Linda is an Associate Professor in the School of Building Construction at Unitec Institute of Technology, Auckland. She facilitates five to six interactive workshop-style courses each year for the Bachelor of Construction degree. These include sustainable design and construction, capstone industry research projects, integrated design and construction management and people management. She collaborates in-house with Unitec academic colleagues and externally with university and industry partners and has co-authored and published applied industry-related conference papers with them internationally. She supervises Capstone BCons research students and Master's in Architecture candidates. Linda’s daily role at Unitec is dynamic; she is currently leading future-focussed postgrad developments, attending and presenting professional development events and industry-focused meetings, and is the research leader for the School of Building Construction.
When Linda left school, she secured an architectural cadetship in Auckland, where she was involved in every aspect of the design office documentation and supervision from day one. “It was really amazing to work with such insightful and inclusive architectural project leaders,” says Linda. She later set up an architectural design associates consultancy, Kestle Design Associates (KDA), that focused primarily on energy-efficient and environmentally sustainable construction projects in both residential and commercial builds. “I was invited to be a part-time lecturer whilst still a KDA practitioner, and over time I became a full-time lecturer at Unitec, and I am now an Associate Professor,” says Linda.
Linda is a Fellow and Chartered Building Professional of the Institute and has been a committee member, councillor, chapter president and awards judge. She is currently a Northern Region committee member involved in education, the Institute’s Continuing Professional Development programme (CPD) and events portfolios. She says that working alongside, learning from and engaging with exceptional and diverse people on the committees and in the Institute has, and still is, supporting her professional growth. “The Institute offers opportunities for involvement and connection with colleagues at all levels in the industry and provides insight into the mood, realities and potential future directions of the built environment,” adds Linda.
In 2020, an Auckland Council Waste Management Research Grant funded a partnered project with a tier one construction company on their sites in Auckland. The project ran over four years. Linda was the primary investigator, leading the team made up of MM10, the construction company and Unitec academic researchers. The research was about mitigating the amount of construction plastic waste on construction projects and recycling, upcycling, redirecting and reducing waste from going to landfill. Linda says, “The partnered project team was inspiring, and the impacts from that work, including published local and international articles, and reusable tarpaulins instead of plastic wrap on delivery trucks, were some of the memorable outcomes, with ongoing related academia and industry partnered applied research continuing.”
To encourage the next generation of young women considering a career in the built environment, Linda says, there are some amazing examples of opportunities and possibilities evidenced by the finalists and winners of the annual National Association of Women in Construction Awards. “There are increasing numbers of women in every role and level in this industry who demonstrate these possibilities and opportunities through keynotes or podcasts, and webinars. These resources can be offered to schools and employers as catalysts for change and involvement in this industry,” says Linda.
Her advice to anyone who is starting in the built environment is to be open-minded and genuinely interested in hearing other people’s work and life experiences. She says, “The industry is never boring; there are always twists and turns each day that challenge people and keep them curious. There are many different roles on offer, onsite, offsite, trades, design consultancies, product manufacturing, and fabricators.” She has learnt during her career that you need to be open to change, and to sometimes lead that change. “If you like working with a diverse bunch of people, like learning new things on the job every day, can think in 3D, embrace a challenge and are a team player, then you should give a built environment career a go!”
Linda likes to spend time with her whānau and friends during her work breaks, attending creative artist-related events. She also enjoys sketching and going to live gigs and concerts. Linda was one of the two volunteer painters selected to refurbish 23 of Antarctica’s Scott Base timber (tawa) windows on her 2013/2014 summer break. She likes to get outdoors and go to less-populated, rugged wild beaches or to Tukino skifield on Mt Ruapehu.
