Behind the B: Gavin Sorby

Who or what inspired you to pursue a career in architecture?

I’ve always enjoyed building things, making things, fixing things, improving things and creating order. Architecture and being the MD of Buttress allows me to do all of these. I’ve always enjoyed drawing and found myself drawing buildings. Although I was advised against it as part of the poor career advice available at the time, I did have architecture in mind when I picked my GCSEs and took a mixture of art and science.  I took maths, physics and geography A levels and did art A level at night school. 

I went to Newcastle University for my BA degree and loved the experience and the city but didn’t like the course.  For me the highlight of the whole term was that seven of us built a first-floor extension and detached double garage for a friend of a tutor.  We did everything including joinery blockwork, slating, leadwork and rendering; it was a great experience. Even so, I was not sure architecture was for me, but I decided I should try to get some work experience.

There was a recession with very few jobs available when it became time for me to do my year in the industry.  Work was hard to get.  I wrote many letters and even offered to work for nothing – it was hard when employers still said no. I understand that better now but at the time it was hard. 

I did get a response from a small practice in Leeds. They’d had bad experiences with their Year Out students, but he gave me a chance. He drove me home with a drawing board in his car, gave me a project to work and told me to see him again in two weeks.  After the two weeks, he was happy with what I had done and took me on for the year. He even agreed to pay me.  This experience was significant for me: I loved it and learned that this is what I want to do, and probably most importantly: I can do this.  I gained a lot of experience on a variety of different projects. 

I continued my formal architectural studies in my hometown of Leeds.  I’d have happily stayed there, but the job market remained challenging, and I was offered a job at the degree show over the Pennines in Manchester.  At the time, the retail sector was buoyant, and I found myself working on shopping centres.

I qualified in 1987 and I joined Buttress Fuller in 1988.  I joined the team as the 8th architectural member of staff including Steve Welsh, who still works at Buttress today.  We were all based in the University Precinct, near the RNCM.  It was a time of Rotring pens, razor blades and wet ammonia printing with drawings hung up to dry! 

Since then, there have been many projects and people, several of whom have become friends.

The projects have varied from a church extension to commercial work and from an elephant house at a zoo to a hotel.

How do you manage the balance in your role as an architect and managing director?

For a short time, I worked on the business rather than in it. When people left or retired, I then picked up their projects and realized I had missed the work and enjoyed it.  I would also feel guilty when invoices go out if I didn’t have any!

I’ve been managing director since April Fool’s Day 2010 and at that time, we seemed to be six separate companies under the same name. Since then, we have re-branded, relocated, opened a Leeds studio, said goodbye to six retiring directors, become a B Corp, Planet Mark registered and grown from 22 to 76 staff with some excellent additions to the board. The greatest change has been to the culture of the business.  It’s a pretty well-aligned clan and radically different from 2010. Somebody once said ‘Always employ people better than yourself’.  Fortunately, that was not too difficult and it’s the remarkable people that make Buttress special.  The last board meeting was my 108th as MD so it’s a marathon and not a sprint.

What advice would you give a young person wanting a career in architecture?

Few professions allow you to physically leave your mark on the world in a positive way. For this reason, it can be a very rewarding career. Every day is different with so much width and depth to the variety of work out there. They are unlikely to be rich, but they should try to find a studio with values closely aligned with their own, where they can be themselves and do their best work

What do you do in your spare time?

I prefer to be outside doing something if I can, provided I’m not cold or wet! I always seem to be working on my own house and garden and always have a project.  I am also a Day Skipper and enjoy sailing when the opportunity comes up. Like a lot of people at Buttress I enjoy getting out on my bike and cycling between stops for cake and coffee. 

I’m also proud of the work the studio has completed.  We’ve recently completed our work at Caernarfon Castle will be enabling people for the first time to now have access to areas of an 11th Century castle and our team’s attention to detail on the work is stunning. 

I enjoy hearing the team bouncing ideas off one another and suggesting solutions and working with great passion and dedication.  Everyone is a remarkable talent. 

Any architectural practice is nothing without its people. The practice is full of committed and talented people, and if I retire tomorrow, it is them I would be most proud of.

What do you enjoy most about working at Buttress?  

It’s got to be the people, closely followed by the projects.

We have a fantastic and exciting variety of projects.  Ranging from the significant heritage projects for which we have been long associated to residential and later living schemes, such as The Depot and from commercial work such as Circle Square, to cultural and a former Ikea building in Coventry – to name a few.  So much variety. 

Can you tell me about a favourite building? 

For me, that’s like asking which is your favourite child.  It’s a really difficult question.  You get emotionally attached to all of the projects you work on, whether it’s the team, the design or both – it’s your favourite project at the time.  As architects, certainly at Buttress, we invest a lot in our projects.