The One With... The Architect That Says the UK Has Lost Its Edge

Andrew Waugh co-founded Waugh Thistleton Architects nearly 30 years ago, straight out of college, and has spent his career pushing bio-based materials and low-carbon construction into an industry still dominated by concrete and steel. He's Alex's first architect guest on the show — a deliberate choice, given how much of the conversation about sustainable real estate happens downstream of decisions made right at the start of a project.The two get into what actually happens when an architect's original vision meets the financial reality of an investment-led development process — where it survives, where it gets quietly cost-engineered out, and whether that's inevitable. Andrew argues that most of what looks like compromise is really a failure to listen early, and that the UK's real blind spot isn't ambition — it's believing it's already ahead of Europe and the US on carbon.Listeners come away with a clearer view of where the friction in the design-to-delivery value chain actually sits, why a research-led architecture practice looks different from a design-led one, and what Andrew thinks needs to change in government policy before the rest of the industry follows.## Key Timestamps- **[00:02:00]** Andrew founded Waugh Thistleton straight out of university- **[00:04:00]** Why Alex wanted his first architect on the show- **[00:07:00]** Starting a practice in mid-1990s Hoxton on youthful confidence and energy- **[00:15:00]** Why Andrew avoids thinking about his own architectural legacy- **[00:16:00]** Designing for the people using a building now, not for how it will be remembered- **[00:20:00]** Why listening to budget and speed concerns early avoids compromise later- **[00:22:00]** Why most buildings are still concrete and glass despite new materials and AI- **[00:24:00]** The UK's blind spot: assuming it leads on sustainability when it's falling behind Europe and the US- **[00:29:00]** What London's historic architecture reveals about successful placemaking- **[00:33:00]** Why US planning authorities and cost consultants collaborate from day one, unlike the UK- **[00:38:00]** Why a third of Waugh Thistleton's turnover goes into pure research- **[00:39:00]** The real innovation isn't timber — it's industry acceptance and policy change- **[00:44:00]** The insurance quote that jumped 50% for choosing to build in timber- **[00:46:00]** Why the Hackitt Report's call to fix construction process became fixing regulations instead- **[00:53:00]** Andrew's message to sustainability teams: influence starts in the room, not just at board level- **[00:56:00]** Closing question — the one change Andrew would make: government-led low-carbon procurement- **[00:58:00]** Materials transparency: where does the sand, rebar and glass in your building actually come from- **[00:59:00]** Andrew's current frustration: wanting more collaboration across the investment and construction process## Organisations MentionedWaugh Thistleton Architects, Nuveen, RIBA, National Science Foundation, US Department of Agriculture, Department for Education (DfE), Network Rail, EU Horizon## Reports & Tools Mentioned- Building a Safer Future (the Hackitt Report): ---*The Future We Build is a podcast exploring sustainability, innovation and systemic change in the built environment, hosted by Alex Edds.*This is the final episode of Season 2. Filmed at 17 Hanover Square, Podcast Rooms, LondonProduced by Atalor## Follow the Show- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-future-we-build## Connect with Alex- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexedds## More About Our Guest- Andrew Waugh — LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-waugh-5b4b4a53/- Waugh Thistleton Architects — Website: https://waughthistleton.com/