Introduction

This book is written for architects who are thinking of setting up a small practice or working as sole practitioners. There are between 9000 and 12000 architectural practices in the UK – estimates vary. Around 79% of RIBA Chartered Practices employ fewer than 10 people, according to the 2017 RIBA Business Benchmarking Survey.¹

The book will be of interest to existing sole practitioners, architects thinking of setting up a small practice or already running a small practice, and to Part II or Part III students who would like to set up in practice themselves, or work for a small practice or on small projects at some point in their career.

Architectural courses, despite their length, give little or no guidance on setting up and running a business. This book, in three separate parts, will aim to do just that. At the end of the book, there are 10 case studies of the typical kinds of projects that a small practice or sole practitioner might take on.

• PART 1: SETTING UP A SMALL ARCHITECTURAL PRACTICE
• PART 2: SMALL PRACTICE MANAGEMENT
• PART 3: SMALL PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Detailed advice on setting up a new practice is already available in books from the RIBA Bookshop or online.² Guidance on practice and project management is also available. However, much of the guidance is aimed at architectural practices of any size, undertaking projects of any size, so it can be difficult to decide how to scale down the administration and the recommended procedures when working at a smaller scale. This aspect will be covered in more detail throughout the book.

One of the challenges for any small practice is working with domestic clients, or clients who have not worked with architects before, who do not know what to expect from their architect. Clients might be stressed about finances or builders working in their home, so if you chose to work with domestic clients you must find ways to make their experience as enjoyable as possible, and you need to be prepared to explain exactly what architects do. The advantages and disadvantages of working with domestic clients will be covered in detail in Part 2.

Another challenge is working on small projects without a quantity surveyor, and providing your clients with accurate cost information. Advice on this topic is included in Part 3.

Probably the biggest challenge for the small practice is to take on small but complex projects, provide a professional service, deliver projects that are well designed and detailed, work within budget, meet clients’ expectations – and at the same time generate a reasonable profit. This is not easy: generally, the smaller the project the harder it is to make a profit. Tips and advice on this topic are included in Parts 2 and 3.

Case studies of typical small projects (£50,000 to £750,000) showing the challenges they present are included at the end of the book.

References in this book to tax, insurance, legislation, company law, regulations and codes of practice are current at the time of going to press, but changes and revisions are frequent so check online that you are following current guidance.