Designing sustainably, but living unsustainably

When a meme reveals a deeper truth

This meme appeared on my screen, and I found myself stopping to really look at it. I didn't find it funny. Nor was I surprised by its content. Instead, I felt a wave of frustration wash over me—not at the meme itself, but at what it represents.

These images circulate widely across our professional networks, and they reveal a troubling paradox: architects are acutely aware of their professional struggles, yet we accept this reality as if it were completely untouchable. We share, we laugh nervously, and then we go back to our desks for another 14-hour day.

But what if this acceptance is the real problem? What if there's another way?

The irony of architects' sustainability focus vs working unsustainably

Architecture is a profession that prides itself on vision. We design for a better future, one that is greener, healthier, and more resilient —we calculate carbon footprints, specify renewable materials, and design for longevity— yet behind the studio doors, a troubling contradiction plays out: while we champion sustainable buildings, we often work in ways that are profoundly unsustainable for ourselves.

We preach about creating buildings that will endure for generations while we create work environments that barely sustain us through a single project cycle.

We advocate for responsible resource management in our designs while we recklessly exhaust our most valuable resource: ourselves.

How can we authentically champion sustainability when we haven't figured out how to sustain our own profession? Why is it designing as well as living sustainable so difficult?

This is the architect’s paradox — and it deserves more than a passing acknowledgment. It demands an honest conversation about the culture of the profession and how we can design not just better buildings, but better ways of working.

The culture we've created

The architecture profession has developed a peculiar relationship with hardship.

I've studies and worked in multiple countries and met colleagues from various corners of the world, and the issue seem to have no boundaries, or not many.

Ask most architects about their workweek, and you’ll hear stories of late nights, endless deadlines, and the familiar ritual of the “all-nighter.” This culture is worn almost like a badge of honour.

Somewhere along the way, we've confused dedication with self-destruction, passion with exploitation.

We've created a culture where working until 3 AM is worn like a badge of honour, where "pulling an all-nighter" is a rite of passage rather than a red flag.

The most dangerous part isn't the demanding work itself—it's how we've normalised it.

We use phrases like:

• "That's just how the industry works"

• "You have to pay your dues"

• "If you can't handle the pressure, maybe architecture isn't for you"

• "Great architecture requires sacrifice"

These mantras have become our professional gospel, repeated so often that we've stopped questioning whether they're actually true.

But the price is steep:

• Burnout is rampant. A 2022 survey by the Architects’ Journal found that nearly 60% of architects reported stress-related mental health issues.

• Retention is low. Many talented professionals leave the industry within 10 years, citing unsustainable workloads.

• Diversity suffers. Long, inflexible hours disproportionately push out caregivers, women, and those without financial safety nets.

The irony? We design with energy efficiency, carbon reduction, and human wellbeing in mind — yet our own practices often run counter to those very principles.

Why we work unsustainably

It’s tempting to see this as an individual failing (“I should set better boundaries”) — but the truth is cultural and systemic.

1. Deadlines and client demands: The industry is structured around speed and competition, with little margin for slower, more thoughtful work.

2. Prestige culture: Long hours are normalised as proof of passion and dedication. “If you’re not suffering, you’re not a real architect.”

3. Business models: Many firms undervalue design fees, absorbing unrealistic workloads rather than negotiating fair compensation.

4. Education: Architecture schools glorify the “crit” and the all-nighter, preparing graduates for overwork rather than balance.

This ecosystem trains us to believe that overextension is normal. But just as we wouldn’t design a building to collapse under its own weight, we can’t sustain a profession built on self-exhaustion.

The real cost of acceptance

While we're busy accepting the unacceptable, talented architects are quietly leaving the profession, because they've made a rational decision: their health, relationships, and overall quality of life matter more than perpetuating a toxic work culture.

When architects exhaust themselves and leave, we don't just lose individuals—we lose diverse perspectives, innovative thinking, and fresh approaches to design challenges.

We lose the voices that might have challenged the status quo and created positive change.

Towards sustainable practice: designing and living sustainably

The shift from complaining about the industry to actively changing your experience within it requires courage, strategy, and often, professional support.

So, how do we begin to align the values we apply to buildings with the way we treat ourselves?

Here's what I've learned through years of coaching professionals in high-pressure industries: there isn't just one way to practice architecture.

As a coach, I've worked with architects who felt trapped by industry expectations, believing they had no choice but to sacrifice their wellbeing for their careers.

Through our work together, they've been able to:

• Redefine success: Instead of equating long hours with dedication, celebrate efficiency, clarity, and creativity within reasonable limits. Firms can recognise outcomes — not sacrifices — as markers of success.

• Clarify on personal values and non-negotiables

• Build healthy boundaries: No emails after a set time / Protected weekends / Clear scoping of projects with clients to prevent scope creep.These are not luxuries but professional practices that safeguard both quality and wellbeing.

• Create strategies for managing demanding workloads without exhaustion

• Improve communication skills for setting boundaries with clients and colleagues

• Learning tools for maintaining creativity and passion while protecting mental health

• Design action plans for creating positive change in their current roles or finding better opportunities

• Lead by example: Firm leaders set the tone. When principals leave at a reasonable hour, juniors feel permission to do the same. Leadership training should include sustainable management, not just design excellence.

• Introduce individual micro-steps: small actions (tracking hours, setting clear boundaries, having a candid conversation with a colleague about workload) build momentum for larger cultural change.

Your professional journey doesn't have to follow the same script

If you're reading this and recognising yourself in the struggle between loving architecture and feeling overwhelmed by its demands, know this: you have more options than you might realise.

Sustainable design is about more than materials, energy models, or certifications. At its heart, it is about creating conditions where life can thrive. That principle applies as much to the people practicing architecture as to the people inhabiting our buildings.

The paradox we face is not inevitable. Other industries — from tech to consulting — have begun shifting toward healthier cultures, recognising that creativity and innovation don’t flourish under chronic exhaustion. Architecture can do the same, if we choose to.

The question isn't whether change is possible. The question is: are you ready to be part of that change?

Taking the first step - a call to architects

The first step is simple: talk about it. Challenge the unspoken assumption that suffering is part of the job. Share your experiences. Ask for better.

Because if we can design buildings that stand for centuries, surely we can design a profession that sustains us for a lifetime.

Transformation begins with believing that the most common path isn't the only way and with having the courage to face our reality, by evaluating whether the life that we are living is the one we want and that we deserve. This test might help you for this.