Architectural Mentorship with At Schutte
Forty years in practice is a long time. Long enough to know what the textbooks don’t cover – and what nobody tells you in your first five years on the job.
I offer structured mentorship for emerging architects, candidates working towards registration, and firms that need a senior voice in the room. Not theory. Practical, project-focused guidance from someone who has done the work.
Who This Is For
Graduates and candidates working towards SACAP registration
The path from qualification to registration is longer and harder than most graduates expect. I work with candidates to build the practical competency that examiners are looking for — not just the paperwork, but the judgement that comes from real project experience.
If you are working through your logbook and need someone to help you make sense of what you’re learning, or to prepare for your professional practice examination, I can help.
Junior architects and technologists inside established firms
Being employed doesn’t always mean being developed. Many junior practitioners inside busy firms are producing work without understanding why decisions are made the way they are – on fees, on detailing, on client management, on risk.
I work with individuals inside firms who want to grow faster than their workload alone allows. Sessions are practical and focused on what you are actually dealing with, not a generic curriculum.
Small practices that need a senior sounding board
Running a small practice means carrying everything – the design work, the client relationships, the business decisions, and the technical risk. Sometimes you need someone who has navigated all of it to think out loud with.
I offer ongoing support to small architectural practices: a senior perspective on briefs, contracts, fee structures, problem projects, and business development – without the overhead of a formal partnership.
What to Expect
Mentorship with Design 66 is not a programme with a fixed syllabus. It is built around what you are actually working on – your projects, your challenges, your next step.
Sessions are conducted in Malmesbury, remotely via video call, or on-site depending on your location and the nature of the work. Frequency and structure are agreed upfront and adjusted as your needs evolve.
What every engagement includes:
An initial conversation to understand where you are and what you need
A clear, agreed focus for the mentorship – not open-ended
Direct, honest feedback – on your work, your decisions, and your development
Practical tools and frameworks drawn from 40 years of built experience
Availability between sessions for pressing questions
Why Design 66
Adriaan Schutte has been in architectural practice for 40 years. Residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional projects across South Africa and beyond. He relocated his practice to Malmesbury in the Swartland – not as a retirement, but as a deliberate next chapter, which includes giving back to the profession.
SACAP Reg. Nr. ST0503 | SAIAT Reg. Nr. 32700
“Forty years of hands-on experience is worth sharing.”