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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Chapters:

00:00 - Intro

05:08 - Meet Alex Sutton

06:14 - How Alex got into architecture

08:34 - Starting out at Sevil Peach

10:07 - Setting up Studio Sutton at 29

12:19 - Six months before the pandemic

16:33 - Losing a year of work overnight

17:44 - Pivoting to Oslo and Stockholm

20:09 - The reality vs romance of running a studio

23:40 - The personal cost of being a founder

26:29 - The hidden cost of winning work

30:14 - Why better design doesn't always win

34:00 - Tick box forms and SME barriers

36:36 - £40,000 just to be in the room

38:52 - Where does design get lost?

43:34 - Where are the Mavericks?

45:08 - What actually creates value

51:02 - Advice for new founders

57:16 - Losing work to AI

58:49 - Is starting a practice in 2026 a dead end?

01:03:07 - Why architecture still matters

01:08:14 - Hiring and building a small team

01:17:05 - What architecture school doesn't teach

01:18:30 - The Bartlett and the culture of fear

01:26:08 - Where to find Studio Sutton