After being made redundant three times in three years, Paul Testa built a resilient practice called HEM Architects and reveals why the business model of architecture might be fundamentally broken.

In this episode of The Broke Architect Podcast, I speak with Paul Testa, co-owner of HEM Architects, about the realities of building a sustainable architecture practice in the UK.

After being made redundant three times in three years, Paul was pushed into starting his own practice. Fifteen years later, HEM has grown into a 15-person studio built around systems, transparency, and resilience. Paul also co-owns JAM Structures, a three-person engineering firm that generates the same profit as HEM. raising serious questions about how architecture businesses operate.

We discuss open-book management, stopping free optioneering, the challenges of working in one of the UK’s poorest regions, and why running an architecture practice is still bloody tough, but worth it!

A candid conversation about the business of architecture and what it really takes to survive.