This week I delivered a talk at the Liverpool University School of Architecture to what will be the architects of the future, 3rd year BA students.
Peter Farrall, senior lecturer at Liverpool University School of Architecture and my first boss, approached me a few years ago to deliver a session to the students, this wasn’t an architectural lecture, as the aim was to give the students an insight in to how an architectural practice is managed on a day to day basis.
I agreed with Peter that this was an excellent idea and would give the students a real insight into life in practice the matters that need to be considered to ensure the practice runs smoothly and efficiently.
As Managing Director of Falconer Chester Hall, I enjoy finding ways to adapt how we run our practice to ensure it is responsive to the changing economic climate and it is great to engage with the students to share with them the decisions and the processes we use.
Most students in architecture have very little insight into how a practice is run and how an architect actually makes money, the tasks at University are more design focused, so I feel it is important that they enter the working world equipped with a basic understanding.
The session covers good practice management; winning work, managing people, office management and fees and financial management.
It is a wonderful opportunity to be able to give something back and for it, hopefully, to be of value for the next generation of architects.