Royal Institute of British Architects’ President Ben Derbyshire has expressed how he believes architects, and particularly young architects, are often undervalued and should be more aware of their worth. He stated how ‘there seems to be an inability among architects to demand adequate payment for their services’, but he does not blame the architects, rather he looks towards the clients employing them.
The position of RIBA’s President must be held by a practising architect and so Derbyshire is also head of HTA Design, a firm with over 150 staff across the UK, with Derbyshire himself based in the heart of Manchester city centre on the edge of Piccadilly Gardens. Therefore, as a practising architect Derbyshire’s concerns come from personal experience and provide an insider view into the industry. Derbyshire says that one of the most prevalent issues when it comes to architects and their work being undervalued is that projects are beginning to be judged largely on price, operating through a sort of ‘bidding process’ and ‘unreasonable demands of framework’ which RIBA ‘vehemently opposes.’ In an attempt to win clients over, architects may offer their designs for free in the early stages of a project but Derbyshire has advised against this in a lot of cases in order to halt the ‘race to the bottom for our whole profession.’ He recognises that not all speculative work is necessarily bad, so long as there is an understanding and good relationship with the clients and the knowledge that you will definitely benefit from this arrangement.
Architecture is a highly skilled profession which involves a significant amount of studying and hard work and therefore it should be viewed as such, but Derbyshire expresses his opinion that ‘the profession isn’t valued highly by society or clients’ and therefore something has to change to alter these perceptions. Derbyshire believes that if architects start to recognise their true worth then the industry could perhaps shift in a dramatic way, with an impact on aspects such as ‘long hours, work-life balance and fair pay.’ Although Derbyshire puts a certain amount of emphasis on the attitudes of clients when it comes to the undervaluing of an architect’s work, he firmly puts the power in the hands of the architect, stating that it is the profession’s duty to collectively change these perceptions. To change these views he highlights how ‘we’re no longer in a place where developers see that architects have a role in managing risk, and now it’s a challenge to haul back from that position.’
He also suggests that by focusing on the necessity to invest in building more homes here in the UK that the role of the architect will become more valued as well. He states that ‘the nation needs to invest to build much more housing. We’re not here to steal bread from any other practise; overall the whole market needs to grow to solve the affordability crisis.’ He also went on to express RIBA’s support for the recent Shelter Report that proposes 3 million more homes need to be built and produced to a standard that means ‘everyone is proud to live in them.’
His ambition of re-establishing the architect within the development team will not happen overnight; however, Derbyshire has made a vital point regarding architects knowing their worth. It will involve a shift in perceptions and a commitment from the profession to reinforce these views; however, ultimately architecture is a highly skilled vocation that needs to be recognised for its importance and with Derbyshire’s advice the profession could definitely experience a shift in the next few years.