The AJ100 survey shows a profession bouncing back from the pandemic

The AJ100 survey is a key snapshot of the health of the architecture profession. The latest survey shows the number of architects employed by the AJ100 practices has soared to a record high, and the profession is broadly optimistic (albeit more cautiously so than in 2021).

Practices are coping with constant change with laudable flexibility – hybrid working is overwhelmingly the norm now. And it’s interesting to note that studios with the highest levels of job satisfaction are those with particularly liberal policies towards working hours. Rising energy costs and the cost of living are live issues, and almost two fifths of AJ100 practices compensated employees for higher energy bills.

There is continued increase in sustainable approaches. Two thirds of practices say they frequently advocate retrofit to clients over demolition, compared with 63 per cent last year and 55 per cent the year before that. The remaining third now do so occasionally.

There is much more open-source work going on, along with a broad understanding that practices aren’t islands

And, for the first time, we asked how many AJ100 practices are using artificial intelligence and machine learning – already 44 per cent are using these technologies to some extent. With a wealth of data, it’s interesting to look at the broad trends, as well as the underlying shifts. A strong theme of collaboration is emerging. There is much more open-source work going on, along with a broad understanding that practices aren’t islands – they work in a wider supplier context which is making welcome steps towards circularity. The Entopia project is a case in point: the enthusiastic support of contractor ISG and interior designer Eve Waldron were crucial to Architype’s exemplar retrofit project meeting its circular economy goals.

Pooja Agrawal, chief executive of Public Practice and our Contribution to the Profession Award winner, celebrates the opportunities to make changes and relationships across sectors. ‘There is much more to be done to raise the quality of the everyday, public places,’ she says – places that belong to the many, not the few.

Our many thanks to Bruce Tether, professor of management at the Alliance Manchester Business School, for his insight and analysis into the AJ100 numbers; and to Pamela Buxton, our project manager, for her expert stewardship. And our thanks to you: sponsors, supporters, subscribers and members of practices large and small. As the judges in the Practice of the Year category observed: ‘Great practice is about people’. You can’t do it alone.