It has been almost one year since Smith and Wallwork opened for business and our impending anniversary has made us reflect on the year gone by.

In the early days we were helped by the wealth of information in an RIBA publication by Simon Foxell – ‘Good Practice Guide: Starting a Practice’.

What surprised us was the lack of similar advice from the engineering institutions, even more surprising when you think that the last five years must have seen many engineers wondering if they should start their own practice.

The numbers imply that engineers are not as entrepreneurial as their fellow architects, engineers are less likely to start up and more likely to join established firms. Let’s just hope that the rise of the international engineering mega-consultants doesn’t devour too many future dreams of setting up shop.