Despite running an established practice with a strong senior team, Saunders MD Martin Williams explains what’s needed from new talent in the market
I began my career as a hungry young architect, willing to take on a variety of tasks and, at the time, often failing to manage them all, yet always learning from my directors and peers. I was very, very fortunate to have had good, patient, experienced people around me when I started out. Architecture is a reflection of humanity and the world we live in, which is, of course, ever evolving. There have been immense shifts in the profession, and none more so than in the last decade, and this is why we need to stay ahead of the curve.
American writer Mark Twain said: “Genius has no youth; it starts with the ripeness of age and experience.” Although we all know that the journey to architecture is a very long, studious, and experience-based path, we cannot underestimate the journey of those young architects and the need to give them the chance to gain the practical experience and opportunities that we were afforded.
I was given the opportunity to flourish 35 years ago, with my very first practice, where I was mentored, encouraged, and supported, with regular site visits and early supervised responsibility of projects. Yet this is not always the case. All too often, we see employees move to Saunders having not been given opportunities at their former practices, where they may have been used as draftspeople only, rather than future project leads.
Architectural practices are sometimes guilty of not letting go and making way for the next generation of enthusiastic designers and bright young minds. Founders are often so busy building their practices, watching the finances, and ensuring that their clients are happy that they forget that without bringing forward the next generation, they will always be too busy to grow, adapt, and progress. They will also miss the constant change that is happening and potentially become out of touch. Architecture is a constantly growing, changing, and developing profession that needs calm professionalism, intelligence, and flair, but because of this, it requires fresh new ideas and thinking. Good practices recognise the need to nurture new talent, not only because it is the right thing to do but also because without this, your company will not adapt, develop, and flourish in the ever-changing architectural world. You’ll also have more time to review and ensure projects are on track. It can only ever be a ‘win-win’ situation.
Developing architects of the future
At Saunders we do our best to help nurture future architects in a number of ways. These include taking up to five work experience students each year from local schools for a week’s structured, supervised work experience. They are assisted to come up with a design for a dream house in freehand sketch form first, as we feel that it is important that all architects can draw! We then show them how to draw this in AutoCAD; then once they are comfortable we help them to draw their house in 3D using SketchUp. We provide a portfolio so they can take copies of their work away with them and pay them a nominal fee, so it really feels like work.
We also give them advice on the routes into architecture, the qualifications required and advice on preparing their portfolio needed for university interviews. Several come back during the summer for paid summer work, and several have actually been employed after sixth form to work for us full time and be sponsored to go to university.
We also take students straight from school to sponsor their education and mentor them through this by getting them to work in a small group with someone who is part way through their RIBA Part 1, and with an associate director who will monitor their progress.
We employ Part 1 students on a structured year out programme so that they can gain the experience required to complete their post degree work experience. Several Part 1 students decide to stay with us and complete their Masters/RIBA Part 2 part time so we agree a training programme/contract to sponsor them to complete their Masters/RIBA Part 2.
We also get lots of RIBA Part 2 applicants that have been employed by practices that won’t give them the necessary experience to complete their RIBA Part 3 and use them as draftspeople. We guarantee them the correct experience and agree a training contract to pay their fees by a training agreement. We retain really good employees by doing this.
Saunders have greatly benefited from this approach, as students have often returned to us and become part of our talented team when qualified. I strongly believe that as employers, we can learn from the recent pandemic and of course Brexit: all employees and particularly those new to the profession should be given the best chance to thrive.
The RIBA’s recent announcement of education reform in architecture is welcome and a well overdue step towards change. I believe that seven years of study is crazy as a system, and unnecessary. It should be reduced to three or four years in line with other degree courses, then two years’ work experience to full qualification. This will reduce pressure on fees and loan debt – which is especially daunting for those from less privileged and diverse backgrounds – and will encourage more diversity in our profession. The emphasis is also far too much on design during the degree course and needs to include much more about masterplanning, the design process, and technical and management skills.
We see far too many students arrive to us as fully qualified architects but who are less useful than fully qualified architectural technologists whose training is much more in line with what the profession needs. Design is important and fundamental but should be part of a wide range of skills. These changes and a reduction in the course length could help remove ‘barriers’ to poorer students and students from diverse backgrounds, and help to produce good designers that have the broader range of skills the profession so desperately requires in the 21st century.
Martin Williams is managing director at Saunders