“Australian society places a low value on good design, so the fees we can command are never enough to cover the work needed to produce excellent design. As a result, design excellence only happens off the back of architects’ unpaid overtime.”
– Female, associate, 36–45 years
What did the survey find?
Guest editors: The survey revealed a resounding concern about the influence and impact of low fees on wellbeing in the profession, with a strong perception that societal under-valuing of architectural design related to equally undervalued financial investment.
Many participants spoke of structural impediments to fair remuneration, namely a “race to the bottom” in fee-undercutting and poor procurement practices that cyclically led to unrealistic deadlines, long
