YouTube – the video streaming platform used by millions around the world – is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.
It’s almost impossible to imagine a world before YouTube as it’s become so synonymous with modern-day content consumption. So many people of all ages spend hours every day watching homemade skits, content creators making food, live streaming, people reviewing TV shows and movies, discussions on topical issues and even people making their own fan films and videos. And yes, there are cat videos, too.
Because of its immediate, visual nature, YouTube also lends itself to the architecture profession in a number of different ways, especially learning and DIY 'how to' videos. In fact, the platform has quickly become one of the most powerful educational tools of the new century.
Where once before architects were often restricted to reading books alone, they can now – thanks to YouTube – feel part of a global classroom, where knowledge is democratised and they feel connected. Anyone with an internet connection can become a pupil as well as a teacher.
How do two architects use YouTube?
While educating others via webinars and talking-head discussion panels is a key function of YouTube, the rise of the influencer means that the platform can also be used to provide day-to-day insights into practice life or into specific projects to help boost engagement, get a practice or architect’s name out there and perhaps, in some circumstance, help to win new.
RIBA spoke to two architects who both have large followings but provide very different types of content.
Vancouver-based British architect, Daniel Titchener, lists ‘YouTuber’ as part of his website biography. His channel has over half a million subscribers, and he produces a mixture of rundowns (eg Architect’s Top 10 Design Mistakes), buying guides and lifestyle choices.
Elsewhere, UK-based Gemma Wheeler uses YouTube share her processes and strategies she uses to design ‘tiny houses’.
What drew you to the platform, and how did you start off on it?
Daniel Titchener: Becoming a YouTuber was never actually part of the plan. Like most people, I used YouTube to unwind, get inspired or dive into research. But during university, those videos unexpectedly sparked a fascination with micro-apartments and their incredibly efficient use of space, which ended up shaping one of my dissertations.
Several years later, I found myself married and living in a 300-square-foot apartment with my wife that I had furnished myself. It was incredibly tight, and while working in London, I was growing tired of designing commercial refits. So I picked up a camera and started experimenting with architectural photography, and soon felt the itch to create something of my own.
One day, I filmed a video of what I’d done with our apartment - just for fun, and as a way to give back some of the insight I’d gained from the platform. I had no idea it would take off the way it did. That one video lit the fuse - and everything changed from there.
Gemma Wheeler: I think I just had a lot to say and still photos can’t record that. I like to think through design problems deeply and loved that about studying my Masters. I missed the freedom you get in Uni to just explore and experiment on your own terms, so [the videos] burst out of me a bit! I genuinely,100% didn’t expect anyone to watch the channel so it was a huge shock when I went from being lost in my own thoughts to the noisy chatter of comments.
What do you think draws people to architecture content on YouTube, and how do you balance technical depth with accessibility for a broader audience?
Daniel Titchener: We’re surrounded by buildings every day, yet many people have no idea what really goes into designing them. That’s because architecture is wrapped in technical jargon, mountains of legislation, and a skill set that can make it feel out of reach - giving it an intriguing, almost hidden layer of complexity.
Since being on the platform, I’ve come to realise that the real challenge isn’t balancing this technical depth with accessibility, but finding ways to make that depth approachable. For years, documentaries have done this through thoughtful storytelling and editing - but now YouTube takes it a step further, by enabling parasocial relationships through short videos that introduce viewers to professionals they might never have encountered otherwise.
Gemma Wheeler: I actually hadn’t seen much architecture content on YouTube apart from a handful of big channels so I don’t know how much people go there just for architecture. Ultimately YouTube is a search engine, so I think people end up there when asking ‘how to’ questions or looking to relax. I think that probably means a large part of the architectural audience on the platform are students flailing for answers to navigate our complex education!
In terms of striking that balance, I often think I must bore people to death, so I wouldn’t say I have a game plan - I only know how to do what I do and talk about it how I talk about it. I wouldn’t class it as a strategy.
Read more about whether Instagram is still the best social media platform for architects.
How can YouTube work with architecture?
In what ways has your presence on YouTube influenced your professional opportunities, client relationships, or even your design philosophy?
Daniel Titchener: YouTube has connected me with people from all over the world, all seeking remarkably similar kinds of design guidance for their homes - the platform makes it possible to share the more straightforward, non-onerous aspects of architectural guidance freely.
In doing so, this creates a new opportunity for architects to get paid [via YouTube] by producing content for people who might never have been able to afford their services. And because of the field’s technical depth, I’ve found that giving this knowledge away simultaneously amplifies the value of working with an experienced professional by promoting their competence.
Gemma Wheeler: So far I’m managing to juggle it with client work and the channel is a way of giving me some flexibility while I also raise small children. I work a ridiculous number of hours to maintain the pace - which ultimately I’ll have to find a way of balancing out - but by this stage I’m pretty used to the long work hours. What I’ve loved is being able to explore some ideas and play around with concepts. I adore working with existing buildings and try to push the boundaries a bit. Doing that via the usual route just wouldn’t be achievable for me while also living where I live and how I do so I’m enjoying the creative freedom while it lasts.
Architecture is traditionally seen as a discipline rooted in place and permanence. How do you reconcile that with the fast-paced, global, and often fleeting nature of online content?
Daniel Titchener: The ideas behind how we live, what we value, and how we shape space are constantly evolving. So, platforms like YouTube offer a way to globally share these ideas in real time, in response to how people are actually living today. While our buildings might be permanent, the conversations around them shouldn’t be - and online content allows architects to engage with a global audience, test ideas, and respond quickly to cultural or technological shifts. So, in a way, it’s almost a new kind of architectural practice - grounded in design, history and place, but much more agile, responsive, and accessible.
If a RIBA member wanted to start their own YouTube channel, what advice would you give them?
Daniel Titchener: As a YouTuber, you're essentially a one-person production team, so you need to be skilled across multiple areas - writing, videography, audio production, and editing - much like how an architect is often versed in disciplines such as sketching, 3D visualization, and architectural detailing. And just like designing buildings, it’s hard to find success unless you genuinely enjoy the process.
On YouTube, the best videos tend to rise to the top. So, despite how effortless some creators make it look, you usually get back what you put in, which quickly reveals who really loves the process and who doesn’t. But whether you enjoy it or not, social media has become an invaluable tool that demonstrates credibility, sparks relationships, and ultimately finds work. It just so happens that creating content on platforms such as YouTube can become a viable career path in its own right.
Gemma Wheeler: Pace yourself! Content is all about consistency, so make sure you can juggle it all first. Then just have fun and assume no one is going to watch. And don’t freak out when they do!
Looking ahead, do you see YouTube continuing to play a central role in architectural discourse and education, or is the platform evolving into something different for the profession?
Daniel Titchener: Video is often the most efficient and effective way to deliver information that people both enjoy and remember at scale - and YouTube holds a unique place in the social media landscape as the leading platform for free, long-form video - something I don’t see changing any time soon.
Where traditional education is often limited by geography, cost, or format, YouTube opens this access to anyone with an internet connection - reshaping how people engage with architecture, and who gets to be part of the conversation.
I think many educators have yet to realise how their expertise could be paired with a compelling online delivery to dramatically increase their reach and influence - which is why I still see YouTube as an ocean of unrealised opportunity.
Gemma Wheeler: I honestly don’t think it is a central role in architectural discourse (although it’s totally possible I’m missing something here though!). I think YouTube is an amazingly accessible way of getting yourself ‘out there’ and I love that anyone can give it a shot. It’s more labour intensive than say Instagram (at least the way I do it is) but that works if you’re not banking on catching clients through it. For me it’s been an experiment to exercise a few design muscles and see what comes of it. For someone else it could be totally different, but that’s the beauty of it.
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YouTube – a timeline
- YouTube was created on 14 February 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley and Jawed Karim, former employees of PayPal.
- the company’s first office was above a pizza restaurant in San Mateo, California.
- the platform's first video was published on the nascent platform on 23 April 2005. It as a 19-second clip called ‘Me At The Zoo’. It showed co-founder Jawed Karim standing in front of some elephants. It has been viewed more than 300 million times.
- by 2023, it’s estimated that there were 14billion publicly viewable videos on the platform.
- Ofcom first started monitoring the platform in 2007 and saw that 46% of 12-15-year-olds who used the internet also used YouTube. Today that number is nearer 80%.
- the Baby Shark Dance music video is the most-viewed on the platform, with views.
- American YouTuber MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson) has the most subscribers – 380million.
Thanks to Daniel Titchener and Gemma Wheeler.
Text by Paul Hirons. This is a Professional Feature edited by the RIBA Practice team. Send us your feedback and ideas.
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