We’re in a period at the moment that is incredibly challenging for the built environment in the UK. There are so many different factors at play, including safety, sustainability, and demands for more housing and new infrastructure. In addition, there are fears about skills shortages. Ultimately, we need to completely re-evaluate what we need and should be focusing on. We want to have a look at that here, then if you need help from architects in London, you can speak to us.

What is the purpose?

A big problem is too often people forget the ultimate purpose of the built environment. They can focus on the goals, such as delivering more housing or creating infrastructure to allow people to travel more effectively, but can lose sight of things along the way. That is especially true when it comes to looking at the financial side of things. Sometimes too much of the attention is on the monetary value.

What we must do is re-evaluate what we need. Ultimately, the focus should always be to create safe, sustainable communities for the future. At the core of this we need high quality affordable homes.

Fragmentation

One of the things we need to fix is the fact the current built environment is fragmented. Most crucially, we have a number of different professions that can often struggle to work together. There can be various barriers to communication and collaboration, leading to big issues and even compromising the quality of the end result.

One thing in particular that can be troublesome is when the role of the architect is lessened. This is something we keenly understand because we are some of the top architects in London. While our role is always important at the design and planning stage, in some cases that is the end of it. Then it is up to other people to deliver the project. However, without an architect reviewing the actual construction, what is delivered may not be as fully intended.

The fragmentation can be a major issue because you get people only focusing on their part in the process. That will always lead to issues as there is no oversight and people can forget the ultimate purpose of the project.

The Grenfell Tragedy is a prime example of just how wrong things can go because of fragmentation. It allows serious failures to become disasters, with blame then passed around. It can result in loss of life and destroy communities.

What to do?

Improving the built environment will require change. Crucially, we need better leadership for the entire construction industry. In addition, there needs to be a change in behaviour and attitude so people take responsibility and ownership of projects. Architects in particular should be empowered to break down barriers and align different stakeholders.

It is also important to look to the future of the construction industry itself. There is a real worry about the number of skilled professionals in the UK. It is likely to get worse in coming years too due to retirements. So, we need to get more people passionate about working in the field.

Do you want help from expert architects in London?

Coffey Architects is perfect if you want excellent leadership for a project. We excel at the design and planning phase, but can also work on latter phases to. You can trust us to manage the projects and keep the focus on delivering the plans to the highest standard.

So, if you want help from top architects in London, speak to us. You can go over your plans with our team, including exploring the ultimate goal for the project. We’ll make sure it remains the focus the whole time to create a property that will have a bright future.