01 / Starting a Practice
This year, DCA Architects of Transformation turns thirty. Over this series, I want to share some of what three decades of running an architecture practice in Aotearoa New Zealand have taught me: about starting out, about the business of architecture, about people, and about where our profession is heading.
When I look back at the beginning of my journey, becoming a designer almost feels inevitable. My father was a builder, and my grandfather was a cabinet maker. Long before I understood design theory or construction contracts, I was learning about materials, craftsmanship and problem solving on building sites and in workshops. Those experiences gave me an appreciation for making things with purpose and care.
Sport also played a significant role in shaping me. BMX and mountain biking taught me discipline, resilience and the value of setting ambitious goals. Every race was entered with the intention of winning. Business, I discovered later, was not so different. Play to win, lose graciously, learn quickly, and come back stronger.
My first professional role was with a startup commercial practice where I became the first employee at just twenty-one years old. It was an incredible opportunity during a period of rapid change. New building codes, the arrival of CAD technology, and increasingly complex projects meant I was learning at speed. By twenty-three, I was managing clients and delivering projects end to end. One of those projects, a modest industrial building, became the practice’s first New Zealand Institute of Architects (NZIA) award winner. It was a thrill.
The downside was burnout. I was determined to say yes to everything and everyone. Long hours became normal. Looking back, I pushed myself too far, but those years forged resilience and capability under pressure.
Ironically, I never planned to start a business. My wife did. She booked a meeting with an accountant, encouraged me to back myself, and within months I had resigned, set up an office in our garage, and started with zero clients and a baby due in three months. It was equal parts excitement and terror. My first client defaulted on payment. The 1997 financial crisis followed. We mortgaged everything we could and wondered whether we had made a terrible mistake. Those early years taught me a lesson I still hold today: success is rarely about confidence. It is about persistence when confidence runs out.
Stay tuned for Part 02: The Business of Architecture, learning that great architecture takes more than great design.