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MoA Business Academy
Entrepreneurship for Architects

MoA Business Academy helps architects and practices run better businesses, collaborate with other industries and find new revenue streams for their skills and knowledge. MoA Academy offers a series of courses to help architects think differently about the way they work. The courses involve experts in the industry and experts in other fields sharing knowledge to foster new business opportunities. We also offer memberships and courses specifically designed for practice owners, directors and associates.

New MoA webinar Series : Planning for the future

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Financial Management Series for Architects & Engineers  Part III - Business Development

MoA Special   Live Webinar + Q&A
Date: July 2020 TBC
Duration: 4pm - 5pm
​Presented by Precise Financial Management Services UK
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Practices now are looking ahead, assessing current projects and what may come next. It is time for the next stage of strategies for businesses. ​ 

Details arriving soon. Please sign up to receive updates on this webinar and other MoA programming.
Register your interest

Financial Management Series for Architects & Engineers  Part II

MoA Special   Free Live Webinar + Q&A
Date: 9 June 2020 
Duration: 4pm - 5pm
​Presented by Precise Financial Management Services UK
Continuing on from the overview of the first webinar session, the second instalment of our financial management series will look at the business planning required for the future post - COVID19.

​Topics this webinar will address include:

  • A/E industry status and government support
  • Billing objective and reliable projection
  • Expenditure structure
  • The financial side of marketing strategy
  • Ongoing financial management

The webinar is presented by Lior Schnabel and Avshalom Mahalla from Precise Financial Management Services UK.
About the Speakers
Lior Schnabel is the Managing Partner of the Precise Group and in charge of Precise International Services to A/E practices and led the opening of Precise's offices in the USA, the UK, and Greece. Lior has more than 20 years of experience in financial management services for A/E firms and holds a B.A. in Economics and Management.
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Avshalom Mahalla is the Head of the London Office. Avshalom helped to open the Precise London office in 2016 and he manages Precise Services for clients in London. Avshalom has a B.A. in Economics and Business administration and a M.Sc. in Management, Accounting and Finance.

Precise is an international firm with more than 200 analysts that specialise in financial management services for architectural and engineering firms in England (London), the US (New York, Boston and Chicago), Israel and Greece. The firm has more than 20 years of experience working with A/E practices of various sizes and today works with more than 400 A/E practices around the world.


Join our Mailing List Here
and stay up to date with our Business Academy programming

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How to Engage and Motivate Employees
This work shop is being updated to reflect the current situation 
More details coming soon.
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Online
​Lecturer: Sue Austin, Sue Austin Consulting
Engaged and motivated employees can make a huge difference to the performance and culture of a practice. If this isn’t treated as a priority, the impact can be costly: low productivity, high staff turnover and a lack of commitment to meet the practice’s business goals.

This workshop explores the key elements for employee engagement with opportunities to share best practice solutions and ideas. 
 In this practical and interactive workshop, the participants will:
  • Understand the leadership skills needed to inspire your team
  • Learn how to motivate individuals, including an understanding of the wishes of Millennials and Generation Z in the workplace
  • Hear tips and discuss how to differentiate yourself as an employer beyond the annual pay rise​​
Register Your Interest

About the Venue
MoA Business Academy workshops are kindly hosted by Build Studios. ​
Build Studios is the first co-working space in the UK for the whole built environment sector - where planners, engineers and architects work alongside interior designers and landscape architects.  It seeks to promote collaboration across different disciplines, fostering knowledge sharing and creative partnerships.  It is a dynamic hub - a place to work, and to access business support, events, and networking opportunities.  It runs a social programme aimed at promoting education, inclusion and access to the profession.  A range of membership packages exists including flexible desks use.
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​​​Visit www.buildstudios.co.uk to find out more.

RECENT BUSINESS ACADEMY PROGRAMMES


MoA Special:  Colour in the Built Environment
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Date: 20 November 2019
Time: 2.30-5:00 pm
Venue: The Build Centre
​Lecturer: Tyen Masten, PHASE3
                 Kingspan Facade, Axalta, Shakerley


‘Every perception of colour is an illusion, we do not see colours as they really are. In our perception they alter one another. ​ ’ ​ – Josef Albers

Would you like to have better knowledge of colour when specifying for your projects?

In this Special Workshop on Colour, Tyen Masten will be discussing the basics of colour theory and how his practice, PHASE3, integrates colour into their schemes and design process.

​Additionally in this workshop, you will develop a series of colour studies that will allow you to better understand Hue, Value and Chroma and the construction of colour pallets. This workshop aims to build up your knowledge and confidence in selecting and using colour for your projects.

MoA Special: Alternative Careers

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Date:  17 October 2019
Time:  6.30 - 8.30pm
Venue: Benk & Bo, 4-6 Gravel Lane, Spitalfields London E1 7AW

Ticket:  General Admission: £15 includes one drink;
​               Entry-Only ticket: £10.80
Speakers: Holly Lewis, We Made That
                   Matt Thornley, Gibson Thornley Architects

                   Laura Sanjuan, SODA
                   Chris Hildrey, Hildrey Studio


MoA Special: Alternative Careers in Architecture is a series of MoA talks that explores the vision, ideas and approaches that architects bring to other professional environments. For the latest iteration the Museum of Architecture has brought together a broad spectrum of architects to talk about their respective forays into areas that go beyond traditional practice, featuring explorations into the power of data, communities, exhibitions, graphics and fashion. 

Speakers:
Holly Lewis co-founded We Made That in 2006. Since then the practice has been decidedly disinterested in what people think architects ‘should’ do and has instead built a socially-driven portfolio that includes research, strategy making, policy writing, engagement, public realm, master planning and the odd building. 

Matt Thornley first started exploring exhibition design with the V&A in 2017 on Frida Kahlo, Making Her Self Up- collaborating with theatre designer, Tom Scutt. Since then, the practice has been working with a broad range of cultural institutions including V&A, V&A Dundee, NGS and Bucks County Museum on temporary and permanent exhibitions. Exhibitions allows his practice to explore wider ideas on experience-based design which feeds into their more traditional ‘architectural’ based work.

Laura Sanjuan founded SODA on simple core values: a young and vibrant, design-led practice delivering beautiful, innovative spaces on the back of interesting collaborations. Over the years, Laura has developed a particularly keen eye for the detailed design stages and this has led to passion for graphic design, which the practice has incorporated into the business. The studio is now able to design every constituent part of a building, from first concept to furniture and wayfinding.  

Chris Hildrey is an award-winning architect originally from Liverpool, now living in London. He believes that good design should benefit everyone and so created ProxyAddress to tackle the systemic issues faced by those marginalised by our cities. Through his design studio, Hildrey Studio, he has spoken on television, radio, and in the Houses of Parliament about the role of design and the arts to effect positive social change.

About the Chair
Robert Fiehn is a London-based freelance communications consultant, working within the built environment industry. With a career spanning books, exhibitions, concepts, thought-leadership, profiling and built projects (both temporary and permanent), Robert has the experience and passion to produce strategic advice for the architecture and design community.

Branding Essentials: Defining the Mission & Vision

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Branding Essentials: Defining the Mission and Vision for Your Practice
Date:  2 October 2019
Time:  6.30 - 8.30pm
Venue: Build Studios, 203 Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7FR
Ticket:  £75 + VAT
Lecturer: Xylia Buros, Charrette Venture Group

A strong brand story for your architectural practice is critical for standing out in a crowded industry. How do you ensure that your brand is unique and compelling, and doesn’t get lumped in with your competitors? It starts with these seemingly simple but essential tools: the mission and vision statements. These statements are part of your brand promise that will help you attract your target clients, build your practice's visibility and reputation, and win better projects.

This workshop will aim to help you to create new or refreshed mission and vision statements for your practice.

In this interactive workshop, Xylia will show you how to:
- Define your practice’s mission statement – an articulation of your purpose, values, and approach
- Craft your practice’s vision statement – an exploration into your long-term aspirations and how your practice will fulfil its stated purpose
Participants are invited to bring any existing mission and vision statements, practice profiles, or other marketing content to use as a springboard.

About the lecturer
Xylia Buros is a communications and marketing strategist specialising in the architecture and design industry. As Director of Marketing at the US-based Charrette Venture Group, she helps innovative practices grow their business through branding, marketing strategy, and public relations. She leads branding and marketing workshops worldwide.
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Public Relations for Architects

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Public Relations for Architects
11 September 2019
Time: 6.30-8.30pm
Venue: Build Studios, 203 Westminster Bridge Road, SE1 7FP London
Ticket: £75 + VAT
​Lecturer: Rob Fiehn, Architectural Communication


PR for architects is a two-part workshop about public relations in the built environment and how good communication can serve the business of architecture. These key skills are not often taught in architectural schools and so practitioners end up trying to figure things out for themselves, which can leave projects without a home in a competitive media landscape. Bad PR can also lead to problems with client relations and even develop unwanted reputations that can take years to undo.


Performance-focused Studio Culture
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Date:  28 March 2019
Time:  6.30-8.30pm
Venue: Build Studios, 203 Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7FR
Ticket: £75 + VAT
Lecturer: Sue Austin, Sue Austin Consulting


Do you feel like you are the only person focussing on performance in your practice? Do you wish your team took more accountability for their work?
Once a practice has grown by more than a few team members, it becomes much harder to maintain oversight and control of business performance. To address this, the practice owner needs to empower greater employee ownership for results and establish more rigour in how work is delivered.

Participants of this practical and interactive workshop will get best practice insights on how to create a high performance team culture.
  • The “nuts and bolts” of managing time, projects and money: tools, methods and tips to ensure performance is measured and managed by all.
  • Winning “hearts and minds”: how to motivate your team to have a performance-focussed mindset.

​This talk is kindly hosted by Build Studios.

Planning for Architects
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Session 1: 28 February 2019
Session 2: 7 March 2019
Time: 6.30-8.30pm
Venue: Build Studios, 203 Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7FR
Ticket: £125 + VAT
Lecturers: Tibbalds Planning and Urban Design


This 2-session workshop aims to provide architects with the skills they need to advise clients on how to steer schemes successfully through the planning system. Demystify the planning process, we will bringing you up-to-date with the latest developments and provide tips on how to win friends and influence planners, smoothing the way for securing planning permission. There will also be opportunities to discuss specific problems that you’re facing or explore niche issues.

Building Your Practice's Marketing and Business Development Capabilities
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Date: 12 February 2019
Time: 6.30-8.30pm
Venue: Build Studios, 203 Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7FR
Ticket: £75 + VAT
Lecturers: Russell Pollard and John McKenna, Innovia Partners


How can practices promote and support business development activities within the team?
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Securing the right project and design opportunities require an integrated approach to business development, marketing, and brand. This interactive session will look at how leaders can manage their business development and marketing activities and people in strategic and efficient ways. From coordinating individual efforts of team members to establishing practice-wide awareness, architectural practices can build up its reputation and profile. 

​This talk is kindly hosted by Build Studios.

Leadership for Small Practices
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Session one: 15 November 2018
Session two: 22 November 2018
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Venue: 
Build Studios, 203 Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7FR
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Lecturer: Del Hossain, Managing Director, Adrem London

What is good leadership? 
Is doing interesting projects the most important thing to a team? 
Does the practice have a happy environment? 
Does producing good architecture make you a good role model?

In this workshop Del Hossain unpicks what it really means to run a good studio, both in terms of organisational behaviour and authentic leadership.

This talk is kindly hosted by Build Studios.

Finance for Architects
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Session one: 11 October 2018
Session two: 18 October 2018
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Venue: Build Studios, 203 Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7FR
Lecturer: Sue Austin, Sue Austin Consulting


During periods of uncertain demand or rapid growth, maintaining a healthy cash flow and turning a profit can be particularly challenging. Managing finances is a crucial component of running a successful architectural practice, yet it is a much misunderstood and over looked area of business.

Participants of this practical and interactive workshop will get a better understanding of their financial accounts and tips on how to instil the disciplines and measures to increase practice profitability.

This talk is kindly hosted by Build Studios.

Leadership Workshop for Associates
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Date: 6 June 2018
Time: 6.30-8.30pm
Venue: Build Studios, 203 Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7FR
Lecturer: Rowley Mossop and Russell Pollard, Innovia Partners


Associates have an essential role in architectural practices. 
Leading people and teams, managing project and client priorities, and being the key people between directors and the rest of the studio requires sound leadership skills, knowledge and judgement. For architects, there is an additional layer of balancing project constraints and creative aspirations. 

Participants in this workshop will gain knowledge of how to motivate and lead creative people, a better understanding of their own leadership style, and an overview of inclusive leadership practices for diverse teams. 

Compensation: What you need to know
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Date: 19 April 2018
Time: 6.30-8.30pm
Venue: Build Studios, 203 Westminster Bridge Road, SE1 7FP London
Lecturer: Rowley Mossop, Innovia Partners 


Compensation is more than salaries and annual bonuses. Compensation can shape behaviours and motivate talent to achieve individual and team goals. Participants of this presentation will learn a set of compensation tools that can be applied to align employees’ performance and actions with the strategic needs of the firm, while also remaining competitive to attract and retain top talent. 
This program is highly interactive and aims to provide participants with actionable insights to improve their compensation practices. It is suitable for practice leaders and those charged with related responsibilities.

Alternative Careers in Architecture:
​Caroline Cole
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​Date: 12 April 2018
Time: 6.30-8.30pm
Venue: Build Studios, 203 Westminster Bridge Road, SE1 7FP London
Speaker: Caroline Cole, Colander


This talk is part of MoA's Alternative Careers in Architecture series, that discusses the way architects are disrupting other industries, as well as the knowledge and skills that architectural training can bring to other professional spheres. This session will feature Caroline Cole, the founder and director of Colander.

So how did Caroline Cole, who started out on a career as an architect, end up where she is today, running a firm that sits on the interface between consultants and their clients – working with both and helping each interact with the other?
This talk will explain how an eclectic career has enabled Caroline to inspire many of the UK’s most successful architectural practices to develop their businesses, and enabled her to work alongside some of the most influential developers and building owners, helping to formulate their approach to architecture.

How to Write About Your Projects
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Session 1: 1 March 2018
Session 2: 8 March 2018
Time: 6.30-8.30pm
Venue: Build Studios, 203 Westminster Bridge Road, SE1 7FP London
Lecturer: Juliette Mitchel, Architypal


Writing about your projects is one of the best ways to win clients, attract attention and build your reputation. But different platforms need different approaches, so understanding your audience and striking the right tone is fundamental to growing your practice.
Over the course of two sessions, we’ll cover different ways of bringing your projects to life and getting them noticed. We’ll look at how to attract potential clients, engage journalists and make an impact on social media. 
​This hands-on, two-session workshop will give you a fresh approach to writing about what you do, equip you with strategies for when you’re back at your desk, and show you how to make the most of all your projects.

About the lecturer:
Juliette Mitchell worked for many years as an editor at Penguin Books. She now runs architypal.co.uk, helping architects write about what they do.

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Date: 18 January 2018
Time: 6.30-8.30pm
Venue: Build Studios, 203 Westminster Bridge Road, SE1 7FR
Lecturer: Rowley Mossop, Innovia Partners 


Architectural practices depend on their talent to originate design and execute projects for clients. This presentation focuses on what practice leaders need to know about staff progression. It will help participants understand how to retain, develop, advance and compensate talent. Participants will also benefit from principles for addressing employee turnover and handling individual leaves of absence.
This program is highly interactive and aims to provide participants with actionable insights to improve their management of staff progression. It is suitable for practice leaders or those charged with people management responsibilities.

This event is kindly hosted by Build Studios.

Working with: Architects and Lighting Designers
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Working with: Architects and Lighting Designers
Date 30 November 2017
Time: 6.30-8.30pm 
Venue: Build Studios, Waterloo
Speakers:
Rebeca Ramos, Project Leader, Heatherwick Studio
Anna Kharchenkova, Director, Light Bureau

The design of a building always involves numerous stakeholders who ultimately contribute in shaping the experience of spaces and places. Therefore, architects need to build positive working relationships with engineers, lighting designers, project managers or suppliers, in order to ensure the positive outcome of a project. Part of MoA’s Working With series of talks, this event will explore the synergy between the architect and the lighting designer, by looking at the example of Maggie’s Yorkshire designed by Heatherwick Studio. 

How to Differentiate Your Practice
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How to Manage Staff Progression

Date: 23 November 2017
Time: 6.30-8.30pm
Venue: Build Studios, Waterloo
Lecturer: Briony Lumb


In an increasingly difficult landscape, architects need to find meaningful ways of standing out in the current market. In the current context, purpose driven business models offer a meaningful path forward. Leading business analysts from all over the world are demonstrating that this purpose driven economy is expanding at a dramatic rate, but the architecture profession has not fully yet embraced this concept.

Starting and surviving in today’s world is tough, but the businesses that figure it out have something in common: the pursuit of purpose, alongside the pursuit of profit. Purpose is a valuable tool for attracting and engaging employees, customers, and communities who value a company that does good. 

Write for Your Website: How to turn what you do into words
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Session one: 5 October 2017
Session two: 12 October 2017
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Venue: Build Studios, Waterloo
Lecturer: Juliette Mitchell, 
Architypal

Getting the text right on your website is crucial if you want your clients to understand what you do. Over the course of two hands-on sessions, you’ll learn new ways to write about your practice, your projects and yourself. By the end of the workshop, you’ll have got the critical elements of your website written and you’ll have the framework and the inspiration to write the rest. And you’ll have learnt the secret of writing – and talking – about what you do.
 
This talk is kindly hosted by Build Studios.

How to Set and Exceed Client Expectations
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Session one: 19 September 2017
Session two: 21 September 2017
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Venue: Build Studios, Waterloo
Lecturer: Rowley Mossop, Innovia Partners


Successful architectural practices develop and manage client relationships proactively. Failure to properly set and deliver on client expectations can result in unhappy clients, a damaged reputation to the individual and practice, and lower project profitability. Exceeding expectations can set your practice apart from others and increase the likelihood clients will choose you for their next project or refer your practice to their colleagues. Delivering consistency requires planning, processes, and great talent with strong project management and people skills.

In this highly interactive, two session workshop, we will look at actionable ways to:
  • Identify client needs and ambitions
  • Ensure your practice’s ability to satisfy them
  • Communicate your understanding of clients’ needs
  • Develop systems and processes to consistently set and exceed clients’ expectations

This talk is kindly hosted by Build Studios.
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Creating a successful strategy for your business
A workshop with Briony Lumb
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Date: 29 June 2017
Time: 6.30-8.30pm
Venue: Build Studios, Waterloo
Lecturer: Briony Lumb

Starting and surviving in today’s world is tough, but the companies that figure it out have something in common: the pursuit of purpose, alongside the pursuit of profit. An authentic purpose acts as your north star and mobilises people in a way that pursuing profits alone never will. For a company to thrive, it needs to infuse its purpose in all that it does.

In this workshop we look at how practice leaders can connect with purpose, create shared-value and compose a clear and comprehensive narrative. We believe successful companies are built not from the ground up, but from the purpose up.
 
About the Lecturer: 
Before founding her self named business planning consultancy in 2014, Briony Lumb was architecturally trained and worked as Director of Business Development at global architecture & engineering firm HOK. With previous work spanning across Africa, Asia, the US and the Netherlands, Briony maintains a strong interest and expertise in city identity creation. .
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This event is kindly hosted by Build Studios. ​

Performance Benchmarks for Architecture Practices
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Date: 8 June 2017
Time: 6.30-8.30pm
Venue: Build Studios, Waterloo
​Lecturer: Rowley Mossop, Innovia


How do you determine – and improve – your practice’s value and potential? Understanding your practice’s performance in relation to peers helps you identify opportunities to minimize risk, create value, and grow.
 
Architectural practices can use benchmarking to improve firm performance, increase project profitability, and develop capabilities for growth. Practice leaders and owners need to establish systems for collecting and organizing information that helps them make strategic decisions on managing talent, finances, operations, and business development. Assessing their practices against benchmarks can help practice owners and leaders build and sustain their firm’s value.
 
Rowley Mossop returns to the Museum of Architecture to facilitate this highly interactive workshop. Using a case-based approach, participants will learn the important benchmarks that can inform their strategy and improve their practice’s creative and financial performance.

This event is kindly hosted by Build Studios. ​

Change is Constant: Introduction to corporate foresight for architects
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Date: 18 May 2017
Time: 6.30-8.30pm
Venue: Build Studios
Lecturer: Josef Hargrave, Arup 


Foresight refers to a range of practices, methods, tools and techniques that help organisations actively explore, shape and manage the future. This includes understanding key drivers of change, possible projections into the future, and the implications of change on specific businesses, projects or contexts. This interactive workshop will give you the tools and methods in the practice of foresight to identify opportunities for applications in your own practice. 

This event is kindly hosted by Build Studios. ​

How to use key HR principles to grow your practice and keep your talent
Session 1: 4 May 2017
Session 2: 11 May 2017
Time: 6.30-8.30pm
Venue: Build Studios, Waterloo
Lecturer: Kate Marks, EvolutionHR


Ten Things Architects Need to Know About Business Strategy
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Date: 28 March 2017
Time: 6.30-8.30pm
Venue: Build Studios
Lecturer: Rowley Mossop, Innovia Partners

Practice leaders can apply strategic tools to increase their firm's project design quality and profit. Participants in this interactive workshop will learn ten business strategy tools for winning work and growing profitable practices. 

Using mini-cases and problem-solving activities, participants gain an overview of strategic choices that can help firms improve their ability to compete, produce quality work, find talented people and earn more. Areas covered will include branding, strategic marketing, finance, studio operations, and talent management. Participants will benefit from actionable knowledge and resources that can help them lead their practices. This workshop will be most beneficial to Directors in both growing and established practices.

About the lecturer: 
Innovia is Canada’s leading management consultancy for creative businesses, helping owners develop and implement business strategies to reach the creative and commercial potential of their firms. Innovia’s Principal, Rowley Mossop, is trained in the disciplines of architecture, business, media, and design. Rowley is a Rotman MBA, holds a diploma from the Ontario College of Art and Design, and has a B.E.S. (Architecture) from the University of Waterloo.

Present with Confidence
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Session one: 2 March 2017
Session two: 9 March 2017
Venue: Saint Gobain Innovation Centre
Lecturer: Amanda Yensa Manor


A two-part workshop to explore, practise and master presentation and public speaking skills with ease.

There is an art to authoring and delivering a captivating presentation. Whether it’s a ten minute talk at a trade event, a forty minute lecture at a University, an hour bid interview for a project, an open studio presentation, a speech for industry peers or simply a conversation at a networking do.
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In this two part workshop, we briefly guide participants through the foundations, science and techniques of a range of presentation skills. Our main focus throughout, in a series of creative exercises - designed to bring out the best in each person - is for everyone to try their hand at improving confidence, narratives and delivery of what makes a presentation captivating. Constructive feedback is instantaneous, and tangible progress is always made.

Culture - Competitive Advantages for Architects
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Date: 23 February 2017
Time: 5-8pm
Location: Arup, 13 Fitzroy Street, W1T 4BQ London
Lecturer: Rowley Mossop, Innovia Partners


How can leaders create a culture that elevates their team’s creativity and design quality to achieve business growth? Industry-leading practices apply strategic approaches to managing people, finances, and operations. Where talent is the main competitive resource of an architectural firm, culture plays an important role in a practice’s morale, productivity, and creative potential.

This program will prepare participants to be successful team and business leaders in their firms. It will help them recognize and nurture leadership skills within their teams to build a strong culture, and achieve strategic goals.

The goal of this session is to provide participants with actionable knowledge to:
  • Increase a studio’s capacity for design innovation and quality
  • Recognize and develop individual talent and build strong teams
  • Build a studio’s talent and culture to develop competitive advantage


BD for Architects - Gaining new clients

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Session one: 19 January 2017
Session two: 2 February 2017
Time: 6-8pm
Location: Build Studios, 203 Westminster Bridge Road, SE1 7FP London

This two-session course is designed to help business development teams formulate implementable strategies to kick start 2017.  We look at practical techniques to understand what your clients truly need. We help you to develop strategies to approach and build relationships with the right clients. And finally, we look at how you and your practice can build your reputation and trust, through short-term actions that can build long-term performance. 

Public Relations for Architects
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Session one: 21 November 2016
Session two: 5 December 2016
Time: 6.30-8.30pm
Location: ING Media, 44-46 Scrutton Street, EC2A 4HH London
Lecturer: Tom Elliott and Andrea Klettner, ING Media

Public relations is an integral part of communicating the work of architects. This two part interactive workshop will focus on helping architecture practices get a better understanding of public relations, from finding their voice in the crowd to understanding their audience and building a media profile. 

In the first session, participants will learn how to promote their practice and present their story to the media, how to build relationships with journalists and how to develop a PR culture in their practice to maximise their effectiveness. By the end of the workshop each member of the group will set themselves ‘homework’ that focuses on a project or theme that they will develop and present at the next session. 

In the second session, the group will look at relevant PR case studies and strategies, looking beyond media relations to networking, events, managing online presence and establishing a brand. Each member of the group will have the opportunity to present their own PR strategy for discussion and review with the group.

About the lecturer:
Leading the workshop will be Tom Elliott and Andrea Klettner from ING Media, a leading PR and communications agency based in Shoreditch that works across design, architecture, property and regeneration. With a broad client portfolio that includes some of the most significant names in the field, ING aims not merely to promote the work of its clients, but to explore and lead global conversations about architecture, design and development and to forge productive relationships within and beyond those sectors.
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How to Start a Practice with Simon Foxell
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MoA Webinar + Q&A
Date: 28 May 2020 
Time: 4pm - 5pm
As the UK considers how to emerge from the CV19 lockdown, many furloughed architects and others are thinking about setting up their own practices and building an independent route to economic recovery. 

In this MoA Webinar, Simon Foxell, author of the RIBA’s bestselling Starting a Practice: A Plan of Work, will be discussing how to go about this and how to prepare for a future working for yourself.
Speaking with Impact
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Date: 5 February 2020
Time: 6.30-8.30pm
Venue: Build Studios, 203 Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7FR
​Lecturer: Sue Austin, Sue Austin Consulting

​Do you struggle to speak with confidence at events? Do you want to make a greater impact when you’re pitching for new work ?

According to a Gallup poll, 40% of us have a fear of public speaking. The ability to speak with impact is a key requirement for becoming a well-rounded communicator, resulting in improved influence and credibility for the individual.
  • This workshop will help you learn how to present with clarity and conviction with:
  • Tips on how to structure excellent presentations to be more audience-focussed
  • The opportunity to prepare and practise presenting in front of an audience
  • Feedback on how you to improve your presentation style and content
This is a practical workshop suitable and recommended for senior staff, directors and practice owners who play a significant role in representing the practice externally.

Social Media Now

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Date: 23 October 2019
Time: 6.30-8.30pm
Venue: Build Studios, 203 Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7FR
​Lecturer: Celeste Bolte, BowerBird

Social media’s ubiquity means everyone now has the opportunity to tell their story. With this access to self publishing comes lots of noise; it’s hard to know how to cut through and reach the right audiences, decide what types of images and anecdotes to share, and even how to post to so many channels!

In this workshop, we’ll look at the fundamentals of social media marketing and how to use accounts to best convey your practice. This workshop will teach you how to understand, plan, and manage your social media channels effectively. We’ll also look at how social media ties into your broader marketing efforts and how these can work simultaneously and harmoniously. 

Come prepared to put your knowledge into practice. This workshop will see participants write their own social media plans, and learn about the tools available to make marketing more efficient (and less painful!). 

About the lecturer
Celeste Bolte is the Head of BowerBird UK, a platform connecting architects and journalists to get more architecture published.

Celeste is a design-focused marketer specialising in digital strategy, storytelling and social media. With 7 years of communications consulting experience in architecture Celeste is a natural communicator, adept at conceiving, planning and implementing marketing strategies for single practitioners and global studios alike.


A firm believer in the power of design, Celeste speaks at and hosts events for design festivals and runs CPD events for architects with BowerBird.

Financial Management for Your Practice & Projects

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Financial Management for Your Practice and Projects
Date: 9 October 2019

Time: 6.30-8.30pm
Venue: Build Studios, 203 Westminster Bridge Road, SE1 7FR London
Ticket: £75 + VAT
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Lecturer: Maree Maxfield, Maxama

Software is now widely used to manage financial information for architectural practices of all sizes, such as invoicing and payments.
But do you know what key reports and measures are essential for achieving your financial goals for your practice?
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In this workshop, you will learn how to easily create a budget in Xero and monitor your overall company performance on a monthly basis. We will examine how to produce Project Profitability Reports in WorkflowMax, that show your profitability on individual projects.  With staff productivity being a key driver of financial success, we examine some of the recommended Key Performance Indicators used for monitoring the business. 

About the lecturer
Maree is a Chartered Accountant and has been implementing financial and project management software for architectural practices since 2012.  Her consultancy, Maxama, specialises in the implementation of both Xero and WorkflowMax, a Project Management and Time recording system.

Business Law Advice for Architects

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Setting Up Your Practice + Tips to Grow your Practice:
​Business Law for Architects part 2

25 September 2019
Time: 6.30-8.30pm
Venue: Build Studios, SE1 7FP London
Ticket: £75 + VAT

Lecturer: Stone King LLP

Setting Up Your Practice +
Tips to Grow Your Architectural Practice

Often, practices are established by two or more professionals who share a common vision for what they want to achieve and how they want to achieve it. But one of the first issues facing those that wish to start a new or growing business is how to fund it and how to structure the equity fairly in order to best reflect the financial and non-financial contributions to be made by each partner.  

Some of the more practical conundrums faced by growing practices include: where to base their studio, how to brand and market the business, when to engage additional staff and how to cater for different creative dynamics. Solving each of these issues requires a degree of legal input.
Solicitors from Stone King’s corporate & commercial team will discuss the key steps that architects should take to preserve their relationship with partners and protect themselves from personal liability.
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Writing Skills for Architects
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Session 1: 2 May 2019
Session 2: 9 May 2019
Time: 6.30-8.30pm
Venue: Build Studios, Waterloo
Ticket: £125 + VAT
Lecturer: Juliette Mitchell, Architypal


Writing engagingly about your work is one of the best ways to win clients, attract attention and build your reputation. But how do you turn what you do into a compelling story and take people along for the ride?

In this hands-on workshop, you’ll find fresh ways to approach web copy, awards submissions, emails and blog posts. And you’ll see that every piece of writing is a chance to be different and get yourself noticed.



How to use key HR principles to grow your practice and keep your talent
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Session 1: 17 January 2019
Session 2: 24 January 2019
Time: 6.30-8.30pm
Venue: Build Studios, Waterloo
Ticket: £125 + VAT
Lecturer: Kate Marks, EvolutionHR


This two-session course will give you an overview of key HR principles and best practice examples to help you grow your practice and nurture talent. The first session will give an introduction to HR with a specific focus on the architecture industry, highlighting why HR is important, how to implement it in your practice and what are the key legal concepts behind it. The second session will analyse all the stages of employee lifecycle, from recruitment to retention, recognition and release. This course will help you to successfully incorporate HR in your practice and learn how to build better teams to grow your business. 

Winning New Work Through Tenders
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Session one: 1 November 2018
Session two: 8 November 2018
Time: 6.30-8.30pm
Venue: Build Studios, 203 Westminster Bridge Road, SE1 7FP London
Lecturer: Carol Hustler, Director, TEDs Friend


Winning tenders is not a dark art, and contrary to popular opinion, it’s rarely just on price or about who you know. This is your opportunity to get some insight into the what, why and how, so that you can save time and money and bid successfully. You’ll get some tips on how to carry out an effective assessment of the opportunity, saving you countless days of wasted time and resources by not bidding on the wrong projects. You’ll also get a good understanding of what’s going on behind the scenes, see how to structure effective responses to get the maximum points and minimise your reliance on being the cheapest bidder.

Design and Profitability
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Design and Profitability
​Date: To be confirmed for Autumn
Time: 6.30-8.30pm
Venue: Build Studios, 203 Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7FR
Ticket: 
Lecturers: Innovia Partners


How can you actively manage design quality while leading a profitable practice?
Future-oriented practices leverage business systems as integral to achieving their design ambitions.
This session explores how architects can build design quality while ensuring the commercial viability of the practice.
More...

Public Relations for Architects
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Public Relations for Architects
Session 1: 27 September 2018
Session 2: 4 October 2018
Time: 6.30-8.30pm
Venue: Build Studios, 203 Westminster Bridge Road, SE1 7FP London
Lecturer: Rob Fiehn

PR for architects is a two-part workshop about public relations in the built environment and how good communication can serve the business of architecture. These key skills are not often taught in architectural schools and so practitioners end up trying to figure things out for themselves, which can leave projects without a home in a competitive media landscape. Bad PR can also lead to problems with client relations and even develop unwanted reputations that can take years to undo. 

Write for Your Website: How to Turn What You Do into Words
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Session 1: 13 September 2018
Session 2: 20 September 2018
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Venue: Build Studios, Waterloo
Lecturer: Juliette Mitchell, Architypal


Getting the text right on your website is crucial if you want your clients to understand what you do. Over the course of two hands-on sessions, you’ll learn new ways to write about your practice, your projects and yourself.

By the end of the workshop, you’ll have got the critical elements of your website written and you’ll have the framework and the inspiration to write the rest. And you’ll have learnt the secret of writing – and talking – about what you do.

Marketing for Architects: How to win the kind of work you want to do ​
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​Session 1: 15 March 2018
Session 2: 22 March 2018
Time: 6.30-8.30pm
Venue: Build Studios, 203 Westminster Bridge Road, SE1 7FP London
Lecturer: Lucy Mori KLMORI Business Consultancy 


Don’t wait for clients to come to you – actively target the kind of clients you want to work for. This workshop will provide you with frameworks and structures to identify and evaluate target markets and develop an effective 12 month marketing plan. 

The first session will present 3 established marketing frameworks and explain how architects can use them to develop an effective marketing strategy. The second session will present marketing communication tools and discuss how architects can use them to reach their target clients. 
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This hands-on, two-session workshop will help focus your marketing efforts for the year ahead, make the most of your marketing budget and give you confidence how to proactively target new clients for business.

​Creating the Office Culture to Lead Your Team towards Transformation
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Date: 31 May 2018
Time: 6.30-8.30pm
Venue: Build Studios, 203 Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7FR
Lecturer: Briony Lumb, Briony Lumb Associates


As architects we are tackling some of society’s current and future challenges through the places and future legacy we create for people. We naturally resist change for a variety of reasons, especially when it's imposed on us, and this can cause uncertainty and unease. Learning to navigate and manage change successfully is vital to creating our sustainable future and build a healthy office culture based on trust and openness. A practice based on purpose only goes as far as it’s people are willing to carry it.

In this interactive session, we explore how we lead this change whilst enabling your team with the capabilities they need to succeed through a transformation, instilling a culture of continuous learning, and creating inclusiveness, and how this leadership is vital to foster a truly creative environment in which your people can thrive. 

Winning New Work Through Tenders
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Session 1: 25 January 2018
Session 2: 1 February 2018
Time: 6.30-8.30pm
Venue: Build Studios, 203 Westminster Bridge Road, SE1 7FP London
Lecturer: Carol Hustler, Director, TEDs Friend


Winning tenders is not a dark art, and contrary to popular opinion, it’s rarely just on price or about who you know. This is your opportunity to get some insight into the what, why and how, so that you can save time and money and bid successfully.

In this two part course we’ll tackle the three key elements of winning:
  • where to find out about opportunities
  • understanding the paperwork and how it’s evaluated
  • how to show off your company’s skills and experience

IP for Architects
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Date: 9 February 2017
Time: 6.30-8.30pm
Location: Build Studios, 203 Westminster Bridge Road, SE1 7FP London

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IP protection for products is a complicated business.  Design protection is a complex web of copyright and design laws.  What rights protect a design and who owns them?  Are they separate from the rights in an architectural work?  How can product IP be exploited?  There is an ever greater need for architects and those working on architectural projects to understand how to protect their creations.  In this lecture, Gavin Llewellyn, a design law expert at Stone King LLP, will focus on key topics central to the protection of product designs through intellectual property rights.
 
Gavin's practice covers a broad range of IP rights, but with a particular focus on design and brand protection and exploitation, as well as on helping clients deal with contentious issues and business risks related to IP.  He has 18 years’ experience in helping designers to protect, exploit and enforce their creativity.  Gavin will share his knowledge on how designs are protected, ownership issues and how designs can be exploited.

Ambition: Leadership and talent management for architects

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Date: 24 November
Time: 5-8pm
Location: 
81 Rivington Street, EC2A 3AY London
Lecturer: Rowley Mossop, Innovia Partners

​What can architectural firms learn from technology and other creative industries to select and develop their talent, and prepare employees for firm leadership?
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This course introduces leadership and talent management best practices and concepts to current and future leaders of architectural firms. 
Recognizing that architectural firms require different approaches to leadership and management, this course prepares architects for senior positions with a framework to leading profitable, competitive firms. These approaches have proven successful in firms of varying sizes, enabling many to become industry leaders.

Grow Your Practice: Business Course for Practice Owners and Directors
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Dates:
7, 14, 21 October 2016
4,11,18 November 2016
9 December 2016 (make-up/review session)

Time: 9.00am-12.30pm
Location: Air Space, 29/31 Oxford Street, W1D 2DR London

Lecturer: Rupert Merson, Adjunct Associate Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship, London Business School and visiting adjunct professor at INSEAD
Cost: £1500 + VAT (£250/half day session)

Grow Your Practice is a series of 6 half-day educational workshops aimed at particular business needs of architects and related professionals, and will consider the specific business and management problems facing professional service firms. 

Grow Your Practice is designed to help partners and principals manage the business side of their firms and grow their practices, focusing on specific business and management problems. The course will include case studies, the latest academic thinking, group discussion and networking, and the structured application of insight to the particular problems of participants and their practices.
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Half-day workshops will be held approximately twice monthly. Workshop attendance will be complemented by reading packs, copies of all PowerPoint material used, and class notes.

Working with Clients: Post-Occupancy Evaluation Services
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Date: 29 September 2016
Time: 6-8pm
Venue: Saint-Gobain Innovation Centre, 85 Great Portland Street, W1W 7NY
Lecturer: Tom Dollard
, Associate and Head of Sustainable Design, Pollard Thomas Edwards
Lisa Ann Pasquale, technical specialist and researcher in building performance evaluation
Price: £15 + VAT


Working with is a series of talks in MoA’s Academy programming that seeks to explore how architects can build better relationships with other professionals in the industry as well as experts in other fields to share knowledge and foster new business opportunities. 

This talk will discuss how architects can extend their relationship with clients to post-occupancy evaluation services, showing how a more proactive and collaborative approach will result in better outcomes. Offering post-occupancy evaluation services can close the gap between design expectation and reality, helping to deliver better-performing buildings and creating a more productive relationship with clients.
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This seminar will be led by Tom Dollard, associate and head of sustainable design at Pollard Thomas Edwards, and Lisa Ann Pasquale, technical specialist and researcher in building performance evaluation. The seminar will discuss soft landings and building performance services, as well as offer insight into how to succesffuly approach resident engagement and interviews. This seminar will help you understand how to define your model for offering post-occupancy services to clients, the benefits you will get and what are the opportunities for further development in this area. 

Alternative Careers in Architecture:
​Writing and Journalism
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Alternative Careers in Architecture: Writing and Journalism
Date: 7 July 2016
Time: 6.30-8.30pm
Location: ING Media

Speakers: James Taylor-Foster, Editor at Large, ArchDaily
Laura Mark, Architecture Editor, The Architects' Journal
Andrea Klettner (chair), ING Media

Alternative Careers in Architecture is a series of talks that explores the vision, ideas and approaches that architects bring to other professional environments. For the fourth event in this series of talks, we will discuss the current state of architecture writing, journalism and criticism with James Taylor-Foster and Laura Mark. The speakers will address how their studies in architecture and work in practice informed their current career and what are the benefits - or potential pitfalls - of writing about architecture from the perspective of the architect.

Working With: Architects and Engineers
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Date: 16 June 2016
Time: 6.30-8.30PM
Location: Bennetts Associates, 1 Rawstorne Place London EC1V 7NL
Tickets: £15 + VAT
Speakers: David Walker
, Associate Director, Bennetts Associates
Julian Sutherland, Building Services Partner, Cundall
Rob Westcott, Director, Civic Engineers

“Working with” is a series of talks in MoA’s Academy programming that seeks to explore how architects can build better relationships with other professionals in the industry as well as experts in other fields to share knowledge and foster new business opportunities. The first talk of the series will discuss the relationship between architects and engineers. ​

Differences in professional identity and disciplinary vocabulary can often make the working relationship between architects and engineers extremely difficult. What are the key issues that both professions should keep in mind when working together? This talk will explore how architects and engineers can build synergy in professional relationships that will result in a joint vision and successful realisation of projects. The talk will address the importance of good communication, early engagement of engineers in a project, BIM implementation, as well as the value of defining and managing expectations. The two professions have much to offer one another, with architects stimulating innovation among engineers, and engineers motivating an architect’s creative output through constraints. 

Alternative Careers in Architecture: Architects in Development
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Date: 19 May 2016
Time: 6.30PM

Location: ING Media, 44-46 Scrutton Street, London EC2A 4HH 
Speakers: 
Russ Edwards, Design Director, Pocket
Claire Bennie, architect and housing development specialist

Architects and developers are often seen as operating in different spheres - one in the area of creativity, the other in that of commerce. However, architects have recently started to build a more holistic relationship with developers, often moving from architecture practices to working as development managers or design directors for housebuilders. For this talk in our Alternative Careers in Architecture series, we will discuss design-led development and what key lessons and values architects bring to it, in every stage of the design process and business management.


Expanding Architecture Businesses Abroad with UKTI
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Date: 12 May 2016
Time: 6-8PM
Location: Saint-Gobain Innovation Centre, 95 Great Portland Street, W1W 7NY London
Tickets: FREE


British architects are renowned the world over for their creativity and quality of work, and UK Trade and Investment’s role is to help you leverage your business expertise in overseas projects. In this seminar, Jonathan Alms, a Trade Adviser with UKTI, will present specific opportunities available through the High Value Opportunities (HVO) programme, which include large capital projects in the following sectors:  Airports, Rail, Energy, Sports and Mining. He will also present examples of case studies about architects which have been supported in winning international projects by UKTI. He will talk about UKTI’s global Export Opportunities database, through which you can be notified of new projects. Finally, he will talk about how to engage with UKTI and connect with its global network of commercial teams to grow your international business. 

The talk will cover the following key topics:
  • Why the British Government is supporting UK businesses in growing their exports
  • Who is UKTI and what are our objectives?
  • International Trade Advisers – experienced businessmen and women who can advise on your strategic direction
  • Programmes, Services, Advice and support – how to connect with our global network of commercial teams
  • Examples of how UKTI has supported architects overseas
  • How to engage with UKTI

How To Start A Practice: A Workshop With Simon Foxell
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Date: 17 March 2016
Time: 6.00PM - 9.00PM
Location: Arup, 13 Fitzroy Street, W1T 4BQ London

If you are considering starting a practice you need to make a plan.  What are your aims and motivations, strengths and weaknesses, how do you use these to shape your new venture and what are your chances of making it work?
​Building on his successful book “Starting a Practice: A Plan of Work”,  Simon Foxell will outline how to approach starting a business as if it were a design project, complete with briefing, sketch layouts and delivery. To be held on 17th March 2016, this three-hour practical session will examine how to build a practice that matches the kind of work you want to do and will involve developing a working proposition for a new business in collaboration and discussion with other workshop participants. Try out and test your ideas here first for the best results.

MoA Book Club
Demystifying Architectural Research with Flora Samuel
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Date: 11 February 2016
Time: 6.30PM - 8.30PM
Location: Michaelis Boyd Associates, 108 Palace Gardens Terrace, London W8 4RT

On 11 February 2016, Flora Samuel will join us for a new appointment with the MoA Book Club. "Demystifying Architectural Research: Adding value to your practice", edited with Anne Dye and published by RIBA Publishing, is a practical, hands on introduction that guides you through the basics of undertaking research in day-to-day architectural practice helping you to exploit the growing opportunities on offer. The book explores how developing a research specialism can improve the quality of your projects, help to define your brand and generate new channels of revenue with innovative services for clients. 
The text is divided into four sections focussing on different types of Architecture Research Practice; commercial, cultural, social and technology, each including a series of case studies.  In this way the book highlights the broad spectrum of research being undertaken and the practical implications for the practice and their projects. The book is designed for architects and practices who want to develop a clear specialism that adds brand value and will enable them to access new funding streams as well as students of architecture who are getting to grips with architectural research.  

Business Development for Architects with Briony Lumb
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Workshop 1: 14 January 2016, 6 - 8PM
Workshop 2: 21 January 2016, 6 - 8PM
Location: Saint-Gobain Innovation Centre, 
95 Great Portland St, London W1W 7NY
 
How do your clients choose between you and your competitors? In an increasingly crowded market, this two-session workshop will look at how you can differentiate your practice, and then how to get your team behind a vision to create the focus and culture that will bring shared success. “Business development for architects” workshop is delivered by Briony Lumb, a trained architect and business development specialist who works with professional services and business leaders to help them build their business visions around a client centric strategy— one that helps them to be of greater interest to their clients, grow reputation in their market and gain market share.
 
Workshop 1
Differentiation: how does your practice stand out from the crowd? 
  • Standing out from the crowd
  • Differentiation
  • Understanding value
  • Operating model innovation in architecture
  • Understanding your current pitch and how you attract clients
 
Workshop 2
Creating a Compelling Strategy for your practice
  • How do you create a shared vision for your practice?
  • Do you understand why your practice really stands for?
  • What actions should you consider to deliver your strategy? 

MoA Academy Talk 
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Architectural Photography in the Instagramable Age

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Date: 24 November 2015
Time: 6.30PM - 8.30PM
Location:  John McAslan + Partners

Over the past 10 years digital technologies have affected the role of photography in architecture and related industries in more ways than one. With nearly 20 years of experience as a professional architecture photographer, Edmund Sumner understands how photography plays into the dynamics of the architecture industry. Talking about his recent projects - including Casa Wabi in Mexico for Tadao Ando, Essex University for Patel Taylor, and a special project commissioned by Domus and Architectural Review – Edmund will discuss the changing nature of the discipline.
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Edmund will talk about incorporating professional photography into your practice to effectively communicate your work, choosing the right photographer and commissioning work, what to expect when working with a photographer, how to manage copyright, and what are the opportunities and limitations of digital technology and how best to utilise modern social media channels for maximising exposure.

MoA Academy Talk
10 Risks For Architects 

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Date: 22 October 2015 
Time: 6.00PM - 8.00PM
Location: Saint-Gobain Innovation Centre


The way in which architects now practice is changing. There are an increased number of contracts in use, including bespoke contracts and growing use of BIM. Architects now take on a number of different roles, for example acting as a CDM coordinator, a health and safety advisor, contract administrator, a design manager and lead designer. As a result there are increased risk, responsibility and legal liabilities. The risks that an architect might take on, knowingly or not, are not straightforward or uniform throughout a project. Architects have to be aware of risk and their legal liabilities which form an essential part of their professional duty of care. For this lecture, Matt Cousins, a senior architect at Pick Everard, will unpick the  risks architects face in practice and what they can do to avoid liability.

MoA Academy Workshop 
Making The Most Of Social Media For Architects

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First session: Tuesday 13 October, 6-8pm, Saint Gobain Innovation Centre
Second session: Tuesday 20 October, 6-8pm, Saint Gobain Innovation Centre


The workshops will be presented By Tom Ravenscroft – Deputy editor Construction Manager, founder TBA media, IBP Multi­media Journalist of the Year, 2013.

With a focus on Twitter we will outline the importance of engaging with and using online tools for a modern business and run through the practical steps needed to manage and utilise your social media to benefit your practice. We will learn how to define and engage with an audience, set goals, and then develop and implement a social media strategy for your business.


Workshop 1:
Getting started, finding your voice and engaging your target audience
• Benefits of social media
• Identifying your audience
• What to tweet
• Increasing engagement
• Growing your following

Workshop 2:
Maintaining momentum and gaining longterm benefit
• Measurement and goals
• Sustainable management
• Strategy for the future

Talk
How To Start A Practice  

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Speaker: Simon Foxell, author of Starting a Practice
Date: 22 May 2015
Location: The Bartlett


Simon Foxell is treasurer to the industry think tank The Edge and is the editor of The professional’s choice – the future of the built environment professions. In this special seminar he will discuss the need to shape a practice to match the kind of work you want to do.
  • What are the opportunities for new practices?
  • How you should go about setting your practice up.
  • How to think of starting a practice as a design project.

“Simon Foxell’s insight, clarity and small practice experience has created the contemporary must-read guide to tackling the many issues in setting up and maintaining a practice. If all practices treated their businesses as an ongoing project, and used their briefing experience to create and review their business plans we would have a profession on top of its game, of which we could be truly proud.”
- Jane Duncan, RIBA President Elect

Workshop
10 X 10 Family Drawing Workshop      

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Date: 3 November 2012
Location: Somerset House

The Museum of Architecture, Gilles & Cecilie Studio and Somerset House hosted a free children's architecture drawing workshop as part of 10 x 10 London – Drawing the City, the annual exhibition and auction in support of international development and disaster relief charity Article 25.


10x10 Drawing workshop

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​Date: 15 September 2012
Location: Covent Garden


The Museum of Architecture and Gilles & Cecilie Studio hosted a free adult architecture drawing workshop as part of 10 x 10 London – Drawing the City, the annual exhibition and auction in support of international development and disaster relief charity Article 25.  

One drawing from the workshop was chosen by Article 25 to be exhibited at Somerset House as part of the exhibition showing works by Zaha Hadid, Norman Foster and designer Paul Smith.




Facebook, Linkedin and Pinterest for Architects
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Session one: 27 October 2016
Session two: 3 November 2016
Time: 6-8pm
Location: Saint-Gobain Innovation Centre, 95 Great Portland Street, W1W 7NY


Social media has become a vital tool in growing and marketing your business. Potential clients expect to be able to connect with practices on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn, so an up-to-date, engaging profile is key to standing out from the crowd. 

This two-session workshop will examine how to best utilise social media to tell the story of your practice, measure the outcomes and demonstrate a positive return on investment, with a specific focus on Facebook and LinkedIn. 

You will gain detailed insights into harnessing Facebook's algorithms to improve your visibility on newsfeeds, boost the social aspects of your brand and create engaging and dynamic content to deepen your relationships with clients.

You'll learn how to position yourself amongst competitors and create a clear vision and brand for your practice with LinkedIn, and discover how it can help you develop your networks. 
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The workshop will include practical exercises that will help you implement your learnings into practice.
 
About the lecturer:
Daniel Nelson is a director at October Communications, a communications agency working in design and architecture. He is also the founder of Atelier Tally, a UK blog interested in design that is made to last. Daniel has worked with numerous design and architecture practices, while he also teaches at London College of Communication.


Working Abroad: Avoid the Pitfalls
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Date: 20 October 2016
Time: 6.30-8.30PM
Location: Air Space, 29-31 Oxford Street, W1D 2DR London
Lecturer: Roger Whiteman, Beside Design

Tickets: £20 + VAT

This event is hosted by air space.

For the inexperienced architect there are many challenges and potential pitfalls which need to be avoided when you start working on projects abroad. The first step is to gain a good understanding of the local market, people you will be working with, their culture, political or economic goals, local building technologies and construction industry. In addition to understanding the type of role you would pursue (i.e. executive consultancy or advisory), issues to asses include contracts, licensing and taxation. For this seminar in our MoA Academy series, Roger Whiteman will highlight important issues to take into account before jumping on the 'foreign bandwagon’.

During this seminar you will gain key knowledge that will help you to successfully undertake projects overseas, build your practice on an international scale and develop new business opportunities.

​Key issues that will be covered during the seminar include:
  • Understanding the barriers of working with a client abroad
  • What services you can and cannot undertake
  • Setting out project expectations
  • Formulating and managing contracts
  • Managing project finances

About the lecturer:
Roger Whiteman is an architect and founder of beside design, a consultancy providing creative management to the design profession. Prior to founding beside design, Roger worked at SOM as Management Director of the their London office, working on projects in Russia, pre McDonalds, Warsaw, the Netherlands or India. Over the last 5 years he has worked constantly in China and Taiwan. 



Business Development for Architects
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Session one: 15 September 2016
Session two: 22 September 2016
Time: 6.30-8.30pm
Location: Air Space, 29-31 Oxford Street, W1D 2DR London
​Lecturer: Briony Lumb

Price: £125 + VAT for both sessions


This event is hosted by air space.

How do your clients choose between you and your competitors? In an increasingly crowded market, you need to have a clear vision and distinctive approach to attract better clients. This two-session workshop will look at how you can differentiate your practice and get your team behind a vision to create the focus and culture that will bring shared success.  Through practical exercises and strategic insights, Business development for architects will look at your whole business to understand your current reality and find new opportunities, with the aim of helping you become of greater interest to clients, grow reputation in the market and gain market share. The workshop will focus on tangible outcomes and actions that will get you closer to creating the architecture and profitability you want.

This workshop is suitable for practice owners, directors and senior-level staff of small and medium-sized practices (5 or more people) with ambition for growth.

Workshop 1
Differentiation: how does your practice stand out from the crowd? 
  • Standing out from the crowd
  • Differentiation
  • Understanding value
  • Innovation in your operating model
  • Understanding your current pitch and how you attract clients 

Workshop 2
Creating a compelling strategy for your practice
  • How do you create a shared vision for your practice?
  • Do you understand what your practice really stands for?
  • What actions should you consider to deliver your strategy? 
 
About the lecturer:
Briony Lumb is architecturally-trained, but has focused her career on the business of architecture, working in-house and through her consultancy with a number of high-profile architecture practices, multi disciplinary teams, planning consultancies, engineering firms and contractors. Before founding the consultancy in 2014, Briony was Director of Business Development at the global architecture and engineering practice HOK for several years, after she managed the new business, marketing and PR activities for RIBA Stirling Prize winners Stanton Williams.

BIM: The Tension in Change
From minding your own business to a participatory culture 
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Date: 26 May 2016
Time: 8:30 - 10.00AM
Location: Sto Werkstatt, 7-9 Woodbridge Street, London, EC1R 0LL 
Tickets: £15, concessions £12


MoA is partnering with Sto Werkstatt to run a BIM workshop led by White Arkitekter. Nina Borgström and Steven Rowland will share White Arkitekter’s reflections and experiences from living the digital revolution in a large, changing organisation:

What work methods are being affected?
Who benefits from what?
How do we get the digital experiences to enhance the architectural idea?
Are there any show stoppers?
Where are the areas of most resistance and tension? Where are our blind spots?
To convert the tension in change to innovation, is that possible?

You will see specific examples on how digital work methods are used to democratise or contribute to a participatory culture. The seminar will also emphasise known challenges and opportunities in the general process. 

Public Relations for Architects
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Date: 17 May 2016
Time: 6-8PM
Location: Saint Gobain Innovation Centre
Tickets: £25 + VAT


Public relations is an integral part of communicating the work of architects. The workshop will focus on helping architects get a better understanding of public relations, from finding their voice in the crowd to understanding their audience and building a media profile. Participants will learn how to use their creativity to promote their practice and how to present their story to the media, how to build relationships with journalists and how to develop a PR culture in their practice to maximise their effectiveness. With analysis of contemporary PR case studies and constructive advice for developing a PR strategy, the session will look beyond media relations to how to approach networking, events and business development, managing your online presence and establishing your brand.

Tom Elliott is Associate Director at ING Media, a leading PR and communications agency based in Shoreditch working across design, architecture, property and regeneration. With a broad client portfolio that includes some of the most significant names in the field, ING aims not merely to promote the work of its clients, but to explore and lead global conversations about architecture, design and development and to forge productive relationships within and beyond those sectors.

Alternative careers: Regeneration and Planning
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Date: 7 April 2016
Time: 6.30PM
Location: Ing Media, 44-46 Scrutton Street, London EC2A 4HH
Tickets: £15
Speakers:
Fiona Davies, Planning Officer, Camden Council
Levent Kerrimol, Principal Regeneration Officer, GLA, and founder of Our London
Andrea Klettner (chair), ING Media

Successful urban regeneration and planning require the commitment of the designer, the client, political leaders, and society at large, to help economic growth as well as achieve the social and environmental aspirations of all parts of the community. In this context, architects working within local authorities have helped find new ways to invest in design to champion and enable high-quality regeneration, as well as demonstrate the value of strategic long-term planning. In this Alternative Careers in Architecture talk you will hear why architects have made the move from working in architecture to local government, and how their education in architecture has impacted their careers.

Making the Most of Social Media ​for Architects
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Session one: 3 March 2016
Session two: 10 March 2016
Time: 6PM - 8PM
Location: Saint-Gobain Innovation Centre, 
95 Great Portland St, London W1W 7NY

Today, an active use of social media plays a big role in growing your business and developing your marketing strategy. However, many practices need help in effectively implementing social media tools in their day-to-day work.
This two-session workshop, will teach architects how to best utilise social media for their business, with a strong focus on Twitter. You will learn how to define and engage with an audience, set goals, and develop and implement a social media strategy for your business. The workshops will be presented By Tom Ravenscroft, Deputy editor Construction Manager, founder TBA media, IBP Multi­media Journalist of the Year, 2013, and shortlisted IBP Construction Writer of the Year, 2015.

Session 1
In the first session of this practical programme we will outline all of the functions of Twitter and its appropriate business uses. We will run through the practical steps needed to manage and utilise your social media to benefit your practice. We will learn how to define and engage with an audience, gain followers, and most importantly learn what to post.
 
• Benefits of social media
• How to use Twitter
• Functions of Twitter
• Appropriate use of Twitter
• Identifying your audience
• Building a following
• What to tweet
• Common mistakes
• Increasing engagement
 
Session 2
The second session of will concentrate on managing your social media as a business. We will learn how to develop and implement a social media strategy, discover how to practically manage your accounts and maintain momentum to gain long-term benefit.
 
• Managing your account
• Who tweets
• Measurement and goals
• Sustainable management
• Tools for management
• Strategy for the future

Alternative Careers In Architecture With Chris Romer-Lee And Carl Turner
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Date: 8 December 2015
Time: 6.30PM - 8.30PM
Location:
 ING Media, 44-46 Scrutton St, London EC2A 4HH
Speakers: 
Andrea Klettner (Chair), ING Media
Carl Turner, founding Director of Carl Turner Architects
Chris Romer-Lee, Co-founder of Studio Octopi


Are you an architect or architecture student, and feel you don’t want to follow a conventional career path? MoA Academy presents a new series of talks titled “Alternative Careers in Architecture” that might offer tips and hints on how to carve a career that is tailored for the type of work that you’d like to do. For our first session on 8 December 2015, Chris Romer-Lee of Studio Octopi and Carl Turner of Carl Turner Architects, will be speaking about their self-initiated, commissioned and managed projects Thames Baths and Pop Brixton.

MoA Academy Workshop
How to start a practice with Simon Foxell

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Date: 26 November 2015
Time: 6.00PM - 9.00PM
Location: Arup
 

If you are considering starting a practice you need to make a plan.  What are your aims and motivations, strengths and weaknesses, how do you use these to shape your new venture and what are your chances of making it work?
​Building on his successful book “Starting a Practice: A Plan of Work”,  Simon Foxell will outline how to approach starting a business as if it were a design project, complete with briefing, sketch layouts and delivery. Held on 26 November 2015, this three-hour practical session will teach you how to build a practice that matches the kind of work you want to do. You will be asked to think about the opportunities for new practices and what kind of business you would like to establish before developing a viable business proposition. 

MoA Book Club
​Roger Zogolovitch: Shouldn't we all be developers?

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Date: 12 November 2015
Time: 6.30PM - 8.30PM
Location: Michaelis Boyd Associates, London

This October, Museum of Architecture launches its first Book Club, a monthly series where we will discuss books exploring entrepreneurship and innovation in architecture. For the inaugural Book Club, Roger Zogolovitch will introduce his recently published book 'Shouldn’t we all be developers?'
Shouldn’t We All Be Developers articulates Roger Zogolovitch’s vision for recognition of the independent and creative developer playing their part to generate supply of new homes in the UK and beyond to meet population demand. Housing as a human right is the premise. The book draws on his experience of building on gap sites in London, examining each part of the interconnected development story, within a historical context and offering radical solutions to generate supply. The book argues for a movement for good development by independent producers: entrepreneurs who can unlock the potential of underdeveloped sites to meet supply without needing to build over greenbelt. It is ‘the book housebuilders don’t want you to read’.

MoA Academy Talk 
Intellectual Property Rights For Architects 

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Date: 24 September 2015 
Time: 6.30PM - 8.30PM
Location: Saint-Gobain Innovation Centre


From moral rights of the architect to copyright protection laws in the UK, there is ever greater need for architects to understand how to protect their work. In this lecture, Gavin Llewellyn, Senior Associate in the Corporate and Commercial team at Stone King, will focus on key topics central to the protection of works of architecture through intellectual property rights. 

Gavin's practice covers a broad range of IP rights with a particular focus on brand and design protection, exploitation and on helping clients deal with contentious issues and business risks related to IP. He has a wealth of expertise in the areas of copyright, design rights, trade marks, passing off, database rights, domain names, image rights and the developing law of privacy/confidence, as well as the growing area of IP risks arising from the use of social media. Gavin will share his knowledge on how design rights can be infringed and the necessary steps for architects to take to protect their work.

MoA Academy Workshop 
Making The Most Of Social Media For Architects

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First session: 24 June, 6-8pm, Saint Gobain Innovation Centre
Second session: 2 July, 6-8pm, The Cube


The workshops will be presented By Tom Ravenscroft – Deputy editor Construction Manager, founder TBA media, IBP Multi­media Journalist of the Year, 2013.

With a focus on Twitter we will outline the importance of engaging with and using online tools for a modern business and run through the practical steps needed to manage and utilise your social media to benefit your practice. We will learn how to define and engage with an audience, set goals, and then develop and implement a social media strategy for your business.


Workshop 1:
Getting started, finding your voice and engaging your target audience
• Benefits of social media
• Identifying your audience
• What to tweet
• Increasing engagement
• Growing your following

Workshop 2:
Maintaining momentum and gaining longterm benefit
• Measurement and goals
• Sustainable management
• Strategy for the future

Course
The Architect As Property Developer  

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Presented by Chris Roche of 1104 Architects, author of Property Developer’s Handbook.

+ Introduction – Chris Roche – Architect, Developer and Author will give an overview of the role of an architect as property developer.
+ The Development Appraisal – Architects trade on knowledge and experience, and the Development Appraisal provides the basis for more successful fee negotiations with clients.
+ Development Consultancy – Sharing the risk and the reward – how to increase your fees by 50%.
+ Self-Build & Co-Housing – How to create opportunities to Design & Develop.
 
Chris Roche is an award winning architect, author, and founder of 11.04/Creative.Intelligent.Design.

Through professional creativity he has made a modest living as an architect, and through the application of market intelligence he has made a reasonable profit as a property developer.

His new book Property Developer’s Handbook (Haynes 2014) is a practical, step by step guide to maximising profit and minimising risk through design.


Museum of Architecture
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The Museum of Architecture (MoA) is a charity dedicated to finding new ways for the public to engage with architecture and to encouraging entrepreneurship within architectural practice to stimulate learning, collaboration and action.
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