… and those who are prepared to commit to long-term fees on projects are few and far between.
So, to survive, architects and engineers should consider how their skills can be used outside the traditional, project based building contract. This might mean stealing back some of the advisory work from project managers and agents, by helping clients to make front-end strategic decisions. Equally it might mean taking a broader role, advising clients on their existing property portfolios, whether for refurbishment work or to bring existing buildings up to acceptable levels of energy and carbon sustainability.
Think also about offering services in small packages, that allow a client to commit to short-term, lump sum fees. This way, a project can be nudged along without a client having to secure long-term investment. But remember, to do any of this successfully, each of these small pieces of work needs to include a margin for profit; this means being acutely aware of how much it costs to deliver each element of work – and pricing accordingly. To this end, case study reviews of past projects and business benchmarking are both invaluable.
As part of the drive to improve the quality of services engineers, the Ove Arup Foundation, with the Royal Academy of Engineers and others, has been sponsoring Visiting Professors in Building Engineering Physics at a number of UK universities. The applications from university departments has been amazing and so far we have been able to set up four posts: in Bath, Bristol, Cambridge and Sheffield. Our fellow sponsors include architectural practices as well as engineers. We still have a number of universities that would like to join in and, as a result of the successes to date, the RAE has said that it will match funding from others. If you are interested in finding out more, contact Peter Klyhn, the Secretary of the Ove Arup Foundation: Peter.Klyhn@arup.com
31 July is the deadline for applications to join the Interdisciplinary Design for the Built Environment, part-time masters course at Cambridge University.
This is a fantastic programme, supported by the Schools of Architecture and Engineering at the University. Each year it attracts an interesting group of students from client organisations, architectural and engineering firms, project managers, environmentalists, sociologists, economists… you name it. To find out more go to: www.idbe.org
