WHO I AM. Prof. Ralf Niebergall. Architect in Magdeburg, Germany (2-8 Employees) Professor for architecural design and building theory in Dessau

Transcription

1

2 WHO I AM Prof. Ralf Niebergall Architect in Magdeburg, Germany (2-8 Employees) Professor for architecural design and building theory in Dessau President of the Chamber of Architects in Saxony-Anhalt Vicepresident of the Federal Chamber of German Architects (BAK) As Vicepresident for Europe and International Affairs also responsible for NAX - the Network for Architecture Exchange

3 FACTS AND FIGURES Source for Germany: Analysis of the structures of practices, business volume and revenues of selfemployed members of the German Chambers of Architects BAK, 2014 (*BAK 2016) Source for Europe: ACE Sector Study 2014 Ute Kluge, Berlin

4 PROFILE OF ARCHITECTURAL PRACTICES ANALYSED BY SIZE Germany European Union 10 and more (*8%) 1 staff (*41%) 5-9 staff (*13%) 2-4 staff (*38%) Over 80% of architects offices in Germany and the EU have 1-4 employees, only 8% in Germany and less than 3% in the EU have more than 10 employees!

5 WORKING IN ANOTHER EUROPEAN COUNTRY Germany Offices practicing abroad destination The primary cross-boarder focus for German architects is Europe. Main countries where German architects are active are Switzerland, Austria, France, Luxemburg and Italy (* 2016 Austria, Switzerland, France and Spain)

6 REASONS NOT TO GO ABROAD Germany *BAK 2016 Sufficient work on the national level Missing contacts/ no starting points Insufficient knowledge of foreign markets Acquisition too time consuming Additional costs too high - 38% 40% 33% 21%

7 OBSTACLES FOR CROSS-BORDER ACTIVITIES Germany What are the main difficulties on a scale from 1 (big problem) to 5 (no problem)? Insufficient knowledge of the legal systems Insufficient knowledge of the local market Additional time consumption Divergent professional profile/scope of service Additional costs of the engagement abroad Problems with professional indemnity insurance Professional regulations (Registration) Professional regulations (other obligations) Language skills Local fee systems Regulations of social security Codes of conduct/ advertising limitations 42% of the interviewees don t see any obstacle!

8 OBSTACLES FOR CROSS-BORDER ACTIVITIES European Union Main concerns about working in another European country *BAK 2016 for Germany 33% 30% 50% 29% % 14%

9 REAL LIFE STORIES Ute Kluge, Berlin

10 Cathrin Moll and Alexander Schwehm, Architects ARCHITEKTURBÜRO SCHWEHM + PARTNER SAARLOUIS A stone s throw away from France and Luxemburg 5 employees You live next to two other European Countries. Do You work cross-border? Basically not. To get the authorisation to present building documents in France is really difficult. So the circle of our professional activities is only 180. For French architects it is much easier here. We try to intensify the cooperation with our neighbouring Chamber of Architects to improve the situation. And how is the situation in Luxemburg? For us the situation in Luxemburg is better, because Alexander is a member of the Chamber of Architects in Luxemburg and is authorised to present building documents. You need an additional insurance in Luxemburg that encompasses the architect, the contractor and the other engineers. But this is not a problem. This model to divide the liability insurance could be an example for Germany.

11 Christoph Heckel, Landscape Architect BGHplan GmbH, TRIER works in France and Benelux 12 employees You work e.g. in Luxemburg and France. Do You see any obstacles for your activities abroad? (Laughs) Sometimes it is easier to provide our services in Luxemburg than in Germany. They accept it, when we calculate our fees according to the German HOAI, because they exactly know, what they get for their money. In Luxemburg we have the authorisation to present planning documents by the Ministère des Classes moyennes et du tourisme and the Ministère de l Environment. Our expertise, especially in environmental design, is also in demand in France. There we cooperate with several partners. Will You expand Your cross-border engagement? Our services are closely dependent on the direct communication with clients and institutions. It s not primarily about the drawings, which one can exchange digitally. Therefore our radius of professional activities is limited to a 1 ½ hour drive. Anything else would not be economical for our office.

12 Helma and Bernhard Schuster, Architects SCHUSTER ARCHITEKTEN FRANKFURT/ ODER 10 minutes walk from the border to Poland 9 employees You work together with Polish architects on a project for a Polish investor in Germany. Why do they not often provide their services in Germany? The fees are higher here than in Poland? Indeed, the attendance of Polish architects in public procurement procedures here in Germany is nearly zero, although they could compete with lower prices as they are not bound by the German fee scale ( HOAI). We think the difficult German building regulations and the high density of building codes are really dissuasive for them. And in Poland it is not so common to oversee a project from the first sketch to the building site and the hand-over of keys to the client. Our liability here in Germany is much more radical than in Poland. The German system of joint and several liability of architects together with the contractor is unknown in Poland. And why don t You provide Your services in Poland which is only a stone s throw away? It is really difficult to understand the public procurement rules and requirements in Poland or the Czech Republic.

13 Isabella Skiba and Prof. Dr. Bert Bielfeld, Architects BERTBIELFELD&PARTNER, DORTMUND work in Austria and try to work in Finland 12 employees Through your work as an architect and Professor, you are frequently confronted with problems of European cross-border services. Can you say something concerning the Scandinavian countries? Yes, sure. Finland, for example, has a local "planning permission system". As Finland is divided into different districts, you have to fulfill the respective requirements, if you wish to practice as an architect in a certain district. The Authority will then verify whether the architect is qualified for the specific type of building. The registration/recognition as an architect on the other hand is rather simple. The title is not protected and it is sufficient if you can proof your academic degree. However, these requirements are partially different in each district and thus not transparent for a foreign architect. Without a local partner it is practically impossible to work, especially because of the complicated system of Building types. This means, the permission to work as an architects depends on the classification of the building.

14 Büro Priedemann (Architects, Engineers) PRIEDEMANN FASSADENBERATUNG GmbH BERLIN works international 140 employees Your company priedemann building envelope consultants are working world-wide. What are your challenges and experiences with the European cross-border. For example, in Austria? The requirements for registration and recognition as an architect are not the problem. But there are for instance - different standards for topics like energy-efficient construction and refurbishment. Especially in the sector of façade planning and building, this means that you have to schedule at least two people, who will deal with national standards and can apply these in the planning process.

15 Thomans Lücking, Architect GERBER ARCHITEKTEN, BERLIN works international 150 employees Gerber Architekten operate internationally. However, the attempt to enter the Eastern European market was not entirely successful? For what reason? In the Eastern European area all public procurement procedures and in particular architectural design contests are conducted in the local language. This is mostly an unsurmountable barrier. It is not possible to submit English documents. Translating the material into the particular language is very expensive and should be done by translating expert, so all terms are translated correctly. The effort is much too high. We would rather plan and build in Riahd (laughing).

16 SERVICES PASSPORT? It should be a document that addresses concretely the obstacles to cross-border services (i.e. real life) and provide solutions It should not duplicate but build on existing initiatives like the professional card or IMI Ute Kluge, Berlin