The architectural profession has had a very rocky time in the last few years. The impacts of covid, Brexit, new investigations into conduct and fire safety, and even changes in the curriculum have all caused some issues. Architects’ confidence had quite a dip, with many practices worrying about their future workload. The latest data shows things could finally be improving though. As a top architect in London, we want to take a close look at the current climate.

Future Trends

Every month RIBA does a check of the profession to see if architects are confident or have concerns. The Future Trends survey invites professionals to provide info about what they expect for workload, staffing, and other topics.

For the past several months the Future Trends survey found that overall architects were pessimistic. They had concerns about how much work they would have in the future. There were a number of reasons for this, including a drop in enquiries and economic concerns.

The latest survey for last month shows a big change in confidence though. Optimism was soaring in most regions. The biggest change was in Southern England. In previous surveys confidence was in the negative territory, with practices expecting a drop in workload. However, last month optimism was up by 22 points, taking it to zero. What that means is architects no longer expect a drop in workload.

Other regions have also seen confidence return. For example, East Anglia and the Midlands both rose by 21 points. The North was up by 14. Finally, the West and Wales were up 7.

Only one region retains a pessimistic outlook for the next three months. In London confidence is at -2. However, it has not had the same run as other parts of the country. It only fell into the negative last month.

Why is confidence growing?

There are a number of reasons for the change in attitude. While the economic situation is still uncertain and the cost of living crisis is hitting people, there are positives. Some practices were reporting an increase in new enquiries and commissions. This can give great confidence that there will be a boost to workload.

What seems to be happening is more people are deciding to move forward with projects. They were likely holding off during the worst of the economic uncertainty. Now things seem more stable and a deep recession is not as likely, they are looking to progress.

Discuss your needs with an architect in London

If you are thinking about a project, whether you want to take the first step with a brand new enquiry or have a proposal in mind, talk to us. Coffey Architects can bring exceptional value to projects. We deal with homes, housing, commercial and public buildings, and more. Our goal is to ensure we satisfy each client and consider every aspect of the work. We even look at things like sustainability and the carbon footprint.

So, if you want to work with a leading architect in London, contact us. We’ll do all we can to ensure you can have confidence in your project.