RIBA Future Trends Survey: Architects Still Optimistic But Wary

The RIBA has published its Future Trends Survey results for August 2026.

The RIBA Workload Index suggests that, overall, architects remain positive about future workloads, although optimism has weakened this month, and the profession remains optimistic, but by only the narrowest of margins.

In August, the RIBA Workload Index stands at +1, down three points from +4 in July.

A positive balance indicates that, on balance, practices expect workloads to increase over the next three months.

Twenty-four per cent of practices anticipate an increase in workload, while 23% expect workloads to decline. The remaining 53% expect workloads to remain steady. Behind the overall confidence, the outlook among smaller practices remains downbeat when compared with others.

The regional picture is mixed and more subdued this month, with confidence strongest in Wales and the West. London, however, has seen a sharp fall in workload expectations.

The sectoral outlook is varied. The outlook for the Commercial sector has returned to positive territory, while the outlook for the Private Housing sector, in a widely challenging housing market, remains subdued. Public and Community sector expectations are slightly downbeat, hovering close to a no-change outlook.

This month, practices report workloads to be 9% lower than a year ago, on average.

The outlook for staffing has deteriorated. Both the permanent and temporary staffing indices have slipped back into negative territory, suggesting that, overall, practices expect staffing levels to reduce over the coming three months.

Workload expectations by practice size

Small practices (1–10 staff) remain pessimistic about future workloads. Their Workload Index stands at -5 in August, the same as in July.

The outlook for large (51+ staff) and mediumsized practices (11-50 staff) remains firmly optimistic but has weakened. Their combined Workload Index stands at +29, down from +49 in July.

The ongoing difference in outlook between smaller practices and others remains significant. A subdued housing market and ongoing challenges faced by domestic clients are weighing down upon smaller practices’ workloads.

The regional outlook

The regional picture is once again mixed, and most regions have seen their outlook weaken this month.

Frequently the most positive region over the last year, Wales and the West posted the highest August figure, with a still strongly positive Workload Index of +16. However, this is a fall when compared with July’s +32 figure. The Midlands and East Anglia posted a modestly positive balance score of +2 in August, down from +10 in July. #

Other regions are pessimistic about future work. London has a Workload Index of -10. This is the weakest regional outlook this month and a fall of 16 balance points compared with July.

The outlook for the North of England also remains negative at -10, although this is a threepoint improvement on last month. The South of England returned a balance of -1, slipping marginally into negative territory following July’s zero balance score.

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Workload expectations by sector

Private Housing remains the weakest performing sector, although the outlook has improved. A -5 Index in August is up one point from last month. Smaller practices remain pessimistic about future housing work while larger practices are optimistic.

The Commercial sector continues to fluctuate from month to month. August sees confidence rally, with a +3 balance score, up from -4 in July. The most optimistic regions for commercial work are London and the North of England.

Optimism for Public Sector work has fallen from a +3 in July to -1 this month. Perhaps reflecting the current government’s emphasis on growth across all of the UK, the North of England is the most optimistic region for public sector work.

The outlook for the Community sector remains negative but has improved slightly. This month, the sector’s index stands at -1, up from -4.

Commentary

While remaining positive, the findings of August’s Future Trends Survey suggest that architects’ confidence about future workloads remains fragile.

Although the Workload Index remains positive this month, its three-point decline from July suggests the initial rally in confidence has not yet developed into a period of sustained, consistent recovery.

The analysis by practice size continues to show an ongoing gap between the confidence of smaller practices and others, reflecting ongoing weakness in the housing sector.

That said, the results in other sectors give some grounds for very guarded optimism. The outlook for Commercial workloads has improved and returned to positive territory, while workload expectations in the Public and Community sectors remain close to stable. But these improvements are modest and have not translated into improving workload expectations for practices, overall.

Commentary from practices continues to highlight long-standing challenges, including low enquiry levels, intense fee competition, delayed decision-making by clients, planning delays and concerns about project viability. These fit into a wider context of economic uncertainty aggravated by conflicts in Europe and the Middle East.

Nevertheless, some practices see opportunities to grow their workloads, including opportunities arising from new framework appointments, projects emerging from being on hold, and increased marketing activity.

Overall, the outlook is marginally positive, but it continues to be cautious, with uneven performance across sectors and regions. The profession remains under external pressure during a difficult period. A period of sustained recovery has yet to emerge.

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