Women Who Shape Our Practice – Melissa Hart, Glasgow Studio

This week, we’re spotlighting one woman from each of our studios in a short Q&A series inspired by International Women’s Day. It’s an opportunity to celebrate their journeys, share their insights, and recognise the impact they make across our practice and the wider industry.

Melissa, a Senior Architect at our Glasgow office, has a decade of experience across multiple sectors with much of her focus on education projects across Scotland. Working on various projects ranging in scale from early years and primary schools to larger community campuses, she has been involved in exploring early feasibility studies and concept design stages, through to construction works on site and handover milestones. As a certified Passivhaus Designer, she was also involved in the design and delivery of jmarchitects' first certified Passivhaus school project.

Let’s hear more:

What do you wish you could tell your younger self at the start of your career?

“It’s okay to take your own path and at your own pace. A career is about the journey more than the destination and it’s a good idea to take a rest every so often to step back and see how far you have come. Also, stop comparing yourself to others – it’s unhealthy and unhelpful!”

What’s one thing you think the industry could do better to support women?

“A recurring topic for women in construction is becoming a parent and how to juggle working and caring full time. Whilst improvements are heading in the right direction, offering more flexibility to working mums (and dads!) in terms of working hours, methods and locations allow parents to continue their dedication to both home and work commitments in a way that suits their individual situations.”

Can you tell us a little more about other groups or initiatives you’re involved in at jm?

“As well as being an architect at jmarchitects, I am also a qualified Mental Health First Aider (MHFA) and member of our jmcare group. The group formed in 2022 following our initial MHFA training, to strengthen conversations within the company with the key aims of tackling stigma and offering support to our colleagues. Since 2024 I have also been a member of the Glasgow Institute of Architects Sustainability Committee, where I have been involved in organising a series of Talks and Tours of projects across the chapter area championing various aspects of sustainability.”

Thank you, Melissa - really appreciate you sharing your perspective for this series.