Architecture Social on Radio London with Lionheart!

0054 - Architecture Social on Radio London with Lionheart!
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[00:00:00]

Introduction and Guest Welcome
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Lionheart: I am a huge fan, and you should, you should know this by now, right? Apart from poetry, apart from, you know, talking about love and relationships and all sorts, right? I'm a huge fan of architecture, particularly brutalist architecture. Now, when I, I ever, I cover for, you know, our good old Robert Elms, we are always talking about, you know, design and architecture.

Lionheart: Well, it's my pleasure to bring on to the show a good friend of mine. I hope he doesn't mind me saying good friend, right? An architect who has created a platform called Architecture Social, which is an open community of professionals, of students, employers and academics who, you know, it's part of their goal.

Lionheart: It's part of their, their, their aim. ethos to motivate and make impact together, alright, as a community. And I can't wait to, you know, talk to him about his career, the obstacles, the hurdles, and also how he has survived 2020 leading into [00:01:00] 2021. So join me, please, in giving a huge round of applause for the one and only Stephen Drew.

Stephen Drew: Hey, hello. Hello. We're living the dream on BBC Radio in my pyjamas. I never would have thought it. Listen, listen,

Lionheart: this may not be the last time we get you on in your pyjamas, my friend. I love talking about architecture. So we're probably going to have to get you on again in your cosies, my friend. You're

Stephen Drew: comfortable, I can guess, right?

Stephen Drew: Super, super comfy. We're, we're here. We're doing it live. It's amazing. It's amazing.

Lionheart: No, thank you for joining me.

Discussing 2020 and the Birth of Architecture Social
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Lionheart: Now, listen, I'm a huge fan of architecture, but before we start getting into design in the world of buildings and interior design, et cetera, how are you feeling? I know you're comfortable. I know you're in your cozies, but how are you feeling?

Lionheart: 2020, what are you feeling? was a disastrous year for many of us, all right? There are people out there that had profited. We're not talking about that. We're talking about the people who had unfortunately contacted it, had lost lives, had been separated from their families. How was your 2020 leading into 2021?

Stephen Drew: [00:02:00] 2020. Well, it was, it was a rough year for a lot of people and it was a rough year in architecture. Basically in March, it felt like the shutters came down. Buildings were off site, and a lot of people, including myself, were put on furlough. One of my employers, McDonagh Company, they were good. The thing is, on furlough, it was a bit fun at the start.

Stephen Drew: You know, you got a bit of wine, I was thinking, brilliant, I'm gonna go through Netflix, this is amazing. Yeah, you're gonna binge. Yeah, after that though, you've kind of, you've finished Netflix, you've done Season 3 of The Crown, and you're thinking, I've got to do something here, I'm feeling a bit unmotivated, and that's when, that's when I came up with the idea of the Architecture Social, and you know what, the community was, was really the kind of the, the blessing of it all, to keep motivated, and yeah, it's grown since then, originally helping students, and now we have over, I think it's over 3, 400 students, 400 Architect students.

Stephen Drew: It's really good fun. Wow. Now

Lionheart: listen, that is the [00:03:00] masses right now, applauding you in a time where I guess 2020 made a lot of us binge on Netflix and not stop binging around Amazon Prime or whatever platform we were using, right? We wanted a sense of escapism. Right? I think that's something which is close to a lot of our minds.

Lionheart: You know, we were stuck indoors. We wanted to find something to get our minds off of COVID 19 and off of potentially, you know, contracting it when going to the stores. And you went out there and you've created a platform at a time where architects and designers need it the most. Now, let's be honest.

Challenges Faced by Architects During COVID-19
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Lionheart: I, you know, I've done potent residencies for a variety of firms globally and architecture firms were hit hard.

Lionheart: Very, very hard. There are people whose, you know, livelihood depends on it. Students, in fact, right, who spend an average of three to eight years. Let's talk about that, right? And that's a huge portion that you are dedicating to a single profession. And then you are told after you're potentially graduating, depending on what time you, you know, you left school.

Lionheart: Your university, you were told that, [00:04:00] hey, it's really sticky right now in terms of you getting a job opportunity, let alone an interview. Right? I remember how difficult it was when you're going up against some of the best architects, the budding architects from the Bartlett, et cetera, and you're just like, Ooh, I don't know how I'm going to get a job.

Lionheart: We're in the state of COVID 19 culture. There wasn't any job opportunities because we're actually telling people to stay at home if you can work from home, work from home, but if not, you're going to be furloughed. Now, what are the stories that you've heard from architects who had spent three to seven to eight years building their career and unfortunately being told that, you know, We have to either furlough you or let you go.

Stephen Drew: Oh, it's, it's, uh, it's immensely difficult for a lot of people. And as, as you know, I mean, architecture practices, it's a, it's a very physical environment. You have people in offices making models, you know, um, pinning up drawings on the wall, discussing ideas, going on to construction sites. And the idea of working remotely, it was a shock.

Stephen Drew: I think some architecture practices were thinking, how can we even [00:05:00] do this? You know, and even from a student's perspective, you're right, you know, in the old days, pre COVID, you would take your CV and portfolio and you'd hand deliver it to an architecture practice that you loved, you know, this beautiful portfolio you created, but you can't even do that anymore because it was even a risk going to the post office.

Stephen Drew: So I think it was, yeah, it was a, It was a very tricky time, but what's interesting is, we all adapt, we all learn, and the architecture industry, I mean, it's quite strong now, this is the positive thing to pick up, I mean, January was really busy on architecture, people are cracking on, we're finding different ways, people are working remotely, and in terms of the community, it's been really fun to help students find jobs, and, you know, even discuss new things, like interviewing online on Zoom, it's a totally different gig!

Stephen Drew: There

Lionheart: you go, and do you know what, I guess, It allows you to be a bit more comfortable rather than being in a, I know what it's like to walk into an architecture practice and you see everyone on their computers. There's a serious tone in certain practices. There's a really light hearted tone [00:06:00] in certain practices to walk in there and feel like the next.

Lionheart: A few years of my life, or maybe my career, may be dependent on this one interview. It's very daunting. It's very overwhelming. So to have that interview in your house over Zoom, when you're half of your body's in a suit, the rest of the office is in pajamas, it's absolutely refreshing. So I, I, I sympathize with you in that statement.

The Role of Community in Architecture
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Lionheart: Now, listen, Steve, do me a favor now, because as much as I love talking about architecture, there are people out there, particularly, you know, the youngsters who are listening to us right now, who are thinking, my parents didn't, you know, encourage me to. Pursue a career in architecture. They encouraged me to spend seven years of my life dedicating to a profession.

Lionheart: Did you have that type of upbringing? Were you encouraged to get into architecture?

Stephen Drew: Well, do you know what? The funny thing is, is that I really wanted to do it. And my parents were super, super supportive. But when I got into an architectural practice, I was the cheeky chap in the kitchen, having a chat with everyone, trying not to do the technical details.

Lionheart: We love it. We love it. Listen, Stephen, for those of you who don't know what a technical detail is, [00:07:00] please just give us a little rundown of what that means.

Stephen Drew: Well, it would be something really complicated in terms of how a building, a wall or a roof would, would meet each other and how a builder will build it on site.

Stephen Drew: But if you used any of my technical drawings in a building, it probably would have fallen down, to be honest with you, Lionheart. Stop it,

Lionheart: Stephen! Stop it! We don't want to ruin your career! No, listen, technical drawings, I have to say, are one of the things I do not enjoy and didn't enjoy during my time in university, right?

Lionheart: One of the things I love, well, you know, designing montages or conceptualizing, you know, I really love the, the language that was used also in conveying, hence why I've become a poet in residence in so many firms. And I think moving forward now, this multidisciplinary approach, which we are placing on architecture is really going to enrich our homes, right?

Lionheart: I'm seeing a lot of competitions out there, you know, how we can revamp the household now that COVID is here and people are working from home. So there's really interesting and innovative ways that we can now, I guess, live in our houses, [00:08:00] but also, you know, exist outside. Outside of that, now I want to talk to you a bit more about architecture social because I've been around for a while and I haven't come across something which feels like a, a, a dorm room for the masses.

Lionheart: All right. You know, the dorm rooms where you used to collaborate with your fellow, fellow architecture student and you could have a laugh, you could read an article, you could pick up a disease or something like there was something. Really communal about it, which we thrived on, especially in a profession.

Lionheart: And I kid you not, Stephen, right, almost half of the people that I started off with in the first year were not there in the second year of architecture. So there needs to be spaces that motivate and encourage and influence the pursuit of being an architect. What are the success stories, the success story, sorry, or the benefits that you've heard from people who have joined the community of being in Architecture Social?

Stephen Drew: Well, sure, I mean, you've got stuff like people getting jobs is one of the ultimate goals, but the kind of things I like as well is that I got one or two messages saying, you know what, I met someone in the architecture social and we went for a game [00:09:00] of tennis. Hey! Obviously, when, when the, you know, when it was all right and you could do that.

Stephen Drew: Yeah, you do that, give a disclaimer. Don't worry, don't worry. All safe and all. And the other one is we got a Dungeons and Dragons group, which is gonna kick off. So it's about, you know, pushing your career on, but you've gotta have a bit of a laugh and a giggle at the same time. And that's, I think that's a really important thing of community where everyone's in the same boat.

Stephen Drew: And if you can have a bit of a laugh and, and kind of enjoy yourself, especially during tricky times, and kind of learn something along the way, I think that's the winning combination, to be honest. You know what, Steven, let

Humanizing the Architecture Profession
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Lionheart: me just say this, right? You came on radio and, and, and me and my producer looked at each other and we started to smile.

Lionheart: Right? You have this personality that just exudes a certain vibrancy, right? It's great. It's great. Because, you know, when I grew up, there was this, uh, bland way at looking at what architects were, right? We just imagine that they had glasses, that they had a very stiff and stern face, and that they weren't quite, you know, the, the jovial humans that we would hope they, they were, right?

Lionheart: We'd look at the star architects. We'd look at the, the Frank Lloyd Wrights and just assume, right? There were these [00:10:00] presumptions on what their personalities and character is like. But you're proving to people out there right now that you can be an architect, and it doesn't mean that you have to have, you know, this very stern way of existing, or you're going to be quite highfalutin in how you describe that world.

Lionheart: Listen, I've been to Variety, you know, you know what I'm talking about right now. You're making it more human. And this is what I really wanted. It's how we can humanize a profession which sometimes feels like it's very far removed from normal, digestible conversation, right?

Future of Architecture and Podcast Insights
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Lionheart: So moving forward, you have a podcast, right, within Architecture Social.

Lionheart: Can you tell me a bit more about that and how that works and what's the future potential for that podcast?

Stephen Drew: Sure. So the truth be told with the podcast, at first I thought we're going to have a conversation that's going to be completely unscripted. And so what I've done on the podcast is my bells, so I've got my bell in the background here, I've got my horns, and the goal would be to get, we'll get Norman Foster on, won't we, and then I'll get the bells and whistles out.

Stephen Drew: He'll probably never come back on again, but [00:11:00] that would be a good life goal.

Lionheart: He'll go viral, he'll go viral. Do you think? I think he would. And tell me this, right, it really sounds like you're having fun, my friend. It really, really sounds like you're having fun. What would you like to disrupt in architecture, right?

Lionheart: If you, if you, if there could be one thing that you could put your hand or your mind to, to disrupt in, in the profession, to disrupt in, in public perception and architecture, what would you like to disrupt?

Stephen Drew: Well, wow, good question. Well, I think I view the architecture social, it's a bit like a stage, and the people in it are the participants.

Stephen Drew: For me, I'm quite curious to see where it grows, and to be honest, a bit like yourself, I never got qualified as an architect. I'm technically an architectural assistant, and you can go different ways in the profession, and you can have a meaningful contribution without doing bad technical detailings like I did before.

Stephen Drew: So working with practices, working with companies, finding people, helping students to [00:12:00] get new jobs. That's really what I enjoy. And I guess, um, hopefully, uh, it's not down to just me. It's what the community wants to disrupt as well. You're a humble person, Stephen.

Lionheart: You are a very humble person. Listen, if you listen to me right now, I am joined by the incredible Stephen Drew, who is, right, the head of architecture and design at McDonald and company, and also founder of the Architecture Social and phenomenal personality of 2021.

Lionheart: Stephen, be honest with me now, because you are humble, but I think there is a space for being humble. And that space isn't on the show right now, because you are an associate of the Royal Institute of Architects, right? You are also a fellow of the Royal Society of You have contributed a lot to the profession in the world of architecture and design, right?

Lionheart: Let's wear it on your chest, my friend. Let's champion it from the rooftops. When I was made a fellow of RIBA, I could not believe it, right? An honorary fellow, me, line art, a poet. Ah, we're crazy. We should be in a space where we start to champion it even more [00:13:00] because there's tenacity, There's devotion, there's discipline, there's dedication, all these qualities and attributes which you have, which have placed you where you are now.

Lionheart: Because to be in that seat is not an easy feat, my friend, it's not. And I don't want to, you know, portray it to the youngsters out there or people who are listening who may be, you know, 30, 40 and want a career change, right?

Encouragement for Aspiring Architects
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Lionheart: It's not an easy thing to become an architect. What, what would, what would be the one, or no, I'll make it easier on you.

Lionheart: Right. What would be the two qualities that you would like to install in budding architects of the future, right, to really pursue architecture? What would be the two core attributes that you would say they need?

Stephen Drew: Ooh, good question. I think you've gotta be curious. You've gotta wanna keep going and you, you've gotta be tenacious as well.

Stephen Drew: I think that's a good combination. Tenaciously curious. That'll make you a good architect.

Lionheart: My friend, listen, you are one of the best. I'm going to make this a frequent occurrence, right? Because I'm probably going to need a picture of you in your pajamas first, right? To start promoting on BBC stations. Oh no, you're going

Stephen Drew: to get me [00:14:00] on Zoom.

Stephen Drew: Oh no.

Lionheart: I'm loving it. I'm loving it.

Conclusion and Farewell
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Lionheart: Listen, Stephen, before we go, right, please let people know where they can find you, how they can support Architecture Social or where they can, you know, like help the budding architects really find resources of help.

Stephen Drew: Sure thing. I mean, anyone's welcome, to be honest with you.

Stephen Drew: Join thearchitecturalsocial. com and, uh, sign up there. If you just say you're listening to this, um, to the radio, you want to join in, you can be part of the crew and we can have the fun together and get involved in the Dungeons and Dragons. That's the most important thing. There you

Lionheart: go. You heard it first from Stephen Drew himself.

Lionheart: Listen, my friend, thank you so much for joining us. You have a beautiful night and a great week.

Stephen Drew: You too. Take care, Lionel. Take

Lionheart: care, my friend.