Sustainability remains a topical theme, but willingness to invest remains low

Sustainability plays a role in British and Dutch architects’ projects the most

The extent to which sustainability plays a role in projects by European architects varies a lot. However, in all countries except Poland, a majority of architects are involved in projects in which sustainability is one of the aspects that play a role in the design. What stands out is that a third of Polish architects reported in 2020 that they are still not aware of the concept of sustainability. In this, Polish architects are lagging behind other countries. The Netherlands and the UK, on the other hand, are ahead of the other countries. There, over three-quarters of architects are actively involved in projects in which sustainability plays a role, quite a lot more than in the other six countries.

Despite the role sustainability plays in projects, principals are not always willing to invest

In many European countries, the effect of sustainable solutions being taken into account in many projects is evident. But in many cases, architects will have to propose solutions that are not more expensive than other less sustainable solutions. The willingness to invest in sustainability projects remains low among principals. No significant development can be seen in this yet. Architects in all European countries experience a demand for sustainable solutions from these parties, but only one in five principals also seem willing to invest in them. The willingness to invest is relatively high in the Netherlands, the UK and Belgium, which provides a plausible explanation for Dutch and British architects being more involved in projects in which sustainability plays a role.

For more information on a country level, we refer you to the European Architectural Barometer Q4 2020: Sustainability & Circularity.