A survey by CAU/BR conducted in partnership with the Datafolha Institute has revealed new insights into the professional profile of architects and urban planners in Brazil. This is the largest survey conducted in the country since the Census of Architects and Urban Planners in 2012, which was carried out when all professionals registered with the newly created Council of Architecture and Urbanism. "We need precise information to guide CAU's initiatives, both for the entity's planning and to improve communication with professionals," said the president of CAU/BR, Luciano Guimarães.
The survey found that Brazilian architects and urban planners are mostly young, with an average age of 38, predominantly female (64%), and self-employed or freelancers (55%). They work primarily in state capitals and metropolitan areas (66%), while a significant portion (24%) also works in fields outside of architecture and urban planning.
The CAU Evaluation Survey, conducted by the Datafolha Institute in May through telephone interviews with 1,500 architects and urban planners and 500 architecture and urban planning firms, was based on the age and geographical distribution of the overall registry of CAU.
MAIN ACTIVITIES AND INCOME
According to the survey, the main activities carried out by architects and urban planners are Architectural Design (87% active in this area over the last two years), Interior Architecture (68%), and Construction (64%). Other activities over the past two years include Complementary Design (49%), Management and Consulting (30%), Landscaping (28%), and Public Service (23%).
For architecture and urban planning firms, the most frequent activities over the last two years were Architectural Design (89%), Interior Architecture (71%), Construction (58%), Management and Consulting (57%), Complementary Design (43%), and Landscaping (30%).
Regarding income, 50% of the architects and urban planners reported earning more than five times the minimum wage, while 20% reported earning between three and five times the minimum wage, and 22% earned less than three times the minimum wage. About 8% of those surveyed did not respond. Overall, 37% of the professionals interviewed declared themselves "satisfied or very satisfied" with their current income, while 34% said they were "somewhat satisfied," 13% "dissatisfied," and 15% "very dissatisfied."
The most common methods used by architects and urban planners to acquire clients are social media (45%) and active client referrals (44%), followed by a personal portfolio website (11%) and word-of-mouth (10%). The survey allowed multiple answers. Eighteen percent of the surveyed professionals and firms have previously worked on Social Interest Housing, while 8% of professionals and 11% of firms reported having provided architecture and urban planning services in other countries.
BUDGETS AND TECHNOLOGY
Fees for services rendered by architects and urban planners are calculated primarily based on the project's square footage (56%), customized client requests (29%), the CAU Fee Schedule (21%), and a percentage of the CUB (Basic Unit Cost of Construction) (16%). Among firms, pricing is calculated primarily based on the professional's billable hours (51%), followed by square footage rates (48%), a percentage of the CUB (18%), and the CAU Fee Schedule (17%). Multiple choices were allowed for both groups in the survey.
Regarding technology, most professionals use laptops (85%) and desktop PCs (84%), with CAD (85%), 3D (77%), and rendering (68%) software. The use of BIM software is significant: 36% of professionals and 37% of firms use this technology in their projects. The vast majority of firms (70%) say they are satisfied or very satisfied with the workplace technology available to them. The internet is already the most widely used medium to stay updated on architecture and urban planning news, reaching 95% of professionals. On social media, 74% use Instagram, 50% use Facebook and Pinterest, and 28% use LinkedIn.
The 2019 CAU/BR-Datafolha Survey captured many other insights from professionals and firms regarding the job market, professional practice areas, and various other topics. Learn more here.
Via CAU/BR.
This article was written by CAU/BR. The translation is powered by AI.
