The global corporation said in an announcement on Monday (28 September) that it would seek to sell off ‘the majority of the architecture business’ as part of a strategic reset.
Arcadis says no jobs are at risk in London, where the multidisciplinary outfit has offices at Fenchurch Street and Farringdon, or Manchester, Brighton and Cardiff, where the firm has architects working in the UK.
The company said in its 2027-2029 strategy document Arcadis’ Reset: Focused Growth, Sustainable Value that divesting most of its architecture arm and China business would improve its operating profit margin.
The AJ understands Arcadis is actively seeking a buyer for its UK business. In a statement it described the move as ‘an ownership decision and structural change’, rather than a reduction in headcount. The ARB register records more than 100 architects as working for Arcadis.
The Arcadis spokesperson continued: ‘The standalone architecture business is expected to remain a close strategic partner to Arcadis, building on the strong relationships, multidisciplinary teams and ways of working that already exist today.
‘In the meantime, Arcadis architects in the UK will continue working on our strong portfolio of healthcare, education, defence and transit and large-scale mixed-use projects and clients will continue to benefit from the connectivity that has been established across our businesses, while also benefiting from a dedicated architecture business with a clear focus on design excellence.
‘Our commitment to our people and our clients, and to delivering exceptional project outcomes, remains unchanged,’ the spokesperson added.
Arcadis’s most recent accounts for its UK architecture business, for the year ending December 2024, showed turnover of £7.5 million, down 52.4 per cent from £15.7 million the previous year.
The company reported a gross profit of £3.5 million in 2024, compared with £7.9 million in 2023, while its net profit margin before tax fell from 11.26 per cent to -10.56 per cent.
Arcadis acquired RTKL in 2007 and Callison in 2014, before bringing the two architecture practices together as CallisonRTKL in 2015. In 2022, Arcadis acquired IBI Group, bringing its Buildings business together with CallisonRTKL to form Arcadis’s Architecture and Urbanism division.
The firm’s recent UK projects include an HS2 bridge with Moxon, residential schemes in Reading with Gensler at Station Hill, in Birmingham at Corkfield and in Manchester at City Suites II.
Last year, Arcadis completed a SEND school in Tooting, south-west London, in a collaboration with Gardiner & Theobald and Willmott Dixon.
In 2023, Arcadis completed the Gorton Hub, an integrated community services and healthcare facility in east Manchester designed by Arcadis for Manchester City Council.
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