AN East Lancashire-based architectural firm founded and led by females has won another major award.

Saira Hussain founded Hussain Architectural Design in a small office in Burnley in 2011 and wants open up the construction industry to mopre women..

It is now a female-led multi-award winning Architectural Practice and Planning Consultancy based in Burnley, Blackburn, Manchester and London.

It has now added a new prize to its list but winning the ‘Most Innovative Woman in Sustainable Design’ title at the Build Magazine 2017 Sustainability awards.

Saira is in partnership with Nixie Edwards and the pair have been nominated for over 25 awards in recent years, including The Duke of Gloucester Awards, Red Rose Awards, English Asian Business Awards and their consultancy recently won the ‘Most influential Woman in UK Architecture’ award.

They seek to highlight the importance of women to the construction industry act as role models for the next generation.

Saira said: “Too often we still see women feeling ‘shut out’ of certain careers or routes into work.

“We know that this sense of some areas being out of bounds includes the construction industry, with it seen as “something for the boys”, despite the incredible opportunities it can offer..

“For many, a job in construction too often still conjures up an image of a man in a high-vis jacket on a building site.

“Women make up half our population and so it is right that we see them able to fulfil their potential and thrive in careers across our economy, including construction.”

She added: “To do this we need more to educate young people and recognition from the existing females in the construction/ architecture and engineering industries and we’d like to thank the 2017 Sustainability awards for doing just that.”