Economic pressure is forcing firms to shy away from projects in the commercial and office sectors, in favour of cultural, civic, health and aged care projects, new research finds.
A national survey reveals that 72 per cent of architects are reporting adverse impacts of the economic slowdown.
Fee reductions, project delays and cashflow issues have contributed to a feeling of uncertainty and concerns about job security within the profession, the survey, by property and construction consultants Davis Langdon, found.
These effects have been felt across the country, with South Australia and Tasmania the only two states in which architects were spared.
However, research manager Rachel Kelloway said a significant proportion of architects are looking to make the most of additional opportunities created by the federal government’s stimulus spending.
"Architects are increasingly looking to pursue work in the sectors of cultural/civic and health/aged care,” Kelloway said.
Other sectors attracting interest included hotel, leisure and multi-unit residential, she said.
Architectural firms focusing on the cultural and civic sectors rose from 36 per cent to 53 per cent, while interest in the health and aged care sector grew from 47 per cent to 55 per cent.
Firms that had specialized in office or commercial work are making a distinct “shift away” from the sector, Kelloway said.
The number of architectural firms focusing on the office sector eased by 19 per cent, while the commercial sector dropped by 22 per cent.
As a new emphasis on managing risk grips the profession, specifications are becoming increasingly important to architects, with 79 per cent of those surveyed including detailed product specifications in their work.
Almost two-thirds of those surveyed had outsourced specifications in the past and have not used the services of the national building specification organisation NATSPEC.
“A considerable proportion of architects reported that much of this closely detailed specification work was being done by project architects or directors, and this presents an opportunity to relieve some of the pressures of what is considered an onerous task by outsourcing,” Davis Langdon director, Mark Bray, said.
“This would suggest that in an industry already under duress — facing increased competition, halted projects, fee cuts, retrenchments, and a tight finance market — it may be beneficial for architects to consider outsourcing specifications,” Bray said.
As well as freeing up the valuable time of directors and other senior staff to pursue new business opportunities, this would also help architects venturing into new sectors to achieve a less risky transition, he said.
