Survey reveals pessimistic outlook throughout Europe, though few UK firms take part

Although the economic outlook for the architectural sector in Europe appears to be worsening, UK architects remain positive … or are just too busy.

According to the Architects' Council of Europe's (ACE) latest survey, the mood within the architecture profession is becoming significantly more pessimistic.

Only 8% of respondents reported that they were in a “good” or “very good” position compared with 15% in April. The results showed that nearly one in three offices had seen a fall in staff numbers since the start of the economic downturn.

However, out of the 4,106 respondents, only 27 of these were UK based architects. The statistics may reveal a pessimistic standpoint from a French and Belgian perspective, as they make up over half of the responses.

Considering the staggeringly low number of UK architects who took part in the survey, they do not fairly represent the bleak results. Reasons for the lack of interest in the survey are unknown. Perhaps there is no need to worry, or maybe UK practices are simply too busy due to increased pressure from cuts in costs and staff.

The ACE survey is open to 31 countries to members of all ACE's organisations and is repeated every three months

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