2 Jul

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

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▶️ Watch this episode on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Md1Fakkn7Q

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Chapters

00:00 Intro
03:00 Meet Alex Sutton
03:40 How Alex got into architecture
05:41 Starting out at Sevil Peach
07:23 Setting up Studio Sutton at 29
09:58 Six months before the pandemic
13:08 Losing a year of work overnight
14:45 Pivoting to Oslo and Stockholm
17:08 The reality vs romance of running a studio
20:38 The personal cost of being a founder
22:58 The hidden cost of winning work
26:17 Why better design doesn't always win
29:27 Tick box forms and SME barriers
32:16 £40,000 just to be in the room
35:10 Where does design get lost?
40:19 Where are the Mavericks?
41:15 What actually creates value
46:14 Advice for new founders
54:34 Losing work to AI
56:06 Is starting a practice in 2026 a dead end?
01:00:16 Why architecture still matters
01:05:08 Hiring and building a small team
01:14:09 What architecture school doesn't teach
01:15:28 The Bartlett and the culture of fear
01:23:24 Where to find Studio Sutton

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