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2 months ago | 
architectsjournal.co.uk | Toko Andrews |Alan Gordon
There’s one lecture that sticks in my memory from my time as an undergrad at architecture school. It was on professional practice in my second year and I remember it clearly. The lecturer stood in front of the assembled students and said: ‘If you’re interested in making money, then architecture is the wrong career for you.
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Jan 20, 2025 | 
architectsjournal.co.uk | Toko Andrews |Alan Gordon
January is here, and with it comes the perfect opportunity to reflect on the year just gone and look ahead to what’s next. We architects thrive on cycles: concept to completion, review to reinvention. The start of a new year is a chance to look ahead to what’s coming, but also to pat yourself on the back for what went right. Big or small, I hope you take a moment to celebrate your 2024 wins. This January, I’m revelling in a bit of self-congratulation.
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Oct 25, 2024 | 
architectsjournal.co.uk | Toko Andrews |Will Hurst
Convenience is the new currency. It’s one of the main drivers of 20th and 21st-century economics and has helped create some of the wealthiest companies and people in history. Steve Jobs understood the benefits of a closed system designed for ultimate consumer convenience. Amazon tries to remove as many as many barriers as possible in order to get the money out of your wallet as quickly as possible.
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Sep 18, 2024 | 
architectsjournal.co.uk | Toko Andrews |Will Hurst
We architects place a high value on aesthetics. We often obsess over intricate details, forms and skylines, and pat each other on the back by circulating highly curated images of our creations. It’s nothing new and, unfortunately, we live in a world where a sexy image of our last project is highly likely to help convince a new client to take a gamble and appoint us as their architect.
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Jul 17, 2024 | 
architectsjournal.co.uk | Toko Andrews |Will Hurst
There is one thing we can gather from the results of the RIBA election: architects don’t care about the result. For those that missed it, the turnout for the election was 9.3 per cent of eligible voters. The shockingly low turnout is not new; recent turnouts for the last few elections have been hovering around 10 per cent, and I think this speaks volumes for the impact architects feel the RIBA has on their daily lives.
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Jul 9, 2024 | 
architectsjournal.co.uk | Toko Andrews |Alan Gordon
I failed my first year of architecture. Twice. It’s not something I shout about but it’s also not something I shy away from. I managed to complete my degree on the third attempt, extending an already long course into something stupid. Apparently, I really wanted to be an architect. When I speak about failure and rejection it comes from a place of hard-learned experience. I truly believe that the stumbles you make along the way make you a better person (and a better architect, I keep telling myself).
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Jun 6, 2024 | 
architectsjournal.co.uk | Toko Andrews |Philippa Kelly
A benefit of being involved in a Part 3 course is hearing how other practices go about their business. You get to hear how well-known firms achieve what they do, picking up some useful tips. You also get a bird’s eye view of how everyone is generally getting on and can notice some trends between practices. One glaringly obvious observation is the reluctance of practices to change, preferring to stick to the tried and tested rather than adapting to fit the times.
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May 10, 2024 | 
architectsjournal.co.uk | Toko Andrews |Alan Gordon
December 2023. Murder on the Dancefloor is back in the charts and social media is blowing up with reaction videos to scenes from Saltburn. The film wasn’t for me but there’s no question it had a huge cultural impact. Even now, several months after it went viral, the impact is still being felt. Drayton House was the impressive Grade I-listed manor used as the location, a property with an equally impressive history of execution, lovers, and illegitimate royalty (the architecture is also stunning).
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Feb 22, 2024 | 
architectsjournal.co.uk | Toko Andrews |Simon Aldous
‘So, what do you specialise in?’ It’s one of the first things I’m asked when I tell people what I do. It’s an innocent conversation starter but the implication is that, like doctors and lawyers, architects specialise in particular sectors rather than being general practitioners who shift from sector to sector. With the changes to building regulations, market uncertainty and fee squeezes, is it time to open up the debate to formal architectural specialisation?
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Jan 17, 2024 | 
architectsjournal.co.uk | Toko Andrews
How many of you have ever used the word ‘rizz’ in conversation? Probably not many. What about the phrase ‘no cap’? Or ‘lit’? Or ‘swell’? The language you use is linked to the generation you grew up in and, in turn, says a surprising amount about you as a person. Some of you may know all of the examples above; some of you may only know one.
