Euro architects pessimistic about future

Many architects in Europe are pessimistic about the future, having been badly hit by the global downturn in the property markets.

The economic outlook for the architectural sector appears to be worsening, according to the latest architect remain positive or a re just too buys to worry about it, according to the latest quarterly survey from the Architects' Council of Europe. It found that only 8% of respondents said that they were in a good or very good position compared with 15% when the last survey came out in April.

It showed that nearly one in three offices has seen a fall in staff numbers since the start of the economic downturn. French and Belgians were the most pessimistic.

Some 7% said they had seen staff numbers increase, but a further 23% of practices expected staff numbers to decrease further in the next three months.

The ACE is calling for action. 'The construction sector is often recognised at a good barometer for indicating the vitality of the general economy. Within that sector it is often the architectural profession that first feels the cold wind of a recession and the warm breeze of a recovery,' a spokesman said.

'These results are bad news for the European Union as a whole and should be a call to action for politians at all levels. The ACE and its Member Organisations, who stand ready to contribute to well-framed actions, believe that immediate increased public investment in sustainable construction and, in particular, energy efficiency upgrading of existing buildings would be an appropriate starting point,' he added.

Many architects have been badly affected by the cancellation or delays of major development projects in Russia and Dubai where European architects have been much sought after.

The ACE survey is open to members of all of the ACE's member organisations, including the Arb and the RIBA, in 31 countries. It is to be repeated in September to establish if the pessimistic trend is continuing.

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