The residential sector accounts for 33% by value of all RIBA Chartered Practices (2019 Benchmarking survey). With housing shortages still very much a reality, as well as the pandemic forcing many people to spend more time at home, the residential sector continues to create plenty of opportunities for architects.
At the end of 2020, following a year of exponential growth in the use of the RIBA Find an Architect service, we conducted a survey of housing clients – homeowners and commercial. We wanted to gauge clients’ experiences of working with an architect for their project – and use these findings to feedback valuable insights to members. Read the summary of the survey’s findings.
The survey results show areas where architects are satisfying the needs and expectations of their clients – from helping them to realise their aspirations and reduce risks to delivering on technical expertise.
However the results also highlight that there are areas where architects can make some improvements. These include understanding clients’ commercial concerns, listening and communication, and managing client expectations - regarding design proposals, project duration and fees.
The results will help inform the RIBA’s advice to clients when working with architects. They will also feed into the RIBA’s ongoing promotional programme which includes the wide-reaching ‘Work with an Architect’ digital campaign which in 2020 contributed to over ten thousand clients using the RIBA Find an Architect service, compared to just over four thousand in 2019.
We're also hosting a series of online events to share the survey results with members and encourage clients and architects to have an open conversation about what they need from each other to achieve better project outcomes, including:
Architect and Developer in Conversation at 100@online as part of Real Estate Live – 15 June 2021. RIBA President-Elect Simon Allford of AHMM and member of RIBA Client Liaison Group Martyn Evans of U+I will feature on the panel. Register to attend.
Seminar for Housing clients planned for October 2021. Further details to be announced in due course.
