Only Four Architecture Studios Pay Newer Staff Above London Living Wage, Survey Finds
Only four UK architecture studios pay their newest staff more than the London Living Wage, according to this year's Pay 100 salary survey, while twelve of the 30 studios that reported Part I salaries pay less than the UK Living Wage.
The Pay 100 is an anonymous annual survey of pay in British architecture. Its fifth edition collected annual salary data from 127 firms and also asked about unpaid overtime, measured as average hours worked each week for free. Dezeen reported the results on Monday 2 November 2026.
Part I is the first stage of the UK's architectural qualification. Many people in Part I roles work as junior assistants while they study.
The survey's Part I results came from 30 studios, 21 of them in Greater London. Only four paid more than the London Living Wage of £32,136 a year: Haworth Tompkins, Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, Studio McW and Studio PDP. The London Living Wage is a voluntary hourly rate set by the Living Wage Foundation. For 2026–27 it is £15.45 an hour, which comes to £32,136 over a standard 40-hour week. Outside London the UK Living Wage is £14.10 an hour, or £29,328 a year, and twelve of the 30 studios paid Part I staff below that level.
At the other end of the scale, the highest average salaries for architects with less than five years' experience came from BakerHicks, at £72,000. Hopkins Architects ranked second at £63,700. Samuel Chisholm Studio and Thomas Alexander Design tied for third at £56,300.
For Part II assistants, the second stage of training, Transport for London paid the highest wage in the survey at £44,000. Foster + Partners followed at £42,000.
The Pay 100 has also used the results to push for change. It has written an open letter to the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), the profession's main professional body, asking it to act on the financial wellbeing of architecture workers. The group wants RIBA to set meaningful minimum salaries for chartered practices, rising each year with inflation. It also wants RIBA to take ownership of the survey itself. According to the Pay 100's survey results page, the letter is titled "The Pay 100 open letter to the RIBA – A call for decisive action on salaries in UK architecture."
RIBA has, for its part, declared the London Living Wage a requirement for relevant offices, as reported in the same Dezeen coverage.
For a junior architect on the lower end of the Part I range, the gap between the two living wage levels is £2,808 a year before tax. For the studios that pay above the London rate, the survey shows that it can be done. The Pay 100 has published its results on its website and is calling for the figures to be acted on.
