Running an architecture practice is not just about design. It is fees, hiring, risk, clients, culture, profit and learning how to keep the studio moving without losing the work you care about.

Stephen Drew speaks with Tim, co-founder of nimtim architects, a design-led practice in South London, about starting a studio, building a team and dealing with the commercial reality behind architecture.

The conversation covers:

  • What it is really like to start an architecture practice
  • How nimtim grew from the kitchen table into a recognised design studio
  • Fees, profitability and the pressure of running a small practice
  • Hiring, culture and building a team without losing the studio's identity
  • What students and early-career designers should understand about practice life

nimtim architects: nimtim.co.uk

nimtim on Instagram: @nimtimarchitects

Read the episode notes: Running an Architecture Practice Isn't What You Think

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Chapters

  • 00:00 Arriving at nimtim and setting the scene
  • 05:01 Early practice formation and finding direction
  • 10:21 First projects, public attention and momentum
  • 15:07 Moving from larger practice to running whole projects
  • 20:12 Working with a partner and separating work from life
  • 25:04 Culture, office life and hiring
  • 30:13 Education, students and practice pressures
  • 35:18 Apprenticeships, training and the cost of qualification
  • 40:12 Skills, challenge and what practices need
  • 45:11 Starting a business, risk and reality
  • 50:25 Team routines and running the studio
  • 55:15 Honesty, pressure and the personal realities of practice
  • 60:13 AI, industrialisation and the profession's reaction
  • 65:17 Changing tools and fear of being left behind
  • 70:18 Clients, sales and keeping the practice going

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