Journal

Where are you on the Happiness Index?

Access to good quality housing is one of the great built environment challenges of our time.

It has to be the most basic, fundamental function of a home that it provides shelter, safety and protection to its occupants...

For your next project, don't employ an architect and see how it goes.

I have a confession to make.

I have a dark and sordid secret.

Smaller practices want to work on bigger projects. These projects will be a big deal for them.

They will work hard, give it their all and make a valuable contribution if you give them a chance.

The world needs people with ideas and vision. It also needs spatial thinkers.

Is a dusty, old institutional building in the heart of London the best representation of a modern profession, or is it a hollow vanity project?

“You know what I smell?” My son says. I can sense what’s coming next…

“I smell architecture” he says. My head does a flip. It’s quite confronting.

Is the success of your practice based on exploitation?

Stop blaming everyone else.

You’re doing it to yourselves.

Now you’re emotionally invested. You’re already on the hook. If you lose this it’s going to be a wrench.

And you haven’t even started negotiating the fee.

"The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten"

- Benjamin Franklin

It's not ethical, it's exploitative and it's financially crippling for young architects.

This is the uk construction industry.

It’s fundamentally wrong. It needs to change.

These processes are not about producing great architecture, they are merely an arse-covering exercise...

It is a travesty to see talented graduates feeling unable to return to complete their Part II courses for financial reasons.

It is a serious indictment of our profession if talented graduates feel ‘priced-out.

We need to be consistent, resolute and absolutely clear in the message we send out.