Kaja Hellman-Hayes – Welcome to Team LEP!

Introducing Kaja Hellman-Hayes, the newest member of Team LEP!

Joining us as a Part 1 Architectural Assistant, Kaja is no stranger to the Lee Evans crew, having previously completed a summer with the Practice back in 2019. Additional practice experience includes a placement with Team V in Amsterdam in early 2020, where she gained hands-on experience of all project work stages, together with the opportunity to learn new languages.

Kaja completed a foundation degree in Art and Design at the University for the Creative Arts locally in Canterbury, before joining the University of Edinburgh to complete an Architecture MA(Hons), graduating in the summer of 2021.

During her architectural studies, Kaja developed a keen interest in biophilic design, specifically ways in which its principles can be incorporated to support mental and physical health. Alongside this, sustainability in architecture was a key focus of her studies, where she explored novel techniques and materials as a response to the climate crisis within her third year design project. Her response was so well regarded that it will be published within the forthcoming book ‘Ecologies of Inception: Design Potentials on a Warming Planet’ by tutor Simone Ferracina, as well as being scheduled for display at a sustainability convention in Genoa.

Deciding to stay in Scotland following her studies, Kaja joins us as a fully-remote employee, embracing our new ‘work from anywhere’ ethos. Our close-knit, welcoming team, and wonderful mentor programme has meant a seamless integration into the team, and we hope that Kaja will gain a wealth of experience which she can draw upon in her future architectural career.