Starting a company can be extremely stressful. Fresh graduates, freelancers and directly employed architects looking to create startups face various initial obstacles and need to have a clear view of the operating model for their businesses. They have to choose where to cut costs, which can relate to choice of location, office space and limited living expenses.

Following the guidelines of The Lean Startup method – popularized by author and entrepreneur Eric Ries – can be very beneficial for the early phase of a company’s development. This can mean focusing on budget-friendly setups, and creating businesses on the idea of developing products and productizing design services. Being part of an entrepreneurial community can also influence the way owners grow their businesses, as it provides opportunities to establish valuable contacts and partnerships.

We have compiled a list for 6 startup hubs in Europe, which includes established centers for entrepreneurship as well as cities emerging as exciting new places for experimentation at the intersection of digital technology and architecture.

#1 London

London is Europe’s number one start-up hotspot focused mostly on digital creatives and businesses. The UK’s capital is also proving to be a great place for emerging architecture firms. While it has some of the highest real estate prices in the world – something that can be tricky to navigate for start-ups – the soaring house prices and a deepening housing shortage in London is proving to be the right impetus for architects to develop unusual design solutions. Awkwardly shaped sites and infill lots are being eyed as opportunities for innovation.

The emergence of “infill architecture” is allowing less established firms to creatively apply their ideas in real world. We’ve already seen London-based startups like Assemble, who has received a huge amount of attention thanks to their entrepreneurial attitude to architecture. They have won the famous Turner Prize with their Granby Four Streets project, an urban regeneration initiative to preserve and revive a cluster of Victorian-era terraced houses in Toxteth, Liverpool.

Another London-based start-up, the Photon Project, tackles the idea of modular architecture and wellbeing. The firm plans to build what it claims to be the world’s first all-glass, modular residential structure designed to address the benefits of natural light on human health. The proposal is part of the Photon Project, a four-year study on the biological effects of daylight in the built environment and that aims to gather evidence to support improvements in how building occupants live and work.

#2 Berlin

Berlin is an established startup hub, and currently the one of the best cities to launch a new business. Innovators are drawn to Berlin as one of Europe’s most international cities where cheaper living costs allow entrepreneurs to save money and invest it into building better products and hiring great people. Berlin is a relatively affordable city compared to the rest of the country, as well as other European capitals such as London or Stockholm.

It offers co-working spaces and hubs such as the Factory Berlin, a startup campus in Berlin-Mitte that brings the best technology businesses together with early stage startups and talents by providing an outstanding work environment, a curated community of founders, and high-quality events.

#3 Amsterdam

Along with London and Berlin, Amsterdam is one of the largest startup hubs in Europe. Its multicultural population and business-friendly environment, along with ample opportunities for startups to get mentoring make it a great environment for archipreneurs. The city’s budding startup scene is dominated by software development, smart energy and 3D-printing, among others.

One of the most prominent accelerators in the Netherlands is based in Amsterdam. Startupbootcamp, founded by Patrick De Zeeuw, Alex Farcet, Carsten Kolbeck, and Ruud Hendriks in 2010, focuses on “smart city and living space” solutions, smart energy and smart building. The recently launched Sharing City initiative that connects startups with the corporate world through city facilities. Dutch company MX3D plans to 3D-print an entire bridge in Amsterdam in collaboration with Autodesk and construction and civil engineering company Heijmans.

#4 Lisbon

Affordable rent, low-cost living and a growing startup scene are attracting young creatives to Lisbon, where a vibrant entrepreneurial community is exploding. While Portugal’s government is working to recover the country from the last economic crisis, startups and digital nomads are using various tax incentives to set up their offices in Lisbon. According to results from data comparison site Numbeo, rent prices in Lisbon are almost 70% lower than in London and overall cost of living is almost 50% lower in Lisbon by comparison.

The surplus of empty buildings has introduced low rents and living costs. This, coupled with a growing ecosystem of entrepreneurship, is perfect for startups whose businesses often have low or no revenue in initial phases of operation. Here, designers work on revitalizing abandoned buildings, build temporary structures and co-working spaces out of shipping containers. Lisbon has received the name of Europe’s most entrepreneurial region for 2015, with numerous startups, venture capital firms, incubators and accelerators providing great opportunities to creatives.

#5 Dublin

Several up-and-coming architecture firms and an array of startup funding and support programs dominate new Irish architecture. As a gateway to world markets, Dublin is well connected to the rest of Europe, but offers a smaller number of office spaces, which are also more costly, compared to Lisbon. However, the city boosts favorable low-tax regime and a supportive environment for startups.

Ireland has already attracted a huge level of foreign direct investment, particularly from the USA. Several American companies have chosen Ireland because of its pro-business environment, especially in the tech industry. Those working at the intersection between digital technology and architecture will love this emerging startup hub.

For example, FenestraPro is a technology company based in Dublin, Ireland, which provides cloud-based software tools for architects to optimize design of building façades. FenestraPro is an authorized developer with Autodesk Revit and also works closely with some of the leading architectural practices and industry experts. Its co-founder Dave Palmer – architectural technologist by trade and former DIT lecturer in the School of Architecture – started the company in 2012 alongside Simon Whelan after the pair had run their own firm for several years.

#6 Prague

Startup hubs are on the rise in Eastern European countries. Governments are building infrastructure and public VC funds that support startup hubs. This growth is expected to continue through the creation of new accelerators, co-working spaces, mentoring opportunities and reliable funding options. Prague is great place to be an entrepreneur, and an investor. Because of the lack of major competitors, the city is ideal for smaller companies and teams, supported by incubators and accelerators fostering talent.

One of the long-term initiatives that acts as an idea incubator is the Negrelli Viaduct project, organized by CCEA in 2013. It focuses on the new use of the spaces under the famous viaduct, merging urbanism, architecture and art. The CCEA initiated the project in the past few years, together with partners from the public and private sectors. In 2016, the project was supported by the Swiss-Czech Cooperation Programme.

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Do you have first hand experiences working as an archipreneur in any of these cities? What other emerging startup hubs do you think could appeal to archipreneurs?

The post Booming Cities: 6 European Startup Hubs for Architects appeared first on Archipreneur.

Managing a startup, real estate development firm or architectural practice and being successful at it requires a specific combination of creative and business skills. This marriage of right and left brain thinking is extremely difficult to achieve and usually requires time, experience and the readiness to learn. One needs to obtain basic business skills in order to build relationships with clients, manage employees, work effectively with contractors and consultants and obtain financial stability.

There are many sources from which architecture practitioners and those starting out can learn and acquire knowledge. Numerous blogs, websites and popular books share advice on how to become a more effective entrepreneur, but many of these tend to be forgettable or reiterate the same content. Here we’ve compiled a comprehensive list of essential reading that offers great information and advices applicable to the business of architecture.

The One Thing: The surprisingly simple truth behind extraordinary results

by Gary Keller

“Focus is a matter of deciding what things you’re NOT going to do.”

The book centers on the idea of organizing every area of your life around a single important thing per area. It addresses the issue of focusing, figuring out what needs your undivided attention and proceeding to map out a plan on how to get where you want to be. Written by Gary Keller, founder of Keller-Williams Real Estate, the book claims that one doesn’t need a To-Do List but a Success List which focuses on using ones highest leverage activities.

The Real Estate Game: The Intelligent Guide To Decisionmaking And Investment

by William J. Poorvu and Jeffrey L. Cruikshank

“Given all the potential investors in the world, why has this fabulous opportunity fallen into my lap?”

Written by one of the masters in the field of real estate investment and Harvard Business School lecturer, the book offers an insider’s perspective on how to make smart decisions by paying attention to all the variables-people, properties, capital markets and the context. It provides specific information and guides the reader through the key “periods of play”-concept, commitment, development, operation, reward and reinvestment. Specific and written using easy-to-understand terms, The Real Estate Game is a must-read for those interested in real estate.

The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses

by Eric Ries

“We must learn what customers really want, not what they say they want or what we think they should want.”

This New York Times bestseller draws from the author’s personal experiences as startup builder, employee and founder, as well as his observations of the entrepreneurial world. The author brings to light the reasons why many startups fail, the biggest one being-they are buildings something nobody wants. The book introduces a widely recognized movement that Ries calls “validated learning” about the customer and accentuates the importance of knowing and adjusting to your customers. A core component of Lean Startup methodology is the development of a minimum viable product (MVP), which is followed by subsequent tune-ups.

Real Estate Development: Principles and Process

by Mike E. Miles, Gayle Berens, Mark Eppli

“Though many activities related to development now take place under the corporate or institutional umbrella, the activities themselves still bear a distinctive entrepreneurial stamp.”

The book was written for those new to real estate development and covers each stage of the process, step by step, along with comprehensive case studies that accompany each chapter. It includes material on financing and marketing and explains the basics of conceptualizing ideas to planning, financing, negotiation, construction and asset management.

The Architect as Developer

by John Calvin Portman, Jonathan Barnett

“Architects in the past have tended to concentrate their attention on the building as a static object. I believe dynamics are more important: the dynamics of people, their interaction with spaces and environmental condition.”

Taking a more biographical approach to the subject matter, the authors cover the most important period of John Portman’s career. Readers looking for practical tips on how to become architect/developers might feel let down. Nevertheless, the book offers an insight into the professional ascension of one of the most famous and prolific American architects and real estate developers.

The Future of the Professions: How Technology Will Transform the Work of Human Experts

by Richard Susskind, Daniel Susskind

“Professionals play such a central role in our lives that we can barely imagine different ways of tackling the problems that they sort out for us. But the professions are not immutable.”

This book predicts a future of the labor market in which there will be no need for doctors, teachers, accountants, architects and many other professions. It sees artificial intelligence dramatically changing the way expertise of specialists is utilized and acquired. The authors propose six new models of doing this and raise serious moral and practical questions. Readers interested in the evolution of professions in the new machine age will find The Future of the Professions to be a compelling read.

Open Source Architecture

by Carlo Ratti, Matthew Claudel

“Why not hack your house?”

What this book explores is the notion of the architectural industry as a networked, collaborative model that embraces 21th-century trends such as crowd-sourcing, open access and mass customization instead of a practice dominated by the grand visions of starchitects. It functions as a sort of manifesto and a call to action, but also includes possible practical applications of such a system. It is a provocative read based on the idea that the current definition of architects’ work is outdated.

A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction (Center for Environmental Structure)

by Christopher Alexander

“Individuals have no effective voice in any community of more than 5,000–10,000 persons.”

In this book Alexander focused on discovering the myriad subconscious ways in which architecture influences people and links the findings to vernacular architecture. Although his findings were initially criticized and attacked by many practicing architects in the 1970s, when the book was first published, 20 years later scientists discovered evidence that confirm the underlying principles of the Pattern Language. It isregarded by many as “one of the great books of the century.”

The Art of the Start 2.0

by Guy Kawasaki

“Doing, not learning to do, is the essence of entrepreneurship.”

The book gives practical advice about social media, crowdfunding, cloud computing and other topics relevant to business. It is regarded by many as a standard for learning how to start a company, whether you’re an aspiring entrepreneur, small-business owner, intrapreneur or not-for-profit leader. It’s one of those books which encourages one to try things out and navigate the perilous waters of starting a company.

Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers, and Challengers

by Alexander Osterwalder, Yves Pigneur

“Focus: Establish a new business model in an old industry” 

For years the business model of architects was trading hours for dollars. Technology and the Internet have brought us millions of possibilities to create and design new business models within old industries. Business Model Generation is a handbook for visionaries, game changers, and challengers striving to defy outmoded business models and design tomorrow’s ventures.  It explains the most common Business Model patterns, based on concepts from leading business thinkers, and helps you reinterpret them for your own context.

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It has been proven over and again that, although useful, MBA programs don’t have a monopoly on business knowledge. On the contrary, reading some of the interviews with world-renowned entrepreneurs, the notion of self-education emerges to the very top of the list of key ingredients in success. Reading and hearing about other people’s victories and failures proves to be a great learning tool that helps you hone your professional skills.

Amidst all the daily concerns and challenges, you might think you don’t have enough time for reading, but once you start seeing it as an investment, you’ll be surprised to find your schedule miraculously clearing just enough to fit a couple of hours of alone time with a clever book.

What are you reading at the moment? Which other books would you recommend to aspiring and experienced entrepreneurs?

The post 10 Inspirational Books Every Archipreneur Should Read appeared first on Archipreneur.