{"id":774892,"date":"2025-02-19T08:57:55","date_gmt":"2025-02-19T08:57:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/?p=774892"},"modified":"2025-02-19T10:11:26","modified_gmt":"2025-02-19T10:11:26","slug":"architecture-doesnt-have-to-be-an-old-mans-or-old-womans-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/news\/opinion\/architecture-doesnt-have-to-be-an-old-mans-or-old-womans-game","title":{"rendered":"Architecture doesn\u2019t have to be an old man\u2019s (or old woman\u2019s) game"},"content":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s 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: \u2018If you\u2019re interested in making money, then architecture is the wrong career for you. You won\u2019t see success until you\u2019re in middle age.\u2019 I sat there and, in a mix of hubris and naivety, I thought to myself: \u2018Yeah, that\u2019s \u2019cos you\u2019re doing it wrong.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

Looking back now, it\u2019s clear she wasn\u2019t wrong. Architecture is an old man\u2019s (or an old woman\u2019s) game. It\u2019s built on the enthusiasm and the work ethic of youth, yet it values experience over all else. It\u2019s rarely said but, to make it in architecture, you need an abundance of patience.<\/span><\/p>\n

But here\u2019s the problem. This career model was built in a time when money went further. A single, reasonable salary could support a family and, even if you weren\u2019t fully \u2018comfortable\u2019, there was a sense of security about the profession. Stick it out and the gains would eventually come your way. Even if you didn\u2019t become an architectural star, you\u2019d reach a point of stability.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In theory, playing an old man\u2019s game is fine, if you can afford to keep playing. But read any architect\u2019s blog or publication (or bank statement) and it\u2019s clear that architects are feeling more and more squeezed out of playing. The old model of success doesn\u2019t work in 2025.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, what do we want? And when do we want it? I risk making another mistake of youth and trying to run before I can walk, but I would argue that architects can no longer be patient and wait for the good times to eventually come around. It is time for a redefinition of success that comes a lot sooner. We won\u2019t all become starchitects with monograph tomes and very few of us are going to end up getting multi-million-pound dividends from knuckling down during our Part 2.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thankfully, a shift may already be happening. Over the past couple of years my university has run a unit that has students look at architects who have practised in a broader arena. Think stage design, property development, game development. The AJ has also previously published engaging articles on architects making waves in other sectors<\/a> \u2013 architect entrepreneurs, who aren\u2019t waiting for opportunity to come knocking but are instead creating their own measure of success.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is perfect for the next generation of architects raised on the idea of non-conformity and side-hustles, who are already forging new careers blending architecture, social media, AI and more. But, make no mistake, wherever we are on the professional ladder, we can all rethink our personal definition of success and ask whether we\u2019re aiming for the wrong goal.<\/span><\/p>\n

The vast majority of us won\u2019t design the next Guggenheim or win the Pritzker, and that\u2019s ok. That\u2019s not the measure of success we should be aspiring to. A well-run, profitable small practice can be just as meaningful and impactful as a high-profile award-winning one. Stability through sustainable, ethical business practices should be celebrated just as much as aesthetic brilliance.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

We don\u2019t need to burn our copies of Le Corbusier\u2019s Towards a New Architecture<\/i> or reject slow and considered bespoke design. We just need to appreciate that success in architecture can also be measured in financial independence, work-life balance and sustainable practice. The starchitect struggle doesn\u2019t work \u2013 and perhaps never did. The old man\u2019s game needs an update.<\/span><\/p>\n

Toko Andrews is an associate at Tunbridge Wells-based Kaner Olette Architects and associate lecturer at the University for the Creative Arts<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s 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: \u2018If you\u2019re interested in making money, then architecture is the wrong career for …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9844,"featured_media":775596,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"ep_exclude_from_search":false},"categories":[745],"tags":[1578,100989],"yoast_head":"\nArchitecture doesn\u2019t have to be an old man\u2019s (or old woman\u2019s) game<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"These days, architects can no longer wait for the good times to eventually come around. 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