Architect’s Pocket Book of

Modern Management and

Practice

This book is an easily digestible guide to the management

and practice knowledge needed to establish and run an
architectural practice. It is of particular interest to those starting
out in the profession and to students, whilst also being useful
to architects more widely who need succinct information
to assist them in the daily management of their work. The
book sits beside the Architect’s Legal Pocket Book providing
legal information and the Architect’s Pocket Book providing
guidance in design. It covers all the main management and
practice topics relevant to the running of an architectural
business including setting up the company, the profession,
project management, fees, office management, financial
management and teamwork. It also looks at the state of the
construction industry and the architectural profession today,
new forms of practice, and how the profession is changing.
The book is interweaved with pearls of wisdom and experience
and reflections from architects, bringing the topics to life and
aiding the reader’s understanding.

Ben Vickery is an architect with more than 35 years’

experience in architecture as a practice principal and as a
designer and manager of projects, including high-profile major
buildings in England and around the world. He runs his own
practice, Vickery Hyett Sports Architecture, alongside which he
teaches management at the University of Hertfordshire school
of architecture.
Architect’s Pocket Book of
Modern Management and
Practice
Ben Vickery
First published 2025
by Routledge
4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2025 Ben Vickery
The right of Ben Vickery to be identified as author of this work has been asserted
in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act
1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any
information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the
publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered
trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent
to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Vickery, Ben, author.
Title: The architect’s pocket book of modern management and practice /
Ben Vickery.
Description: Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge, 2025. |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2024037050 (print) | LCCN 2024037051 (ebook) |
ISBN 9781032355283 (hardback) | ISBN 9781032355276 (paperback) |
ISBN 9781003327288 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Architectural practice—Great Britain—Management—
Handbooks, manuals, etc.
Classification: LCC NA1996 .V53 2025 (print) | LCC NA1996 (ebook) |
DDC 720.23/41—dc23/eng/20240919
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2024037050
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2024037051

ISBN: 9781032355283 (hbk)

ISBN: 9781032355276 (pbk)
ISBN: 9781003327288 (ebk)

DOI: 10.4324/9781003327288
Typeset in Frutiger
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
To Susan and Sophie
Contents

Acknowledgementsxi
List of acronyms xiii
Definitionsxv

1 Introduction 1

Introduction to the construction industry

and the architectural profession 3

2 The construction industry 5

Introduction5
The Latham report 5
The Egan report 6
CDM7
Modern methods of construction (MMC) 7
The Grenfell Tower tragedy 8
The Hackitt report 8
The Morrell report 10
The Building Safety Act 2022 10
The diversity of the construction industry 11
Design-and-build (D&B) 12
Developing trends 12

3 The architectural profession 15

The architect 15
The RIBA and ARB 16
Forms of practice 19

Practice management 25

4 Setting up a practice 27
Introduction27
Pre-conditions28
The business plan 28
The structure of the practice 31
viii Contents

Insurance38
The practice name 40
Accounts41

5 Marketing and business development 43

Introduction43
Planning marketing and business
development46
Keeping in touch 47
Costs53
Review of the marketing and business
development plan 53
Winning a project 54

6 People management 59
Introduction59
Hiring60
The employment contract 63
Managing people 67
Leadership70

7 Finances 75
Introduction75
The practice finances 76
Project finances 86
Competitive tendering 92
VAT92
Inflation94
Invoicing94
Sub-consultants96
Ongoing project cost control 96

8 Environmental sustainability 99
Introduction99
The environmental sustainability policy 99
Communications100
The sustainable office 100
Environmental sustainability of projects 101
 Contents ix

Project management 107

9 Project delivery 109

Introduction109
The RIBA Plan of Work 109
The architect’s appointment 113
General principles of project communications 119
Project meetings 119
Project set-up 121
The RIBA Plan of Work stages 131

10 Planning 161
Introduction161
Planning in England 162
Planning in Scotland 170
Planning in Wales 171
Planning in Northern Ireland 171
Historic buildings 172

11 Building control and CDM 175

Introduction175
The Building Regulations 175
The process of building control 179
The Building Regulations application and approval
process in England and Wales 181
The Building Safety Act 2022 182
The building standards application and approval
process in Scotland 184
The Building Regulations application and approval
process in Northern Ireland 185
Construction health and safety (CDM) 185

12 Building contracts 187

Introduction187
Traditional contracts 188
Design-and-build contracts 189
Management contracts 192
Which contract type? 195
x Contents

The contract form 198

Managing a construction contract 201

13 Quality assurance 211

Introduction211
The office manual and office quality manual 212
Quality management systems (QMS) 215

14 Computing 217
Introduction217
Hardware217
Storage and backup 218
Production systems 220
Management and accounts systems 226

Bibliography231
Index235
Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank the people who have assisted
with the writing of this book including his colleagues at Vick-
ery Hyett architects, Paul Hyett, Jamie Hay and Jacob Steele;
Francis Henderson for his broad knowledge of management;
Chris Annis FCA at LB Group Chartered Accountants for assis-
tance with the financial chapter; Konrad Frankowski for input
on computing matters; Mark Lucas for reading and comment-
ing on the text; Stephen Barnshaw for assistance with building
control matters; Adrain Dobson at the RIBA for suggestions,
and Geraint John for proposing the subject of the book in the
first place.
Acronyms
AI Artificial Intelligence
ARB The Architects Registration Board
BIM Building Information Modelling
BRE The Building Research Establishment
BREEAM Building Research Establishment Environmental
Assessment Method
BSI The British Standards Institution
BSR The Building Safety Regulator established by the
Building Safety Act
CA Contract Administrator, a defined term in the
standard JCT construction contract
CDM Construction Design and Management
CPD Continuing Professional Development
GDPR General Data Protection Regulations
HMRC His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs
HR Human Resources
HRB Higher Risk Building. Defined in the Building Safe-
ty Act
HSE The Health and Safety Executive
IT Information Technology
JCT The Joint Contracts Tribunal
LABC Local Authority Building Control
LEED Leadership in Energy and Environmental De-
sign
LLP Limited Liability Partnership
MMC Modern Methods of Construction
NBS The National Building Specification
NPPF The National Planning Policy Framework
PII Professional Indemnity Insurance
QA Quality Assurance
QMS Quality Management System
QS Quantity Surveyor, a building cost consultant
RIBA The Royal Institute of British Architects
RIAS The Royal Institute of Architects in Scotland
xiv Acronyms

SBC 2016 The Standard Building Contract 2016 edition, pub-

lished by the JCT
VAT Value-Added Tax
VR Virtual Reality
Definitions
Cost plan: Building Cost Plan and Project Cost Plan

Building cost plan

The cost of the construction of a building normally including a

contractor’s overhead and profit.

Project cost plan

The cost of a building project including the cost of construc-

tion of the building plus all the other costs necessary to get
it designed, built and occupied – land purchase, consultants’
fees, client’s management costs, financing costs, planning fees
and costs, sales costs and the like.
Both of the aforementioned are prepared by the quantity sur-
veyor or cost consultant to identify the cost of the building
or project. They should not be confused with the building or
project budget – that is the figure, normally set by the client,
of the amount they want to spend. The project cost plan needs
to fit within the project budget.
Architects might also refer to their own internal cost plan for a
project as a ‘project cost plan’. This refers to the architectural
practice’s own cost of staff, project expenses and office over-
heads to carry out a project.
1
Introduction

An architect’s core competency is designing buildings, but in

order to get their designs built and to run a practice they also
need to be competent in management. There is much knowl-
edge to acquire and many skills to learn to manage a project
and a practice. The author intends that readers should become
competent in the management aspect of their profession and
even enjoy it.
This book is written as an easily digestible, ‘user-friendly’ guide
to setting up and running an architectural practice and archi-
tectural projects in the United Kingdom. As such, it covers
all the primary aspects of practice management and project
delivery, leaving design, and the design process, to many other
sources. It is based on the knowledge and experience of the
author reinforced by input from various specialists.
It is intended to be of particular interest to those starting out
in practice and to students, whilst also being useful to all those
architects who need succinct information and guidance to
assist them in the daily management of their work. It therefore
includes useful information in an easily accessible format to
assist architects with the daily management of their work and
to give advice based on experience where possible.
The reader should note that much of the information from
external sources mentioned in the text changes regularly,
notably regulations and company and product information,
but also other government and commercial information and
guidance. The reader should always check the original source
information to confirm it.

DOI: 10.4324/9781003327288-1
2 Architect’s Pocket Book of Modern Management and Practice

References to books and other sources are offered throughout

the text which will assist the reader where further information
and guidance are required. The legal background to liability,
company forms and other aspects of architects’ work is not
explained here as it can be found in other texts referred to in
the bibliography.
This Architect’s Pocket Book of Modern Management and
Practice sits alongside the Architect’s Legal Pocket Book [1] and
the Building Regulations Pocket Book [2] to which reference is
made throughout the text.

References
[1] Cousins, N. 2020. Architect’s Legal Pocket Book. Abingdon and
Oxfordshire: Routledge.
[2] Tricker, R. and Alford, S. 2023. Building Regulations Pocket
Book. Abingdon and Oxfordshire: Routledge.
Introduction
Cousins, N. 2020. Architect's Legal Pocket Book. Abingdon and
Oxfordshire: Routledge.
Tricker, R. and Alford, S. 2023. Building Regulations Pocket Book.
Abingdon and Oxfordshire: Routledge.

The construction industry

Latham, M. 1994. Constructing the Team. London: HMSO.
Egan, J. 1998. Rethinking Construction: Report of the Construction Task
Force. London: HMSO.
Egan, J. 2002. Accelerating Change: Consultation Paper by Strategic
Forum for Construction. London: HMSO.
National Audit Office Report. 2005. Using Modern Methods of
Construction to Build Homes More Quickly and Efficiently.
https://www.nao.org.uk/uploads/2005/11/mmc.pdf
The Grenfell Tower Inquiry. https://grenfelltowerinquiry.org.uk
Hackitt, D. J. 2018. Building a Safer Future, Independent Review of
Building Regulations and Fire Safety: Final Report. London: HMSO.
Morrell, P. and Day, A. 2023. Testing for a Safer Future, An
Independent Review of the Construction Products Testing Regime.
London: DLUHC.
The Building Safety Act 2022.
https://www.legislation.go.uk/ukpga/2022/30/contents/enacted

The architectural profession

Kaye, B. 1960. The Development of the Architectural Profession in
Britain. London: George Allen and Unwin Ltd.
The Royal Institute of British Architects. https://www.architecture.com
RIBA Business Benchmarking Report.
https://www.architecture.com/knowledge-and-resources/resources-
landing-page/business-benchmarking
The Community Interest Company Regulator.
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/office-of-the-regulator-of-
community-interest-companies
The Charity Commission Regulations for Charitable Incorporated
Organisations. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/charity-
commission-regulations-charitable-incorporated-organisations.
B Corporations. https://www.b-corporation.net

Setting up a practice
The Law Society. https://www.lawsociety.org.uk
The Law Society of Scotland. https://www.lawscot.org.uk
The Law Society of Ireland. https://www.lawsociety.ie
Speaight, K. C. A. and Thorne, M. 2021. Architect's Legal Handbook:
The Law for Architects. Abingdon and Oxfordshire: Routledge.
Companies House, Template Memorandum of Association.
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/memorandum-of-
association-templates-for-limited-companies
Model Articles of Association for Limited Companies.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/model-articles-of-association-for-limited-
companies
Companies House, Community Interest Company Model Constitution.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/community-interest-
companies-consitutions
Information on Setting Up a Charity. https://www.gov.uk/setting-up-
charity
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales.
www.icaew.com
The Institute of Charter ed Accountants of Scotland. www.icas.com
Chartered Accountants Ireland. www.charteredaccountants.ie

Marketing and business development

The Information Commissioner's Office . https://ico.org.uk

People management
The Employment Section of the UK Government.
https://www.gov.uk/browse/working
The Labour Relations Agency. https://www.lra.org.uk
Job Advertisement Through the RIBA. https://jobs.architecture.com
Information About International Employment Sponsor Licences.
https://www.gov.uk/uk-visa-sponsorship-employers
Finances
Farrall, P. and Brookhouse, S. 2021. Good Practice Guide: Fees.
London: RIBA Publishing.
The Fees Bureau . https://thefeesbureau.co.uk/architects
RIBA Fee Calculator . https://www.architecture.com/digital-practice-
tools/riba-fee-calculator
https://arb.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Architects-Code-2017.pdf

Environmental sustainability
COSHH: Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002
(as amended in 2004) – General Enforcement Guidance and Advice –
OC 273/20. hse.gov.uk
BREEAM . https://bregroup.com/products/breeam/how-breeam-works/
US Green Building Council . https://www.usgbc.org
Green Building Council of Australia . https://new.gbca.org.au/green-
star/exploring-green-star/),
French Association Pour la Haute Qualité Environnementale .
https://www.hqegbc.org
The Passivhaus Trust . https://www.passivhaustrust.org.uk

Project delivery
RIBA Plan of Work . https://architecture.com/knowledge-
andresources/resources-landing-page/riba-plan-of-work
Ostime, N. 2020. RIBA Job Book. London: RIBA Publishing.
RIBA . 2020. RIBA Standard Professional Services Contract 2020:
Architectural Services. London: RIBA Publishing.
Speight, K. C. A. and Thorne, M. 2021. Architect's Legal Handbook: The
Law for Architects. Abingdon and Oxfordshire: Routledge.
Cousins, N. 2020. Architect's Legal Pocket Book. Abingdon and
Oxfordshire: Routledge.
The NBS (National Building Specification) . https://www.thenbs.com
Planning
The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development)
(England) Order 2015.
The Website for Planning Applications in England.
www.planningportal.co.uk
The Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment)
Regulations 2017.
The Town and Country Planning (Development Management
Procedure) (England) Order 2015.
The Planning (Scotland) Act 2019.
The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development and
Use Classes) (Scotland) Miscellaneous Amendment Order 2023.
Scottish Government Planning Application. https://www.eplanning.scot
Welsh Government Planning Application. https://www.gov.wales/apply-
planning-permission
Northern Irish Government Planning Application.
https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/making-planning-application.
The Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Ar eas) Act 1990.
The List. https://historicengland.org.uk/
Listed Buildings in W ales. https://cadw.gov.wales/advice-support/cof-
cymru/search-cadw-records
Listed Buildings in Scotland.
https://www.historicenvironment.scot/advice-and-support/listing-
scheduling-and-designations/listed-buildings/search-for-a-listed-building/
Setting up a Listed Building Heritage Partnership Agreement, Historic
England Advice Note 5, Historic England, November 2015.

Building control and CDM

Health Building Notes. https://www.england.nhs.uk/estates/health-
building-notes/
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/school-design-and-
construction/
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/primary-and-secondary-
school-design/
The Building Safety Act 2022.
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2022/30/section/33/enacted
Building contracts
The Joint Contracts Tribunal . www.jctltd.co.uk
The Scottish Building Contracts Committee . www.sbcconline.com
The Royal Society of Ulster Architects . www.rsua.org.uk

Quality assurance
ISO 9001:2015. Quality Management Systems, Requirements.
www.iso.org
Standard Professional Services Contract 2020. London: RIBA
Publishing.
RIBA Chartered Practice Quality Management System .
https://www.architecture.com/knowledge-and-resources/resources-
landing-page/chartered-practice-toolbox

Computing
Norton . https://uk.norton.com
McAfee . https://www.mcafee.com
Rhino: Rhinoceros by Robert McNeel and Associates (TLM, Inc.) .
www.rhino3d.com
SketchUp: SketchUp by Trimble . https://www.sketchup.com
Revit . https://www.autodesk.co.uk/products/revit/
UK BIM Framework . https://ukbimframework.org
Bentley MicroStation . https://www.bentley.com/software/microstation/
Autodesk 3ds Max . https://www.autodesk.co.uk/products/3ds-max/
Lumion . https://lumion.com
V-Ray . https://www.chaos.com/3d-rendering-software
Blender . https://www.blender.org
ArchiCAD . https://www.graphisoft.com/solutions/archicad/
Cinema 4D . https://www.maxon.net/en/cinema-4d/
Enscape . https://enscape3d.com
Xero . https://www.xero.com
QuickBooks . https://quickbooks.intuit.com
Sage . https://www.sage.com
FreeAgent . https://www.freeagent.com
Timesheet Portal . https://www.timesheetportal.com
CMap . https://www.cmap.io
Harvest . https://www.getharvest.com
Scoro . https://www.scoro.com
Monday.com. https://monday.com
Asana . https://asana.com
Deltek . https://www.deltek.com
GanttPRO . https://ganttpro.com
Portfolio Manager by Tempo, formerly called LiquidPlanner .
https://www.liquidplanner.com
Primavera P6 . https://www.oracle.com/uk/construction-
engineering/primavera-P6/
BambooHR . https://www.bamboohr.com/g2/
Adobe . https://www.adobe.com

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