5 Minutes with Nam Phuong
Every month we’re portraying a different Atlas employee, so you can learn more about the person behind the role. In this issue, we focus on Phuong Pham, an architecture manager based in our Ho Chi Minh City production office. She shares with us what enticed her to join Atlas, why Atlas has a big impact on her career, and her thoughts on architecture in many aspects.
How long have you been at Atlas?
Roughly 10 years from 2004, with a break of 6 years in between when I came to London for my master degree and a couple years of working with UK practices.
What were you doing before you discovered Atlas?
Designing private houses in my hometown, with a small group of young architects.
What brings you to Atlas? / How do you know about Atlas?
Atlas had a reputation for being a good place for young graduates so one of my friend convinced me to give it a try even though I was not confident about my English at the time.
What makes you happy about working at Atlas?
Having the opportunities to approach cutting-edge projects – from schools to airports, from department stores to high-end hotels, etc. at various design stages – concept through to construction. Technical knowledge & software skills gained from working on these projects are invaluable. What also equally amazing is that you achieve all those with a team, not on your own!
What’s the focus of your role?
As an architecture deliver manager, I consider myself a bridge between the design team (clients) and documentation team (Atlas) – That is interpreting the clients’ requirements into a clear map of tasks and making sure the final documentation package is well received.
I highly value the QA/QC process, especially how to prevent mistakes before they occur. In order to do that, a clear communication channel needs to be maintained at all time.
I know I do it right when we have happy client and happy team.
Can you describe a typical day?
Checking clients’ e-mails then talking to my (various) project teams and making sure our thoughts are aligned on what we need to do during the day. At this point, I will answer as many questions I can, then other queries will be put on RFI forms and sent to the clients for further clarification. Once the teams finish their work, I will do a final check before we confirm completion to the clients.
Which technology excites you the most?
I am not a tech person but I found that BIM has a great impact on our workflow. It is the power of managing all information in one place to allow different teams to work and update instantly. This tech requires a certain level of knowledge that we use within Atlas, however it is not widely used yet in the consulting industry.
What is the most interesting project that you have been working on so far?
A mix-used scheme in the Middle East – The site comprises a residential tower, a hotel and its facilities, luxury villas, a cinema complex, restaurants and retails promenade. It takes us nearly 4 years from schematic design to tender stage with numerous design changes, technical coordination, etc.
What advice would you pass to someone entering the industry?
Focus your mind into what you do, do your best and never stop learning.
Thank you for taking the time to speak with us Nam Phuong!
Related news :
Last Saturday, Atlas attended the 65th anniversary of the Faculty of Civil Engineering of the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology as a silver sponsor.
The Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology has been known as one of the top universities that educated thousands of talented architects and engineers in Vietnam each year and Atlas is proud that our team has many staff who have graduated from this prestigious school. As a strategic partner, we will continue to develop, train, and support the young generation to access the global work environment in their career path.
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The Atlas T-shirt design contest is an annual activity with the aim of creating a playground for all staff to unleash their creativity and innovation. Let's have a look at some of the impressive and meaningful design ideas generated by our talents this year.
Football club
Atlas-ers Work Hard, Play Harder!
At Atlas, we encourage social activities as it is a part of our core values. Football, run, and badminton clubs are places full of bonding, challenging, and laughing for all Atlas-ers after work.
Joining social activities not only enhances physical and mental health altogether but also is a chance to get to know colleagues outside of working hours.
Badminton club
Run club
Kim Khoa initially worked at Atlas from 2001 to 2008. Between 2008 and 2012, he studied at Nagoya University in Japan where he earned a Doctorate of Engineering (Civil). Following his Doctorate, Khoa worked in Japan in design consultancy on various large scale international infrastructure projects before re-joining Atlas in 2021 as Director of Engineering. He has more than 20 years of experience focusing on structural design and project management on infrastructure, industrial, residential, and commercial projects.
Hi Khoa, can you tell us what makes you excited about this Industry?
I have been working in the AEC industry for more than 20 years and I can see huge developments over the decades - from handwriting drawings to CAD platform, and now BIM technology. I am excited to be back at Atlas - a leading provider of documentation and project delivery services to AEC professionals in the digital transformation time.
So how do you define the role of a director of engineering?
As Director of Engineering at Atlas, I believe that you need to understand the demands of the industry and what your project teams can provide to clients. What benefits clients get when using our services, skills, and technologies. Moreover, we need to be able to build and develop our staff to make a professional working environment.
Here are the essential main roles of an engineering director:
- Lead the performance and development of staff in the engineering team;
- Have responsibility for the timely and efficient production of engineering services;
- Have responsibility for the estimating and planning functions within the engineering group;
- Be responsible for the general and technical development of staff in the engineering team.
And the last question, what comes to mind when you think of Atlas?
I was one of the first staff to join the Architecture and Engineering teams in the early days of Atlas. My early career at Atlas included the roles of CAD Manager and then Head of Structures from 2001 to 2008. And now, returning to Atlas after a long journey in Japan, I felt like I was coming home where I always saw professional and very friendly colleagues.
Thank you for taking the time to speak with us, Kim Khoa!