Name: Chris Riley
Job title: Director, Edward Architects
What I do: I’m a director at Edward Architects, an award-winning practice with studios in Leeds and London. We work across a range of sectors, but my specialism sits within the residential sector where I help housebuilders, affordable housing providers and main contractors to deliver new homes across the country. This involves preparing initial housing layouts for land bids, navigating through the planning system and helping to deliver projects with construction drawings and resolving issues as they arise on site.
Why I got into the property industry: I always had a keen interest in design and buildings, I was always doodling and my notebooks are still full of scribbles today. I remember designing and building a football stadium for an art project at school which combined my two biggest passions.
How I did it: Unlike a lot of people I had a pretty clear idea as a teenager what I wanted to do, and I tailored my education choices at school and college to achieve my goal of becoming an architect. I moved to Leeds in 2003 to study architecture at university, the qualification took seven years, and a lot of late nights and hard work to complete.
My first proper job: The pathway to becoming an architect at the time was quite rigid and required an undergraduate degree and a post graduate degree with 12 months experience in practice sandwiched between. After graduating I was lucky enough to get a placement at a practice in Leeds which was my first real taste of the profession. I was given fantastic experience and absorbed everything I could, helped by some great people who took the time to mentor me. I met some fantastic people who I’m still good friends with today.
My first big break: I finished my postgraduate degree in 2009 as the country was in a recession, which hit the construction industry hard. With the uncertainty in the market, jobs were hard to come by, leading to some of my university colleagues changing career paths entirely. I was lucky enough to be given an opportunity to take a position at Edward Architects where I had spent a few months gaining experience the previous summer. The company was relatively young and small at that time which presented a great opportunity for me to get real hands-on experience in a client-facing role. I was supported through the final part of my qualification to become a chartered architect, and I’ve been with the practice ever since, growing with the company which is now one of the more established architects practices in Leeds.
My inspiration(s): My late grandfather was a huge inspiration. He returned from serving his country and set up a business, which he went on to grow and run successfully for decades. He was a devout family man with seven children and served as the local mayor when I was a young boy. He was hugely respected, and a real people-person who had time for anyone.
The biggest challenge I’ve encountered to date: I trained to be an architect; to design buildings and places, so becoming a director at a relatively young age meant stepping out of my comfort zone and learning how to lead a team and run a business. This was, and still is a big challenge, but an enjoyable one.
My greatest achievement/proudest moment to date: Finally achieving my goal and qualifying as an architect and then becoming a director at Edward Architects was a great achievement, and seeing a project that I’ve designed be built will always make me proud. Away from work my proudest moments have been the birth of my two children which I don’t think will be surpassed.
My biggest bugbear about the industry/the one thing I would change about the industry: The planning system can be incredibly frustrating, and stifles development. I would like to see reform to the system including a more streamlined process and collaborative approach that encourages sustainable development.
Why I’m so passionate about DE&I: Architecture has traditionally been a very male-dominated profession. Even when I started university just over 20 years ago, the male/female student ratio was very unbalanced. When we recruit now it’s clear to see that this is being redressed as we get a much more diverse range of applicants. Everybody deserves an equal chance to succeed and this is something that we are passionate about at Edward Architects. A diverse workplace is conducive to a creative environment which allows a broader range of views and experiences, enabling us to learn from each other and grow as people and professionals
Where I’d like to be in five years’ time career-wise: I hope to have helped Edward Architects succeed in its growth plan and would love to see some of my more junior colleagues complete their qualifications and develop their careers with the practice.
Who I’d invite, living or dead, to a dinner party: This isn’t the most high-brow answer, but I think Bob Mortimer would be great company.
What I do in my downtime: I have a young family so a lot of my downtime is spent with them. I’m a huge football fan and have a season ticket at Burnley FC which is a labour of love. I also enjoy a round of golf in the summer, although I seem to be getting worse.
The job I’d be doing if I was not doing this: That’s a tough one. As this is the only industry I know, I think property development would be rewarding. I’m happy to put a shift in and like to learn new, practical skills.
My advice for someone just starting out: Don’t worry, work hard, be honest, and believe in yourself.
