Over the last few years, I have spent a lot of time with small and medium sized architecture practices and what continues to strike me is how much responsibility these firms carry, often with lean teams, limited overheads and a deep commitment to doing work that is both creative and contextually grounded.
They are delivering real impact in communities, public infrastructure, housing and education, yet at the same time, they are being asked to operate within a delivery framework that is become more technically demanding than ever.
The shift toward digital ways of working, such as BIM, 4D modelling, advanced visualisation and integrated documentation workflows is no longer a “nice to have.” It is the baseline expectation for many public and private sector projects. And while larger firms have the resources to embed these systems deeply into their operations, SMEs often do not.
That does not mean they do not have the ambition, it means they have not always been given the time, training or support to make it sustainable.
This is what keeps drawing me back to the same core question: How can we better support small and midsized practices to embrace digital delivery on their own terms without compromising their agility or identity?
It is easy to assume the answer is software. But giving a small studio another tool without the time, training or capacity to use it effectively, can actually add pressure rather than relieve it.
What smaller firms need is fit-for-purpose support that helps them work digitally in a way that aligns with how they already work creatively. That means recognising that a practice with five or 10 people may approach BIM differently to one with 100. It means helping firms integrate digital workflows incrementally, in ways that strengthen their output without overwhelming their operations.
In my experience, many of these practices are already working in incredibly sophisticated ways, but under the radar. They are solving real design problems, responding to community needs and iterating quickly with clients. The issue is that their digital delivery, especially around documentation, modelling and revisions does not always scale in step with their design quality.
The architectural landscape is at a crossroads. The pressure to do more with less has never been higher. Public and State procurement frameworks are more digitally structured. Planning and construction processes demand higher levels of coordination and compliance, and clients demand greater clarity, speed and precision in how projects are presented and delivered.
Without the right digital foundation, even the best ideas can get stuck in the system. But with the right support, whether through training, collaborative partnerships or flexible resourcing, small practices can unlock major advantages. They can deliver projects faster, present ideas more compellingly, collaborate more easily with consultants and perhaps most importantly, free up more time for the parts of practice that brought them into the profession in the first place: design, innovation and client relationships.
Supporting SME architecture practices is not just about helping them keep up. It’s about recognising their role in shaping the future of the built environment. These are the firms that are often first to take risks, first to reimagine typologies and closest to the communities they design for.
If they are not supported in making the digital transition, thoughtfully, sustainably and with their own ways of working in mind, we risk narrowing the field to only the biggest, most resourced players. That would be a loss for the entire industry.
As someone who works closely with these firms, I do not believe in one-size-fits-all solutions. But I do believe in collaboration, in long-term partnerships and in creating the conditions where small practices can thrive in a digital-first landscape without losing the very things that make them distinctive.
