Build Studios

Winning New Work Through Tenders
2018-11-01 18:30 - 20:30 (Europe/London) | Build Studios, 203 Westminster Bridge Road,, London, SE1 7FR, United Kingdom
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

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. These sessions are your chance to ask lots of questions and get answers to help you become more successful.
Session one will cover:

When are tenders used?
The types of formats and how they should affect your approach
Public sector v Corporate/Commercial
Finding opportunities in your target sector
Carrying out effective analysis of the opportunity – can you win?
Answering the questions

There will be a small assignment (optional) for you to complete prior to Part Two
Session two will cover:

Evaluation & scoring systems
Pricing v Quality
What buyers want to hear about, including the unwritten requirements
Example questions and writing targeted responses (part 2)
Getting ready to bid

Finance for Architects
2018-10-11 18:30 - 20:30
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.
Workshop Part 1: Knowing Your Numbers

Demystifying your business accounts: the profit & loss account, the balance sheet, the difference between profit and cash.
Making investment decisions: understanding return on investment and how to create financial scenarios.

Workshop Part 2: Managing Your Numbers

Operational finance: best practice examples on how to manage financial performance
Building a commercial mindset: leadership behaviours and tips to increase profits and improve cash flow.

Public Relations for Architects
2018-09-27 18:30 - 20:30
PR is a key part of the business and marketing drive of any practice. Unfortunately, communication 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. This two-part workshop will tackle what PR means for architects and how to think about developing your external perception.
The first session will establish the fundamental basics of PR in the built environment, including the main communication channels that are available to architects, and will feature a series of successful case studies. Awareness of the market is important and so peers and competitors can be used to help define an approach for particular sectors and design approaches. By the end of the workshop, each participant should have a good understanding of how to communicate their practice and its projects to the outside world.
In the second workshop, the group will work on how to put this into everyday use via press releases and developing good relationships with relevant journalists. There are numerous events, awards and networking opportunities available to help access the industry and so this workshop will provide the building blocks for an adaptable PR strategy for the months and years ahead. It’s important to plan ahead for key opportunities and avoid time-wasting activity at all costs. ​

Write for Your Website: How to Turn What You Do Into Words
2018-09-13 18:30 - 20:30
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.
The first session will cover:

key strategies to make an impact with fewer words
simple tricks to draw out what makes your practice different
writing a practice profile and a bio which get to the heart of what you do.

The second session will cover:

ways to bring out the stories in your work
making the most of the words alongside the images
writing one complete project description.

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.
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.

The Alternative Architect - Launch & Talk
2018-06-27 18:30 - 20:30
The Alternative Architect is creating a resource that highlights the diverse and non-traditional career roles and routes that exist within and beyond the world of architecture. This launch event at Build Studios, as part of the London Festival of Architecture, will have talks from four Alternative Architects, a short discussion and the chance to stay and chat following this.
For full details and registering for a free ticket: Click here

Leadership Workshop for Associates
2018-06-06 18:30 - 20:30
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.
Due to the interactive nature of this workshop, enrolment is limited to 25 participants.
Facilitated by Innovia Partners
Innovia is a specialized management consultancy for creative businesses. Services include advisory and implementation of projects in the areas of strategy, finance, operations, talent and business development. Our team also develops and delivers leadership training programs for architectural and other creative practices.
This program will be facilitated by:
• Rowley Mossop, B(Architecture), MBA
• Russell Pollard, B(Leadership), MBA

Creating the Office Culture to Lead Your Team towards Transformation
2018-05-31 18:30 - 20:30
As architects we are tackling some of society’s current and future challenges through the places and future legacy we create for people. Architects and practices must evolve in order to stay relevant or to be overtaken by others. Loathe it or love it, change in our business is a fact of life, from adopting new technology to looking at ways we can make a difference to the lives of people who use our buildings and cities.
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.
Topics covered:

Manager or Leader: What’s your role?
Connecting with your vision and purpose
Creating the environment for creativity, and failure
Why compassion, and taking care of the heart and mind is a vital part of navigating change

About the lecturer:
Briony Lumb runs a purpose consultancy that helping real estate organisations define their purpose and create the next generation of purpose-driven leaders.

Winning and commissioning good work through collaboration
2018-04-26 18:00 - 20:30
Join high profile speakers and like-minded practitioners at this event to showcase the importance of collaboration in winning and commissioning good work.

Take away practical tips for your own business on how interesting (and unusual) partnerships can help you win work
Hear from those commissioning projects about the challenges they face and hear about good practice and new innovations that can improve the experience of the commissioning process and the quality of the end result

The event will be informal in style, but high impact in content. It will consider themes of risk, both in procuring and tendering for work, capacity to develop new business and how to overcome skills shortages.
Confirmed speakers include:

Kiran Pawar, Development Director – HB Reavis UK and Natalie Essa, Development Manager – HB Reavis UK
Chris Romer-Lee, Founder and Director, Studio Octopi, Thames Baths CIC and HMS Parliament, the floating parliament
Cathering Greig, Director, Make:Good
Dan Taylor, Regeneration Programme Manager, Southwark Council
Hannah Lambert, Associate, Public Practice
Dean Bové and Jon Miller, Co-Founders, Architects Republic
Russell Curtis, Director, RCKa architects, Mayor’s Design Advocate

Cost: FREE (Tickets are now SOLD OUT, but do contact to be placed on the waiting list). Refreshments will be served, with Japanese street food from Lower Marsh Market.
Timings: 6:00pm for a 6:30pm start.
RSVP to helen@buildstudios.co.uk by 29th March to register.

Who should attend:
Practitioners across the built environment sector, including private companies, public bodies, university practitioners and students. Both commissioners and implementers of public realm projects will be represented in the debate.
The event is delivered by Build Studios, London’s only co-working space for the built environment sector. We provide affordable workspace for new companies, business support and events, and promote a social give-back programme to broaden access to careers in the built environment sector. One of our core aims is to promote improved collaboration across and beyond the sector.
[Images: Thames Baths – Studio Octopi & Picture Plane. HMS Parliament – Studio Octopi, Beckett Rankine, Expedition Engineering, Jackson Coles, Houlder & Securewest. Westminster Bridge Road public art – Make:Good]
