203: ‘Rethinking the Architecture Business Model’, with Peter Markos
A conversation with Peter Markos rethinking the architecture business model by embracing productized architecture and prefabrication to unlock new opportunities, enhance scalability, and build resilience in architectural practices.
Peter Markos joins the podcast to talk about rethinking the traditional business model of architecture by developing products instead of relying solely on client-based services. The conversation covers Peter’s journey from winning Airbnb’s OMG! Fund to creating a prefabricated, scalable cabin business, the role of investors and partnerships, the realities of risk and operations, and how timeless design, branding, and physical models play a critical role in building trust and long-term value. This episode offers a candid look at how architects can apply entrepreneurial thinking, prefabrication strategies, and product design principles to create new opportunities for practice, scale, and impact in the AEC industry.
Episode links:
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Connect with the Guest
- Markos Design Workshop (MDW) — Website: Architect-developer Peter Markos’s studio and portfolio.
- Monocoque Cabin — Product & Pre-Order Page: The design-led, prefabricated, relocatable holiday cabin discussed in the episode.
- LinkedIn — Peter Markos: Background, talks, and updates.
- Instagram — @markosdesignworkshop: Studio work-in-progress and field notes.
- Instagram — @monocoquecabin: Build iterations and stay experiences.
- Business of Architecture Interview: Peter’s deeper dive on the architect-developer path.
Books and Philosophies
- James Petty — Architect & Developer
- Amazon
- Why it’s relevant: a practical playbook for architects self-initiating projects and balancing design with development.
- Dieter Rams — Ten Principles of Good Design
- Amazon
- Vitsœ Overview — timeless guardrails for productized architecture.
- Charles & Ray Eames — Beautiful Details
- Amazon
- Eames Lounge Chair (Herman Miller) — on making objects that deliver enduring experiences.
- De Havilland Mosquito (WWII “Wooden Wonder”)
- Wikipedia — inspiration for timber monocoque thinking.
Productization, Prefab & Emerging Tech
- Monocoque Cabin — Project Features & Press
- BlokBuild — Digitally Manufactured Timber Cassette System
- Price & Myers — Structural Engineering Note on the Cabin
- Airbnb’s OMG! Fund (seed capital that helped kickstart builds like this)
Visualization & Design Tools
- Rhino 3D and Grasshopper Tools
- Autodesk Revit for BIM Management
Business Models, Operations & Scaling
- Jonathan Segal, FAIA — Architect as Developer
- Brompton Bikes — A Masterclass in Refining One Product Over Decades
Events and Networks
- Autodesk University — annual conference focusing on the latest design, engineering, and technology advancements.
- Business of Architecture Podcast — entrepreneurship & practice reinvention.
Psychology and Personal Development
- Daniel Kahneman — Thinking, Fast and Slow
- Carol Dweck — Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
About Peter Markos:
Pete Markos is a RIBA Chartered Architect and the founder of Markos Design Workshop, a practice specialising in eco-homes, luxury holiday lets, and innovative small-scale architecture.
He is also the designer of the award-winning Monocoque Cabin, a unique retreat developed both as a serviced accommodation product and as a property that can be purchased outright. Broadly, this reflects Pete’s interest in exploring alternative business models in architecture, where product development and practice intersect to create projects that are both commercially viable and deeply rooted in place.
Whilst Pete is interested in more efficient tools—such as AI and BIM 2.0—he believes that equally critical are more efficient business models, which he continues to test and develop through his practice and products.
