The worlds of business and architecture intertwine and overlap in so many ways. However, there’s a gap between the beed for built environment education and what architects are actually learning. As early as 2015, RIBA reported that employers felt architecture graduates lacked the relevant soft skills and entrepreneurial mindset.
That tension still defines the sector today. And it’s exactly the issue Jerónimo van Schendel Erice is solving through the Master in Business for Architecture and Design (MBArch). His intention is direct: equip architects with the strategic, technological and collaborative capabilities that shape today’s built environment.
What is built environment education today?
Built environment education covers the full spectrum of disciplines that make physical spaces possible — architecture, urban design, infrastructure, construction, materials, sustainability and the human experience. It teaches students how environments are conceived, built and maintained.
But the profession they enter is broader than the one most programs were designed for. Architecture and the built environment now function as a single, interconnected system tied to:
– Real estate development
– Construction management
– Digital design technologies
– Climate adaptation
– Regulation, compliance and policy
– User experience and spatial strategy
The built environment as a connected ecosystem
Architects today collaborate with developers, engineers, contractors, digital-construction teams and built environment companies operating at global scale. Their decisions influence budgets, operational performance and long-term environmental impact. Built environment education must reflect that reality — not only teaching how buildings look, but how they work in practice.
How is architecture education evolving?
Many educators and practitioners argue that professionals need a broader mindset that integrates design excellence with managerial skills. And this has been exacerbated by a chronic lack of business and management elements in traditional architecture education.
Jerónimo captures the shift clearly: “Architects and Designers must understand business, entrepreneurship and the latest technologies in addition to their technical knowledge.”
Newer models of architecture education integrate live projects, interdisciplinary studios, real clients and exposure to the economics of the built environment. Students encounter real constraints: budgets, procurement processes, sustainability requirements, digital workflows. These experiences create graduates who can operate beyond the conceptual stage and understand how projects come together in practice.
Industry trends reshaping architecture and the built environment
To serve contemporary cities and future-proof their careers, architects must understand the forces reshaping how the built environment is delivered. Each of the following built environment trends are essential points of study.
1. Digital construction and integrated workflows
Tools such as BIM, cloud collaboration, digital twins and automated procurement platforms are redefining how architects communicate with construction and engineering teams.
2. Sustainability and regulatory pressure
Net-zero strategies, ESG targets, life-cycle assessment, circular materials and resilience planning are now embedded in project delivery.
3. Real estate and financial feasibility
Architects increasingly work within investment frameworks, development cycles and cost structures that define whether a project moves forward.
4. New delivery models in AEC
Integrated project delivery, design–build partnerships and collaborative contracting require architects who understand how to divide risk, scope and responsibilities across teams.
Why do architects need business skills now?
Architecture is no longer confined to the drawing board. The built environment industry is shaped by decisions that blend technical, financial and operational perspectives. Architects who understand these dimensions can participate fully — not only in design reviews but in early conversations about value, feasibility, risk and long-term performance.
Jerónimo’s entrepreneurial experience with Bildia illustrates this shift. By creating a platform to streamline procurement for construction companies, he demonstrates how architectural thinking drives innovation in entirely new sectors of the AEC industry.
Business understanding gives architects the confidence to anticipate constraints, communicate with clients, coordinate teams and lead projects from concept to delivery. It strengthens their ability to guide stakeholders and contribute meaningfully to strategic decisions.
What is business-oriented architecture education?
Business-oriented architecture education teaches architects how the built environment actually works as a system. It merges design thinking with communication, leadership, entrepreneurship, management and real-world project delivery.
Jerónimo describes this approach as fostering “the entrepreneurial designer,” someone who can imagine transformative spaces and also understand the processes behind them.
Connecting design to operations and delivery
Students trained this way move seamlessly between concept, strategy and execution. They can discuss aesthetics and user experience while also understanding budgets, procurement, construction logistics and long-term maintenance. This combination gives architects the ability to lead multidisciplinary teams with clarity and authority.
How does the Master in Business for Architecture and Design fill this gap?
At IE School of Architecture and Design, you expand your creative strengths with business fluency and technological literacy. You learn how ideas move from concept to execution, how teams collaborate and how strategic decisions shape every phase of a project. This is where you develop the mindset Jerónimo describes when he says the program has “created sector leaders and successful entrepreneurs… blending technical skills with crucial business and management knowledge.”
As you move through the program, you train for a future where design and business work together. You explore how economies function, how companies create value and how challenges in the architecture, construction and real-estate industries can become opportunities for innovation. And you’ll learn learn to read markets, lead multidisciplinary teams and guide clients through complexity, all while building entrepreneurial confidence—whether you want to launch a venture, innovate inside a built-environment company or drive change in your firm.
By the time you complete the program, you’re prepared to operate in the spaces where physical and digital environments converge. You understand how design thinking fuels innovation and how management powers creativity. You have the tools to make ideas happen and the strategic awareness to lead the future of the built environment. If you’re ready to bring design and business together in your career, this program gives you the platform to do it.
