OPTIMISM ABOUT GLOBAL GROWTH INCREASES NEWS
Epson’s 20|20 Vision research reveals UK architects expect global growth opportunities to rise, despite increasing competition.
pessimistic, Epson’s 20|20 Vision research has found that architectural practices across the UK, Spain, France, Germany and Italy predict that the demand for architectural services in Europe will grow over the coming decade to 2020. The Epson survey, based on in- depth telephone interviews with 500 small, medium and large architecture firms in the UK, Spain, France, Germany and Italy, evaluated the competitive landscape for European architectural practices up to 2020 and the business, skills and technology requirements needed to build and retain a successful practice. The independent survey revealed that, while the bulk (61 percent) of UK architects’ business today is conducted within this country, 14 percent win projects from across Europe with just 11 percent also currently handling international projects. While architects in the UK face
A lthough market
assessments for growth in Europe remain
an on-going difficult economic outlook, which is affecting market confidence and funding within the architecture sector, 60 percent of the country’s architects remain positive in their outlook for growth across the UK. In addition, companies are expecting opportunities for European projects to increase significantly with 32 percent also predicting an increase in their global client base, particularly from Asia and the Middle East. Interestingly, although UK architects said that they will be looking to win projects in 2020 primarily in the developing and financially buoyant regions of Central and Eastern Europe (59 percent), Eastern Asia (39 percent) and the Middle East (33 percent), 59 percent are also looking to win projects closer to home in the less buoyant Western Europe. The results of the Epson 20|20
Vision survey were discussed during a recent Think Tank which brought together leading architects including Sir Nicholas Grimshaw of Grimshaw Architects (UK); Claudi Aguilo of dataAE (Spain); Olivier Celnik of
Z.Studio (France); Ben Dieckmann of ingenhoven architects (Germany); and Prof. Antonello Stella from the University of Ferrara (Italy).
Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, of Grimshaw Architects (UK).
“You have to be an optimist to be an architect, you have to have belief that you can survive,” says Sir Nicholas Grimshaw. “We are entering a pretty extreme period, particularly across Europe, but it is possible that an architect’s creative skills are going to be much more valued than ever before, particularly in rejuvenating and repurposing existing buildings.”
While European practices certainly see opportunities for growth they are also facing changing competition. Not surprisingly the main competition today for UK architects is from other European practices, followed by significant competition from America. Over the next few years up to 2020 however, whilst the competition from architects in
Western Europe is not expected to change, competition from Central and Eastern Europe and America is expected to decline to be replaced by much stiffer competition from Asia and the Middle East. To meet and fight external competition, the ability to provide specialist and added value services are the seen as the most important factors to fight competition, followed closely by the ability to use technology to improve their design and tender quality and processes. In total, 55 percent of UK architects plan to diversify their practices to attract more business and broaden their geographic reach, and more than half also intend to collaborate with other practices to boost their prospects and increase their client base. n
UK architects intend to widen their horizons in the run up to 2020.
8 | Architects Choice |
ArchitectNews.co.uk
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