The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has published its Future Trends report for February 2026, revealing a significant milestone for the profession: for the first time in nearly four years, architectural practices are reporting workloads higher than the previous year. The Future Workload Index rose to +5 in February, marking a third consecutive month of increasing optimism and a notable recovery from the -5 recorded in December 2025.
Strategic Recovery and Regional Divergence
The data indicates a strengthening of the architectural business cycle, with 28% of practices now anticipating workload increases. Crucially, the recovery has extended to small practices (1–10 staff), whose outlook turned positive (+3) for the first time in over six months. While medium and large practices remain the primary drivers of sector optimism, their confidence indices have moderated to a combined +12, down from +23 in January.
Geographically, the recovery is led by the North of England (+19) and London (+17), suggesting a robust pipeline in urban regeneration and high-value infrastructure. However, sector-specific data remains more cautious:
- Community Sector (+4): The only sector currently maintaining a positive growth outlook.
- Private Housing (-1) and Commercial (-2): Both remain marginally negative, reflecting ongoing sensitivity to borrowing costs.
- Public Sector (-4): Deteriorated further this month, highlighting budgetary constraints in local and central government.
Staffing Trends and Capacity Management
The Permanent Staffing Index rose to +4, indicating that practices are moving from defensive posturing to active recruitment. This is supplemented by a Temporary Staffing Index of +6, suggesting that firms are utilising short-term capacity to manage immediate project spikes while remaining wary of long-term overheads.
This recovery, however, is being shadowed by external volatility. The survey was conducted before the recent escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, which has introduced significant risk regarding energy-driven inflation and supply chain stability.
Leadership Perspectives
“February’s Future Trends results appear encouraging, with workloads rising and confidence improving following a difficult second half of 2025. For the first time since summer 2022, practices report that workloads are higher than a year ago.
However, recent geopolitical developments mean the outlook remains uncertain. Rising energy costs and the potential impact on inflation and interest rates could affect construction activity and architects’ workloads in the months ahead. Commentary from practices continues to reflect a mixed picture.” — Adrian Malleson, RIBA Head of Economic Research and Analysis
