Brexit is a "disaster" that is leading to less overseas work and a loss of talented workers, according to leading UK architects.
Andrew Waugh of Waugh Thistleton Architects spoke of the "sense of isolation" his studio has felt since the UK left the European Union, while Sarah Wigglesworth of Sarah Wigglesworth Architects said her business is struggling to recruit and tender contracts.
A senior partner at Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners said it is causing "friction and asymmetry", while a Glasgow-based studio claimed pressure on the architecture industry means smaller practices are "struggling to compete with lowball fee offers from direct competitors".
One year on聽from the end of the transition period when the EU's rules ceased to apply in Britain, Dezeen spoke to six UK architects about how Brexit has impacted their work. While some pointed to the widely reported surges in building material and labour costs, they also acknowledged that it is difficult to separate the role Brexit has played from the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Others said the challenge is encouraging innovative and collaborative approaches to designing buildings.

"We would opt to return to how things were before in a heartbeat"

Stephen Barrett, partner and head of Paris office, Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners
"In short, it's still too soon to have a complete and accurate picture.
"Two words do immediately spring to mind, however: friction and...