Architecture Social

Architecture is often presented as a linear career, but building a successful practice demands patience, resilience and a willingness to keep learning. Simon Allford, Founding Director of AHMM, explains how the practice survived its lean early years and developed a culture where strong architecture, shared ideas and long-term investment come first.

They get into starting a practice during a downturn, surviving the critical first five years, building an open studio culture, approaching architecture interviews, adapting to new technology and rethinking architectural education. The conversation offers practical perspective for architects, students and practices navigating changing tools, rising expectations...

Architecture practices are rarely taught how to balance design ambition, client relationships and commercial reality. Markus Seifermann of Seifermann Architects explains how adaptability, collaboration and a willingness to learn have shaped a multidisciplinary studio.

They get into winning unfamiliar projects, building a people-focused team, diversifying into film and events, hiring for entrepreneurial thinking, rebranding the practice and using AI without handing over responsibility. The conversation offers practical lessons for architects and designers navigating clients, careers, technology and the changing expectations of practice.

Markus Seifermann on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markusseifermann/

Seifermann...

Most people think AI in architecture stops at generating a nice image. In this episode, Bill Allen from Chaos explains why the bigger shift is what happens when AI starts working inside Revit, Rhino and SketchUp.

They get into AI rendering, agentic tools, automated construction drawings and the move from modelling to render, to rendering to model. Bill also explains why architects still need to understand the “why” behind their work, what practices should look for when hiring, and why students should learn how to learn instead of becoming too attached to one piece of software.

Bi...

After being made redundant three times, Dominic McAndrew went on to co-found Ruumi Studio and build a new architecture practice from scratch.

In this episode, we talk about the reality of starting an architecture studio, what redundancy actually teaches you, why running a young practice is not as glamorous as it looks, and what small studios really look for when hiring.

Dominic also shares how Ruumi Studio was built with AI in mind, how the team started trading quickly after a chaotic Christmas setup, and why personality, attitude and communication can matter just as much...

What does it actually take to start your own architecture practice in 2026?

Alex Sutton founded Studio Sutton in August 2019 at the age of 29, just six months before the world locked down. In this conversation with Stephen Drew, he opens up about building an award winning international practice through a global pandemic, a war, an interest rate spike, an AI shake-up, and the hardest personal moments of his life. No fluff, no romanticising, just the real story of what running a small practice looks like when the cards are stacked against you.

If you've ever thought...

Why do architects have so little power in the UK built environment, even when their work shapes housing, public space, procurement and the way cities function?

Stephen Drew speaks with Jay Morton, Director at Bell Phillips Architects, housing campaigner and RIBA presidential candidate, about what is holding the architecture profession back and what needs to change.

The conversation covers:

Why architects are often absent from commercial and political decision-making

How housing delivery, procurement and public policy affect architectural influence

What RIBA needs to do if it wants to be...

What does it really take to build a long-term architecture career inside a global practice?

Stephen Drew speaks with Francesco Casella, Director at KPF, about career growth, working at scale, and what young architecture professionals can learn from staying, developing and leading inside one major studio.

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Running an architecture practice is not just about design. It is fees, hiring, risk, clients, culture, profit and learning how to keep the studio moving without losing the work you care about.

Stephen Drew speaks with Tim, co-founder of nimtim architects, a design-led practice in South London, about starting a studio, building a team and dealing with the commercial reality behind architecture.

The conversation covers:

What it is really like to start an architecture practice

How nimtim grew from the kitchen table into a recognised design studio

Fees, profitability...

How do you future proof an architecture career when BIM, computational design and AI are changing what practices value?

Stephen Drew speaks with Ami Nigam, Head of Design Technology at Benoy, about design technology, international career moves and how to build skills that still matter as the profession changes.

The conversation covers:

How Ami moved from architecture into design technology

Why BIM, computational design and AI are now career skills, not side interests

How large practices think about technology, design quality and delivery

What students, Part 1s...

If you are trying to get hired in architecture or interior design, sending the same CV and portfolio to every studio is not enough.

In this Kingston University session, Stephen Drew shares practical advice for students, graduates and early-career designers trying to land roles in London and the wider UK architecture market.

The session covers:

How to stop relying only on job boards and reach studios directly

What to include in a 10 to 15 page sample portfolio

How to write a direct email that busy directors are more likely to...

Trying to land your first architecture or interiors role is hard enough without guessing what hiring managers, directors and recruiters actually look for.

In this practical lecture, Stephen Drew breaks down how students and graduates can approach the job search with a clearer CV, tighter sample portfolio and a direct application process that creates more chances.

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Is Revit still the centre of architecture technology, or are AI, BIM 2.0 and new design tools starting to change what practices really need?

Stephen Drew speaks with Allister Lewis about the architecture tech landscape, from BIM and generative design to AI software, digital leadership and career routes for architects who want to move into technology.

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Modular housing is often discussed as a technical solution, but the harder questions are commercial, political and practical: who pays, who builds, and how do you make the model work?

Stephen Drew speaks with Lalit Chauhary, Design Director at ZedPods, about modular housing, zero carbon delivery, starting a business, pricing work properly and closing the gap between design ambition and construction reality.

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Architects are trained to care about the work, but the best work still needs to be seen, understood and trusted by the right people.

In this solo episode, Stephen Drew breaks down what architecture practices and professionals can learn from influencers, sales and content marketing without becoming fake, gimmicky or performative.

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AI is no longer a distant conversation for architecture practices. It is already changing concept design, modelling, visualisation, workflows and the type of skills studios may need next.

Stephen Drew speaks with George Guida, founder of xFigura, about building AI tools for architecture, what practices are getting right and wrong, and why ignoring the technology could become a serious commercial risk.

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Architecture education is under pressure from all sides: fees, regulation, AI, employability, student expectations and a profession that keeps changing faster than course structures.

Stephen Drew speaks with Alberto Villanueva, Head of Architecture at Ravensbourne University London, about whether universities are keeping up and how education can better connect students with real practice.

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Planning consultancy sits right at the point where design ambition, policy, viability and local authority reality meet.

Stephen Drew speaks with Greg Blaquiere, founder of Eagle Planning and Development, about moving from local government into private planning consultancy, starting a business and building better working relationships with architects.

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Healthcare architecture is not just about technical compliance. It affects dignity, treatment, safety, mental health and how people experience some of the most difficult moments of their lives.

Stephen Drew speaks with Kim Kennedy, Principal at Parkin Architects in Ottawa, about healthcare architecture, mental health facilities, specialist project knowledge and what it takes to build a career in this demanding sector.

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Leadership in architecture is often framed around confidence, charisma and being the loudest voice in the room. That is a narrow view, and it can exclude people who lead in a quieter way.

Stephen Drew speaks with Carlo Magni, Associate Director at EPR Architects, about introversion, leadership, soft skills, delegation and how architecture professionals can grow beyond technical delivery into clearer project and team leadership.

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Developers are often seen as the people on the other side of the table, but architecture professionals can learn a lot from how they think about sites, risk, viability and delivery.

Stephen Drew speaks with Simon Vernon-Harcourt, Design Director at City and Country, about moving from architecture into development, restoring historic buildings and working with architects on complex conversion projects.

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BIM did not arrive neatly. For many practices, it was messy, resisted and learned by people willing to get uncomfortable with new tools before everyone else had caught up.

Stephen Drew speaks with Jon Arnott about going from Revit rookie to digital leader, building BIM capability, launching Adeptus Digital and thinking about the next wave of AI-led change in architecture and construction.

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Small architecture practices do not fail because they care too little about design. They usually struggle because cash flow, clients, confidence, pricing and marketing are harder than people admit.

Stephen Drew speaks with Claire Nash about running a small architecture practice, asking for money upfront, finding a niche, getting work through content and building a studio that is more stable without losing its character.

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Good urbanism needs more than drawings. It needs writing, research, public engagement, curation, politics, storytelling and the patience to connect people with place.

Stephen Drew speaks with Lucy Bullivant, author, strategist and curator, about masterplanning, exhibitions, retrofitting, publishing, Temple Bar Trust and how urban design conversations reach wider audiences.

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Some architects look at development and see freedom, profit and control. The reality is harder: risk, finance, planning, hiring, cash flow and commercial decisions that do not wait for perfect design.

Stephen Drew speaks with Ben Richards about moving from architecture into property development, building multiple businesses and what designers should understand before assuming development is the obvious next step.

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Architecture marketing often gets treated as decoration, social posts or the thing someone does when work gets quiet. That is why so many practices make the same mistakes.

Stephen Drew speaks with Ayo Abbas of Abbas Marketing about common marketing mistakes in architecture, why storytelling matters, and how practices can treat marketing as a strategic business function rather than an afterthought.

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Architecture and town planning often sit in different conversations, but the best projects need both design judgement and a clear understanding of policy, process and place.

Stephen Drew speaks with Enrique, Motti and James from UPP about building an interdisciplinary studio, combining town planning with architecture and growing a collaborative practice from a small start-up into a broader team.

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Running an architecture practice is not only about design quality. It is risk, clients, forecasting, hiring, firing, culture, cash flow, technology and the pressure of keeping the business alive.

Stephen Drew speaks with Hakan Agca, founder of Cross Works, about building an architecture business from scratch, scaling a team, making mistakes and staying commercially aware without losing the design ambition.

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Heritage and conservation architecture asks a different question from new-build work: how do you adapt buildings without flattening the history, craft and character that make them worth saving?

Stephen Drew speaks with Jonathan Goode of Le Lay Architects about heritage and conservation work, historic buildings, churches, practice life and the skills needed to work sensitively with old fabric.

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Office design has changed sharply since the pandemic, but the real question is not whether offices still matter. It is what kind of workplace is worth travelling for.

Stephen Drew speaks with Hollie Welch, Associate Director at dMFK, about commercial office design, changing workplace expectations, sustainability, team culture and how practices can make offices work harder for the people using them.

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BIM is often discussed through buildings, but landscape architecture has its own technical challenges, workflows and opportunities.

Stephen Drew speaks with Alejandro Gatica at Gillespies about using BIM in landscape architecture, adapting Revit, working with plugins and thinking about the future of digital tools for landscape and urban design.

The conversation covers:

BIM and design technology are often treated as back-office production tools, but in the right hands they can support creativity, geometry, collaboration and better project delivery.

Stephen Drew speaks with Alfonso Monedero from Heatherwick Studio about BIM, technology, AI, coding, recruitment and how digital specialists can bridge technical systems with ambitious design work.

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Career setbacks can feel final in the moment, but in architecture and urban design they can also push people towards better-fitting roles and more useful expertise.

Stephen Drew speaks with Ste Taylor, Head of Design at Turley, about moving from architecture into urban design, dealing with redundancy, building confidence and working with design codes at a time when housing quality is under pressure.

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Architecture careers do not have to stay on the most obvious path. Interiors, contracting, retrofit and client-side delivery can all offer serious design work and a broader view of the industry.

Stephen Drew speaks with Enrique Soler of Willmott Dixon Interiors about moving from architecture into interior design and main contracting, building technical confidence and avoiding the trap of becoming too narrowly specialised.

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Ultra-luxury design can look glamorous from the outside, but it demands precision, client understanding, taste, resilience and the ability to work with expectations most projects never face.

Stephen Drew speaks with Victor LG of HBA Residential in Singapore about high-end residential design, moving internationally, building a personal brand and navigating a career in luxury architecture and interiors.

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Moving from architecture into real estate development can look like a leap, but the design training, spatial judgement and project understanding can be highly valuable on the developer side.

Stephen Drew speaks with Aqeel Sourjah of Quadrant Estates about managing ESG-led office developments, moving from architecture into real estate and understanding the commercial roles that shape major workplace projects.

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Architecture apprenticeships can be a powerful route into the profession, but they need clear expectations, the right employer, the right university and a realistic understanding of the work-study balance.

Stephen Drew speaks with Daniel Goodricke, Luke Murray and Laura McClorey about the Architecture Apprenticeship Handbook, how apprenticeships work and what students, graduates and employers should know before choosing this route.

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Confidence can quietly shape who speaks up, who applies, who asks for progression and who stays in architecture long enough to build the career they want.

Stephen Drew speaks with Ishwariya Rajamohan about the confidence gap, women in architecture, retention, coaching and what practices can do to create a more supportive environment for career growth.

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Converting offices into hospitality destinations is not just a design exercise. It is planning, finance, consumer behaviour, ESG, operations and understanding what people now want from places.

Stephen Drew speaks with Eric Jafari of AENDRE about office-to-hotel conversions, extended stay hospitality, lifestyle-led real estate and how underused buildings can become more active destinations.

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Digital design careers can sit between architecture, BIM, data, automation, communication and software. That makes them hard to define, but increasingly valuable.

Stephen Drew speaks with Jack Stewart and Ben Porter about leaving traditional architecture roles to build REMAP, how digital design works in practice and why technology specialists are becoming more important in the built environment.

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The future of workplace design is not about forcing people back to desks. It is about creating offices that are useful, attractive and genuinely worth leaving home for.

Stephen Drew speaks with Greta Kriovaite, Design Principal at Woodalls, about post-pandemic workplace design, collaboration, focus, AI and how offices can support people rather than just house them.

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