High-profile studios including Zaha Hadid Architects are breaching promises made when they signed up to Architects Declare and undermining its efforts to prevent climate change, the network has told Dezeen.
The initiative is being "undermined by a few practices," according to the network, which was launched in May last year to encourage collective action from architects in the face of the climate and biodiversity emergencies.
Seventeen high-profile UK practices including Zaha Hadid Architects and Foster + Partners were founding signatories of the Architects Declare manifesto. Since then, branches of the movement have sprung up around the world.
However, the UK body admitted that its rules are too lax and the actions of some signatories have damaged its legitimacy. "It is clear that our approach is working with most of the signatory practices but is starting to be undermined by a few practices who are not supporting the efforts of the initiative," the Architects Declare steering group told Dezeen.
"As such, we will be conducting a survey with our signatories about tightening the declaration points. We know this may lead to some practices withdrawing but we anticipate it will also strengthen the resolve amongst those practices who do want to treat this situation as an emergency."
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