He Started His Own Architecture Practice at 29

What does it actually take to start your own architecture practice in 2026? 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. Studio Sutton: studiosutton.co.uk Alex Sutton on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alex-sutton ____ 🎧 Listen to the audio episode: https://share.transistor.fm/s/1d262bb1 Architecture Social is where architects and designers find honest career advice, insight from practice, and live roles worth applying for: https://architecturesocial.com/ The fastest way to get hired is to be better at the things practices actually ask for. Revit, Rhino, rendering, BIM, portfolio work. Our learning partner ArchAdemia is built by architects, for architects: https://archademia.com/architecture-s... Use code ARCHSOCIAL10 for a discount on monthly or annual membership. ____ Chapters 00:00 - Intro 05:08 - Meet Alex Sutton 06:14 - How Alex got into architecture 08:34 - Starting out at Sevil Peach 10:07 - Setting up Studio Sutton at 29 12:19 - Six months before the pandemic 16:33 - Losing a year of work overnight 17:44 - Pivoting to Oslo and Stockholm 20:09 - The reality vs romance of running a studio 23:40 - The personal cost of being a founder 26:29 - The hidden cost of winning work 30:14 - Why better design doesn't always win 34:00 - Tick box forms and SME barriers 36:36 - £40,000 just to be in the room 38:52 - Where does design get lost? 43:34 - Where are the Mavericks? 45:08 - What actually creates value 51:02 - Advice for new founders 57:16 - Losing work to AI 58:49 - Is starting a practice in 2026 a dead end? 01:03:07 - Why architecture still matters 01:08:14 - Hiring and building a small team 01:17:05 - What architecture school doesn't teach 01:18:30 - The Bartlett and the culture of fear 01:26:08 - Where to find Studio Sutton #Architecture #ArchitecturePodcast #ArchitectureTech