{"id":6851,"date":"2025-05-20T05:09:28","date_gmt":"2025-05-20T05:09:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bespokecareers.com\/?p=6851"},"modified":"2025-06-09T16:31:07","modified_gmt":"2025-06-09T16:31:07","slug":"keir-regan-alexander-on-the-future-of-architecture-ai-and-finding-your-niche","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bespokecareers.com\/articles\/keir-regan-alexander-on-the-future-of-architecture-ai-and-finding-your-niche\/","title":{"rendered":"Keir Regan-Alexander on the future of architecture, AI, and finding your niche"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>With over 15 years of design experience in top London practices, Keir shares his journey from architect to AI consultant, revealing how AI is changing the way architects work.<\/p>\n<p>We cover everything from early career influences and design school experiences at Liverpool and Westminster to the pressures of running a practice and the challenges of embracing new tech.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"How AI is Transforming the Role of the Architect - Keir Regan-Alexander\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Te9yJ1Kthb8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3 data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\">Why architecture?<\/h3>\n<p>You can\u2019t switch it off, can you? Once you have the architecture brain. Walking into this room I was registering all of the finishes, all of the furniture, the various things. The same with the building. I was noticing the atrium detailing and the ring beam. I think as soon as I got an eye for it, it became a bit of an obsession.<\/p>\n<h3>On early influences&#8230;<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-6854 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1000024449-e1747688001460-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1000024449-e1747688001460-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1000024449-e1747688001460-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1000024449-e1747688001460-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1000024449-e1747688001460-768x769.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1000024449-e1747688001460.jpg 1183w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>I remember being taken to cultural places by my dad, like galleries or theatres, and feeling different in those sorts of buildings. I didn\u2019t really think it was for me. I was into music and art and then I did quite well at science at school. My dad, who\u2019s a doctor, said you should be a doctor. But I wasn\u2019t very good at chemistry and I don\u2019t think my heart was in it.<\/p>\n<p>I remember my sister saying in the car one day she wanted to be an architect. I didn\u2019t really know what it was. Then she said, you know, like Tom Selleck in Three Men and a Baby. And I was like, oh yeah, that does seem like a cool job.<\/p>\n<p>Then my career adviser said something similar. They were looking at what I was good at. I was very into graphic design. Then I got into engineering, took a gap year, and finally landed on architecture.<\/p>\n<h3>On Liverpool vs Westminster&#8230;<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-6861 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Untitled-design-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Keir Graduation\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Untitled-design-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Untitled-design-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Untitled-design-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Untitled-design-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Untitled-design.jpg 1900w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>At Liverpool, it very much looked and felt like I thought an architecture education should \u2013 studio culture, drawing boards, making models, fantastic friends.<\/p>\n<p>Westminster, on the other hand, was way more avant-garde. The studios had very different remits. You could be postmodern for a year, then parametric the next.<\/p>\n<p>I think I got a good balance. I\u2019m quite glad I got a mix.<\/p>\n<h3>On joining AHMM&#8230;<\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_6857\" style=\"width: 1034px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6857\" class=\"wp-image-6857 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AHMM_Yellow-Building_Photo-by-Tim-Soar-e1747687881534-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AHMM_Yellow-Building_Photo-by-Tim-Soar-e1747687881534-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AHMM_Yellow-Building_Photo-by-Tim-Soar-e1747687881534-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AHMM_Yellow-Building_Photo-by-Tim-Soar-e1747687881534-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AHMM_Yellow-Building_Photo-by-Tim-Soar-e1747687881534-768x769.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AHMM_Yellow-Building_Photo-by-Tim-Soar-e1747687881534.jpg 1427w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-6857\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Yellow Building atrium space. Photo by Tim Soar.<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"140\" data-end=\"344\">It was a baptism of fire. I went in as a Part 1 and I was definitely the youngest in the whole practice. I think there were only two Part 1s that year. I\u2019m still friends with James, who was the other one.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"346\" data-end=\"817\">At AHMM, it was a time of huge growth. When I joined, there were about 75 people. Not long after, it jumped to 100. It felt incredibly exciting. They put me on this amazing office project \u2013 the Yellow Building on Latimer Road, which was Monsoon Accessorize\u2019s headquarters. The building was topping out when I joined, and I basically got to work on it on site. I was thrown straight into it \u2013 packages, subcontractor information, the nitty-gritty detail. It was brilliant.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"819\" data-end=\"1127\">What really stuck with me from AHMM is how well-run the place was. It was a proper design machine. At the time \u2013 and I think it\u2019s still true \u2013 they had a system for everything. They were obsessed with not just doing something well once, but making sure it could be done well again.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1309\" data-end=\"1637\">What I took from that time was a deep understanding of how good systems make practice better. That mindset \u2013 of always asking how to improve, how to refine \u2013 has stayed with me. It\u2019s a big part of what I do now: helping practices think like engines. How do you keep them running well? How do you tweak things so they run better?<\/p>\n<h3>On Fielden Fowles&#8230;<\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_6865\" style=\"width: 1034px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6865\" class=\"wp-image-6865 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Feilden-Fowles_Project-1-1024x660.jpg\" alt=\"The Lee Centre \u2013 a cross-laminated timber hub for science learning at Ralph Allen School, blending natural materials with a flexible, university-style layout.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"660\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Feilden-Fowles_Project-1-1024x660.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Feilden-Fowles_Project-1-300x194.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Feilden-Fowles_Project-1-768x495.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Feilden-Fowles_Project-1-1536x991.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Feilden-Fowles_Project-1.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-6865\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Lee Centre \u2013 a cross-laminated timber hub for science learning at Ralph Allen School, blending natural materials with a flexible, university-style layout.<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"88\" data-end=\"353\">A friend was working there and I was really excited by what they were doing. It was early days. The studio was in this freezing cold warehouse in Hackney. Fergus Feilden let me come in and help out with a few things, and then they hired me as a Part 2.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"355\" data-end=\"609\">At that time, there wasn\u2019t a single Part 3 in the whole practice. We were all Part 2s. It was such a young studio. Their attitude was just: get on with it, we\u2019ll figure it out. Which obviously came with risk and a fair amount of stress. It was hard work.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"611\" data-end=\"815\">But being in a small practice, you end up doing everything. You become essential pretty quickly. I was given projects that were well beyond my experience level \u2013 and thankfully, I managed to deliver them well.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"817\" data-end=\"1135\">I did my Part 3 while I was there. What really stuck with me was the mindset: just get on with it, make it happen. The work was always high quality, and it still is. I always joke that the best thing that happened to Fielden Fowles was me leaving \u2013 they\u2019ve only gone from strength to strength since. Fabulous practice.<\/p>\n<h3>On Morris+Company&#8230;<\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_6866\" style=\"width: 1034px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6866\" class=\"wp-image-6866 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/MorrisCompany_Norton-Folgate_Project-that-took-10-years-1024x683.jpeg\" alt=\"Heritage-led transformation and contemporary extension within the Norton Folgate masterplan \u2013 a decade in the making.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/MorrisCompany_Norton-Folgate_Project-that-took-10-years-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/MorrisCompany_Norton-Folgate_Project-that-took-10-years-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/MorrisCompany_Norton-Folgate_Project-that-took-10-years-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/bespoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/MorrisCompany_Norton-Folgate_Project-that-took-10-years.jpeg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-6866\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Heritage-led transformation and contemporary extension within the Norton Folgate masterplan \u2013 a decade in the making.<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"139\" data-end=\"387\">Morris+Company was a great experience. The interesting thing is that Joe came from AHMM too, and at the time Morris+Co was still quite a young practice. It almost felt like a blend of AHMM and Fielden Fowles in terms of culture and ways of working.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"389\" data-end=\"605\">I\u2019d gone from big, to small, then to something in the middle. I joined as employee number 20, and by the time I left ten years later, the practice had grown to around 50 or 60 people. That growth period was exciting.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"607\" data-end=\"874\">Joe and I worked well together from the start, probably because of that shared AHMM background. I recognised the filing system on day one. We were still using MicroStation, which was a dream, and there were plenty of familiar faces on the team. It just felt familiar.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"876\" data-end=\"1301\">At that point, the studio had done a lot of beautiful private houses and smaller projects, and they were starting to be noticed by bigger clients \u2013 PLCs and institutions. That meant a shift towards more complex projects, commercial risk, and scale. That\u2019s where I came in. I ended up working on a lot of the larger jobs. One of them was actually only completed last year \u2013 nearly ten years in the making. That\u2019s architecture.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1303\" data-end=\"1693\">If I were giving advice to younger architects, I\u2019d say it\u2019s important to experience different types of practice. They all have distinct cultures. I wanted to be part of something fast-moving, and that\u2019s what drew me to Morris+Company. I\u2019d seen their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.morrisand.company\/work\/ortus\">Ortus building in Denmark Hill<\/a> and knew I wanted to be part of what they were doing. It felt like they were about to take off \u2013 and they did.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1695\" data-end=\"1896\">They\u2019ve managed to balance commercial growth with design integrity, which not many practices pull off. Obviously, they went through a difficult period with the breakup, but they\u2019ve continued to evolve.<\/p>\n<h3>On the break up&#8230;<\/h3>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"174\" data-end=\"410\">It was a really stressful time. A difficult period for everyone involved \u2013 Joe, Mary, and the rest of us. I was a co-director then, along with David, Miranda, and Charlotte. We were all tasked with helping steer the practice through it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"412\" data-end=\"655\">It was disruptive, for obvious reasons. There were a lot of tough meetings. But we got through it. Everyone did. Things like that happen in practice \u2013 it&#8217;s not always smooth sailing. You just have to keep asking, <em data-start=\"625\" data-end=\"639\">what\u2019s next?<\/em> and keep going.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"657\" data-end=\"896\">Mary went on to set up her own practice and has done brilliant work. We&#8217;re all still in touch. And looking back, it makes sense that the practices went in different directions. You can see the different visions in the work that came after.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"898\" data-end=\"1130\">From our side, that was the start of Morris+Company. I was heavily involved in shaping that, along with the others. It was a chance to reposition the studio \u2013 to clarify what kind of work we wanted to do, and how we wanted to do it.<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"1132\" data-end=\"1164\"><strong data-start=\"1132\" data-end=\"1164\">On the name &#8216;Morris+Company&#8217;&#8230;<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1166\" data-end=\"1361\">That name came quite late in the process. We had a long list of other options \u2013 some of them I\u2019m very glad we didn\u2019t go with. For a few weeks we were even called something else. I won\u2019t say what.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1363\" data-end=\"1541\">We were trying to avoid a \u2018name-name\u2019 studio. But then Miranda said, <em data-start=\"1432\" data-end=\"1522\">\u201cHang on \u2013 there\u2019s a reason Duggan Morris had cachet. People come to us because of Joe.\u201d<\/em> And she was right.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1543\" data-end=\"1719\">So the idea was: Joe is the figurehead, the creative lead. And the \u2018+Company\u2019 part is about shared voices, collective leadership, open culture. That was really important to us.<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"1543\" data-end=\"1719\">On leadership values&#8230;<\/h3>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"134\" data-end=\"308\">For me, what you do matters more than what you say. It\u2019s about showing up and leading by example. If something goes wrong, you take responsibility \u2013 you don\u2019t pass the blame.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"310\" data-end=\"601\">I definitely made mistakes early on. When I started overseeing people and running projects, I fell into micromanaging. It wasn\u2019t effective. It came from stress and inexperience, and it\u2019s such a common trap when people first step into leadership. They think they need to control every detail.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"603\" data-end=\"802\">Over time, I learned to let go of that. We had incredibly talented people, and the best thing you can do is trust them. Be available when they need support, but give them the space to get on with it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"804\" data-end=\"1006\">I always believed in doing, not just saying. That\u2019s the culture I tried to build. And I genuinely liked the people I worked with. That helps too. When you\u2019ve got great teams, it makes everything easier.<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"159\" data-end=\"197\"><strong data-start=\"159\" data-end=\"197\">On and the leap into AI&#8230;<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"199\" data-end=\"398\">In my family, there are people in tech and AI, so we&#8217;d been talking about it for over a decade. I kept thinking, <em data-start=\"312\" data-end=\"353\">when is this going to hit architecture?<\/em> And 2022 felt like the year it actually did.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"400\" data-end=\"724\">In the five years before that, I was quietly building this second track. You could call them side hustles or obsessions \u2013 coding in Python, doing evening courses in product management, exploring algorithmic trading, even trying to predict the next Michelin-star restaurants using stats. All tech-heavy, curiosity-led stuff.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"726\" data-end=\"1027\">One of those projects was a Passive House retrofit tool. I worked on it with two friends, one of whom has gone on to build a startup in that space. Around then, my brother-in-law said, <em data-start=\"911\" data-end=\"959\">\u201cYour niche is clearly architecture and tech.\u201d<\/em> At the time I hated that idea \u2013 it sounded awful. But he was right.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1029\" data-end=\"1394\">Then in 2022, at Morris+Company, I got a trial of Delve, a Google tool for generative masterplanning. It didn\u2019t work particularly well. It was expensive. It felt like it had been built by people who didn\u2019t really understand how buildings and places work. But still \u2013 something clicked. I remember thinking: <em data-start=\"1347\" data-end=\"1394\">Give this five years and it\u2019ll be everywhere.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1396\" data-end=\"1631\">Not long after, ChatGPT dropped. I was on it the first day. Because of all those years of conversations and experiments, I could feel how big it was going to be. That was the moment I started seriously considering leaving architecture.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1633\" data-end=\"1841\">I had just finished five or six major projects. I had the dream role. And I was online looking at jobs in New York tech companies. It was a signal. I started asking myself: <em data-start=\"1806\" data-end=\"1840\">What if I followed this impulse?<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1843\" data-end=\"2147\">We were having long-term conversations at the practice about succession, structure, the future. And I realised: I could stay and do this for the next 30 years, or I could try something else. I told them, <em data-start=\"2047\" data-end=\"2147\">\u201cI\u2019m not sure if this is the fish I\u2019m going to catch. I think I need to go catch a different one.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"2149\" data-end=\"2293\">It felt mental at the time. Still does. But it\u2019s worked out \u2013 and if it hadn\u2019t, I\u2019d have just gone back to being an architect.<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"2300\" data-end=\"2339\"><strong data-start=\"2300\" data-end=\"2339\">On how practices are actually using AI&#8230;<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"2341\" data-end=\"2562\">I split what I do into two buckets: image and video, and text and data. For visuals, it\u2019s diffusion models like Midjourney or Stable Diffusion. For text, it\u2019s large language models \u2013 the stuff behind ChatGPT, Claude, etc.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"2564\" data-end=\"2854\">Some firms are going all in: rethinking how they write everything, how they design, how they operate. Others are more cautious \u2013 particularly on the design side \u2013 and I get that. That\u2019s actually why I set up Arka Works. I could see that this was going to touch the heart of studio culture.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"2856\" data-end=\"3153\">Many firms I work with don\u2019t want AI in design, but they\u2019re desperate for help with everything else: meeting notes, condition trackers, brief reviews, regulatory documents. Done right, language models are shockingly effective. And they make the job better \u2013 faster, yes, but also more satisfying.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"3155\" data-end=\"3392\">One example I love is transcription. You run a meeting, it identifies voices, tracks actions, writes minutes, updates the project logs. Suddenly, meetings have weight. People start speaking with more clarity. It improves the way we work.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"3394\" data-end=\"3621\">But there\u2019s a downside too. If AI is listening, some people will say less. Meeting culture could become more guarded \u2013 lots of <em data-start=\"3521\" data-end=\"3548\">\u201cI\u2019ll confirm that later\u201d<\/em> \u2013 with real decisions happening elsewhere. We\u2019ll have to watch for that.<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"3628\" data-end=\"3649\"><strong data-start=\"3628\" data-end=\"3649\">On launching Omnichat&#8230;<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"3651\" data-end=\"3905\">Omnichat came out of a chance meeting with Stephen, my co-founder. He\u2019s an AI engineer. We met on a panel, started talking, and hit on the same pain points: lack of privacy in tools like ChatGPT, inconsistent results, and poor fit with practice workflows.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"3907\" data-end=\"4057\">He showed me a prototype he was building, and I immediately said, <em data-start=\"3973\" data-end=\"4002\">\u201cThis is what people need.\u201d<\/em> We now use it with practices across the UK and Europe.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"4059\" data-end=\"4308\">It\u2019s one interface connected to multiple models \u2013 GPT, Claude, etc. \u2013 and you can switch between them depending on the task. Think of them like team members. GPT is more analytical. Claude handles nuance better. You choose the right one for the job.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"4310\" data-end=\"4546\">We also build standardised workflows. Instead of prompting ad hoc, like rummaging in the fridge for ingredients, we create repeatable processes \u2013 recipes. It\u2019s about consistency, reliability, and saving your brain for the creative bits.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"4548\" data-end=\"4742\">We\u2019ve mapped out around 80 typical tasks practices do. Things like fee proposals, award submissions, briefing documents \u2013 and we\u2019re now building agentic tools that run those tasks automatically.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"4744\" data-end=\"4895\">It\u2019s changed the way I think. I\u2019m now way more specialised in language models. Stephen tests every new release the day it comes out. We\u2019re moving fast.<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"4902\" data-end=\"4928\"><strong data-start=\"4902\" data-end=\"4928\">The future of practice<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"4930\" data-end=\"5166\">What\u2019s funny is that this has brought me full circle. Back to systems thinking. Back to the AHMM mindset: observe the engine, understand the moving parts, then improve it. Can you draw how you do bids? If not, it\u2019s not a system. Fix it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"5168\" data-end=\"5307\">Architecture is messy, real-world work. AI shouldn\u2019t remove us from that. It should help us be more present, more valuable, more effective.<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"5314\" data-end=\"5345\"><strong data-start=\"5314\" data-end=\"5345\">Advice for young architects<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"5347\" data-end=\"5550\">I find this hard. The future\u2019s murky. But if there\u2019s one thing I\u2019d say, it\u2019s this: be flexible. The title \u2018architect\u2019 can be a straitjacket. It carries ego and expectation. But the skillset? That\u2019s gold.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"5552\" data-end=\"5791\">We\u2019re trained to solve abstract problems, bring structure to chaos, tell a story from start to finish. That\u2019s useful anywhere. And we need to stop pretending we have to be the best at everything. That mindset is exhausting and unrealistic.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"5793\" data-end=\"5977\">Instead, ask yourself: <em data-start=\"5816\" data-end=\"5844\">How do I become essential?<\/em> In any context, any team, any role \u2013 what\u2019s the unique value you bring? That\u2019s the trick. And the way to answer it is changing fast.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"5979\" data-end=\"6293\">We need to be ready for the role of architect to shift. And we need to fight for the next generation to have better conditions than we did. Part 1 salaries today are barely higher than they were 15 years ago. That\u2019s not just. It\u2019s broken. Our institutions need to stop being agnostic and start being loud about it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"6295\" data-end=\"6489\">It\u2019s a tough time. But there are opportunities. You just need to know where you can make a difference \u2013 not where you\u2019ll impress other architects, but where you\u2019ll actually help. That\u2019s the job.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border-radius: 12px;\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/episode\/1K722BJHvWYHUD7Y6rbuWp\/video?utm_source=generator\" width=\"624\" height=\"351\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><iframe style=\"width: 100%; max-width: 660px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10px;\" src=\"https:\/\/embed.podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/how-ai-is-transforming-the-role-of-the-architect\/id1760778070?i=1000709091052\" height=\"175\" frameborder=\"0\" sandbox=\"allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We sit down with Keir-Regan Alexander, founder of Arka Works, to explore how AI is transforming architecture. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":6864,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","footnotes":""},"categories":[21,68,69,22,67],"tags":[],"location":[],"class_list":["post-6851","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","category-employers","category-jobseekers","category-podcast","category-students-and-graduates"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bespokecareers.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6851","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bespokecareers.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bespokecareers.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bespokecareers.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bespokecareers.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6851"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/www.bespokecareers.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6851\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6901,"href":"https:\/\/www.bespokecareers.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6851\/revisions\/6901"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bespokecareers.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/media\/6864"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bespokecareers.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6851"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bespokecareers.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6851"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bespokecareers.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6851"},{"taxonomy":"location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bespokecareers.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/location?post=6851"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}