Many of us found ourselves setting off on an unanticipated career path when the pandemic lockdowns were brought in.

Rachel Reade, a chartered architectural technologist focused on improving existing residential and commercial buildings, switched to the self-employment route because of 2020.

Working for an architecture practice in West Sussex at the time, she had been inundated with messages from friends asking if she could provide advice about house and garage extensions because everyone was at home for weeks, months, on end.

“I had gone down to four days a week, so I had a bit of time on my hands and started helping people out. It wasn’t something I was looking to do but it ended up sort of happening, especially as referrals kept coming in,” recalled Rachel.

“I had a chat with my wife Donna about the new direction of travel and she said to me ‘well, it’s something you’ve always wanted to do in the future, so why don’t you go for it?’

Go for it she did – Rachel was on excellent terms with her employer and went part-time, working from home and growing her own consultancy, Solent Architecture.

It is a measure of the esteem she is held in that Rachel continues to provide the company with software training for staff and supporting advanced projects.

Soon enough, as enquiries surged through the referrals and social media, Rachel found herself moving from the dining room table to the box room.

The inevitable distractions from the couple’s daughter and two dogs meant that working from home became a challenge, as did the lack of working space in the box room.

“I drove past Fareham Innovation Centre a few times, checked out the website and saw there was a desk at a shared office I could try. In February 2025 I moved into the shared office permanently – it ticked all the right boxes.”

Rachel shared the workspace, amongst others, with Martin Robinson of Adoptive Technologies and Martyn Woollam of Solent Construction Recruitment.

“We learned a lot about running business from one another – tips, guidance, feedback. You just don’t get that working in isolation at home.”

The shared office is also a springboard to larger workspace on site at Fareham Innovation Centre.

With the growth of Solent Architecture, Rachel has now relocated to an office with four desks in anticipation of new hires in the coming years.

“The idea is to bring someone in, to free me up for more drawing work and networking. The centre is an ideal location for organic growth for start-ups,” she said.

“In the past I was involved in huge projects, from hospitals to nuclear power stations, but there was always cost constraints to bear in mind.

“These days I love doing people’s homes because the clients and me are passionate about it – clients look at the software 3D drawings and you see their faces light up.

“I’m also doing commercial work – some modular school buildings and a community building project for an animal welfare charity.

“I help homeowners and building owners understand how their buildings work and how to make them warmer, healthier and more efficient without unnecessary complexity or greenwashing.

“Most buildings weren’t designed to perform well by today’s standards. I specialise in retrofit-first, fabric-first approaches that work with what’s already there, balancing comfort, energy use, cost and long-term value.

“I believe good sustainability is practical, understandable and rooted in real buildings, not just targets and technologies.

“The schools are always nice to do because you get involved with the kids – you sit down with them and ask them ‘what do you want for your school?’

“And it’s always really interesting because the younger kids always want cool playgrounds whilst the older kids prefer a Starbucks!”

Like many of the 60 companies at Fareham Innovation Centre, commercial connections have been forged.

For example, Solent Architecture has supported SA Energy, a renewable energy installer for domestic and commercial properties, on projects.

In turn, SA Energy opened a door for Rachel where she provides white-label consultancy for a self-build and renovation specialist elsewhere in England.

Construction industry events at the centre have also generated new connections.

Again, like other centre occupiers, complimentary business support is proving invaluable.

This is provided by the in-house Innovation Director, Anna Bravington.

Rachel said: “We put a plan together, I action it and then we review – Anna keeps you on track as a sole trader.”

From lockdowns to the here and now, Rachel’s Solent Architecture is drawing its own destiny.

Rachel Reade, founder of Solent Architecture