{"id":9320,"date":"2026-03-12T03:56:58","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T03:56:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bespokecareers.com\/?p=9320"},"modified":"2026-03-12T04:12:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T04:12:07","slug":"london-architecture-and-design-market-update-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bespokecareers.com\/articles\/london-architecture-and-design-market-update-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"London Architecture and Design Market Update 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>We are\u00a0seeing growth in some areas, including\u00a0aviation, infrastructure, luxury hospitality, and\u00a0commercial projects in London,\u00a0plus international work in Asia and Europe \u2013\u00a0and slowdown in some other areas. Demand for skilled mid-level architects\u00a0\u2013\u00a0especially those fluent in Revit\u00a0\u2013\u00a0continues to outstrip supply.\u00a0<span data-contrast=\"auto\">Candidates<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Job seekers<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, meanwhile, are\u00a0prioritising\u00a0balance, flexibility and smarter commuting choices\u00a0when they make a change.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:120,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Sector\u00a0buoyancy<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:120,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"8\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Aviation and infrastructure projects internationally are going strong.\u00a0Luxury hospitality\u00a0as well.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559731&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:120,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"8\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">In London, there has been a growth in\u00a0high end commercial developments in the city\u00a0as a result of\u00a0a general\u00a0push to come back to the office.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559731&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:120,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"8\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"3\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Although\u00a0Middle\u00a0East projects seem to be slowing down slightly, international work continues to keep the market going in London\u00a0with projects across\u00a0India, Korea and Europe.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559731&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:120,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"8\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"4\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Due to continued slow planning regulations for residential projects, there\u00a0has been an increase in building hotels instead. Easier and quicker to make money.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559731&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:120,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">In demand roles and skills<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:120,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"9\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">There seems to be a market shortage for mid-level architects \u2013 not seniors but good architects who can run projects. It could be the market trying to keep costs down, or there could be a genuine skills shortage.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559731&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:120,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"9\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Clients waiting for sign off and having lean staff means recruitment decisions are made at the very last\u00a0minute\u00a0so the contract has increased 30%.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559731&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:120,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"9\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"3\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Revit dominates, and those with strong skills are infinitely more placeable than those without. Small firms are considering\/making the move to\u00a0Revit so they don\u2019t get left behind or miss out on the best\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">candidates\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">job seekers\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">who will turn down a studio if they can\u2019t continue to work\/learn in Revit at a company.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559731&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:120,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Challenges<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:120,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"10\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Rising costs\u00a0are\u00a0problematic,\u00a0with\u00a0firms are facing rising staff and operational costs, while economic uncertainty and intense competition put downward pressure on fees.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559731&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:120,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"10\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">High interest rates, high construction costs, and a slowdown in certain sectors like private residential development is causing projects to be delayed or postponed.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559731&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:120,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:120,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Candidate\u00a0<\/span><\/b><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Job seeker<\/span><\/b><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/span><\/b><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">priorities<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:120,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"11\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Work-life balance continues to be top of mind.\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Candidates\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Job seekers\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">know that getting pay increases is less likely in this economy,\u00a0so they are less committed to working overtime or long hours. They are also looking at hours worked by companies\u00a0\u2013\u00a0the difference between 37.5 and 40 hours is a serious consideration when it comes down to pay per hour.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559731&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:120,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"11\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Some are considering going client-side or into design management to mix things up\u00a0with the\u00a0potential of more money.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559731&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:120,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"11\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"3\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Commuting is more of a consideration than ever, with increased days (4-1 now the most common) in the office.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559731&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:120,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"11\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"4\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">London is becoming more of a cycle city including with electric bike hire on a massive increase,\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">candidates\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">job seekers\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">choosing this option for cost and sustainability considerations &#8211; mean end of journey facilities are important to job seekers.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559731&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:120,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here is what our industry experts have been seeing in London<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":9323,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","footnotes":""},"categories":[21,68,69],"tags":[],"location":[],"class_list":["post-9320","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","category-employers","category-jobseekers"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bespokecareers.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9320","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bespokecareers.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bespokecareers.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bespokecareers.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bespokecareers.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9320"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.bespokecareers.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9320\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9359,"href":"https:\/\/www.bespokecareers.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9320\/revisions\/9359"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bespokecareers.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/media\/9323"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bespokecareers.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9320"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bespokecareers.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9320"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bespokecareers.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9320"},{"taxonomy":"location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bespokecareers.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/location?post=9320"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}