New Entrepreneur (NE)
Name & surname: Maria Paola Marciano
Country: Italy
Age: 26 years
Sector of activity: Architecture
Have you already started your business? No.
What is your future business? Architecture office
Host Entrepreneur (HE)
Name & surname: Jofre Roca Calaf
Country: Spain
Sector of activity: Architecture
Experience in running a business (in years): 15
Name of business/website: Jofre Roca arquitectes / https://www.jofreroca.com
What is your business? Architecture office
Period of exchange: 14/09/2020 – 12/02/2021
Duration of exchange: 5 months
How did Maria Paola learn to manage the dynamics behind an architecture project?
My name is Maria Paola, I am 26 and I am an Italian NE. I am a young architect and in the next few years, I would like to set up my own architecture firm.
I applied for “Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs” because I wanted to improve my ability to manage architectural projects in all their phases and learn the internal dynamics of a design studio. In addition, I found that the experience in an architecture firm abroad was an opportunity to give my future business an innovative orientation.
I found Jofre Roca arquitectes through the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs online platform, but I knew about their projects and business from publications on architecture and design magazines.
For this reason, I considered that I would gain experience in designing and managing interesting architecture projects through an exchange period in this firm.
During my stay, I worked on a renovation project of an office in Barcelona from the preliminary phase to the execution. It required multiple tasks, including the management of the relationship with customers and suppliers.
With the continuous support of my HE and the working team in the firm, I was able to carry out the project and I improved my skills as an architect. In addition, I learnt about many of the dynamics that lead to the realisation of a project: architecture and design aspects, but also economic issues.
I actively participated in meetings with customers to develop the best options according to their needs. During the execution, together with the HE, I met suppliers and checked that everything was carried out according to the plan.
Achieving my goals during the exchange, I got determined and I greatly developed organisational and managing abilities as well as improved my design skills.
Thanks to this experience, I learnt how to work as productively as possible to achieve good results and I found that good communication is a key factor in coordinating different tasks.
Anyone who wants to start a business needs to learn about management issues and daily dynamics internal to a company: Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs is a good opportunity to experience and to understand how a business can be successful.