RIBA highlights worldwide demand for UK architecture

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has published the results of its annual Business Benchmarking survey.

Offering a summary of architectural and construction-related trends, the RIBA survey gives a fuller picture of practice profit margins, annual turnover and average salaries, while also identifying global areas of growth for UK architecture as a whole.

According to RIBA, in 2018:

1. The value of international work has increased from £498 million in 2017 to £513 million in 2018.
2. Asia (£140 million) has overtaken the Middle East (£104 million) as the most profitable source of work for UK-based architects.
3. Work from the European Union (EU) has also risen to £118 million, up £10 million from 2017 – making it the second largest source of international work.
4. Finally, salaries have increased ahead of inflation suggesting practices are working hard to retain their staff.

“Our Business Benchmarking Survey results indicate areas of buoyancy in architecture and construction projects,” said RIBA CEO, Alan Vallance. “The total revenue of our architecture firms has doubled since 2012 and, since then, growth in revenue has continued to outpace employment growth, indicating an ongoing increase in productivity.

“Growing demand from Asia and the EU – shows the importance of both maintaining our current relationship with the EU and value placed on British experience in new markets and underlines the importance of a good Brexit outcome. The government must deliver a deal that works for the architecture sector and ensures we are able to access vital services, attract and retain talented professional and maintain our renowned position as a globally successful hub for architectural excellence.”

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