Architects Outline Brexit Concerns in Signed Letter to Prime Minister

ARCHITECT & Broadcaster Piers Taylor (presenter of BBC’s The World’s Most Extraordinary Homes and The House that £100K Built), is so concerned with the impact that Brexit will have on the architecture and construction industries, he has written an open letter to the Prime Minister.

The letter has been signed by 40 of the UK’s most renowned architects, including RIBA Gold Medal winner, Sir David Chipperfield and several RIBA Stirling Prize winners.

Both the architecture and construction industries rely heavily on foreign migrant labour for skilled and non-skilled roles. It is feared that outside of the EU, which guarantees the right to free movement, the skills shortage could worsen. If immigration is limited, particularly for skilled workers, the UK could witness higher project costs where labour demand outweighs supply.

The letter to the Prime Minister explains these worries, highlighting the ‘success’ that European architects have brought to the UK market.

Architects Outline Brexit Concerns

The letter reads:

Dear Prime Minister

Architecture is an international industry where cooperation across borders is
critical to the success of our practices. Much of our work is pan-European,
and many of our staff are from the EU. Figures suggest that 1 in 5 architects
in the UK are from the EU, and 1 in 3 in London. We thrive on this sense of
being part of an international community, and have – as a culture – benefitted
immeasurably from the freedom of movement that has enabled many
European architects to contribute to the enormous success that is British
Architecture. We believe that without being members of the EU this success
would not have been possible. We are concerned that unless we are
members of the EU with the free movement of ideas and people that this
brings, the culture within which we practice architecture in Britain will be
immeasurably diminished. At present, under proposed immigration rules, your
definition of a skilled worker excludes almost all of those who come here to
work in our industry. For us, instead of being an opportunity, this is
devastating.

We believe that there is no good Brexit. We also believe that the 48% of the
votes cast in the last referendum have been ignored. When you talk of the
‘Will of the People’, you are not taking into account that almost half of all
votes cast were to remain, and polls show that in the period since the
referendum many of those who voted leave have changed their mind. With
this, we do not see within any of your negotiation with the EU
any consideration whatsoever of the circumstances that we need for
our industry and associated institutions to continue to thrive.

Piers is encouraging anyone who wishes to be added to the list of signatories to
email him at: brexit@invisiblestudio.org. 

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