Drawing on the creative life

"I pushed roller chairs outside casinos in Atlantic City. I made enough money to travel America"

Paul Rodgers had to go to Hong Kong to kick-start his career after finding himself working in a call centre in the 1990s

What does your organisation do? We're an international architectural practice.

What does your average working day involve?

Leading the design work of the Edinburgh studio and working closely with our offices in Glasgow, Dubai, Shanghai and Hong Kong on our UK and international projects. We cover a wide spectrum of design both in terms of scale and project type. Over the past few years we have completed important work for our clients in Scotland and England, such as Edinburgh Napier University's new faculty building and Eco-Space in Dunfermline, which won a Scottish design award for sustainable design. We also work on commercial, public and education projects in the Middle and Far East. This year I've spent a quarter of my time in the Far East; its a significant growth area for us. No matter how busy I am, I always make sure I spend time talking with our design teams, drawing through ideas and touching base on how projects are progressing.

First senior job?

I worked as a designer on two cinema projects in Kowloon, Hong Kong, themed around Chinese opera characters and close to where Bruce Lee had his first kung fu school. I didn't have access to a PC so everything was pen and paper. It was designed, drawn and constructed in nine months. Things move fast in Hong Kong and you have to learn fast too.

Do you work for love or money?

I am an architect so it's definitely love. Money is a means to an end. I think being an architect is vocational.

Did you have a mentor?

There are a number of people I have collaborated with and who have supported me over the past 20 years. My early mentors were the senior design directors at Terry Farrell's office in Hong Kong who taught me about a team approach to design. It's a real skill because managing creative input from groups of people takes patience. Collaboration is crucial because nobody has a monopoly on good ideas. Lately, I've been working very closely with Paul Stallan and Alistair Brand in our Glasgow studio.

Any major turning points along the way?

Last year I spent four weeks working in Los Angeles with Frank Gehry's Studio (designers of the Guggenheim in Bilbao). I worked with his teams on a transport project in California then on a bid for the New Campus Glasgow project.As a studio, they have been able to secure more creative design and thinking time in their process than I had become used to. That thinking time reminded me of why I became an architect and broadened my perspective on collaborating with other designers, which I think architects should do more of.The whole experience refreshed my passion for what I do.

Was your first job for pocket money or was it the first rung on the ladder?

Pocket money. I had a paper run from 12 years old. Up at quarter to six in the morning, done by eight, school at half eight. I was brought up on the idea that you have to work hard to get what you want. It's straightforward really.

What's the worst job you've had?

It was during the last recession in the early 1990s. I ended up answering directory enquiries at a call centre in Bathgate. It was one of the defining points in my career. Realising that I had hit a dead end and that there was no work for me in the UK, I decided to go to Hong Kong. I ended up staying for nine years. It was great because I was given instant design responsibility, which I would have had to wait more time for in the UK.

What's the weirdest job you've had?

Pushing rolling chairs in Atlantic City in 1988. I got the job through the Work America program. You hired the chair (which looks like a rickshaw) for 160 a week then worked the "chair ranks" outside the front doors of the 12 casinos on the boardwalk. I made enough money to travel across America for six weeks. It was an amazing experience. What did you want to be when you were growing up? I always wanted to create for a living. I played viola, guitar and piano, wrote songs and formed bands. Luckily, I also loved to draw and was interested in going to art school or studying architecture. I've kept both of my passions going and I realise that I'm very lucky to be able to make a living from something that I enjoy.

Any regrets?

I don't believe in regret but, if I had one, it would be not pursuing a career in music.

What do you like least about your job?

I love everything about my job.

What would you change about your job?

I'd remove competitive fee bidding. I would like people to choose architects purely on the basis of their ideas.

How do you get to work, how long does it take?

I run to work three or four days a week. The rest I drive.

Packed lunch, canteen or expense account?

A mix of packed and paid lunches. If I've cooked something great the night before then I'll have it for lunch too. However, I enjoy dining out so that I can catch up with professional contacts over lunch.

Long hours or work/life balance?

I'd like to think that I achieve a mix of both but if you asked my family they might say that is baloney. Architects work relatively long hours.

Confrontation or anything for a quiet life?

I don't like confrontation but I've had to accept that it is something you cannot avoid in life. People are entitled to have different opinions and being open about them is the most positive way to move forward, but that can often lead to confrontation.