Architects in Australia are responding to the impact of the global financial crisis shifting the focus of their work and exploring the prospects of outsourcing some of their services.

A national survey conducted by international construction and development consultants Davis Langdon has shown that architects are finding themselves under considerable pressure, with 72% reporting adverse impacts of the economic slowdown.

Fees have been reduced, projects halted, some clients are taking longer to pay and many expressed uncertainty of future work and fears about job security.

These effects were felt across the country, with South Australia and Tasmania the only two states where architects felt they had not been as affected.

However, Davis Langdon’s national 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.

"In this climate following stimulus packages from the Government, architects are increasingly looking to pursue work in the sectors of cultural/civic and health/aged care,” said Ms Kelloway.

“Other sectors attracting interest included hotel/leisure and multi-unit residential.”

The Davis Langdon research found that many architects working in the office or commercial/mixed fields were affected by the slowdown.

“However, for those who currently work in these areas, we found a shift away from their current focus.

“Those intending to pursue the office sector eased by 19%, while the commercial sector dropped by 22%.

“Architects from these fields also indicated a considerable level of new interest in the cultural/civic (from 36% to 53%) and health/aged care (from 47% to 55%) sectors.”

Davis Langdon’s Director of Specification Services, Mark Bray, said the importance of specifications became more apparent in a climate of increased competition, stalled projects and scarce funds.

“Specifications are an effective tool for managing risk on projects of any size, and we found clear evidence that architects valued good quality specifications,” he said.

In line with this, 79% of those surveyed include detailed product information in their specifications.

Almost two-thirds have outsourced specifications in the past and have not used the services of the national building specification organisation NATSPEC.

“However, 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,” said Mr Bray.

“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.

“This would free up the valuable time of Directors and other senior staff to pursue new business.

“In addition, as architects venture into new territory, outsourcing specifications to those who already have extensive knowledge in these sectors would enable a smoother and less risky transition.”

For further information, contact Meaghan Jones on +61 3 9933 8800 or email mjones2@davislangdon.com.au