Impact of COVID-19 on European Architecture Firms

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Impact of COVID-19on European Architecture Firms

• www.archdrawoutsourcing.com

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• The Architects Council of Europe interviewed its
  member organizations to find out how they were
  coping with the COVID-19 crisis, try to assess
  the first impacts on the profession and the
  architecture market, and gather information on
  the measures put in place to help companies and
  the self-employed to overcome the crisis.

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ACE member organizations
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ACE member organizations follow the
recommendations issued by the competent
authorities of their country. Since mid-March,
their staff has worked to a large extent at home.
At the start of the quarantine, the transition to
telework and remote collaboration in teams posed
difficulties in certain organizations, mainly
because they did not have the appropriate
technological means. The transition was easier
for organizations that already had telework
policies in place. In any case, the
organizations services were not interrupted
they continued to fulfill their missions. Several
organizations have taken measures to facilitate
the obligations of architects towards them
postponement of the date of payment of
contributions postponement of the date of
declaration of continuing vocational training
suspension of training obligations.
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Communicationin times of crisis
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health and safety recommendations in
architectural offices
information on state aid and financial provisions
for companies and the self-employed
legal and administrative advice concerning
personnel, contracts, accounting, building
permits, insurance, etc.
practical advice for preserving jobs and
businesses
protocols for construction sites
ACE member organizations do their utmost to
provide information and advice to architects in
this time of crisis, including
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Several organizations have created new sections
on their websites or set up hotlines to answer
questions from their members. They are closely
monitoring the development of the situation
through regular surveys of architects. They also
often act as intermediaries between architects
and the competent public authorities capable of
supporting them and answering their questions.
Many of them are in close contact with their
national governments to report on the impact of
the crisis on the profession and to propose
initiatives to support the profession.
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First impacts on the architectural profession
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The situation on construction sites varies
greatly from one country to another and depends
on the type of projects. In many countries,
construction sites have been halted or are
experiencing major slowdowns due to problems with
the delivery of materials and new health and
safety measures introduced to protect
workers.It is still too early to accurately
assess the impact of the crisis on the profession
and the architecture market. However, several
organizations are already reporting that
architects are experiencing problems with
non-payment or late payment. They are worried
about possible short/medium-term cash flow
problems if too many projects are slowed down,
blocked, or canceled, as well as possible legal
disputes concerning the possible application of
force majeure clauses in construction contracts
and professional service contracts.
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Economic supportfor companies the self employed
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In a large majority of countries, governments
have taken steps to support companies and the
self-employed who face economic hardship,
including

• reduction or deferral of payment of taxes (VAT,
  social security contributions, etc.)
• contribution to employee salaries, in the case of
  part-time work or if the company suffers a loss
  of turnover
• government-guaranteed loans
• credit facilities
• solidarity fund for companies and the
  self-employed
• public procurement adaptation measures

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• The Architects Council of Europe will continue
  to follow developments closely. At Archdraw
  Outsourcing, our priority is establishing a
  seamless project workflow to keep our
  uncompromising standards of timely project
  delivery of CAD Services in Covid-19 Crisis while
  ensuring the well-being of our employees. We
  value humanity above all and we promote the
  culture that we have also built into our
  business. We are dedicating our time, efforts,
  and resources to fighting this battle and helping
  our fellow citizens in this difficult time.

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THANKS!

• Contact us if you need CAD Services
• in this COVID-19 Crisis
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