Architecture attracts people with a hugely diverse range of aptitudes, from those who excel at running a business to those who love nothing more than getting stuck into a tender package or resolving a technical challenge on site. And by its very nature it has an appeal that cuts across academic disciplines. It’s this mix that lies at the core of the profession’s strength. Indeed, what many architects love most about their job is its diversity and the opportunity it provides to be challenged daily in so many different ways.

Unsurprisingly, these broad interests sometimes lead architecture graduates to leave traditional practice behind to pursue other parallel career paths. Some move into film, project management, law, and a myriad of other areas. In their minds they remain connected to architecture, but the architectural profession spurns them as outcasts. But what if rather than forcing these free spirits to leave “architecture” behind, the architectural profession was able to expand its definition of professional practice to accommodate more of them within a new conception of what it is to be an architect?

…