Industry Leaders EP09 with Michael Bailey

Episode Overview
Seton Walsh-Rose sits down with Michael Bailey — Director of Open Architecture Studio in Brisbane, a team of nearly 20 with a growing integrated office in the Philippines. Michael’s practice is built around community and social infrastructure: education, tourism, arts and culture, and sport. He’s one of the most tech-forward architecture leaders in the Queensland market — actively experimenting with AI across hiring, project management, QA, and business operations — and one of the most candid about what it means for the profession.

The conversation covers the Queensland market and its can-do culture, the impact of global economic pressures on construction and development, how Open Architecture’s Philippines team actually works, the honest assessment of what AI will and won’t change in architecture by 2030, and why Michael believes a 20-person practice in the near future will deliver what a 100-person practice can today.

Episode Chapters

• 00:10 Welcome & Introduction
• 00:42 Open Architecture Studio — Who They Are
• 01:06 The Philippines Team — Integrated, Not Outsourced
• 03:30 Sector Deep Dive — Education, Tourism, Sport
• 06:38 Queensland Market Landscape — Two Client Buckets
• 08:35 Brisbane Apartment Prices Overtaking Sydney
• 12:11 Brisbane vs Sydney/Melbourne Design Culture
• 13:05 The Queensland Government’s Can-Do Attitude
• 16:23 Challenges Ahead — Inflation, Costs, Government Budgets
• 21:35 AI in Architecture — What’s Already Happening
• 24:16 What AI Won’t Replace — Discernment and Trust
• 26:12 Architecture and Project Management Converging
• 32:42 How Open Architecture Uses AI Internally
• 34:39 QA by AI — The Reality Check
• 38:54 The 100-Person Practice Parallel
• 40:44 What Won’t Change — Relationships and the Sixth Sense
• 46:05 Starting Every Project With the Right Intention
• 47:04 Wrap-Up

Key Takeaways

• Build your practice around genuine passion — clients feel it
• An integrated international team is very different from outsourcing
• Queensland’s pragmatic, can-do culture is a competitive advantage
• AI is already changing the edges of the profession — now
• What AI won’t replace: discernment, trust, and the sixth sense
• Architecture and project management will converge
• A 20-person practice in 2030 will deliver what 100 did a decade ago
• Internal AI implementation is a competitive advantage right now
• Start every project with the right intention
• The relationship is the irreplaceable thing

Sound Bites / Quotes:
“I look forward to an architectural practice of 20 or 30 being the equivalent of a 100-person practice from only a decade ago. There will be pressure on fees, but along with that comes the ability to deliver more.”

“If you deliver great work but you’re offensive in the way that you do it, I don’t think you’re going to build a great reputation. The ones that have that sixth sense — supported by AI — will deliver even more exciting spaces, if they’re not value managed out.”

“We’re all here to deliver something that’s really exciting. We’re going to change this little part of the world and impact people’s lives through this building. So let’s work out how to deliver it in a really amenable way. We’re all here to solve problems together.”

References & Resources

• Alec Tzannes — Principal, Tzannes Associates https://www.tzannes.com.au
• David Chesterman — Former Jackson Teece director
• McConnell Smith & Johnson — Sydney-based practice where Lynette spent many years; AJC and Jackson Teece both emerged from MSJ.
• The Future Women — https://futurewomen.com
• Bradfield City Centre: https://www.bradfield.nsw.gov.au
• Brisbane 2032: https://www.brisbane2032.com.au
• Genton Architecture: https://www.genton.com.au
• AJC Architecture — practice Lynette worked at between her two stints at Jackson Teece.
• SONA — AIA: https://www.architecture.com.au/community/sona