The CIOB is lending its support to the RIBA’s ongoing Client & Architect initiative, which is due to be summarised in a report released later today. The RIBA initiative looks to enhance the relationship between architects and clients and points the way to developing greater collaboration across the industry.
The 44-page report, Client & Architect: Developing the essential relationship, is the result of a two-year project led by outgoing RIBA president Stephen Hodder.
The initiative involved one-to-one interviews and roundtable discussions with hundreds of clients from many sectors, including contractors, local authorities, healthcare, education and heritage clients, and was also supported by Morgan Sindall and developer Argent.
The CIOB was invited by RIBA to take part in its client liaison group. This group gathered evidence from different sectors and regions, with the aim of identifying the tools that architects need to improve their service to clients.
Chris Blythe, chief executive of the CIOB, said: “Relationships are critical to the construction industry, which can so easily be riven by conflicts. CIOB members, as construction managers working for contractors, increasingly find themselves cast as clients for architects. Strong relationships are key. They separate good teams from poor and, so often, the best projects from the also-rans.
He added: “As fellow professionals, our members recognise and respect the value architects bring. They recognise too that in the uncertain, complex, often fraught environment of a building project conflicts arise and compromise is necessary. Tribal and narrow commercial interests can easily trump good judgement and problem solving. All professionals must guard against this.”
The report concludes that the architecture profession must adapt to prosper, and should be willing to take on the role of “spiritual leaders” who see the project through to completion.
It also suggests they must be more adept at interpreting market data, and make sure that their communications are engaging, authoritative and persuasive.
Later this month the CIOB will publish its own report highlighting the value of professionals within the built environment and the Professional Bodies that represent them. This report is set to be launched at the Conservative and Labour party conferences.
