Unpaid overtime is a major concern

Nurturing emerging architectural talent is critical to the future of the profession. Which makes the findings of our in-depth investigation into the experience of many architectural assistants so disturbing. It is extremely sobering to find that the experience of some architectural assistants in practice is ‘toxic’ and ‘abhorrent’. Our hard-hitting report by senior reporter Ella Jessel, involving interviews with almost two dozen assistants and a snapshot survey of more than 1,500 people, reveals widespread institutional failure.

According to our survey, almost half of Part 1 architectural assistants working at RIBA-chartered practices are paid less than the Real Living Wage. And 15 per cent of Part 2 architectural assistants working at RIBA-chartered practices are paid less than the Real Living Wage, despite this being an RIBA ‘requirement’ since the start of 2018. Sixteen per cent of all the respondents to our survey said they had been asked to work illegally while on furlough. Unpaid overtime is a major concern, and Covid-19 has exacerbated the situation.

As Jessel writes: ‘The assistants’ plight is in some ways symptomatic of the issues facing the wider profession, and might be met with a weary shrug by those desensitised to low pay and long hours. But senior architects must engage with the junior staff when they put their heads above the parapet.’

The architectural assistant role is an important stepping stone on every architect’s long path to qualification. It should be a positive experience. In this issue we’ve also included a guide to basic employment rights. It’s worth knowing them.

Small projects are something to celebrate

The wonderful thing about small projects is the vitality and verve of what can be achieved on lower budgets. They offer quirky takes, innovative responses and colourful inspiration. They often feel ‘freer’ than bigger schemes, despite their small size – and coming, as they tend to do, at the earlier stages of architects’ careers, they can provide an insight into future directions of creative talent. They are formative.

The AJ Small Projects Award, sponsored by Marley, is a cornucopia of small-scale riches. If you need to get away from it all, check out Nýp Guesthouse overlooking Breiðafjörður Bay Nature Reserve in western Iceland by Studio Bua, or Sanei Hopkins’ Secret Garden.

‘Not surprisingly,’ our architecture editor Rob Wilson notes, ‘in this pandemic-struck year there is an emphasis on local and domestic projects: the latter showing a wide range of materials and spatial innovation’. And there’s a good deal of escapism, too.