Will the architect survive the year 2024? A look ahead

Last summer, the mainstream news carried reports that architects are facing tough times. In particular, firms specializing in residential construction noticed that projects were stalling and work was drying up. This emerged from a News Hour roundup of 195 members of the Branchevereniging Nederlandse Architechtenbureaus (BNA). The question is therefore: will the architect survive 2024? We talked about this with interior architect Remy Meijers from Utrecht.

1. Let's get right to the point: will the architect survive the year 2024?     

Remy: "Looking only at myself, I'm sure I'll survive. And the same goes for the years to come. In fact, I focus very specifically on higher-end projects. My clients never actually talk about money. They can often finance projects, which sometimes take a few years, themselves. So I don't expect any problems."

"But I do think the larger agencies will get fewer applications. One will find that much of the market is holding out. The middle segment will go on hold. It will be difficult to keep your staff working. And they are already experiencing it: the phone is ringing less. I hear these noises from colleagues in the industry."

"But, the architect will survive. Or in other words, the craftsmanship will definitely exist after 2024!" 

2. Are architects then entrepreneurial enough to actually survive that potential doomsday scenario? 

"Well ... it varies. One architect is not the other. Some are artists that success happens to, others are just very consciously commercial ... But it will be essential, for your survival, to see if you can broaden your own scope. You will have to look for alternatives. And yes, that includes a bit of innovation."

"How I myself innovate? Well, I have always dealt with interior architecture but I see in the market that those challenges often become bigger and more extensive. As a result, I 'grow' into exterior exterior architecture. I am suddenly - albeit with a collaboration partner (Barry Broekhuijse) in this - also talking about facades. I also do more and more projects abroad. Actually, this is a combination of process and product innovation. I am actually scaling up." 

3. Does Artificial Intelligence have implications for the profession and perhaps very directly for 2024?

"I acknowledge that I am somewhat anxious about AI. You see, I love the old craft. The drawing. The human contact. Of course I don't close my eyes to AI but I don't know enough about it yet. It will certainly affect everyone's business processes. I think there will be two big implications for our craft. First, the lesser gods but who are handy with AI will be able to capture a larger market share. And second, I think consumers are already using it themselves. They will more often submit to us more clearly how they want it, with sketches from AI programs."

"So for architects, there is the challenge of eventually embracing AI. I'm not that far yet myself, but I do expect that you're going to visualize all the creative ideas in a different way."

4. What tips do you have for the architects of the Netherlands to "survive" ... 2024? 

"First, stay true to what you stand for. Know what brand you are, stick to your core values and your own signature. Don't make crazy leaps. But also make sure that you don't get caught in a cramp or panic when things are a bit difficult because of all these factors in the market. Ask yourself anyway if you can tap into another market without losing your own base."

"But above all, make sure you have some Fuck You Money in the bank. A buffer to take hits. If something happens that causes you to drop in revenue, you have to be able to hold out so that you can still say 'No' to projects that are not in your scope. And that completes the circle: you stay true to yourself. But ... develop yourself."