Starting and Running Your Own Architecture Practice ft. Alex Sutton

In this CPD conversation (approximately 84 minutes), Alex Sutton, founder of Studio Sutton, joins Stephen Drew to unpack the reality of starting and running your own architecture practice. Alex set up Studio Sutton in 2019 at the age of 29, just six months before the pandemic, and has since grown it into an international studio. This is a frank account of what running a small practice actually looks like when conditions are difficult.

Who this is for

Part II assistants and newly qualified professionals weighing up their own practice, early founders of small studios, and anyone considering the move from employment to running a business in architecture, design or the built environment.

Learning outcomes

1. You will be able to describe the practical steps and mindset involved in setting up a small architecture practice.
2. You will be able to recognise the financial and personal costs of founding and running a studio, and plan for them.
3. You will be able to explain the hidden economics of winning work, including procurement barriers that disproportionately affect small and medium-sized practices.
4. You will be able to evaluate what genuinely creates value for clients beyond aesthetics.
5. You will be able to assess how AI and current market conditions are reshaping small practice, and where opportunity remains.
6. You will be able to apply lessons on hiring and building a small, resilient team.

From graduate to founder

Alex traces his route into architecture and his early years in practice, including time at Sevil Peach, before setting up Studio Sutton at 29. He is candid about what pushed him to start his own studio and the decision to back himself.

Launching six months before the pandemic

Studio Sutton opened just before the world locked down. Alex describes losing close to a year of work almost overnight and pivoting to projects in Oslo and Stockholm to keep the studio moving, an early lesson in adapting fast when circumstances change.

The reality versus the romance of running a studio

The conversation separates the idea of running a practice from the day-to-day reality. Alex is open about the personal cost of being a founder and the pressures that come with carrying a business.

The hidden economics of winning work

Alex unpacks the cost of competing for projects, from tick-box prequalification forms to the barriers smaller practices face in procurement. He describes situations where significant sums are spent simply to be considered for a commission.

Why better design does not always win

A better design does not automatically secure the work. Alex explores where design value gets lost in the process and why the strongest idea is not always the one that is chosen.

What actually creates value

Moving beyond aesthetics, Alex sets out what he believes genuinely creates value for clients, and offers practical advice for people thinking about founding their own studio.

AI and the future of small practice

Alex reflects on losing work to AI and asks whether starting a practice in 2026 is a dead end. His answer is measured: he explains why architecture still matters and where small studios can still compete.

Building and leading a small team

As Studio Sutton has grown, hiring has become central. Alex shares his thinking on building a small team and the kind of people a young studio needs.

What architecture school does not teach

The discussion closes on education, including what architecture school leaves out and the culture of fear Alex experienced during his own training. It is a prompt to think about how the next generation is prepared for practice.

Key terms

• SME: small and medium-sized enterprise. Smaller practices that often face disproportionate barriers in procurement.
• Prequalification (tick-box forms): standardised procurement questionnaires used to shortlist practices, which can favour larger firms.
• Adaptive reuse / repositioning: improving or changing the use of existing buildings rather than building new.
• Fee bidding: competing for work, sometimes at significant upfront cost to the practice.

Reflective prompts for your CPD record

1. If you were to start your own practice, what would you need in place before taking the leap, and what would you do first if you lost a major commission?
2. Looking at your current or recent projects, where does design value get lost, and what could you change in how you communicate that value to clients?
3. How is AI changing the work you do, and which parts of your role create value that is hardest to automate?

About the guest

Alex Sutton is the founder of Studio Sutton, a design-led architecture and interiors studio based in London. He founded the studio in August 2019 at the age of 29, having previously worked at Sevil Peach, and has grown it into an international practice with work delivered across the UK, Europe and the US.