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Some people spend years searching for the right profession. Anastasia Legkokonets has never had to. For as long as she can remember, architecture was the answer. Not because it was the family business, although her father is an architect, and not because anyone pushed her toward it. Simply because it was where she always felt she belonged.
From preparing for university through to her years of study and now into her first months working in an architectural office, she has never once questioned the decision. If anything, every stage of the journey has confirmed it. That kind of clarity, held quietly and consistently from childhood, is rarer than it sounds. And it tends to show in the quality of someone’s commitment to their work.
The balance between fast and good
Anastasia was taught early that work should be perfect, fast and ideally finished yesterday. It is a standard that most architecture students recognise and many carry with them long after graduation. Over time she came to understand that speed does not always mean quality, and that the two need not be in opposition as long as you are honest about what each task actually requires.
Her approach now is to give each piece of work the time it truly needs, without unnecessary overtime. And she has made peace with something that takes many designers years to accept: sometimes quick and done is the right answer. Not every decision needs to be laboured over. The skill is in knowing which ones do.
For her, the true measure of quality is whether she can confidently explain and justify every design decision she has made. If she struggles to articulate why she made a particular choice, it is usually a sign that she has not thought it through well enough and needs to go back. That standard of self-accountability, applied honestly and consistently, is one of the most useful tools a young architect can develop.
Designing for a world that is changing
Architecture is evolving for many reasons, but the challenge Anastasia thinks about most is one that will define the profession for the generation now entering it: how architecture responds to climate change and the growing demand for sustainable, resilient construction.
As the climate shifts and the world continues to witness natural disasters and the destruction that follows armed conflict, she believes the profession needs to think far more seriously about how cities are designed for resilience and how they are rebuilt after they have been damaged or destroyed. It is not a distant or abstract concern for her. It is the area she hopes to contribute to throughout her career. She wants to be part of creating architecture that is not only sustainable but genuinely prepared for the challenges the future is already bringing.
That sense of purpose, arriving so early in a career, is a meaningful thing. The architects who go on to do the most important work tend to be the ones who knew, from the beginning, what they were working toward.
Consistency over intensity
Anastasia’s advice to anyone early in their journey is both honest and grounded in experience. Consistency, she has found, is far more valuable than occasional bursts of intense effort. Working until exhaustion right before a deadline is rarely the best approach and almost never produces the best work. It is much healthier and ultimately more productive to work steadily, take breaks and protect yourself from burnout before it arrives.
She would also encourage young professionals to keep learning and to keep exploring new areas of the profession. Finding work that genuinely interests you is one of the best ways to stay motivated and to keep loving what you do. That sounds simple. In the day to day reality of a demanding profession, it takes real intention to maintain.
Success as something you feel every morning
At the beginning of her journey, success for Anastasia looked like recognition. As a student, grades felt like proof that she was doing well. They were a visible, external confirmation that the work was good enough.
Over time, she came to understand something that recognition alone cannot teach: when you genuinely enjoy your work and create an environment where you can keep learning and growing, recognition tends to follow naturally. Chasing it directly is rarely the most productive strategy.
Today her definition of success is considerably simpler and considerably more personal. If she enjoys what she does and looks forward to doing it every day, she already considers herself successful. That is a standard worth holding onto, especially in a profession as demanding as architecture, where the work can so easily consume more of a person than it deserves to.
The people who made the journey possible
Anastasia closes with gratitude that is quiet and genuine. She credits her family, whose support gave her the opportunity to pursue a dream she has carried since childhood. She thanks her partner, who stood by her through the long nights that university demanded. And she acknowledges the architects and professors she has met along the way, whose advice, encouragement and passion for the profession have shaped her in more ways than they probably realise.
Behind every architect who arrives at the profession with their love of it intact, there are people like these. Anastasia knows exactly who they are. And she says so without hesitation.
Anastasia Legkokonets is an architect in the early stages of her career. This piece is part of The Minds Behind the Build, PAGES’ ongoing series celebrating the founders and leaders shaping the built environment.
