Architecture Social

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: How BIM can support landscap...

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. The conversation cov...

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 pressur...

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...

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 interi...

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 workplac...

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 shou...

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. The conversation covers: How confidence affect...

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. The con...

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. T...

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. The conversation covers: What ma...

Computational design is not just about impressive scripts. At its best, it helps teams test options, understand trade-offs and make clearer design decisions under pressure. Stephen Drew speaks with Nirmala Srinivasa and Mario Romero of Perkins&Will about computational design, data-led workflows, real-time optioneering, sustainability and the role of AI in future design practice. The conversati...

Community-led housing changes the usual development question from what can be delivered to who has power, who participates and who benefits. Stephen Drew speaks with Levent Kerimol, Director of Community Led Housing London, about grassroots housing, community involvement, funding, planning and the role architects can play in more democratic housing projects. The conversation covers: What community...

Moving from architecture into development or project management can make sense when you still care about buildings, but want to work closer to clients, budgets, strategy and delivery. Stephen Drew speaks with Dolunay Dogahan about moving from architecture into project management, working client-side and understanding the job titles, interviews and industry knowledge needed to make that transition....

The strongest architecture education often comes from moving between studio, classroom, community work and the messy reality of making projects happen. Stephen Drew speaks with Kevin Haley about blending architecture, design and education, founding Aberrant Architecture, working with communities and supporting students through practice and teaching. The conversation covers: How Kevin moved from mu...

Moving from architecture into development changes the scale of the decisions you make. It also changes the commercial, social and delivery pressures around every project. Stephen Drew speaks with Russ Edwards, Project Director at Clarion Housing Group, about his route from architecture into development and his work on large-scale, affordable and regenerative housing projects. The conversation cove...

Becoming a developer can sound like the dream route for architects who want more control, but the reality is viability, finance, risk, people management and knowing when a project does not work. Stephen Drew speaks with Marc Turnier of Arcvelop about moving from architecture into development, building a luxury property business and the practical realities behind architect-led development. The conv...

Public-sector work can look opaque from the outside, especially for smaller practices trying to understand procurement, fees, quality scoring and how to avoid wasting time on the wrong bids. Stephen Drew speaks with Jacob Willson and Amandeep Kalra from Be First about winning public-sector projects, building design teams, judging quality and making architecture useful for communities in Barking an...

Running an architecture practice in Miami means working with climate, construction, real estate, office culture and a market that does not behave exactly like London. Stephen Drew speaks with Matias Daroch of MIK Architecture about building a practice in Miami, working across design and construction, hiring, office culture and using technology without losing the human side of practice. The convers...

Experiential hospitality is not just about making a hotel, restaurant or bar look good. It is about creating places that people remember, share and want to return to. Stephen Drew speaks with Ana Moisin of Anamo Design Studio about hospitality design, guest experience, materials, brand standards, collaboration and the future of spaces that work through atmosphere as much as function. The conversat...

Multidisciplinary design works best when architecture, interiors, engineering and strategy stop behaving like separate silos and start shaping one clear experience. Stephen Drew speaks with Justin Parsons of BDP about retail, residential and workplace design, the overlap between interiors and architecture, mentorship and what innovation looks like inside a large multidisciplinary practice. The con...

Setting up an architecture practice is rarely the clean founder story people imagine. It is fees, cash flow, recruitment, content, client education, mistakes and learning where the pressure really sits. Stephen Drew speaks with Oliver Lowrie, co-founder of Ackroyd Lowrie, about the top lessons learned from building an architecture practice and what others should understand before trying to do the...

Personal branding can sound vague, but on LinkedIn it often comes down to whether people understand what you do, what you care about and why they should remember you. Stephen Drew speaks with Beatrice Ronchetti about personal branding for architecture professionals, profile clarity, content strategy and using LinkedIn as a practical career and business tool. The conversation covers: What personal...

Retrofit is one of the biggest practical challenges in architecture: how do we make existing buildings work harder, last longer and use less carbon without treating sustainability as a bolt-on? Stephen Drew speaks with James Rixon of Rixon Architecture about sustainable design, retrofit practice, the RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge and the knowledge-sharing needed to decarbonise the built environment....

Sustainable architecture is not only about technical performance. It is also about culture, decision-making, communication and designing places that support better ways of living. Stephen Drew speaks with Michael Woodford of White Arkitekter about sustainable design, healthcare projects, practice culture, carbon calculation, AI and what architects need to communicate clearly as the market changes....