Have you ever wondered why mental health is
Jon Clayton:such a critical concern in the architecture profession at the moment?
Jon Clayton:Join us for part two of my conversation with architects, Doug Hodgson, Doug
Jon Clayton:shares his thoughts on what to do.
Jon Clayton:If you're feeling overwhelmed or close to burnout.
Jon Clayton:And what is practice new works have been doing to safeguard
Jon Clayton:their teams, mental health.
Jon Clayton:I catch it all on this episode of architecture business club,
Jon Clayton:the weekly podcast for solo and small firm architecture
Jon Clayton:practice owners, just like you.
Jon Clayton:You want to build a profitable future proof architecture business
Jon Clayton:that fits around their life.
Jon Clayton:I'm John Clayton, your host, if you're a small practice leader or
Jon Clayton:so practitioner in architecture, struggling to find clarity or reach
Jon Clayton:your goals, consider working with me.
Jon Clayton:I offer personalized one-to-one support, free coaching consulting, and mentoring.
Jon Clayton:This tailored approach helps you navigate your unique path to success.
Jon Clayton:Whether it's growing your practice, working fewer hours or building
Jon Clayton:your team, I've got you covered.
Jon Clayton:Just click the link in the show notes to book a call with me to
Jon Clayton:discuss your options or email John J O n@architecturebusinessclub.com.
Jon Clayton:For more information.
Jon Clayton:Now let's continue the conversation with Doug about mental health.
Jon Clayton:We were talking there about overwhelm and we've talked about a few ideas there
Jon Clayton:about how people can set their practice up in such a way to try and minimize
Jon Clayton:that and avoid it from happening.
Jon Clayton:But for those people that might be listening that are already feeling
Jon Clayton:overwhelmed or, or even feeling close to burnout from the work that they're
Jon Clayton:doing, what can we do about it?
Jon Clayton:Do you have any thoughts on that?
Jon Clayton:If somebody's listening and they're already feeling really overwhelmed
Jon Clayton:with the work that they're doing?
Doug Hodgson:Yeah, and it's, it's, it's a tricky one because.
Doug Hodgson:Obviously, Tom and I closed one company to set up another one, and most, most
Doug Hodgson:professionals aren't in that, um, space, you know, the ability to do that.
Doug Hodgson:So I'd say that most important thing is to be kind to yourself, um, and that
Doug Hodgson:is, I often find actually, it's, it's a link to physical health, um, mental
Doug Hodgson:health and has links to physical health.
Doug Hodgson:So, um, have a, be able to sort of step back if you can and,
Doug Hodgson:and, and go somewhere different.
Doug Hodgson:So I often find, um, as we spoke about earlier, connection to
Doug Hodgson:nature is incredibly important.
Doug Hodgson:So we've just moved actually our, well, our new studio is here in, in Bermondsey
Doug Hodgson:and we've stumbled across Park, which I weirdly hadn't been to before.
Doug Hodgson:It's absolutely stunning.
Doug Hodgson:And there were these moments of nature of green space all over the city in London
Doug Hodgson:and all over the country, of course, um, I'd say take the time to go out into
Doug Hodgson:nature during the day, you know, so don't, you know, if you need to take some time
Doug Hodgson:off work, talk to your thoughts, people in the practice about it, we need to talk to
Doug Hodgson:each other more about our mental health.
Doug Hodgson:And if you need to take.
Doug Hodgson:a morning off to go and walk through the park or if you're down and you live
Doug Hodgson:in Brighton and he's gone to the South Downs and just, I'd hope that responsible
Doug Hodgson:employers would say that's fine, that's a mental health, uh, Half day off or
Doug Hodgson:a day off, and it's not a holiday.
Doug Hodgson:It's, uh, to enable you to be better when you come back,
Doug Hodgson:uh, to work the following day.
Doug Hodgson:You know, it's, it is, if we need to treat it more like that, um, it's as though you
Doug Hodgson:are, you've got a cold or flu or whatever, you know, it is, you as an employer
Doug Hodgson:would give them time off to, to do that.
Doug Hodgson:It wouldn't be sneered at.
Doug Hodgson:It wouldn't be counted as being a problem.
Doug Hodgson:It's just that you just need that moment, that breath to, to do that.
Jon Clayton:I hope that most employers would be understanding of that and I know
Jon Clayton:that, I mean, from my own experience, I've had times when I've felt overwhelmed
Jon Clayton:with things or I felt really stressed and particularly when there's a lot on
Jon Clayton:my to do list and sometimes I'm getting better at becoming self aware of when this
Jon Clayton:happens and I know that there's things that I can do And it isn't, it isn't
Jon Clayton:just, oh, well, the thing you have to do is you just have to work a longer day.
Jon Clayton:You've got to cram in more hours.
Jon Clayton:You've got to get to the end of that to do list.
Jon Clayton:We never get to, the end of the to do list.
Jon Clayton:But actually, um, I've had times when I might have been working on a particular
Jon Clayton:task one afternoon and it just feels like I'm, I'm wading through treacle.
Jon Clayton:It's so difficult and it's taking so long.
Jon Clayton:But then, if I walk away from it and, have an early finish, have a restful
Jon Clayton:evening, come back to it the next day, I can get the same task done in a fraction
Jon Clayton:of the time because I've had time to recharge my batteries or another thing
Jon Clayton:that I'd like to do is I think even during the day, just having a short
Jon Clayton:period of time out away from my desk.
Jon Clayton:If I start to feel that way, I will sometimes I'll, I'll go
Jon Clayton:out and just go, you know what?
Jon Clayton:At lunchtime, I'm not gonna, I'm not gonna sit at my desk or, or sit at home.
Jon Clayton:I mean, I work from home, so I know this is a little bit different if you
Jon Clayton:work in an office, but if you work in an office environment, go out, like go out,
Jon Clayton:walk, take a walk to a, a nearby park or something, just get out in nature.
Jon Clayton:Even just doing that for half an hour can have a really good impact
Jon Clayton:on how you're feeling that day.
Jon Clayton:Definitely.
Doug Hodgson:There's a lot of research around, um, being surrounded
Doug Hodgson:by nature, surrounded by green.
Doug Hodgson:I've got a lot of plants here in the new studio.
Doug Hodgson:Um, that it just, it does, we are, we got to remember we are, we're humans,
Doug Hodgson:we're animals effectively, and we like being out and surrounded by nature.
Doug Hodgson:Um, and I think that often as most of us are city dwellers, I think in the
Doug Hodgson:profession, probably most of us are urban based, um, We can forget that.
Doug Hodgson:And I think that this, this is one of the things where, you know,
Doug Hodgson:we're, we're, we're super aware of.
Doug Hodgson:It's actually as designers, we are designing places where
Doug Hodgson:people live and where they work.
Doug Hodgson:And, um, the spaces between are as important as the buildings themselves.
Doug Hodgson:And that it's a lot of, um, a lot of our current clients,
Doug Hodgson:uh, really recognize that.
Doug Hodgson:And it's about, uh, I think as a profession, we kind of need to
Doug Hodgson:not forget that we also need to sort of live the lives that we are
Doug Hodgson:designing, if that makes sense.
Doug Hodgson:Um, and, uh, it's actually, it's one of the, one of the other things around the
Doug Hodgson:sort of mental health of the profession more generally is do we, uh, as individual
Doug Hodgson:architects, Have the ability to on the, on the current sort of fee structures
Doug Hodgson:and pay structures ever be able to afford to own the same houses that
Doug Hodgson:we're often asked to design for others and live in those same environments
Doug Hodgson:that we're, that we're creating.
Doug Hodgson:And I think for young, um, graduates and, and I see, I see that as being a
Doug Hodgson:real problem in the future for this, um, that the housing crisis is, is
Doug Hodgson:fundamental to architects because.
Doug Hodgson:in two really quite serious ways.
Doug Hodgson:One is obviously that, um, we, we as a profession needs to be better at designing
Doug Hodgson:homes, um, more generally in that sort of was what we're involved with down
Doug Hodgson:in Lewis, for instance, at the Phoenix project, um, our, young architects need
Doug Hodgson:to feel that they can one day live in one of these spaces that they're designing.
Doug Hodgson:Um, and I fear that too much of London's sort of creative, um, Energy is focused on
Doug Hodgson:high net worth individuals from all around the world that just seem to gravitate
Doug Hodgson:here or be encouraged to be here.
Doug Hodgson:And, uh, and then, uh, effectively abused the young sort of creatives,
Doug Hodgson:uh, that are, that are here.
Doug Hodgson:Um, And that has a huge impact on the mental health of, of, uh, young
Doug Hodgson:professionals, uh, who are sort of asking the question, why, you know,
Doug Hodgson:why, why, why, why is this client spending 400 pounds on the toilet brush?
Doug Hodgson:Uh, when I, I, I, I might, they know that said.
Doug Hodgson:a quarter of my salary or something per month.
Doug Hodgson:And it's, it's a, it's a real, there's an issue there.
Doug Hodgson:I think that I'd like to see more from the RIBA, especially, um, but
Doug Hodgson:whatever the ARB do, uh, but the RIBA, um, saying, especially through their
Doug Hodgson:awards program and, um, through the way in which they promote architecture
Doug Hodgson:and talk about architecture.
Doug Hodgson:I think there needs to be far more focus on affordable housing, far less
Doug Hodgson:focus on, um, expensive houses, um, or expensive endeavors, um, that, you
Doug Hodgson:know, who are they for, how many people are they actually for, um, and I think
Doug Hodgson:that it's, it is quite sad, I think, that the, the Sterling, uh, shortlist
Doug Hodgson:this year is, is so bereft of, um, really, you know, A lot of really good
Doug Hodgson:new housing, um, which I was quite shocked by, I think, and actually over
Doug Hodgson:the last couple of years, and if you go to the sort of a house of the year
Doug Hodgson:competition, like, oh, you know what, what are we celebrating as profession.
Doug Hodgson:I would like to just qualify that by saying that I think more
Doug Hodgson:should be celebrated, not less.
Doug Hodgson:Um, and, and, you know, there is space for, for incredible design everywhere.
Doug Hodgson:Um, but I do fear that there is too much concentration on, uh, the sort of, of
Doug Hodgson:our profession on these high net worth individuals that exist within the city.
Jon Clayton:Yeah.
Jon Clayton:And I mean, when we look at the population as a whole, that there's such, that's
Jon Clayton:such a minority of the general population.
Jon Clayton:And as you say, we have a housing crisis and to have celebration of good
Jon Clayton:design on more everyday properties.
Jon Clayton:More everyday projects that's actually accessible for most
Jon Clayton:people, affordable homes as well.
Jon Clayton:And that would would be good to see.
Jon Clayton:Because as you say that, I mean, it must be frustrating for a lot of architects and
Jon Clayton:designers that they are Spending the days working on, designs for properties that
Jon Clayton:are such high value that, that it must be just feel like a pipe dream to ever have
Jon Clayton:the opportunity for them to, to live in a home that they have designed themselves,
Doug Hodgson:yeah, absolutely.
Doug Hodgson:And I think I think I'd like to think that, you know, with
Doug Hodgson:the new targets of the 1.
Doug Hodgson:5 million new homes that are going to be needed within five years
Doug Hodgson:time for later to get reelected.
Doug Hodgson:There needs to be a focus from the profession to be involved in that.
Doug Hodgson:And not only involved to lead it, because it's just.
Doug Hodgson:It would be such a shame if we just got a whole swathe of naughty houses knocked
Doug Hodgson:up by Taylor Wimpy across the country that had absolutely no relevance to any
Doug Hodgson:kind of local condition or anything.
Doug Hodgson:Um, and I, and what is the design life of those anyway, you know,
Doug Hodgson:so, and what are they profession needs to really grasp this.
Doug Hodgson:And, and some people are, aren't being vocal about it.
Doug Hodgson:Uh, like Jay Morton for example, at Bell Phillips, and she's
Doug Hodgson:doing an amazing job on it.
Doug Hodgson:The, this needs to be at the forefront of the discourse.
Doug Hodgson:And I would like to see the RBA on the Channel four news saying we want
Doug Hodgson:to be involved in this and where are, why isn't RBA needs to be out there?
Doug Hodgson:Um, really sort of saying that this is the focus of the profession
Doug Hodgson:for the next five years and.
Doug Hodgson:All those multi million pound houses can be put on pause.
Doug Hodgson:They'll still be there if necessary in, in a few years time.
Doug Hodgson:Um, and I, and I think that would encourage these big house builders
Doug Hodgson:to go to, well, yeah, to maybe engage the profession better
Doug Hodgson:to pay the profession better.
Doug Hodgson:But also, um, that they can't have the excuse of, Oh, well, you know what?
Doug Hodgson:It's too difficult.
Doug Hodgson:It's too difficult to come up with all these different designs.
Doug Hodgson:Let's just knock out stuff that we're just used to doing.
Doug Hodgson:If you need 1.
Doug Hodgson:5 million, then we just have to do what we've always done.
Doug Hodgson:I think just carrying on the way that we've always carried on, I don't think
Doug Hodgson:it's ever is an acceptable answer, um, for the profession that we shouldn't
Doug Hodgson:take it as an acceptable answer.
Jon Clayton:No, not at all.
Jon Clayton:Just swinging back to Mental health and well being, um,
Doug Hodgson:Hmm.
Jon Clayton:prevention.
Jon Clayton:Prevention is always going to be better than cure, isn't it?
Jon Clayton:Could we talk a little bit more about what you've, you've tried at NewWorks
Jon Clayton:to safeguard your team's mental, uh, mental health and wellbeing?
Doug Hodgson:Yeah, of course.
Doug Hodgson:Yeah, I think absolute core of it needs to be.
Doug Hodgson:We need to be true to ourselves.
Doug Hodgson:Um, and then for me, that's about being your authentic self.
Doug Hodgson:And I'm now openly gay, uh, in the construction industry.
Doug Hodgson:And as I feel confident to do that at this point in my career, I haven't always felt
Doug Hodgson:that I've often felt that I was sort of coming out on a regular basis to various.
Doug Hodgson:Various people and there are some sort of horror stories of the reactions
Doug Hodgson:that that would entail But some mostly it was it was people were very very
Doug Hodgson:kind um But I think that we need to do I think we need to call out other
Doug Hodgson:people's behaviors and languages.
Doug Hodgson:Um, when when when people are in those moments and um To safeguard
Doug Hodgson:others well being as well as our own.
Doug Hodgson:Um, but I think that one of the things that um, We do at new works,
Doug Hodgson:which is You different to what we used to do as we completely
Doug Hodgson:restructured, um, our working day.
Doug Hodgson:So, uh, the first hour of the day, if you like, so.
Doug Hodgson:9 till 10 is given over to physical well being.
Doug Hodgson:So everyone an activity they do, either going running, or going to the gym, or
Doug Hodgson:swimming, cycling, long walk to work.
Doug Hodgson:You know, there's these, the space is given over to that physical
Doug Hodgson:well being in the morning.
Doug Hodgson:Um, and that enables you then to then do the sort of the second part, which
Doug Hodgson:is 10 till two, uh, which is then this deep creative work, um, where there's no
Doug Hodgson:emails, there's no phone calls, there's no WhatsApp, uh, limited access to the
Doug Hodgson:internet, um, purely for research basis.
Doug Hodgson:Uh, but no distractions from.
Doug Hodgson:Uh, blogs, I'm sorry, podcasts, uh, or anything else, which is sort of
Doug Hodgson:taking away from the focus of, uh, of what, what you're, what you're
Doug Hodgson:doing, what that creative endeavor is.
Doug Hodgson:Um, after that, the afternoon is then open for collaboration.
Doug Hodgson:So that's meetings with other consultants, with clients.
Doug Hodgson:So that's two till, um, two till five and emails of course, um, during that period.
Doug Hodgson:Then the hour, if you like, thereafter, five till six, or is
Doug Hodgson:to, um, it's for your mental health.
Doug Hodgson:So maybe you want to, you don't want to learn a new language, or
Doug Hodgson:you want to go and meet some friends that are just that little bit
Doug Hodgson:further away, you can get there.
Doug Hodgson:Um, or you want to, um, do something which is very personal to you,
Doug Hodgson:go to a gallery or something.
Doug Hodgson:And so that gives you the space that will just go and meet, you know, just, just.
Doug Hodgson:Go home, you know, uh, and spend some time with the family as I
Doug Hodgson:do having a young three year old son who requires my attention.
Doug Hodgson:Uh, so, you know, it's a, it's about structuring the day to really focus
Doug Hodgson:on the creative work in that, in that morning, which is why we're
Doug Hodgson:did architecture anyway, why we, and what our clients are paying for.
Doug Hodgson:Um, and they, so they, it's about, For us, um, sort of informing our clients
Doug Hodgson:and keeping them sort of and letting them buy into this, uh, way of working by
Doug Hodgson:through saying that this is why this is why you want us to work on your project.
Doug Hodgson:So, you know, help us carve out this space.
Doug Hodgson:And, um, once you get through a few of the jokes of clients going, Oh,
Doug Hodgson:I promise I won't interrupt your.
Doug Hodgson:Your meditation, or I promise I won't, uh, I won't call you after five o'clock.
Doug Hodgson:Uh, you know, because, you know, we'd spend time with the family.
Doug Hodgson:Uh, it's, they, they, they then really do start to see the fruits of it as well.
Doug Hodgson:We've really noticed that we're far more efficient in the way we work.
Doug Hodgson:We're producing far more.
Doug Hodgson:Um, and I think that it is actually a structure to the
Doug Hodgson:working day, which I really hope others start to, start to adopt.
Jon Clayton:I love it.
Jon Clayton:I love it.
Jon Clayton:It sounds, sounds like a fantastic way to structure the day.
Jon Clayton:Doug, what advice would you give to other practice owners, um, to
Jon Clayton:safeguard their mental health?
Jon Clayton:Would you give?
Jon Clayton:Some similar advice to them.
Jon Clayton:Remember.
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Jon Clayton:Now, back to the show.
Doug Hodgson:Yeah, absolutely.
Doug Hodgson:The first and foremost is like stay connected to the work.
Doug Hodgson:So don't stop drawing.
Doug Hodgson:We stopped drawing for a while.
Doug Hodgson:We're doing markups, but that's not the same thing.
Doug Hodgson:I mean, it's um, we actually get back into the drawing.
Doug Hodgson:There was the sort of the happiest and quite a pivotal
Doug Hodgson:moment in the last year or so.
Doug Hodgson:It was a sort of sat down for two days and drew a street elevation for projects and
Doug Hodgson:by hand and knowing that on the third day.
Doug Hodgson:We'd be presenting it to the client.
Doug Hodgson:So it's a little bit high pressure, but very, very enjoyable.
Doug Hodgson:And I just didn't do anything other than that.
Doug Hodgson:I just, I know this is rather sort of self indulgent possibly, but turned off
Doug Hodgson:emails and shut down everything else.
Doug Hodgson:And, and it was this wonderful thing.
Doug Hodgson:It was a really enjoyable experience working with Tom.
Doug Hodgson:Tom would come along, we'd draw something and then we had, we effectively had
Doug Hodgson:this sort of, this drawing, which had all these sort of flaps of.
Doug Hodgson:I'll see if I can find it, but the, um, uh, and the client was mesmerized and
Doug Hodgson:they sat there and they were just, could, their nose got closer and closer and
Doug Hodgson:closer to the drawing as, as mine did while I was drawing it and sort of, uh,
Doug Hodgson:realized I need a proper drawing board.
Doug Hodgson:Um, it's the, it's that sort of don't lose the connection to the actual
Doug Hodgson:work and why, why you're doing it.
Doug Hodgson:So that would be my biggest piece of advice to, uh, practice owners.
Doug Hodgson:Um, the other would be minimize emails.
Doug Hodgson:You know, treat them as letters really don't engage in the tit for tat.
Doug Hodgson:Um, and that I feel that the more that we treat them as, as letters, others
Doug Hodgson:respond similarly, and especially since we don't respond to emails in
Doug Hodgson:the morning, um, others are really starting to sort of treat us with it.
Doug Hodgson:It's a little bit more care in the way in which they structure
Doug Hodgson:a question or, um, a request.
Doug Hodgson:Um, they realize there's a finite amount of time that they have.
Doug Hodgson:for that response to be sort of, um, organized.
Doug Hodgson:Uh, so it's, it's about respecting other people's time.
Doug Hodgson:Uh, I think Jen more generally, uh, and that's sort of being kinder to
Doug Hodgson:others and sort of that, and it gets reciprocated back, I think, uh, by others
Doug Hodgson:when they sort of realize what it is that you're doing with your day, uh,
Doug Hodgson:and that you're not a filing cabinet.
Doug Hodgson:And you're not a, uh, a sort of an AI bot who can just respond to any
Doug Hodgson:sorts of question in the moment.
Doug Hodgson:Um, so yeah.
Doug Hodgson:Um, and I'd say that all the other thing would be to trust others more.
Doug Hodgson:So whether it's external consultants, you know, bookkeeping, accounting, all the
Doug Hodgson:obvious ones, but, um, publicity, HR, IT.
Doug Hodgson:Um, it can go on and then it should, that should go on to being, uh, you know,
Doug Hodgson:delivery practice, creative practice.
Doug Hodgson:I'd just like to say that I think I'd love to encourage more
Doug Hodgson:really good delivery architects.
Doug Hodgson:who maybe feel undervalued in their current situation to step out and
Doug Hodgson:set up their own practice because we'd love to collaborate with them.
Doug Hodgson:Um, I think that they should be, feel more empowered, um, and more
Doug Hodgson:celebrated within the profession.
Doug Hodgson:And then if they become business owners and they take in their working methods.
Doug Hodgson:And they're sort of more structured possible way of, uh, way of working,
Doug Hodgson:trying to emulate Veritech's confidence in that, in those work stages, then
Doug Hodgson:I, we would love to work with them.
Doug Hodgson:So, um, obviously we'd hope that they would share our values on
Doug Hodgson:working day and, uh, the way they treat their employees as well.
Jon Clayton:Absolutely.
Jon Clayton:I think that's a great idea.
Jon Clayton:I I'd like to give a shout out actually to the humble chartered architectural
Jon Clayton:technologists out there, because I think that they could potentially make, um,
Jon Clayton:a great delivery partner for, for many, uh, design focused architects practices.
Jon Clayton:Um, I would love to see more cross collaboration between
Jon Clayton:professions of in the industry at a.
Jon Clayton:Out of sort of membership, well with amongst members, but also a sort
Jon Clayton:of organizational level as well.
Jon Clayton:I think that organizations like the RIBA and CIAT.
Jon Clayton:CIOB, they could do a better job of coordinating things together.
Jon Clayton:And I think their members would get a lot more value from that collaboration,
Jon Clayton:uh, across those different, um, bodies.
Jon Clayton:I think at the moment that people are often in these different silos.
Jon Clayton:And actually, if we all work together a bit more collaboratively, I think
Jon Clayton:we could, we could achieve some better results, I think, um, again, that's that
Jon Clayton:we could probably do a whole episode on that story for another day, perhaps.
Jon Clayton:Yeah.
Jon Clayton:um, so are there any, are there any other steps that you think we could,
Jon Clayton:we could all take to improve mental health across the industry as a whole?
Doug Hodgson:I think it's really sort of similar to what we were talking
Doug Hodgson:before, and that's about collaborating, more specializing and Um, the respecting
Doug Hodgson:each other's skill sets, and I think that if we if we haven't, I think, as
Doug Hodgson:you were just saying, the architectural technologists, and I think that if if
Doug Hodgson:there's a way in which the I think the R.
Doug Hodgson:O.
Doug Hodgson:B.
Doug Hodgson:A.
Doug Hodgson:needs to be more responsible here, there needs to be more, um, sort
Doug Hodgson:of realizing this is important.
Doug Hodgson:Part of their role is to, um, is to sort of facilitate it.
Doug Hodgson:Bye.
Doug Hodgson:Those kind of relationships and, um, and be more supportive of, of practices.
Doug Hodgson:Um, I think, you know, one of the, going back to the Bartlett again,
Doug Hodgson:but, um, when we left the Bartlett, we were just sort of chucked out into
Doug Hodgson:the wider world and they ignore you for years unless you're successful.
Doug Hodgson:You know, the Bartlett only came back to us like 10 years
Doug Hodgson:later after we were in there.
Doug Hodgson:40 under 40.
Doug Hodgson:And then suddenly there was all arms open like, Oh, you're great.
Doug Hodgson:I'm like, where have you been for the last 15 years?
Doug Hodgson:And I think that discarded into the wilderness.
Doug Hodgson:And I, I think that the RBA have a similar position.
Doug Hodgson:I think that they need to be far more Progressive in what they do.
Doug Hodgson:And, um, I think that they need to be more inclusive and, um, representative, and
Doug Hodgson:they need to be really pushing an agenda for more diversity within the profession.
Doug Hodgson:And I think that as a wider industry, uh, mental health in one industry,
Doug Hodgson:that the only way in which the industry is going to, uh, I believe survive
Doug Hodgson:our profession within the industry is going to survive really in the
Doug Hodgson:longterm is to become more diverse.
Doug Hodgson:Um, and be more effective with communities and to be more
Doug Hodgson:supportive of the individuals that are working on the projects.
Doug Hodgson:I think the industry needs to be more respective of what the architects provide
Doug Hodgson:to the whole design team, the project team, and therefore renumerated and
Doug Hodgson:correctly in comparison to all the other people within, within the industry.
Doug Hodgson:Um, and.
Doug Hodgson:As a profession, we need to be more respectful of the individuals within
Doug Hodgson:and provide hope and roots for young people from more diverse backgrounds
Doug Hodgson:to, to be able to access the profession.
Doug Hodgson:Otherwise we will become an irrelevance.
Doug Hodgson:Um, I think there's a, As a group, as a profession, um, and that's, we can,
Doug Hodgson:and that's, we can structure restructure education to be more reflective of that.
Doug Hodgson:And I think that that requires a completely reset on, on part one and
Doug Hodgson:part two and part three, um, where as far less years required in full time
Doug Hodgson:education, I think there's the LSA model is a really good one, but I still think
Doug Hodgson:that the whole thing can be shortened.
Doug Hodgson:Um, at least to achieving a level of part two after four years, um, you
Doug Hodgson:don't need to keep repeating years like third year is a repeat of second
Doug Hodgson:year, fourth and fifth year are pretty much repeats of third year.
Doug Hodgson:So if you can have maybe two years in education full time, and then a
Doug Hodgson:year out in practice, I suggest six months in creative, six months in.
Doug Hodgson:Uh, then back to education full time for your effectively your
Doug Hodgson:fourth year, um, in the process.
Doug Hodgson:And then after that fourth year, that's your part two, then into
Doug Hodgson:profession and, uh, working towards like a seventh, eighth year when you're
Doug Hodgson:then sort of, you've gained enough experience to be taking a part three.
Doug Hodgson:Um, to become a professional.
Doug Hodgson:So I don't think that we're endangering the general public through sort of casting
Doug Hodgson:these out too young and experienced.
Doug Hodgson:I say, I'd say that they would be more experienced.
Doug Hodgson:They'd have more opportunity to learn from practice, um, but with a much less.
Doug Hodgson:outlay, um, and debt burden, um, being put on young people.
Doug Hodgson:Um, and also actually just to add, I think that that year in
Doug Hodgson:the middle, that sandwiched year should be organized by the RIBA.
Doug Hodgson:It should be a responsibility of the RIBA to make it, uh, a
Doug Hodgson:requirement of charter practices that they take on these part ones.
Doug Hodgson:And so that you have a guaranteed job and income during that third year.
Doug Hodgson:And so that you can enter the education with the knowledge that you can
Doug Hodgson:get to the end of it and afford it.
Doug Hodgson:And I think it's absolutely astonishing that part ones are
Doug Hodgson:expected to try and find their own job.
Doug Hodgson:I mean, it's, it's, it's At the whim of, uh, employers.
Doug Hodgson:Again, it's the, it's the basis that we were talking about earlier and the
Doug Hodgson:education system being broken, but the, um, it shouldn't be like that.
Doug Hodgson:And you shouldn't, they shouldn't have to be negotiating their own pay or
Doug Hodgson:having to work unpaid in some places, um, when it's really part of the education.
Doug Hodgson:So, um, yeah, I think there needs to be more support for young people.
Jon Clayton:Doug, um,
Jon Clayton:What would be the main thing that you'd like everyone to
Jon Clayton:take away from the conversation?
Doug Hodgson:I think the main thing is that architecture is important.
Doug Hodgson:And, um, but it's not so important that we need to kill
Doug Hodgson:young architects in the process.
Doug Hodgson:And I think that we need to be kinder to ourselves as the, um, sort
Doug Hodgson:of, more senior people within the profession, um, to as well, but we
Doug Hodgson:also need to be kind of throughout.
Doug Hodgson:So, um, I think that's that there's a, there's an over requirement on, on
Doug Hodgson:young people in the profession, I think to take a lot of the heavy burden.
Doug Hodgson:Um, and then I think that we're without being, uh, mentally
Doug Hodgson:and physically healthy.
Doug Hodgson:Um, I think that the profession will suffer and we'll, and
Doug Hodgson:we will become more under.
Doug Hodgson:under the pressure of, um, others within the industry who are, who
Doug Hodgson:are very large and, um, powerful and well, well financially supported.
Doug Hodgson:So, um, be more, if we can be more agile, collaborate more, talk to one another
Doug Hodgson:more within the profession, I think that that will be, um, for the betterment of
Doug Hodgson:everyone within the profession and the death and thereby also the betterment
Doug Hodgson:of, Architecture in this country, and I think we'll have better buildings will
Doug Hodgson:have more sustainable buildings and we'll have hopefully will be more engaged in the
Doug Hodgson:housing crisis and how that is resolved.
Doug Hodgson:Because as of it will have more practices working across large projects, where
Doug Hodgson:we're specializing in the design, and then others who may be the big builders can
Doug Hodgson:have more faith and can be delivering.
Doug Hodgson:sort of at the other end.
Doug Hodgson:Um, so I think that's what I'd like to segue.
Jon Clayton:That would be good to see.
Jon Clayton:Doug, is there anything else that you, you wanted to say that we haven't covered?
Doug Hodgson:Um, I thought we were covering quite a lot, but I think
Doug Hodgson:possibly just around the planning system.
Doug Hodgson:Now, this is obviously currently under review and, um, which is good to see,
Doug Hodgson:but I fear that unless the profession gets more involved in the conversation.
Doug Hodgson:We're not going to be able to enact the change that's required, which
Doug Hodgson:is around improving the quality of the buildings that are being these
Doug Hodgson:mass housing builders are going to be building over the next five years.
Doug Hodgson:So we need to be far more within that.
Doug Hodgson:And we need the reset of, of that.
Doug Hodgson:I think that there's, there's a lot.
Doug Hodgson:should be done with communities and communities should be involved
Doug Hodgson:in an architecture and we should be respectful of communities, but
Doug Hodgson:we should engage with communities.
Doug Hodgson:And I think having sort of CICs and other organizations or CLTs, um, where.
Doug Hodgson:The actual profession is then responding to the requirements.
Doug Hodgson:Um, it's going to be a much more fruitful way in the long term of achieving
Doug Hodgson:these, these large numbers of, of houses that we do need, we do need to build.
Doug Hodgson:Um, but I just think they need to be respectful of local conditions.
Jon Clayton:Absolutely.
Jon Clayton:Doug, um, this has been a really great conversation.
Jon Clayton:It's, been great to have the opportunity to talk to you about this.
Jon Clayton:I, I do have one other question, and it's, it's not related to, um, Well, I suppose
Jon Clayton:it kind of loosely is related to wellbeing because, um, I love to travel and
Jon Clayton:discover new places and get out and about.
Jon Clayton:And, um, I just wondered if you could, you could tell me about one of your favourite
Jon Clayton:places and what you love about it.
Doug Hodgson:um, I was definitely connected to wellbeing.
Doug Hodgson:Um, I think that everyone needs a sort of a stabilizing place.
Doug Hodgson:I feel and currently that stabilizing place for me is spending time
Doug Hodgson:with my son, who we adopted a year and a half ago in our garden.
Doug Hodgson:Um, because at the end of the garden, there's a fence and then
Doug Hodgson:there's a field and then there's a really long view beyond.
Doug Hodgson:And, uh, it's just a really wonderful space.
Doug Hodgson:Um, where we sort of, we had that connection to nature, but we had to spend
Doug Hodgson:time together and, um, this is why we sort of catch the sun every now and again.
Doug Hodgson:Um, but it's, Yeah, it's a wonderful space.
Doug Hodgson:And I think that the other thing is about, um, favorite places.
Doug Hodgson:I think often our mental health, we need for our mental health.
Doug Hodgson:We need to somewhere that we can go to sort of in our, in our sort of our mind.
Doug Hodgson:And mine for me is, uh, my grandma's, uh, house, uh, in Somerset where I
Doug Hodgson:spent a lot of time, I was often shipped off to Somerset, uh, weeks on end.
Doug Hodgson:And, um, I spent an awful lot of time gardening with her in her garden.
Doug Hodgson:So I.
Doug Hodgson:I remember that very, you know, very vividly.
Doug Hodgson:And, uh, at Christmas time, we'd then bring in most of the garden inside
Doug Hodgson:and we'd sort of chop down the holly tree and bring it in and completely,
Doug Hodgson:completely cover the house in greenery.
Doug Hodgson:So I feel that a lot of, actually maybe a lot of my sort of, uh, want
Doug Hodgson:to be outside and gardening and sort of lot hunting has comes from
Doug Hodgson:that relationship with my grandma.
Doug Hodgson:Um, and so, yeah, I think, um, that, that those sorts of spaces is what
Doug Hodgson:I, what I feel most connected to or
Jon Clayton:Oh, that sounds lovely.
Jon Clayton:Yeah.
Jon Clayton:Yeah.
Jon Clayton:I, uh, I love, uh, I love getting out into, I love going out into the garden
Jon Clayton:and into the woods and into nature.
Jon Clayton:I am, I'm a terrible gardener though.
Jon Clayton:I will readily admit that.
Jon Clayton:My wife is the one that's the, the green fingered member of our household.
Jon Clayton:So she tends to like, tends to the, the plants and the flowers and things.
Jon Clayton:Which actually reminds me, she's away for a couple of days and she
Jon Clayton:wanted me to water her plants and I've actually forgotten to do it.
Jon Clayton:So, um, I'd be in trouble if I don't, if I don't go and do that today.
Jon Clayton:So Doug, thank you so much again for coming on the show.
Jon Clayton:Really appreciate you um, sharing and talking about this
Jon Clayton:really important topic with me.
Jon Clayton:If people want to connect with you online, where's the best
Jon Clayton:place for them to do that?
Doug Hodgson:Um, probably through LinkedIn.
Doug Hodgson:Um, I think, uh, I'm trying to be better on that now.
Doug Hodgson:Uh, I know my business partner, Tom, is, is, is far more
Doug Hodgson:sort of linked in than I am.
Doug Hodgson:Uh, But that's a, that's a really good space.
Doug Hodgson:We're also on Instagram, um, and, uh, as new works and, um, or, or email us,
Doug Hodgson:uh, studio New works with a hyen.net.
Doug Hodgson:Uh, and, uh, we'd love to, love to hear from you, especially if you're a
Doug Hodgson:delivery practice, you know, or, uh, we'd like to collaborate on on any project.
Jon Clayton:That's brilliant.
Jon Clayton:And, um, Doug, do you want to remind everyone of your, your
Jon Clayton:website address again, please?
Doug Hodgson:Yes.
Doug Hodgson:So we are, uh, ww New Works with a hyphen in middle, uh, net.
Jon Clayton:Got it.
Jon Clayton:Perfect.
Jon Clayton:Thanks again, Doug.
Doug Hodgson:Fantastic.
Doug Hodgson:Thank you, John.
Doug Hodgson:Have a great day
Jon Clayton:Next time I chat with Fabio.
Jon Clayton:Zammit about how you can generate more leads from your website.
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