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London studio Hopkins Architects has topped a leaderboard of the average salaries at UK architecture firms conducted by anonymous group The Pay 100.

Architects or architectural designers with less than five years’ experience at the studio, founded by high-tech pioneers Patty and Michael Hopkins, are paid around £54,500 a year on average, according to the snapshot data.

Second on the list, published on Friday, is fellow London studio TODD Architects at £53,800, while in joint third at £52,000 are Kohn Pedersen Fox, Mace and Zed Pods.

“Unusually high reports” of people leaving the profession

The survey also presented figures for part one and part two architectural assistants. Minimalism specialist John Pawson was top of the part two list at £42,000.

Among part one architectural assistants, the UK’s largest architecture studio, Foster + Partners, came out highest in the survey at £33,500.

The Pay 100 was launched in 2022 by anonymous activists in a bid to improve wage transparency within the architecture profession.

Its annual data, which includes figures for unpaid overtime, provides rough figures only based on the mean figures submitted by respondents to the survey.

“Our 2024 results indicate that there has been a marked increase in reported salaries for architects/architectural designers, though no significant improvement for part one and part two positions,” The Pay 100 said in a press statement.

“In parallel, we have received unusually high reports of talented employees sadly leaving the profession with economic opportunity playing an undeniable role.”

Data indicates studios paying less than living wage

Half of the 54 studios included on the part one list are paying less than the UK Living Wage of £26,208 for a 40-hour week, according to the snapshot data – ostensibly in contravention of Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) requirements.

The Pay 100 called on studios paying less than the living wage, as defined by the Living Wage Foundation, “to reconsider the value and living standards of their employees, as required by the RIBA”.

For the first time, this year’s The Pay 100 reveals the names of all studios captured by the survey, rather than only the top 100 for each category.

Reported average salaries ranged from £27,000 to £54,500 for architects and architectural designers, from £24,500 to £42,000 for part two assistants and from £21,000 to £33,500 for part one assistants.

The Pay 100 added that the initiative remains “optimistic about the power of cooperation, and continue to welcome collaboration from the [Architects’ Registration Board], RIBA and practices across the profession”.

Dezeen is currently conducting a survey of its own gathering information about people’s experiences of working in architecture and design, which can be found here.

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