{"id":743395,"date":"2024-06-06T08:30:01","date_gmt":"2024-06-06T07:30:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/?p=743395"},"modified":"2024-06-06T09:51:45","modified_gmt":"2024-06-06T08:51:45","slug":"how-can-the-architecture-profession-survive-if-it-cant-adapt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/news\/opinion\/how-can-the-architecture-profession-survive-if-it-cant-adapt","title":{"rendered":"How can the architecture profession survive if it can\u2019t adapt?"},"content":{"rendered":"

A benefit of being involved in a Part 3 course is hearing how other practices go about their business. You get to hear how well-known firms achieve what they do, picking up some useful tips. You also get a bird\u2019s eye view of how everyone is generally getting on and can notice some trends between practices. One glaringly obvious observation is the reluctance of practices to change, preferring to stick to the tried and tested rather than adapting to fit the times.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve written before about architectural specialisation<\/a> and briefly commented on the scope that was previously part of the domain of the architect. Millennial architects (such as myself) and younger ones may not fully grasp that certain consultants, such as planning consultants, did not exist until architects decided to let go of this part of their role. Relatively high-paying roles such as quantity surveyors and planning consultants are recent inventions and do not exist in other parts of the world as this is the job of an architect (for more on this and the history of the architect\u2019s role read Eleanor Jollife\u2019s and Paul Crosby\u2019s fantastic book Architect: The Evolving Story of a Profession<\/a><\/em>).<\/p>\n

I have seen scope erosion happen in real time with the invention of the principal designer role under the 2015 Construction (Design and Management) Regulations. Architects have relinquished this part of their scope to others who have less skill and less involvement in the project. It is bewildering to find this is continuing with the role as defined in the Building Safety Act, with many firms actively avoiding taking on the role even though it was written with the architect in mind.<\/p>\n

The frustration around the slow adoption, and active rejection, of the principal designer role perfectly illustrates our profession\u2019s slow reactions and aversion to change. There are countless articles and conversations around low pay and diminishing design control but when I hear that there are firms making salary cuts who are also turning down these new scope opportunities, these complaints seem more and more like self-pity.<\/p>\n

It is only natural to be apprehensive about taking on another level of liability, especially when it comes to high-rise residential building (HRBs) but the required competencies for a principal designer are well described<\/a>, so if you meet the required competency level then there seems to be little reason not to add this to the scope of services you provide. It is essentially a role we already undertook, now written into legislation.<\/p>\n

The reluctance to adopt such roles not only reflects a broader aversion to change within the profession but underscores a missed opportunity to reaffirm and expand the architect\u2019s scope. In addition to the Part 3 course, my university runs a unit for undergraduates that invites professionals who have taken an unconventional career in architecture or a complete sidestep from the profession, showing that the traditional working method is not the only way. It\u2019s only by adapting that industries can survive and thrive.<\/p>\n

In shying away from these new responsibilities, we risk perpetuating a cycle of scope erosion and diminishing relevance. If we\u2019re to remain big players in the built environment, practices need to proactively engage with evolving legislation and make the most of business opportunities. Let’s not look back in 20 years at opportunities lost to hesitation, but move forward with the conviction to define and protect the vital role of architects in society.<\/p>\n

Toko Andrews is an associate at Tunbridge Wells-based Kaner Olette Architects and associate lecturer at the University for the Creative Arts<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Does focusing on one sector impose an unwelcome straitjacket or is it the key to architects being treated more like other professions, asks Toko Andrews<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":145019,"featured_media":743397,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"ep_exclude_from_search":false},"categories":[745],"tags":[14379,5025,101083],"yoast_head":"\nHow can the architecture profession survive if it can\u2019t adapt?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Architecture\u2019s aversion to change is perfectly illustrated in the new principal designer role, writes Toko Andrews\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/news\/opinion\/how-can-the-architecture-profession-survive-if-it-cant-adapt\" \/>\n<meta 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