How AHMM Survived Its First Five Years | Simon Allford

Architecture is often presented as a linear career, but building a successful practice demands patience, resilience and a willingness to keep learning. Simon Allford, Founding Director of AHMM, explains how the practice survived its lean early years and developed a culture where strong architecture, shared ideas and long-term investment come first.

They get into starting a practice during a downturn, surviving the critical first five years, building an open studio culture, approaching architecture interviews, adapting to new technology and rethinking architectural education. The conversation offers practical perspective for architects, students and practices navigating changing tools, rising expectations and an industry that still struggles to value its work properly.

Simon Allford on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-allford-b506331b1/
AHMM: https://www.ahmm.co.uk/

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Chapters 
00:00 Finding lasting enjoyment in architecture 
00:42 How AHMM began 
02:11 Taking risks and making early hires 
03:14 Surviving the practice’s leanest years 
04:05 Why the first five years matter 
04:46 Advice for starting an architecture practice 
06:04 Building a generous professional community 
06:27 Creating an open studio culture 
08:00 Supporting people beyond the practice 
09:00 Advice for architecture job interviews 
10:18 Studying architecture as technology changes 
11:47 Balancing digital tools with creative thinking 
13:00 Managing information and client expectations 
14:14 Optimism and the profession’s value problem 
15:15 Rethinking architectural education 
16:18 Making architecture more accessible 
17:03 Architecture as a versatile degree

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Creators and Guests

Host

Stephen Drew

Hello! I’m Stephen Drew, Founder of the Architecture Social—an online community and resource hub dedicated to helping professionals in Architecture, Design, Development, and Real Estate advance their careers. I’m here to connect you with insights, tools, and opportunities that lead to meaningful growth, whether you’re just starting out or ready to take that next big step.

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Architecture has always been social. Careers should be too.

Hosted by Stephen Drew, the Architecture Social podcast brings you honest conversations from across the UK built environment. Architects, practice leaders and the people shaping the profession talk openly about their careers, their work and how practice really runs.

Expect straight talk on salaries, portfolios, hiring, progression and running a practice, from Part 1 students looking for their first role to directors building their teams.

Architecture Social is more than jobs and hiring. It's a place to share work, discover opportunities, hear honest conversations and build connections across the industry.

This is Architecture Social. Come and be part of it.

00:31:00:08 - 00:31:10:23
Unknown
The day that we had to make you redundant today. Months notice. Really?

00:31:10:28 - 00:31:33:13
Unknown
Simon, do you still enjoy being an architect? I do have to watch sometimes work hard at enjoying it. That's why I don't mind that. But it's it's. I think it's a great career. I love the 14 years I've been playing around architecture. Yeah, I was recommended to anyone who loves it, but you got to balance that with finding pleasure elsewhere.

00:31:33:15 - 00:31:50:49
Unknown
And I'm a Sheffield Wednesday fan, so I'm not got pleasure elsewhere either. But I have now to be taken, so it's good. Well you're a sportsman so you'll get you'll get that reference. He'll get that reference. You wouldn't understand it now, unfortunately, it's all gone out and sure how the Swansea tracks are doing at the moment, but it's great.

00:31:50:49 - 00:32:17:49
Unknown
I mean I come in, we see all the Beaufort mothers, massive, amazing studio. It wasn't always like that though. I'm sure I know the four founders all college will the diploma second course in our careers would come from other places, and we did competitions in the evening. And then we went out to the world in 1986, went, to be honest, not to disrespect us, but if you had a pencil, you got a job.

00:32:17:49 - 00:32:36:42
Unknown
Then it was so point and we went out saying, I can employ all four of us or none of us as a little mini hit team when we went off and worked in a large practice. So we remained friendly with for many years before the design partnership with the chairman, Bill. Jack worked with him for three years and carried on doing competitions in the evenings.

00:32:36:47 - 00:32:55:25
Unknown
Great guy big teamed up with Jeremy Dixon on the opera house. Yeah, he was a broad thinking. Yeah, well, he liked in architecture, chairman of a big business, but lots of architects and cared about architecture. So we had a great three years with him. Then we thought we'd better go off and South Monroe, we wanted him competitions. Let's do it.

00:32:55:37 - 00:33:21:20
Unknown
Partly majorly nice, but also on the basis that if people start earning too much money, you won't be able to take the risk. So you go to just qualified. We are just 27, 703 days to remember your first hire because you mentioned this before view was the the four compadres. I know it's the three Migos, the Four Amigos, but you have to kind of grow and take that plunge.

00:33:21:23 - 00:33:42:49
Unknown
What was it like? Well, first, why were two architects we knew were two students? We knew from the Bartlett who had taught. Yeah. On her both still working here now? Yeah. They're both directors, Susan the good Kerry Davis, but we took them on. Yeah. And we said the day they joined said, we have to make you a dundurn today.

00:33:42:54 - 00:34:04:18
Unknown
Months notice. Really? The money stop like that. Something went up in the sky. Pay the month. But we give you the month notice on the first day. But luckily, you know, things got a bit better and something else came in. So you're like, hang on that note. It's been. Yeah. How when we open said, you know, and you have to have a lot more a pencil to get a job.

00:34:04:18 - 00:34:25:04
Unknown
And there weren't many jobs around in the world was going like that. Yeah. But that was also quite good because the world was that tough that we didn't fall into a architecture's easy. We actually found to a really tough and we lived off debt. You said not sensible. Used to put gold cards in walls and draw out cash and put it in the bank.

00:34:25:08 - 00:34:52:42
Unknown
We jointly all liked gambling with the like. She put some money on the horses. She said there is to much pressure. We were doing a lot of teaching. We were hand to mouth for the first two years, but we did get consultancy from other architects who would give us work to then EDP and others in that help. Then in 91 it really for a total cliff and, and we shrunk right back again to the four of us.

00:34:52:42 - 00:35:15:25
Unknown
But eventually, you know, I always say the young presses, you sort of need five years to survive. Yeah. If you survive five years, you're likely to survive because it all sense you five years from opening to completing a building. And when you've completed the building, that's collateral to take to the world and say, we did this, not what we did elsewhere, but we did this ourselves.

00:35:15:25 - 00:35:36:11
Unknown
So it's great. But no mistake. It's it's tough. Yeah, but it life's the balance of those things. Well that's it. Well you see, well you see age man. Now you know, and I think the age of 100, which is a list of the top by number, the top practices in the UK constantly floating around in the top ten.

00:35:36:13 - 00:35:56:28
Unknown
But what your story is, they were quite entrepreneurial at the start. I'm sure like today there's a lot of those tough moments with architectural practices and it's a different climate now. But again, you've touched upon it to that business owner or to that architect has decided that they're going to do it themselves. So you have a little bit of a rise for them.

00:35:56:32 - 00:36:29:20
Unknown
Peak. Super lean beginning what do not do anything. We did. We had, you know, Charlotte Street. We were paying a large amount of rent. Yeah. Keep super lean. Yeah. But you have to invest your time. Don't undervalue yourself. And recognize it's going to be a tough ride. And then you also. It's tough. You got to do it along the way to actually the kind of community of our lectures quite generous and open and actually talk to a Pierce talked people a few years older, a few years younger.

00:36:29:20 - 00:36:52:10
Unknown
Yeah, yeah, yeah. You'll keep learning and they'll give you some kind of encouragement, you know. Could be helped because just be encouragement. It's I think in that sense it's a really good, profession and that people are prepared to help others on the way, you know, with their insights and advice. And we benefited from that. And, you know, we all meet lots of different stages and be open.

00:36:52:11 - 00:37:14:23
Unknown
Don't pull people if you're struggling. Yeah. We're struggling. Yeah. Just, just just say it from what you say and help you out. Yeah. Well there's there's that element of community I always like. The honest quote is that the self-made man is a myth. And I agree that you you have to do it together. We, clearly over the years you thought a lot about the culture.

00:37:14:23 - 00:37:35:08
Unknown
There's a great studio culture here. You walk in, you see on the models and you've got the people designing and learning. What did you always kind of in your head, aim on what culture you wanted to build, or is it partly come over time and the last thing you can't set these things up. Yeah. You have to have a general attitude.

00:37:35:11 - 00:37:56:32
Unknown
And one of our mentors was we make money to make our kitchen. Yeah. That's in architecture. Is our primary driver. Interesting enough, the more we make good architecture, the more we get money to help us, to make good money, to give you the confidence to turn down the wrong job or. Yeah, or invest in competitions and other things and in people.

00:37:56:32 - 00:38:24:13
Unknown
And our view, we've always been engaged in academic teaching practice, Riba, whatever it might be. Our view is if you immerse yourself in architectural culture, you're sort of absorbed the best of it. So our view is, you know, everything you do in this office is we. Yeah. As in, you know what we think what we are doing here is not about me and I, but you need leadership.

00:38:24:13 - 00:38:43:42
Unknown
So, you know, there are design leaders. There are people who make the call. It's not a collaboration, but, you know, it is about what we will say best ideas when it doesn't matter where they come from, their best ideas win, but it's domination of leadership. But people buying into that leadership and thinking, actually, I am part of this project.

00:38:43:42 - 00:39:10:42
Unknown
This project is part of me, and I'm investing in myself and my career as well as in. And we have a very simple deal. When someone leaves drinks card. Yeah. It's like celebrate. Cool. Yeah. Because it's someone else is coming in and therefore you end up with a kind of in a good way to aspera of connections and friends around the world of architecture who kind of you're still engagement enough.

00:39:10:44 - 00:39:27:13
Unknown
Yeah, it makes sense where I work before, once I remember someone would leave and it was almost like it went for the trap door and was like, well, where's Jeff gone? It's like, don't mention that anymore. Looks like a lack of confidence in yourself. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. People have worked for this office and done well. You know, Gibson, Thornley, Jeremy, lots and lots of other plants.

00:39:27:16 - 00:39:46:52
Unknown
That's okay. I put in lots of great places. You're like. That's good. You want to be sporting? Yeah. Good practices and people going off. Because it's like, great. That's just another journey. People go on. We did it. Why shouldn't they? And you touched upon Elliot. There's a few people that have stayed with the practice for a long time, and it's great.

00:39:46:54 - 00:40:04:30
Unknown
We'll get to hear from them as well in this content. Just want to flip the script a bit because you mentioned earlier interviewing before you set up. Now you you're in the place where you've helped build a. However, we've all had that moment when we were a student, you know? Oh my gosh, I've got an interview.

00:40:04:40 - 00:40:32:23
Unknown
What do I wear? What do I do? Do you have, like, any advice for people maybe getting their first job in architecture? The best advice to give is be yourself. Don't put on a show. Yeah, yeah. But yeah, people are different levels of confidence in a small room. Share the work that you like. Yeah, talk about it with brevity and elegance.

00:40:32:23 - 00:40:51:28
Unknown
Do over make your point because yeah he's experienced people who get work. Don't tell them what to think. Just say what you thought or why you did it and be able to Nonis that's what you're looking for, people who can engage in a conversation. But there's a sort of idea that you lay out your architectural theory. You're not knowing your theory.

00:40:51:35 - 00:41:12:08
Unknown
You're talking a little bit about your life, your experience, and that involves your world beyond architecture. There might be a connection between you and that interviewer because you're both from Swansea or whatever. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's true. The strange things. Or you were rugby club. Yeah, yeah. They bought you both bonds. Yeah. Whatever it is. So I think you just have to be a safe.

00:41:12:13 - 00:41:28:18
Unknown
And then some people are more outgoing. Others. And don't tell yourself into an extrovert if you're introvert, obviously if you're introvert, you're going to be saying, oh yeah, I suppose, share a few things and tell you a bit about me and a bit about my work and listen, yeah, it's not, it's not, it's not a one way thing.

00:41:28:20 - 00:41:49:47
Unknown
No. Okay. I've got two questions. So even from when I graduated, architecture is so different. You know, I was carrying my a zero portfolio. Oh, that old. Wow. Yeah. Wow. I go both ways. I get, you know, some people say again, some people say, you know, well, I used to use micro station. Right. So I'm before the Revit trends.

00:41:49:52 - 00:42:12:59
Unknown
It's changed a lot. Do you have any advice for someone studying architecture now? Because I think it's different in one way it's harder. Yeah okay. I mean, on the advice on the AI front. Yeah, I'll tell you one, the change in technology, I'll give you change technology. We left. None of us could use a computer to make the emotional drawings.

00:42:12:59 - 00:42:36:08
Unknown
In 1989, you didn't. Only nerds use computers, and so you'd model up something. Get someone to make a basic model. Then you took over your architecture on it. Right? So you might just get a massing model. And that has changed radically. But nothing has really changed. Yeah. The tools change. Yeah. You got used to be a pencil, then it was a quill.

00:42:36:13 - 00:42:57:04
Unknown
Never rotary. I've got the scars of rotary in my finger. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Then it became a computer buttons where you could only get certain windows to stick on a building to why? We never used them. Because there were horrible windows who made horrible buildings during its. But obviously now it's moved massively. And people some people work exclusively in 3D at 1 to 1, right?

00:42:57:04 - 00:43:22:13
Unknown
Yeah. So that you've got to be abreast of the technology of your time. Yeah. Architect. But it's not going to shape your ability. It's not. It's just going to inform how you engage with architecture. The one thing without being obsessive is speed of drawing. Often old fashioned techniques like tracing paper and hand are quicker because there's more uncertainty to the computer.

00:43:22:13 - 00:43:43:56
Unknown
It's much more accurate. And then that almost constrains creativity. Not always. Yeah, there's some brilliant uses. So, you know, my point is, don't worry about it. You will be of the technology of your time. Like your fashion is the fashion of your time and you will grow with it. Yeah, you might become retro, but you'll grow with the technology at your time.

00:43:43:56 - 00:44:10:08
Unknown
The one thing I can say for sure is when we began, there were 20 gays of a large building. There were 14 pages of details. There were three perspectives in a model, and all the technology has done is actually increase productivity. Now, to the extent where we have a complete 1 to 1 model of the building in Revit, you can walk around it in scape.

00:44:10:13 - 00:44:42:47
Unknown
You know we've got physical. So we've gone from the juicy packs of information to excessive information. Yeah. And not to not the profession. But probably fees have not increased now but expectations have increased. And architects because they love what they do which can be a problem clamber over themselves. Got to do too much work. Yes. Actually walking into a client and showing them a limited amount of information that you've edited, it actually gives them clarity.

00:44:42:49 - 00:45:03:08
Unknown
I would say I'm not interested in the auctioneer potential of the computer. I'm interested in the brain power of the individual to eradicate choices to those good decisions that need to be made and offer up to apply. Otherwise, it's a bit like we can have that, you know, that have that. Well, where are you? Where's your cat? Yes, it's too much.

00:45:03:20 - 00:45:28:44
Unknown
But then we talk about that. But I do sense of positivity from you. So how do you feel about the future of the profession and the future of the studio? Do you are you cautiously optimistic? I'm. I'm a full time optimist. I think most architects need to be full time to this. You got to balance that with with a reality check.

00:45:28:49 - 00:45:52:52
Unknown
Everyone who comes in and ever seen a profession. I think you have an incredible intelligence, enthusiasm, different views of the world. See, lots of interesting new practices opening up. Yeah. And it's great. The problem is, I would suggest that none of them are paid properly or very well. Got it. Yeah. And that is an industry wide problem.

00:45:52:54 - 00:46:25:40
Unknown
Yeah. And I think it is slightly cultural. I agree we educate people for too long as you would. You do five years. I know because actually you're going to continue learning. For us. What you're really doing is, is introducing people to architecture and saying, here's a foundation. Now have the interest and infuse intelligence and inquiry to go off in your career wherever it takes you in the world or whatever project you're doing small, large, wherever, have the intelligence to keep on learning.

00:46:25:40 - 00:46:45:01
Unknown
So I, I'm still learning as much as, as I learn to university. So why do I do five years? At the beginning, I don't think it was particularly worthwhile. I think three years ago. Yeah, part time learning. And I don't think you need the whole second diploma to upset people. I think it's fun. If you want, you can afford it.

00:46:45:04 - 00:47:07:01
Unknown
But actually three degrees, you're smart. You go to an office and then the office. Take some responsibility also to helping you to develop. Right. So I'm not looking for readymade architects. I'm looking for people who bring intelligence into the business. And then you can work with them and they can bring you and you can develop them and you can say, well, you just try this job or we got this project in India.

00:47:07:04 - 00:47:28:18
Unknown
Why don't you look at this in a different way? And so it becomes a kind of on going education. I'm definitely learning and probably working. Definitely working harder for another student. Sadly. Yeah. But yeah, it's that's what I think is interesting. Making architecture more accessible to more people, earn and learn courses, all those kinds of things are great.

00:47:28:20 - 00:47:52:16
Unknown
The government stop the level six apprenticeship. Crazy, crazy. Because in fact, that's the most difficult one. Because you meet people. I met some ladies who goes on the project manager in the NHS. I wish I'd done architecture, but I was told it was seven years and it's off putting straight away. I know people so I went, sorry, but actually you shouldn't have been told go and do a degree because if you do it a great opportunity.

00:47:52:22 - 00:48:13:30
Unknown
Also, you don't have to be an opposite. Yeah, if I studied philosophy, I don't expect to be a philosopher. If I studied history, I don't expect to be a historian. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Your degree is really a kind of artificial, great general degree, problem solving, writing history, you know, looking at social situations, technology, it's all those things.

00:48:13:40 - 00:48:22:44
Unknown
So it's a great degree to do and then make decisions to be an artist. And then don't say it's another four years before you qualified. Fair enough. Thanks, Simon. Hey. Always good to see you.