What do clients really think of architects?

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is starting a new piece of work to find out what consumer and construction industry clients think of architects. A new ‘working with architects’ survey will be launched by RIBA Immediate Past President, Stephen Hodder MBE and the broadcaster Kevin McCloud at Grand Designs Live in London on 5 May.

The findings will benchmark client attitudes, inform future RIBA policy, and for the first time gather a body of evidence which will demonstrate the value of working with architects. They will also give valuable insights into what clients want, information that architects can use to improve how they win and deliver work. There are two versions of the survey, one for private domestic consumer clients, and another for commercial clients. The findings for 2016 will be announced at Grand Designs Live and UK Construction Week in Birmingham in October.

The survey will monitor attitudes, providing valuable up-to-date market intelligence for members and the profession as a whole.

RIBA President, Jane Duncan commented “I expect the results from this survey to help our profession develop their skills not just to remain relevant, but to continue to provide a significant and valuable leadership role and add creative innovation to the construction industry.”

Stephen Hodder added “This is a watershed moment for the RIBA. Investing in this kind of market intelligence gives our members the validated information they need to develop their professional service offering for the new era.”

Kevin McCloud, broadcaster and client, said “Building is a much more collaborative process than it used to be and among the shifting sands of responsibilities it’s hugely important for clients to understand their roles and to communicate their experiences. The client-architect relationship remains the most powerful and most creative bond on a project; we need to find ways of nurturing it in a world where ways of building are evolving.”