Article 50 still hasn’t been triggered, but the fallout from Brexit is already impacting the UK and its economy. And, as many predicted, architecture isn’t immune to its effects. In one of the first major post-referendum announcements pertaining to the discipline, engineering giant Arup has stated that it will lay off up to 10% of staff at its London Buildings Division.

As reported by the Global Construction Review, the multi-disciplinary firm will cut some 90 jobs. Final decisions will be made by the end of next month. This falls in line with predictions that the construction industry will be among the hardest hit in the aftermath of the June 23rd decision. Uncertainty hovers over many big projects in the capital, such as the planned skyscraper known as the Pinnacle.

In an email sent to staff and quoted by the Global Construction River, Nigel Tonks, head of Arup’s Buildings London office, states: “We are seeing signs of delays in investment decisions, particularly in the commercial sector, as investors wait for clarity on Britain’s future relationship with the EU.”

Arup has helped build some of the most noteworthy buildings of the last decades including the Sydney Opera House and the CCTV Headquarters in Beijing. In London, their work includes “the Gherkin”, Coventry Cathedral, the Barbican Centre, the Millennium Bridge, and many other structures.

More on Brexit:

• Brexit: a chance to roll back the interventionist state and unleash entrepreneurial creativity – op-ed by Patrik Schumacher
• Brexit exposed a Britain divided, and architects must now "redouble our efforts to be at the forefront of quality and innovation." – op-ed by Chris Williamson of Weston Williamson + Partners
• Brexit vote was due to "a loss of identity more than anything else" – op-ed by Alan Penn, Dean of the Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment
• A Bit of Nervousness: Brexit's effect on architecture ft. special guest Rob Hyde from Manchester School of Architecture on Archinect Sessions #70