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Will architects be in demand in 10 years?

Most signs say yes. Official forecasts expect architect jobs to keep growing, many architects are close to retiring, and there is a huge amount of housing and renovation work ahead.

By the Sketchfest team6 min read

Three young architects working together around a table in a busy studio, with sketches, a model and a laptop

Anyone choosing a career, or hiring for one, wants to know this. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics expects architect jobs to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with around 6,900 openings a year, and many of today's architects are close to retiring.

The short term is harder, though: in the US, architecture firms are going through a slow patch right now.

What the official forecast says

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 124,600 architect jobs in 2025. Its forecast of 4% growth to 2035 is about as fast as the average for all jobs, and the roughly 6,900 openings it expects each year are spread over the whole decade.

Most of those openings won't be brand-new roles. They come from people retiring or moving into other work, and that matters a lot for architecture, as the next section shows.

Many architects will retire soon

According to NCARB, the body that runs US licensing, architects over 65 made up 14% of all US architects in 2025. NCARB expects the number of architects to dip in the coming years as baby boomers leave the profession, before settling at a new level.

For anyone starting out now, that's good news. Studios will need people to take over projects, clients and practices. In Europe the profession is still growing: the Architects' Council of Europe counts about 580,000 architects, up 8% over the last decade.

There is a lot of work ahead

Three big pressures will keep architects busy for years.

Housing. The US is short of homes, though nobody agrees by how much. Estimates range from about 2 million (Moody's Analytics) to 4.9 million (Brookings), and some go much higher. In England, the government has promised 1.5 million new homes by 2029 at the latest, and Full Fact's tracker puts progress at about 29% so far. Either way, the homes still have to be designed.

Renovation. The EU's updated buildings directive asks for zero-emission new buildings by 2030, a 16% cut in energy use across homes by 2030, and renovation of the worst-performing non-residential buildings: 16% of them by 2030 and 26% by 2033. That is millions of existing buildings that need new thinking, not just new boilers.

Climate and comfort. Heat, flooding and energy costs are changing what clients ask for. Designing buildings that stay cool, use less energy and adapt over time is architects' work.

Architect visiting an older apartment block under renovation, with scaffolding on the facade
Renovating existing buildings is one of the biggest sources of future work.

What could slow demand down

It's not all good news. In the US, the AIA/Deltek Architecture Billings Index was 44.7 in September 2026. Any score below 50 means more firms saw billings fall than rise. Firm leaders expect 2027 revenue to be slightly lower than 2026, and average backlogs fell from 6.6 months to 6.2 months during the year. Inquiries about new projects did rise a little.

Architecture follows the building cycle, so slow years come and go. A soft market today doesn't change the long-term need for housing and renovation, but it does mean the next year or two may be tough for some firms and graduates.

Then there's AI. In RIBA's 2026 survey, 59% of respondents expect AI to mean fewer jobs across the profession, but only 9% say it has already led to staff cuts in their practice. AI is changing tasks more than it is removing architects. We look at this in detail in Is AI replacing architects?

Ten-year outlook at a glance

Here's what pushes demand for architects up, and what pulls it down.

FactorWhat the data saysEffect on demand
Official forecastUS architect jobs up 4% from 2025 to 2035, about 6,900 openings a yearUp
Retirements14% of US architects were over 65 in 2025Up
HousingUS shortage of roughly 2 to 5 million homes; England aims for 1.5 million new homesUp
RenovationEU rules for zero-emission new buildings and large renovation targets by 2030 and 2033Up
Market right nowUS billings index at 44.7 in September 2026, revenue expected slightly down in 2027Down, short term
AIChanges tasks; 9% of UK practices report AI-related staff cuts so farMixed

"Effect on demand" is our reading of the sources listed at the end, not a forecast of our own.

Skills that will be in demand

The work ahead points to a clear set of skills:

  • Retrofit and energy. Knowing how to improve existing buildings, not only design new ones.
  • Housing. Good, affordable homes at scale, designed quickly and well.
  • Digital tools. BIM, analysis tools like Autodesk Forma, and AI for the routine work.
  • Showing ideas fast. Clients, councils and communities want to see options early and clearly.
  • Judgement and people skills. The parts AI can't do: weighing trade-offs, leading teams, earning trust.

The architects in most demand will combine good design with fast, clear communication.

Show more ideas in less time

More housing and more renovation, with tight budgets and a soft market, means studios have to do more with the same team. Visuals are one of the easiest places to save time. Classic render engines like Enscape, Lumion and V-Ray are excellent for final images, but they need a detailed 3D model and time to set up. General AI tools like Midjourney are quick, but they invent their own building from a text prompt.

Sketchfest starts from your drawing. It's built for architects: you upload a hand sketch, a CAD screenshot or a view of your 3D model, and get a photoreal render of that design in seconds. It follows your drawing, so the building is yours. No prompts to write and nothing to install, so you can show a client several options early, before anyone has spent days on a model.

RenderHand sketch
RenderHand sketch
A hand sketch of a house on a hillside with wide front steps and its render, made with AI in Sketchfest. Drag the line to compare.

Quick answers

Will architects be in demand in 2030?

Very likely. The housing and renovation targets above all land around 2029 to 2033, right in that window. Short-term ups and downs in the market will still affect hiring from year to year. See Will architects be in demand in 2030? for the key dates.

Is architecture a good career for the future?

The long-term signs are good: steady job growth, retirements opening up roles and a lot of work to do. In the US, the median pay for architects was $99,280 in May 2025. Expect the job to keep changing as AI takes over routine tasks.

Will AI reduce demand for architects?

So far, AI is changing tasks rather than removing architects. Read Can AI do an architect's job? for a task-by-task look.

Sources

  1. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Architects (projections 2025 to 2035, pay May 2025)
  2. ArchCareersGuide, NCARB by the Numbers 2026 (secondary summary of NCARB's 2026 report)
  3. BUILD UP (European Commission), Architects in Europe: rising numbers (summary of the ACE 2024 Sector Study)
  4. The Daily Record, Why nobody really knows the scale of the US housing crisis (February 2026, compares published estimates)
  5. Full Fact, Is the government on track to deliver 1.5 million new homes? (updated October 2026)
  6. BUILD UP (European Commission), EPBD recast summary (Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, 2024)
  7. AIA, ABI September 2026: Architecture firm billings slump deepens (October 2026)
  8. RIBA, AI Report 2026 (1,100+ respondents, March to April 2026; respondents self-selected)

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