Architecture Social
It is hard to get a job in architecture. We exist to help you get there. Hosted by Stephen Drew, Architecture Social is the unfiltered guide to the UK Built Environment. We decode the realities of the industry, provide actionable cheat codes for your career, and bridge the communication gap between the drafting board and the boardroom. Whether you are a Part I assistant trying to survive your first role, a Part III architect managing complex procurement, or a Practice Director fighting tight margins and adapting to the Building Safety Act, this podcast is your central node of intelligence. We strip away the aesthetic gatekeeping and toxic positivity to talk about the actual mechanics of the business. Expect honest conversations about salary realities, portfolio strategies, hiring economics, and the true experiences of the people actively shaping the profession. No fluff, just the reality of practice.
Episodes
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” behin...
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, ...
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 romanti...
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 commerci...
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.
The conversation covers:
- How to get hired by large architecture practices
- What helps Part 2s, Part 3s and early-career desi...
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 reall...
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 c...
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 ...
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.
The conversation covers:
- How to stop relying only on job boards a...
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.
The conversation covers:
- How BIM and Revit adoption changed UK architecture pr...
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.
The conversation covers:
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.
The conversation covers:
- Why marketing matters for architects, designers and practice owners
- How t...
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.
The conversation covers:
- H...
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.
The conversation covers:
- How architectu...
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.
The conversation covers:
- What planning consultants actually do on projects
- H...
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.
The conversatio...
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.
The c...
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.
The conversation covers:
- H...
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.
The conversation covers:
- How Jon moved ...
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.
The conversat...
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