Did you know that there is a WORLD event for Digital Construction Skills every year and a team from the UK competes against other countries from around the world on different challenges like modelling a project in BIM against the clock?! Me neither! I've been living under a digital construction rock, luckily my next guest Michael McGuire who is a lecturer at New College Lanarkshire has opened me to something I did not know existed. Lecturer by day and Training Manager for the WorldSkills outside...
May 10, 2022•1 hr•Ep. 121
Grab your lunchtime sandwich and join us to discuss with Satwinder Samra the importance of collaboration between Academia and Practices within the Architecture Industry. Not just that nice "Architecture chap on the television", did you know that when Satwinder isn't recording for the BBC he is developing initiatives that encourage new relationships between architectural practice, academia and industry from his position at the University of Sheffield as Director of Collaborative Practice and a Se...
May 04, 2022•33 min•Ep. 120
Call to Action: The next RIBA President needs to be representative of its members! Time for the first worker at the helm. Earlier in the month we put out our Call to Action with an open letter and a form where Architecture workers could nominate themselves to run as part of our campaign. Well good news, we have four candidates who are working in the Architecture Industry. These people are not company owners, they have worked themselves up like YOU and are full of ambition. Incase you missed this...
Apr 27, 2022•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 119
We are in the people business, and it's absolutely crucial to our success that we are mindful of the types of working environments we curate. Inclusion, diversity, and equity are not just some buzz words! They mean something! We welcome you to join us in a roundtable discussion as we talk about recruitment and best practices for team retention, team building, fostering inclusive work environments, women in architecture, as well as the larger state of the AEC industry. Live on the Disrupt Symposi...
Apr 22, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 118
Call to Action: The next RIBA President needs to be representative of its members! Time for the first worker at the helm. Earlier in the month we put out our Call to Action with an open letter and a form where Architecture workers could nominate themselves to run as part of our campaign. Well good news, we have four candidates who are working in the Architecture Industry. These people are not company owners, they have worked themselves up like YOU and are full of ambition. Hannah Deacon: Since 2...
Apr 21, 2022•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 117
We often talk about what it's like getting a job in the UK, however, have you ever wondered what the experience is like moving away from the UK to working abroad? Join me this Friday at 4 PM GMT, the perfect time for a cheeky Friday beer to hang out with TikTok's #1 international Architect Russell M. Henderson who became a RIBA Chartered Architect in 2008 and packed his bags to work in Tanzania, East Africa and never looked back. See you then! LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/Architect... Y...
Apr 02, 2022•49 min•Ep. 116
What's it like to be part of the team at ColladoCollins? It's a good question. I've known this great company for the last few years and have an idea, but perhaps you would like to know what kind of projects would you be working on there? Other people may be thinking what's career progression and social life like? These are all the kinds of normal and healthy questions that we would love to know about an Architecture Practice before we join or send an application. Join us with Dominic Hailey (Sen...
Mar 30, 2022•37 min•Ep. 115
An Architect or Architectural Assistant with qualifications recognised outside of the UK should find a job easily in the UK, right? Sadly, this is FAR from the truth. Even though Architecture and Architecture Assistants are on the Skilled Shortage list for ease of VISA applications, relocating for many job seekers is still ROCK HARD to find a job within Architecture in the UK. Find out first-hand the trials and tribulations experienced by Marwah Aziz as she overcome this uphill battle to find a ...
Mar 29, 2022•53 min•Ep. 114
There's never been a better time than now to change the status-quo within Architecture doing things "the way its always been" forever and ever and ever. It's 2022! Time to shift the paradigm and create a new one. Let's make Buckminster proud. Or perhaps this is all "hot air?!".... "Yeah yeah Steve I've heard it all before." Sara Kolata has organised the Disrupt Symposium later this month. Join the convo on Architecture in the Metaverse, research impacting strategy, ever-changing design and tech,...
Mar 25, 2022•47 min•Ep. 113
Get your snorkel gear ready... we are going DEEP! Who is Sunken Blimp? What is the Sunken Blimp? All good questions. Rumour has it that the Sunken Blimp is all about interdisciplinary design explorations, computational design, and digital fabrication. I am curious to learn more and what better way than to do it live with you all. To guide me in this world of exploration is co-founder Matheus Stancati who's background is in Architecture, Digital Fabrication, XR development, and more. Hold on to y...
Feb 08, 2022•52 min•Ep. 112
We often learn about practices when we see their projects in Architecture Magazines, or when we are looking for a new job we often judge a company by what we can see on their website. Well, I think it'd be much more interesting to learn about what it's like to work at an Architecture Practice from the horse's mouth! Either the founders who set it up or people who actually work on the frontline as part of the team. So to kick off this idea, I can think of no one better than the charismatic and am...
Jan 29, 2022•43 min•Ep. 111
Often we discuss what makes a great Architecture CV and Portfolio as well as how to give the best impression in an interview. That's all well and useful, however, have you thought about the actual email message you send to an employer which has your important documents attached? Not only that but have you thought about the naming format of the PDF? Now before you say to me, Steve, that's a boring topic. Yes, it's boring. It's also one of the most important parts of your application. The structur...
Jan 19, 2022•47 min•Ep. 110
This week I managed to sit down after hours with one of the founders of Renovi.io. Adonis Zachariades works in, dreams and is passionate about Blockchain, NFT, Metaverse and Web 3.0. An economist himself with Architects in the family, it was fascinating to learn how the idea of Renovi came about and where it got to today. Lucky for me that Adonis is smart and patient, so join me ask a bunch of newbie questions in space about NFTs, Cryptocurrencies, Tokenomics and what it will be like to use as a...
Jan 16, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 109
...and what do they have to do with Architecture?! Last year you may have heard the terms Web3, NFTs and the blockchain all thrown about but do they have any relevance to the future of our industry? Listen back to our open conversation on clubhouse where we shared our viewpoints on if NFTs are a complete fad or something more profound which opens lots of possibilities for the built environment and influence our roles as designers. 📐 The Architecture Social is an online platform packed with cont...
Jan 14, 2022•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 108
New year. New Job? The Architecture job market has changed DRAMATICALLY in the last 3 months. We should know, we've been recruiting for my own teams as well as several Architecture Practices. Join Stephen Drew for an unscripted, upfront conversation LIVE to find out what he thinks you really need to know and what mistakes to avoid in your search. You can watch the video of the live stream on our Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/architecture-social 📐 The Architecture Social is an onlin...
Jan 05, 2022•48 min•Ep. 107
You may be hearing the rumblings in the background of people discussing the Metaverse, NFTs and the blockchain. What do these all mean? Well just before we broke up for Christmas I thought the best way to learn is to speak to a trained Architect who is currently building and has sold NFTs of her projects to tell us all about her journey as well as insights. Fatemeh Monfared is an architect who graduated from the Polytechnic University of Madrid, she immediately found her passion in the NFT world...
Jan 03, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 106
There's been so much going on lately in the world of Architecture. Working remotely in professional practice is no longer impossible to implement and hybrid working is arguably here to stay. At the same time, communication and content creation online within Architecture has evolved at a rapid pace. Earlier in the year FAF (Future Architects Front) raised awareness of the ongoing woes and realities of entering the Architecture profession from a student to becoming a young professional. Lately in ...
Nov 17, 2021•57 min•Ep. 105
In 2005, Scott Mactavish moved away from mainstream Architecture and joined an architectural recruitment company in London, recruiting Architects at all levels for the local market. This is as fate happens we met, as when I went into recruitment leaving Architecture, Scott was one of my Directors! Join us for a rough and ready episode late into the evening, battling technology, to have a no holds barred conversation about the Architecture profession and the underbelly of the recruitment industry...
Nov 07, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 104
Tanisha helps built environment organisations strategically grow their brand and business by tapping into the power of storytelling. Join us for an open conversation about alternative careers in Architecture, the importance of online marketing as well as discussing the tools, tips and tricks of the trade within communications. A trained architect, Tanisha has over a decade of combined experience in architectural practice, at AJ100 firms, as a contributor at The Architects’ Journal, and a communi...
Nov 07, 2021•58 min•Ep. 103
Two weeks ago, I sat down virtually with the incredible John Snow, who gave me an insight further into the world of Planning. We work together in Build Studios based in Waterloo, where John runs his successful business called Tetrik Planning. Join us to talk about what the role of a planning consultant does, how they work with Architects, find out what a Section 1:06 agreement is and all the news about the Tesco's in my parent's village. For the first 8 minutes, there is some slight rustling on ...
Nov 04, 2021•57 min•Ep. 102
Midst July after hosting a room on Clubhouse I was invited to join Michael Riscica on his podcast to talk about life, the Architecture Industry and building the Architecture Social. Here is the description from the episode: Some people take a long and winding route to realize that architecture is the field for them. Stephen Drew is not one of them. He always knew that he wanted to be an architect. He did temporarily entertain the idea of becoming a doctor, but his love for drawing and designing ...
Nov 03, 2021•52 min•Ep. 101
Learn how to stand out in a crowd and competitive job market by finding out what employers and hiring managers look for when recruiting architects ABOUT THIS TALK How to stand out in a crowd and competitive job market What skills employers are looking for Best CV practices Best Portfolio Practices Composing an email that catches their attention 📐 The Architecture Social is an online platform packed with content to help you find new jobs, stand out from the crowd and take your career in Architec...
Nov 02, 2021•58 min•Ep. 100
Many years ago, I decided to roll up my sleeves to learn Revit. I frantically looked for something that was easy and accessible for me to learn, turns out LinkedIn Learning worked best for me where they had a course led by the instructor Shaun 'SCB' Bryant. I may not be a model student, however, I may be a better host (you can be the judge!). On this week's episode, we have the fantastic online Autodesk instructor, musician and experienced industry professional discuss the joy, trials and tribul...
Nov 02, 2021•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 99
It was fantastic to be invited to speak with Team Esteem to talk about "Post-Pandemic Careers in Architectural Design", you can find more about them and the original recording on their Youtube Channel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pjlrf... or their website here https://teamesteem.co.uk/ "The Covid-19 pandemic had brought the entire world to a standstill, but now as the cases of the coronavirus is reducing, the industry is trying to get back to usual. However budding architects are findin...
Oct 25, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 98
The Architecture Social is back and we are kicking off our new live series of unrestricted conversations with reputable guests of the industry alongside my meanderings, rants, bells and banter as the host. Luckily, I am starting with a seasoned pro within the architecture podcast world, the fantastic Rion Willard, who hosts the professional and polished Business of Architecture UK podcast. While podcast king at night, a bit like superman, in the day Rion is an ARB registered Architect with his o...
Oct 21, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 97
Many months ago at the start of lockdown, I embarked on the journey of building the Architecture Social. As luck would happen, Sarah was building her community platform called "The Architect Project" at the same time. This online fluke of crossing paths turned out to be an awesome collaboration. In this podcast episode, I caught up with Sarah to discuss the lesson's learnt of practising Architecture while building an online community platform, all the while being a mother and living life. I admi...
Oct 20, 2021•50 min•Ep. 96
In this episode, I am joined by the fantastic Katya Veleva, who has a background in Architecture & BIM and is now an Inclusion, Equity and Diversity consultant and a qualified coach and mentor. Her work is dedicated to empowering individuals and organisations to find the methods, techniques and language that brings them together in a way that not only everyone can be their best self to the table, but they can attract and execute world-changing work. Join us for an open discussion about being...
Oct 06, 2021•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 95
On this podcast, I have the fantastic Angela Mazzi join us to discuss mental health and happiness in Architecture. Join us to discuss breakthroughs in career roadblocks, the future of apps like Clubhouse, dealing with deadlines and anxiety as well as me discussing my own experiences working in Architecture and the trials and tribulations of running a business. Angela Mazzi is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life through the built environment with an emphasis on socio-cultural impacts. Sinc...
Sep 18, 2021•59 min•Ep. 94
Will Ridgway joined the Architecture Recruitment team at the beginning of 2019 which was led at the time by me (Stephen Drew!). A blank slate and keen to learn, Will was new to the Architecture scene and had not recruited in any industry before. Join us to discuss learning the ropes of the Architecture Industry, dealing with the pandemic as well as joining me on the wild ride of the Architecture Social from the beginning. We also shed light on what we believe it takes to be successful, what the ...
Sep 05, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 93
"What does it mean to be a Professional" with Jason Boyle. The term being professional is a term often used loosely and often used in cases where it is not correct. So what is professional? Let's explore the attributes of professionalism in architecture from competency, reliability and accountability to honesty, integrity and self-control. Being a professional involves flexibility and respect for others and must continue to learn and develop to keep your skills relevant. 📐 The Architecture Soci...
Sep 05, 2021•47 min•Ep. 92
