Cheer up - the world still wants you, British architects told

Architects have no reason to despair over the UK’s decision to leave the EU, according to a leading competition organiser.

Brexit will do nothing to lessen the demand for British architects from clients around the world, predicted Malcolm Reading, chairman of Malcolm Reading Consultants.

“Architects are being unnecessarily gloomy about this,” he said. “We are a nation of highly creative people with a history of working across the world. This needn’t have an impact on us whatsoever.

“I don’t think short or medium term this should inhibit anyone from working in the EU. British architects are in demand all over the world.

“There may be rare instances where specific projects in the EU are limited to EU residents.  However, our expectation is that we’ll carry on doing competitions in the EU and that most of these will want to attract global not just EU-based talent.”

Reading has just launched a design contest for a €25 million science centre in Lithuania.

“The client didn’t call us up on Friday and say, ‘You’re sacked’. They want the best and brightest architect in the world so of course it’s open to British architects.”

Reading also predicted Ojeu would survive the UK’s exit from the EU in one guise or another because the system is so embedded in our procurement rules.

“It’s not a great procurement process but we have all got used to it,” he said.

“There are some things which should and could be corrected – especially for small firms – but I suspect the actual structure of the process will continue for a long time. The politicians have a long list of legislation to deal with that will be a higher priority.”

Reading said while no architect had expected or prepared for Brexit, they should now view it as an opportunity.

And the profession should not lament a lost opportunity to work in other European countries, he added, because in reality it was never that easy anyway.

The ability for architects to take their qualifications abroad unimpeded by bureaucracy rarely worked in practice because clients imposed limitations such as insisting on a practice having a presence in their country, he said.