The latest Future Trends survey has said architects’ confidence for the next three months is up slightly

state of play architects

The workload index increased from +34 compared with +33 in May.

Scotland is the most optimistic region with a balance figure of +50, closely followed by the Midlands, East Anglia and London.

Private housing and commercial are the most buoyant sectors and the RIBA director of practice Adrian Dobson said: “The biggest growth in actual workloads by value now appears to be occurring in the commercial sector, following a long period in which the private housing sector has tended to lead the way. This appears to be a country-wide trend.”

Meanwhile, the US Architecture Billings Index reported that its June score was 53.5, up from a mark of 52.6 in May.

The new projects inquiry index was 66.4, up noticeably from the reading of 63.2 the previous month and its highest level in a calendar year.

American Institute of Architects chief economist Kermit Baker said: “With the first positive reading since last summer in billings at institutional firms, it appears that design activity for all major segments of the building industry is growing. The challenge now for architecture firms seems to be finding the right balance for staffing needs to meet increasing demand.”