THE MOMENT I REALISED

One of the most successful job interviews I ever had began with me saying something I'd never admitted out loud before.

"I work best in a team. But only when it's my team."

And I managed to make it clear to the interviewer that what I meant is - it’s not about me having all the answers. It was about creating and fostering the conditions for the right answers to emerge.

I’d finally articulated where I do my best work.

The best architecture is always collaborative. The best projects come from conversations: around meeting tables, on site, with clients, consultants and contractors, each bringing their own expertise. I’ll never work in a vacuum.

But over the course of twenty years in practice, I realised that the role I enjoyed most wasn't simply designing buildings. It was holding the thread.

THE PROBLEMS I'D SEEN IN PRACTICE

I like being the person who understands how all the pieces fit together. The one making sure the conservation advice aligns with the structural strategy, the planning application supports the long-term vision, and today's decisions don't create tomorrow's problems. The one helping clients understand the why. Because that’s actually what determines the success of the project.

That isn't always the role of an architect. In larger organisations, things often get diluted, decisions inevitably pass through different people, priorities shift, and occassionally you’re sitting in a meeting looking at drawings thinking - they’re designing the wrong thing!

I learned a huge amount working in practices of every size, alongside some exceptionally talented people, but I increasingly found myself drawn to something different.

The moments I enjoyed most weren’t just presenting finished designs. They were the conversations at the beginning.

The conversations where a client arrives with an idea, but not yet an understanding of the building they're working with. Where they're trying to make sense of planning policy, listed building consent, budgets, consultants and competing advice. Where one clear conversation can prevent months of wasted time or thousands of pounds being spent in the wrong direction.

Those conversations matter because good projects don't begin with drawings. They begin with understanding.

Understanding the building. Understanding its constraints and opportunities.

I realised that the greatest value I could offer wasn't simply producing architectural drawings. It was helping people navigate complexity with confidence.

THAT'S WHY I STARTED MY OWN PRACTICE

Not because I wanted to work on my own, but because I wanted to work differently with my clients.

I wanted to give clients continuity from the very first conversation to the completion of their project. I wanted to assemble the right team for each building. I wanted to advise clients with complete clarity, to be honest about risks, realistic about timescales and transparent about the decisions ahead.

Architecture can feel overwhelming, particularly when you're dealing with historic buildings. There are planning constraints, listed building consent, consultants, surveys, contractors and countless decisions to make. My role isn't to remove that complexity—it still exists—but to guide clients through it with confidence.

Every project is different, but my approach is always the same: understand the building first, build the right team around it, and help clients make informed decisions at every stage.

After twenty years, I finally realised that's what I enjoy most.

Not just designing buildings.

Helping people feel confident enough to shape their own projects.