A KPF Director's Honest Advice for Young Architects

In this Architecture Social CPD conversation, Stephen Drew speaks with Francesco Casella, Director at KPF (Kohn Pedersen Fox), about building a long-term architecture career inside a large global practice. The discussion runs to roughly 49 minutes and covers getting hired, standing out early in your career, staying and progressing within one firm, and how technology and judgement shape the profession.

Who this is for

Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 architectural professionals, recent graduates and early-career designers who want an honest view of what it takes to grow inside a large international practice. It is also useful for anyone weighing up whether to stay and develop within one studio or move between firms, and for those preparing for interviews at scale.

Learning outcomes

After watching or listening, you will be able to:

1. Explain what large architecture practices look for when hiring early-career designers.
2. Identify the qualities and habits that help Part 2s and Part 3s stand out.
3. Weigh the trade-offs of staying with one firm against moving between practices.
4. Describe how BIM, wider technology and AI are changing day-to-day practice.
5. Prepare more effectively for interviews by understanding what candidates should demonstrate.
6. Reflect on the rewards and pressures of a career in architecture and why practitioners stay.

Getting a first architecture role in London

Francesco reflects on the early steps of establishing yourself in a competitive city, following formative collaborations with Italian and Spanish practices before joining KPF in London. The theme is persistence and clarity about the kind of work you want to do.

Joining a large practice and building a long-term route

The conversation looks at what it means to join a firm of this scale and to commit to developing within it over years rather than months, building trust and a track record across projects.

Promotion, progression and changing firms

Francesco discusses how progression tends to work inside a large studio, and the honest trade-offs between climbing within one practice and seeking a new title or experience elsewhere.

Teams, collaboration and leadership

A recurring point is that strong team cooperation underpins the success of any collaborative enterprise. The discussion covers how leadership and collaboration develop as responsibility grows.

BIM, technology and AI

Francesco and Stephen consider how BIM, digital tools and emerging AI are reshaping practice, and which skills and judgement still matter regardless of the technology in use.

Interviews, hiring and what candidates should show

From the perspective of someone who sits on the hiring side, this section looks at what candidates should demonstrate in interviews and portfolios, and the common gaps that hold applicants back.

Recruitment, judgement and understanding the profession

The pair explore how good judgement and a genuine understanding of the profession show through in recruitment, beyond software skills and presentation alone.

The rewards and pressure of architecture

An honest look at the demands of practice, and how the pressures sit alongside the rewards of seeing work realised at scale.

Why architecture still feels worth it

To close, Francesco reflects on what keeps the work meaningful and why, despite the challenges, architecture still feels worth it.

Key terms

• Part 1, Part 2, Part 3: the stages of UK architectural education and professional qualification.
• BIM: Building Information Modelling, a coordinated digital way of designing and managing building information.
• Typology: a category of building defined by its use or form, such as towers, mixed-use or masterplans.
• Practice at scale: working within a large firm delivering international projects across multiple offices.

Reflective prompts for your CPD record

1. What would you need to show a large practice to stand out in your next application or interview?
2. Where are you on the stay-and-develop versus move-between-firms question, and what is driving that view?
3. Which technology skills do you most need to build this year, and which judgement-based skills matter more?

About the guest

Francesco Casella is a Director at KPF (Kohn Pedersen Fox) in London, where he has worked since 2013 following collaborations with Italian and Spanish practices. A chartered architect in the UK and Italy, his work spans a broad range of typologies and locations, and he is a frequent speaker at industry events. KPF is a global architecture practice with offices across New York, London, San Francisco, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Seoul, Berlin and Singapore.