm as I had heard a lot of positive comments about them. I was offered the job and through the years continued to develop my skills in Revit and am now a technician.
3. How has your career progressed?
I cannot believe how quickly 20 years has passed, it has been a fulfilling journey so far and I have been fortunate to have worked on so many different projects which has helped broaden my expertise.
Some of the more interesting projects I have worked on have included the Sharjah Airport refurbishment, the Dubai Heritage Village and the Emaar Golf Academy. More recently I was involved with the Dubai College and Muscat Bay. For the last few years I have also been working on a big project in Abu Dhabi which involves reviewing shop drawings, site coordination and even assisting the ID department with some of their drawings. This has been highly challenging because it is so complex but at the same time there have been positive moments when another milestone is achieved.
4. How have you seen the company change over the years?
When I first joined the company there were just 25 team members and now 20 years later we are more than 180. The growth of the firm has been astounding but has been based on market forces and the demand for talented designers. We have a highly successful interior design department including specialist lighting and an MEP team in house.
5. What do you enjoy most about your role at GAJ?
I like to be busy with projects to do and here at GAJ I find that I am always occupied working on so many different things. The work is demanding but I enjoy the variety and I like working as part of a team.
I like the fact that, even after 20 years, I am still learning. I think that is important regardless of the role you have in a company. One of the key learnings for me has been the limitless potential and possibilities that architecture has. It still amazes me the projects that we have designed, each one unique in its own way. I remain passionate about what I do and am grateful that I get to contribute to so many exciting projects.
