Designing your work and life with purpose

Sometimes inspiration comes when you least expect it. For Christina Clark, the inspiration to switch majors partway through college came while she was on a drive with her father who happened to be a designer.

“One day I was driving along with my dad and he was like well, what are you going to do with this International Relations degree?” says Clark, Design Lead and a partner with Lauren Services. “I had just spoken to a girlfriend who had just graduated, and it didn’t look too promising, and I just sort of looked at him realized he’s traveled the world and that’s really what I wanted to do so I was like, I’m going to be a piping designer.”

Her parents’ initial skepticism was put to rest when Clark stepped up to prove she was serious about her new intentions.

“I started teaching myself AutoCad just to sort of see if I could even get into the software. I modeled a 3D apartment building, and I showed my parents, and they were like, OK we’re in support of you switching fields,” she says.

She’s never looked back. Her passion for delivering excellence in design has fueled her career and allowed her to travel the world. She says she still gets excited about every new project.

“My favorite thing about modelling is that a picture is worth a thousand words and this is a 3D picture. When you review it with stakeholders, they instantly can see what they like and don’t like and you get that immediate feedback,” she says. “What sets us apart here at Lauren is that we treat each project as a unique entity. We put together a drawing package that makes sense for that particular project rather than just ticking boxes.”

Delivering excellence for clients is a foundational pillar at Lauren, but so is the company’s belief in inspiring and supporting personal growth among employees.

“It’s the only company I’ve never felt held back in,” Clark says. “If I want to go in a certain direction, there’s a lot of support here.”

That support ultimately put Clark on the path to partnership.

“I spend a lot of time contributing to this company and I wanted to feel like I truly had some ownership in it. I wanted to be a partner and it was a goal, and I was thrilled when I was asked to join.”

She says she’s excited about the future of Lauren as they are “developing new clients, new opportunities to learn, new teams to grow,” she says. “And also, I foresee us incorporating the new technologies that are coming onto the market.”

With offices in Calgary and Vancouver, Lauren Services delivers dynamic performance and intelligent design across the entire suite of engineering services.