The leading architectural practice in the UK for the past 12 months is UMC Architects, according to market researchers Barbour ABI. The practice has topped the league table for 2021 with a total just over £740m across 30 projects.
UMC Architects specialises in industrial projects with significant experience in distribution and logistics, energy and waste, transport, manufacturing, food and drink and specialist commercial projects. Its most recent project was a design for two new industrial units at Marsh Barton Industrial Estate, Exeter (pictured above).
RPS Group Plc came second on the league table with 12 projects valued at £711m, followed by Hawkins Brown Architects with £704m across 18 projects.
The research shows a total value of projects for all practices of of £18,634m and a total number of projects at 562.
Allies & Morrison Urban Practitioners topped the league table in September with two projects awarded to them at a value of £245m. Their biggest project of the month was the Pall Mall Bixteth Street office development. BPD took second place for September winning three projects worth £135m.
Other Barbour research on contract awards showed a resumption of normality and above average levels in September. A sector which saw drastic improvement in terms of contract awards was the hotel, leisure and sports sector with contract awards having grown by 88%, although still working back towards average levels after being so heavily affected by COVID-19. According to Barbour ABI’s data, in August the sector had a value of £199.4m in contract awards, this figure rose to £375m in September, showing the sector is getting back on its feet after a turbulent 18 months.
