Episode Details

Welcome to Where it's AT | the Architectural Technology Podcast

Host Jon Clayton interviews Ryan Davies, a Chartered Architectural Technologist at Rio Architects in Cardiff with five years’ experience across fire remediation, education, high-rise residential, and heritage projects, and winner of the AT Awards 2025 Aspiration Award for Emerging Talent. Ryan describes discovering Architectural Technology through school DT, completing an art foundation, and studying at Cardiff Metropolitan University, including the challenge of transitioning from hand drawing to Revit. He shares how a cardiac arrest during second year, alongside the start of COVID lockdowns, disrupted his motivation, but focusing on goals helped him finish with first class honours and secure a graduate role at Rio. He discusses gaining chartership, varied work on complex fire remediation details, the coordination demands of the profession, his Aspiration Chair role supporting students and graduates, and the importance of perseverance through difficult times.

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Ryan Davies MCIAT

Ryan Davies is a Chartered Architectural Technologist at Rio Architects in Cardiff, with five years’ experience across fire remediation, education, high-rise residential and heritage projects. He graduated from Cardiff Metropolitan University in 2021 with First Class Honours and is the current Aspiration Chair for the Wales region. In 2025, Ryan won the CIAT Aspiration Emerging Talent at the AT Awards.

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00:00 Introduction

01:03 How Ryan Found the Field

01:20 School Spark and Curiosity

01:56 Art Foundation to UCAS

03:01 Starting Cardiff Met

03:14 Learning Revit the Hard Way

04:05 Finding Confidence in Tech

04:54 Cardiac Arrest Turning Point

06:26 Recovery During Lockdown

07:03 Drive to Finish Strong

08:20 Landing the Rio Job

09:18 Earning Chartership

10:35 Life at Rio Architects

12:33 Fire Remediation Challenges

13:21 Mentorship and Paying It Forward

15:09 The Real Challenge of Coordination

17:52 Thriving on Deadlines

20:41 Aspiration Chair Role

22:16 Showcase Events and Connections

24:11 Winning the Aspiration Award

25:59 Advice for AT Awards Networking

27:26 No Single Career Path

28:41 Favorite Tech and iPad Workflow

30:07 Key Takeaway Message

31:14 New Initiative Teaser and Farewell

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Setbacks don't define where you end up

Ryan suffered a cardiac arrest during his second year at university. He lost his motivation and felt trapped with his thoughts, especially as COVID lockdown had just begun. But he poured his energy into his work, and bit by bit his passion came back. He says it took almost losing everything to realise his own potential. His message to anyone going through a hard time: it's not the end of your story. Just keep going, and you will surprise yourself.

Good mentors and community make a real difference

Ryan talks about how the experienced team at his firm helped him grow when he started out. One director in particular, Mike, was a brilliant mentor who could look at a problem and just know the answer. Now Ryan is coming full circle — new Technologists are joining the firm, and he's stepping into that mentoring role himself. He also values the wider CIAT community, from organising student site visits to meeting people at events. Being around the right people opens doors you didn't know were there.

There's no single right path in a career

Ryan didn't even know what Architectural Technology was when he was younger. He did an art foundation year first, only to realise he missed the technical side. He then found the right course by chance while scrolling through UCAS. His point is that you can build your own road — you can focus on BIM, on design, on site work, or on education. The field is open-ended, and you'll always find the path that fits you.

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