EP 02572 July 2026 · 1 hr 24 min
He Started His Own Architecture Practice at 29
1:23:50
What does it actually take to start your own architecture practice in 2026?
About this conversation
Alex Sutton founded Studio Sutton in August 2019 at the age of 29, just six months before the world locked down. In this conversation with Stephen Drew, he opens up about building an award winning international practice through a global pandemic, a war, an interest rate spike, an AI shake-up, and the hardest personal moments of his life. No fluff, no romanticising, just the real story of what running a small practice looks like when the cards are stacked against you.
If you've ever thought about starting your own studio, or you're already on that path and wondering if it gets easier, this one's for you.
Topics in this episode
Transcript
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Opening of the conversation
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Guys. I am in South London at the moment because we are being invited by someone that's put it all in the line, has built up their own studio. They on the board. Winner.
I always romanticized about the idea of doing it. I also wanted to be a bit younger in doing it. They've got all the cool projects doing it large, but we're in 2026, baby, and it ain't that easy. Something needs to change where people have got to get rid of this perception that small, newer practice is still more risky than going with the same old, same old, same old to actually very large, have incredibly high turnovers.
Studio Sutton projects
The work behind the conversation.
Oslo, Norway
Stortorvet 7
An 86,000 sq ft workplace contribution to a renewed city-centre destination in Oslo.
View project →Stockholm, Sweden
Lilla Nygatan 23
A former neoclassical bank in Stockholm reworked as a 29,000 sq ft hotel-style workplace.
View project →
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Roles in this world
Live Architecture and Commercial roles on the jobs board right now.
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