I RUN Living Space Architects, with my husband Stuart from our office in Plymouth. We have just taken on a second office in Southernhay in Exeter.

Five years ago we decided to leave the chaos of London. We left stable jobs working for successful, well-known architects, to return to my Devon roots and set up on our own.

With a background in high-quality, contemporary, residential design we decided to specialise in housing and domestic alterations. Now we also work on much larger-scale projects, ranging from a football club in Tavistock to an extension to Boots Pharmacy near Paignton. No day is ever the same and you get to work with a variety of clients.

A building project can often take some time and, as an architect, you really get to know your client well by the end of it.

We manage projects from start to finish, which I really enjoy. Getting to see what I have designed being built on site is such a rewarding experience.

On the less positive side, construction continues to be a male-dominated environment and architecture is no different, with 13 per cent of the profession being female.

Although you can design buildings without being qualified, the title of architect is protected by law. With the average time to qualify standing at eight years, perhaps it is no wonder that so few women take it up.

Despite this, the qualities required of an architect are particularly suited to women — a creative bent, a collaborative approach and an ability to understand your client's needs. I feel I can add that 'female touch' to our client service.

As a woman in business and especially in architecture, I think I am seen as a bit of a novelty. That can be an advantage — as well as a disadvantage — as people usually remember me, but I do have to prove myself more than my male contemporaries.

Until recently I hadn't really experienced any negativity toward me as a woman in architecture, but one client really shocked me when he asked: "I'm a little bit anxious, you seem like a really nice person, will you be able to cope with the builders on site?" I was dumbstruck.

Despite this, I won the job and the client has been pleased with our service, but it did make me realise that often a collaborative approach is seen as a weakness.

I do have to deal with some very difficult situations on site and mediate between clients and builders when things go wrong. I find that a fair, but firm, approach is often the best way — something that works rather well with children!