A recent survey from the UK architecture salary advocate organisation Pay 100, set up to highlight stagnating salaries in the profession, has highlighted ‘unusually high’ reports of talented employees leaving the industry ‘with economic opportunity playing an undeniable role’.
In the wake of the survey, members of the WAN Awards global judging panel have revealed the architecture salary situation in their part of the world. There was concern about low wages, particularly for those starting out in the profession, across the board.
For UK architect and WAN Awards Judge Heinz Richardson (pictured above), founder of Buro Nineteen and a former Director of Jestico + Whiles, low pay has always been “a bone of contention in the profession’.
“Fees and pay levels have been talked about in architectural circles for as long as I can remember, with most architects bemoaning the low level of expectation. Clearly low pay is most acute at the entry level of architecture and is currently scandalously low,” he said.
He believes that pay, coupled with the length of time required to study architecture, is “rapidly becoming a real issue for people thinking of entering the profession”.
“Being an architect no longer has the kudos it once did and there are many examples of pay levels in other industries and services being much higher for young people,” he added.
Heinz and other WAN Awards judges questioned the contentious issue of architects giving up their professional expertise for no guaranteed fee, to secure work via competitions. He called for a long overdue review of the process.
“My view is that it is not justifiable or realistic, and unless architects unanimously agree that they will not work under such circumstances then there will always be someone who is willing to sacrifice reward for the benefit of securing a commission,” said Heinz.
He added: “No architect or practice should be expected to work without any reward. The effect of this is to simply devalue the skills and abilities of architects.”
WAN Awards judges Pinar Ongun and Ozan Ertug, co-founders of Synthetic Architecture, agree. The Istanbul-based architects pointed out that there are “no organized systems for architects to fight low pay imposed by the construction industry”, explaining that the problem was a particular issue in the Middle East and Asia, “where most construction works are booming but architects' fees are shrinking”.
“If the studios get guarantees about prices, then this will be reflected in the payments to the architects. Architects need to have a better understanding of the business of architecture and form some pacts against exploitation,” they said.
Reflecting on the situation in China, Christopher Lye (pictured above), Principal and Hong Kong Retail Sector Leader at Woods Bagot and Chair of Judges for the sister WIN Awards, reports that architecture is now the least favourable subject for young people to study at university level in the region, in part due to a wave of redundancies in the profession and plummeting salaries.
“Pay levels for architects are much lower than five years ago, in extreme cases down to the minimum wage in mainland China,” he said.
He explains that there is little his firm can do to tackle the low pay situation.
“Our approach at Woods Bagot is to retain the critical skillsets within the firm with a 20% pay reduction to get through the downturn. Hopefully this is temporary, as we know everyone has a family to sustain. But there are a lot of firms that are taking quite an inhuman approach, offering the minimum wage with the same level of work intensity and not even paying their staff on time.”
WAN Awards judge Tom Chung, a principal at Leers Weinzapfel Associates based in Boston, paints a more optimistic picture for architects working in the United States. He notes that while low pay is widely talked about in the profession, this is primarily for those at “entry level to mid-level” and that as architects gain experience “pay does go up considerably”. He agrees that architects need to come together to improve wages.
“I think in order for pay in architecture to significantly increase, especially entry level pay, architects together need to make our case for the value of design to the general public and also be willing not to go below a certain threshold in fees and provide free or heavily discounted work to clients,” he said.
Adding: “If we can communicate this effectively, then our pay will be more commensurate with other professions like medicine and law.”
For WAN Awards judge Chris Williamson (pictured above), founder of British firm WestonWilliamson which now has studios in five countries including China, Australia, Canada and Saudi Arabia, and who became RIBA President-Elect in September, the issue of architects pay is “one of the most referenced topics in my mailbox.”
“During my time as RIBA President I want to see architects more highly appreciated and better paid,” he said.
Chris, whose firm was behind the Paddington Elizabeth Line Station pictured above, believes improving the profession’s access to lifelong learning could allow architects to curate their own career and increase specialist expertise.
“We should not ask all architects to do the same learning, there are so many specialist roles and we need to offer more flexibility,” he said.
He added: “There are 14 types of surveyor but only one type of architect. Online lifelong learning modules would also increase social mobility and allow different routes to qualification. In conjunction with apprenticeship learning school leavers could curate their path into architecture, then deciding what kind of architect they want to be at each stage of their lives.”
He believes that “being the best of the best” is key to establishing the value architects bring and will in time lead to better pay.
He also pointed out that the profession needs to “communicate our expertise more widely”.
“There is a real ignorance that architects have great knowledge in many areas,” he said.
Chris highlighted the importance of architectural awards schemes, such as the WAN Awards, in promoting high quality work and demonstrating the profession’s value, which could in turn lead to better remuneration.
If you’d like to demonstrate the value of the work your studio is doing, and boost your global presence at the same time, find out how to get started on your WAN Awards entry today.
Main image credit: WestonWilliamson+Partners