The Race to the Bottom
Why do architects so often accept low fees, high work loads and poxy salaries when competing for jobs?
Despite investing so many years of their life and eye-watering sums into their training, many architectural workers – both employees at big firms and the founders of small practices – have little to show for it as the chasm between the cost of living and a decent salary in the sector widens.
Practices routinely taking ‘Work in Kind’ rather than hard cash and low balling fees have been baked into the profession, driving down conditions and fuelling a culture of undercutting where we all fight each other for scraps. For architects on the coalface, it can feel like every single project suffers; with timeframes and resources cut again and again, as the workforce absorbs ever more strain. Architectural practices are victims of the same system as their employees – slaves to cutthroat competition.
It doesn’t have to be like this! In many industries wages and fees are set more clearly and more fairly with standard day rates widely adopted and insidious undercutting robustly resisted. Surely less time competing for projects with unrealistically low fees and more time fighting for higher benchmarks and paygrades is the way forward? What’s the point in getting a foot on the ladder if the entire system is out of step?
Is the race to the bottom uniquely endemic to design and what lessons can we learn from industries that demand and enjoy better conditions? Join us for the next debate, where we will explore how to break the downward spiral, with speakers bringing inspiring stories of solutions to improving employment conditions from across time and throughout the world, as well as urgent problems requiring ambitious action here and now.
Speakers
Hosts
Time and Location
Wednesday 28th February
7.00pm – 9.00pm (doors: 6.30pm)
Rich Mix, Shoreditch
Please note this event is in-person only but related topics are discussed on Open City’s free podcast every week for remote audiences. Search for Open City wherever you get your podcast to subscribe.
Tickets
Standard: £12.00
Concessions: £8.00
Image: Paul de Vos: Cats Fighting in a Larder