The Pride Road Architects Podcast

Architecture in the Den: the power of listening with Catherine Davis

Tune in to hear Lisa and Catherine reflect on how their careers have developed, and their tips on getting the best out of working with colleagues and for clients.

 

Listening is a crucial ingredient for building healthy relationship which nourish strong leadership and thriving organizations. If you think this is an overstatement, just think of a recent time when you felt like no one was listening. How did that make you feel? Did your engagement increase or decrease?

 

Host Lisa and her guest Catherine would argue that in the architecture profession, women are ahead in respect of this skill.  In their experience female architects instinctively set pride aside, face clients and colleagues with openness, and are more able to adapt their designs = successful architecture.   Put simply, a happy client is one whose views have shaped their build.  And a happy client is going to ask you to do more work for them and recommend you to their friends. 

 

Pride Road Franchise grew out of Founder Lisa Raynes’ refusal to accept that there was only one way for a woman to have an architecture career and a family life.  She built her practice in the domestic sector, and then invested to turn her business into one that other ambitious architects wanting work/life balance can buy into.  She’s had a seat on the RIBA Council (2015-18), been Chair of Women in Property NW and founded Manchester Curious, an urban architecture outreach festival.  A key focus of the Pride Road business model is to ensure franchisees have the confidence and skills to effectively develop client relationships.

https://www.prideroadfranchise.co.uk

 

Catherine Davis is a registered British architect whose work spans the US and UK. She has led developer and architect teams on a variety of new-build and conservation initiatives, including mixed- use greenfield and brownfield planning, design and permitting. She founded and leads her own practice, CED and Associates.

 

Catherine Davis is a registered British architect whose work spans the US and UK. She has led developer and architect teams on a variety of new-build and conservation initiatives, including mixed- use greenfield and brownfield planning, design and permitting. She founded and leads her own practice, CED and Associates. 

 

Catherine Davis moved to England with her family when she was 12. She is a graduate of Westminster University, the Architectural Association and the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University. 

 

Catherine began her career working for the US Department of the Interior as an Historic Architect on projects such as Death Valley, Fort Moultrie, York Town Battlefield, and the Quincy Adams Homestead. Catherine developed new methods and specifications in these projects by incorporating the prior experience she gained as an apprentice architect working on Victorian buildings in London. 

Catherine returned to Cambridge MA where she launched her own practice, CED and Associates, specializing in all aspects of the built environment and the underlying business and financial considerations of real estate development and environmental stewardship. 

 

Catherine pioneered the concept of a portfolio career and considers herself a “re-entrepreneur,” having carved out a unique path pursuing multiple business ventures. Inventive, pragmatic and agile, Catherine exemplifies her exploratory approach in all her professional choices. 

 

As planners, public health officials, developers and municipalities have begun to emphasize the integration of natural and constructive green spaces into the built environment, Catherine is uniquely qualified to apply both her expertise and career-long professional commitment to restoration, preservation and the prominence of parklands in our cities. 

 

8 Mason Street Cambridge MA 02138 +1 617 314 0999 catherine@cedandassociates.com 

Architecture in the Den X Sheroes of Architecture

BUY YOUR TICKETS HERE https://www.sarakolata.com/sheroes​ Lisa Raynes and Sara Kolata host an amazing array of Women Architects, join us 12-14th May. In this podcast, Lisa introduces 4 amazing speakers, Graciela Carrillo, Simone De Gale, Lira Luis and Catherine Davis with co-host Sara.

https://www.prideroadfranchise.co.uk

Architecture in the Den: Post Part 1 – what next! with 1:100 Podcasteristas

You've started on the journey to becoming an architect , what road will you choose from here and how will you keep on track?

Rachel, Bethany, Amanda, Adonai, Basma, Naomi and Cindy are the brains behind 1:100 Architecture Podcast, and after completing their degrees in Architecture they started their podcast! It wasn’t what they thought they would be doing after graduation, but the unique timing of finishing RIBA Part 1s just before the pandemic meant that their plans of finding a place in industry were derailed. The reality is that the pandemic economy has been incredibly tough for recent graduates, so answering the question “what next?” can be particularly challenging. So tune in to hear them chat through with host Lisa Raynes their architecture stories to date and their future ambitions. It may help you start to answer questions like: What can you do with your architecture degree? How do you find your professional self? How can you keep your architecture dream alive during the long process of qualification?

Pride Road Franchise grew out of Founder Lisa Raynes’ refusal to accept that there was only one way for a woman to have an architecture career and a family life. Pride Road is building its network of franchisees across the UK with the aim of providing rewarding careers for ambitious architects who can’t find the right role for them and in opening their own business want to retain the support of team. A key element of Pride Road business model is to ensure that each Franchisee has the coaching support to help smooth out the business bumps along the way. Lisa is passionate about supporting young architects – whatever their route into the profession – to rise to their potential.

https://www.prideroadfranchise.co.uk

1:100 Architecture Podcast are Rachel Aquino, Bethany Stewart, Amanda Selormey, Adonai Boamah-Nyamekye, Basma El Boussaki, Naomi Eningo-Moreno and Cindy Appiah-Kubi Laryea. Their mission is to give people just like them the confidence to thrive with originality, creativity and innovation. They aim to provide the best relatable content, design tips and architectural conversation for those of diverse backgrounds to be confident in their abilities. Stay up to date @1to100podcast Get in touch 1to100podcast@gmail.com

Architecture in the Den: Healthy work practices with Sana Tabassum

What are the building blocks for a healthy work/life balance as an architect?  Tune in to hear Lisa  and her guest Sana Tabassum discuss...

The architecture profession has notoriously long hours, and when you calculate the time actually spend in the office this means that highly-qualified professionals are working for minimum wage rates. The years of study becoming an architect also have long hours as standard.

So what options are there for architects to put into practice a healthy work/life balance? And how can future architects lay down the foundations so that their careers are constructed in a way that nourishes?

Host Lisa Raynes founded Pride Road Franchise as a third option for architects seeking to take control of their time and futures – it’s a business model designed with family life and personal development in mind, so healthy work practices are built in. Her guest Sana Tabassum is just starting out in her architecture career, and is very aware of the wellbeing pitfalls of this path. She’s keen to reach out to her peers across the world and build community.

Tune in for their chat about their perspectives at different points in their careers and see if there are any steps you can start to take to make your work practices healthier.

Pride Road Franchise grew out of Founder Lisa Raynes’ refusal to accept that there was only one way for a woman to have an architecture career and a family life. She built her practice in the domestic sector, and then invested to turn her business into one that other ambitious architects wanting work/life balance can buy into. She’s had a seat on the RIBA Council (2015-18), been Chair of Women in Property NW and founded Manchester Curious, an urban architecture outreach festival.

https://www.prideroadfranchise.co.uk

Sana Tabassum is a content creator and Part 1 Architectural assistant based in London. She is the founder of :scale, an architecture blog and platform for students and young designers where they can find content about productivity, university and wellbeing. Sana’s goal is to create an inclusive and collaborative #archicommunity for students across the globe and provide an engaging and educational space for everyone to learn something new and build their skills.Sana graduated from the University of Greenwich in 2019 and has dabbled in other ventures such as her own treat box business, social media marketing for several brands and freelance graphic design.

Architecture in the Den: Becoming an Entrepreneur with Grant Erskine

Lisa Raynes and Grant Erskine both started out in practice in 2010 and are going to reflect on how they became entrepreneurs

While architects inevitably have strong academics by the very nature of their training, the realities of the profession are quite different. This means that architects can do well to up their game, grow their practices quicker, making more money along the way.

This podcast is a chat about the business of architecture – perhaps the most important topic for architecture students entering the profession to be trained in. Definitely the most overlooked topic. Host Lisa Raynes was forced to become an entrepreneur after being made redundant for the second time in 2010. Around the same time her guest architect Grant Erskine also had to go into business for himself. Hear the things they wished they hadn’t had to learn by mistake, and find out what you need to know about running a successful architecture business.

 

Pride Road Franchise grew out of Founder Lisa Raynes’ refusal to accept that there was only one way for a woman to have an architecture career and a family life. She built her practice in the domestic sector, and then invested to turn her business into one that other ambitious architects wanting work/life balance can buy into. She’s had a seat on the RIBA Council (2015-18), been Chair of Women in Property NW and founded Manchester Curious, an urban architecture outreach festival. A franchise can be understood as a business-in-a-box – you are buying the experience, systems and processes of business success and enterprise.

 

https://www.prideroadfranchise.co.uk

 

Grant Erksine describes how he got started on becoming an entrepreneur: “Binman or Junior in Architects Office – It didn’t matter, in 1998 I was out of work and applied for both. A week later, I was making coffees and folding drawings. It was not the plan and certainly not the dream, but it was a job and I enjoyed it – it clicked.

Few years later (and a lot of night classes) I was designing housing schemes for 100s of houses and applying to one of the best schools of Architecture around. The irony – I didn’t know it was a good school. I’d picked Manchester mainly because I’d been a DJ for about 10 years and figured if I didn’t like Uni – I’d live it up in the clubs for a year.

I found University easy, (not because I was super talented, but because I maintained the relentless work ethic from the previous years) and did well. I’d also kept the hand in with work (and maybe a few foreigners…..)

Come end of Part1, I had a several “year out” offers, due to my work experience, one of which was Building Design Partnership (BDP) – I remember saying to my girlfriend (now wife) “you don’t say no to BDP”.

A year later I went back to Uni as normal, kept up 3 days a week at BDP and continued that for the next 2 years (did I mention the relentless work ethic). End of Part2, still with BDP, straight into Part3, sat first exam I could, 7 years and 1 month after starting out - in Autumn 2010, in the depth of the recession.

I qualified, was made redundant and launched my own practice all in Oct 2010 at the age of 30 and a few months. That was certainly not the plan. Nobody was hiring – It was a “do it or get out of the game” moment. And this is where the education really started…..”

Architecture in the Den: Atypical Architects with Danni Kerr

Lisa Raynes and Danni Kerr talk about the ups and downs of their careers in architecture  - and why they both seek to raise others up.

Architecture is one of the hardest careers to enter as it takes so long to qualify, and for those from non-traditional backgrounds, it can take even longer to do so. Once qualified in a notoriously conservative profession it can be difficult to progress, especially if you start a family. So what keeps architects coming back to the game of snakes and ladders that is a career in the profession?

In this podcast host Lisa Raynes will chat to architect, teacher and academic Danni Kerr about the ups and downs of carving a path as an architect – and why they it’s such pleasure to raise up others up and see them achieve their potential.

Pride Road Franchise grew out of Founder Lisa Raynes’ refusal to accept that there was only one way for a woman to have an architecture career and a family life. She built her practice in the domestic sector, and then invested to turn her business into one that other ambitious architects wanting work/life balance can buy into. She’s had a seat on the RIBA Council (2015-18), been Chair of Women in Property NW and founded Manchester Curious, an urban architecture outreach festival. Lisa is passionate about seeing other architects achieve their potential, particularly those who have left, or are on the verge of leaving, the profession.

https://www.prideroadfranchise.co.uk

 

Danni Kerr is an architect, teacher and academic. She cares about what she does, how she does it and who she does it with. Her dedication is to architecture education and is currently completing a PhD thesis on Design for Time at Sheffield School of Architecture. As a Role Model for the RIBA Danni is actively engaged in the much needed push for an inclusive profession.

You can also see her online profile at [ D A N N I K E R R 2 0 2 1 ]

Architecture in the Den: Franchise Insights with Magda Haener

https://www.prideroadfranchise.co.uk

Architecture in the Den: Let’s Get Digital with Sara Kolata

Lisa Raynes and Sara Kolata share their insights into how to maximise your online visibility and their favourite tech tools for doing so.

This podcast is for architects interested in transforming their practice with digital tools: you may have no idea why you should develop your online visibility; or you may know that you want to, but don’t how to do it; or perhaps you’ve got a website and socials set up but you aren’t getting the response you desire.

Host Lisa and her guest Sara Kolata are both strong advocates of digital media and tools. They find that leveraging tools that are literally on the smartphone in your hand is an easy and quick tactic to build profitability. Let’s face it, in the past year most interactions have had to go online, more teams are connecting virtually, and the latest platform, Clubhouse, has come along to offer new ways to get cut through. You could say that we are all digital natives now, whether we like it or not.

Pride Road Franchise grew out of Founder Lisa Raynes’ refusal to accept that there was only one way for a woman to have an architecture career and a family life. She built her practice in the domestic sector, and then invested to turn her business into one that other ambitious architects wanting work/life balance can buy into. She’s had a seat on the RIBA Council (2015-18), been Chair of Women in Property NW and founded Manchester Curious, an urban architecture outreach festival. Digital tools are at the heart of the Pride Road Franchise model, from marketing and CRM, to delivering services entirely through zoom.

https://www.prideroadfranchise.co.uk

Sara Kolata is an architect and digital transformation expert. After running her own architecture practice, she learned the ins and outs of the service-based design industry. It was a beautiful journey but also one of the most powerful life lessons she experienced. After six years, Sara decided to never again rest 100% of her income sources on selling services.

Entrepreneurship is about turning what excites you in life into capital so that you can do more of it and help others experience the abundance that surrounds us. Today Sara helps architect and designer experts build a digital presence and position themselves as experts online. She is interested in discovering and testing alternative ways of income generation for specialists in the architecture design industry as well as exploring limitless possibilities of online education.

Sara believes that every business in the world has to embrace digital transformation in order to grow and expand.

Architecture in the Den: How Architects Demonstrate Value with Flora Samuel

Lisa Raynes and Flora Samuel Professor Architecture in the Built Environment chat about why architects need to show their value to win 

Whether pitching for new clients or competing for new projects, there’s always an opportunity for architects to demonstrate the value they bring. The way to evidence this value is with research or client feedback.

Host Lisa Raynes, is the brains behind Pride Road Architects, which has built into its business model the concept that the client is key. Guest Flora Samuel has long been interested in how architects evidence and express the value that they bring to wellbeing, sustainability and innovation. Lisa and Flora will chat about why architects – especially women architects! – need to demonstrate their value and their different approaches to how this can be done.

For example, Flora’s research is aimed at making sure we have the buildings we need, places that provide ways and ways of living to promote social good and address the climate crisis. She has honed a process of listening, evaluation and feedback, and by collating the information empowers people and drives research and innovation in small practices.

Clients’ ambitions for their homes pull them to book a Pride Road Concept Design Workshop and the workshop itself is a carefully considered opportunity to co-create the optimal use of space. Success is a happy client, and www.prideroad.co.uk hosts many, many testimonials that complete the circle in pulling in more clients.

Pride Road Franchise grew out of Founder Lisa Raynes’ refusal to accept that there was only one way for a woman to have an architecture career and a family life. She built her practice in the domestic sector, and then invested to turn her business into one that other ambitious architects wanting work/life balance can buy into. She’s had a seat on the RIBA Council (2015-18), been Chair of Women in Property NW and founded Manchester Curious, an urban architecture outreach festival. For Pride Road Architects pride is a key value. Franchisees take pride in helping homeowners increase the pride they have in their own homes with design interventions that improve quality of life, longevity of the building and its market value.

https://www.prideroadfranchise.co.uk

Flora Samuel is Professor Architecture in the Built Environment at the University of Reading, (previously Head at the University of Sheffield) and she is tasked with leading the School to deliver ‘an education for uncertainty’.

She has long been interested in the connections between people and the environment with a particular emphasis on mental health and spirituality and is trying to bring some of this into the industry value agenda, one outcome being her most recent book Why Architects Matter (2018).

In 2016 she set up the Research Practice Leads, a group of over 30 practices that meets quarterly to advance the cause of research of architectural research. Together they published the Social Value Toolkit for Architects with the RIBA earlier this year. Amongst other things she is Building Design columnist on social value and leads the ‘place’ strand within the UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence (CACHE).

Lisa Raynes Pride Road Founder & CEO and Stephen Drew, recruiter & brains behind Architecture Social chat about taking your next career step

The second in a series of topics looking at how the pandemic has affected architects and the architecture profession. This time host Lisa Raynes and her guest Stephen Drew, recruiter extraordinaire, will be chatting about the opportunities they see for architects in the pandemic economy.

The world has changed, and many architects are looking for, or having to look for something different – during this podcast you can take some time to think through your options. Hear about how Pride Road quickly pivoted their services online and continued almost without interruption to provide design options for their clients. And about Architecture Social, Stephen’s lockdown project that is making waves among architects.

Pride Road Franchise grew out of Founder Lisa Raynes’ refusal to accept that there was only one way for a woman to have an architecture career and a family life. She built her practice in the domestic sector, and then invested to turn her business into one that other ambitious architects wanting work/life balance can buy into. She’s had a seat on the RIBA Council (2015-18), been Chair of Women in Property NW and founded Manchester Curious, an urban architecture outreach festival. Lisa is passionate about sharing her innovations in practising architecture – she wants all architects to understand the value of having a franchise business.

https://www.prideroadfranchise.co.uk

Stephen Drew is the Head of Architecture and Design at Macdonald & Company and Founder of the Architecture Social with over seven years of recruitment experience.

The Architecture Social is an exclusive community of professionals, employers, students and academics within the Architecture & Design Industry who are motivated to make an impact together. He worked EPR Architects for three years after completing a degree and diploma in Architecture at the University of Westminster and Manchester School of Architecture.

He is an Associate of the Royal Institute of Architects and the British Institute of Interior Design. A Visiting Critic of Manchester School of Architecture, professional mentor for postgraduate students of Architecture at the University of Westminster as well as a guest lecturer for students of LMJU.