With one year left until Brexit, 2018 is a critical year for the UK architecture industry. Today, the RIBA released the latest results of their Global by Design report, a comprehensive survey of UK architects on Brexit. Although UK architects can adapt to next year's changes, RIBA describes, they also expressed growing concerns for the uncertain future of their industry in addition to the lack of clarity on the UK's future relationship with the EU.

RIBA surveyed their members between December 2017-January 2018. For starters, 71 percent of architects believe Brexit will have a negative impact on the built environment, compared to 60 percent in the 2017 survey.

The 2018 report also reveals that 68 percent of architects had projects put on hold, and more than 2 in 5 architects (43 percent) had projects cancelled since the EU referendum (in 2017, 61 percent had delays and 36 percent had cancellations). To add to that, 60 percent of EU architects considered leaving the UK since the referendum, compared to 40 percent last year. 

In response to the survey results, RIBA issued a set of recommendations for the government to maintain the UK's global role in architecture, some of which include: 

• a deal with the EU that maintains market access, avoids non-tariff barriers, and new services trade agreements with priority markets that open new opportunities for UK architecture
• a post-Brexit immigration system
• continued mutual recognition of architects’ professional qualifications with the EU
• expansion of the scope and range to support architectural exports, particularly for small- and medium-sized practices

You can read the full report on RIBA's website.

For more about how architects are reacting to Brexit, check out Archinect's previous Features and News.