Areas for growth and recovery: Why architects are feeling more positive this year

By David Blackman2026-01-21T07:00:00

Source: Aedas / China Southwest Architectural Design and Research Institute

The latest survey of top architecture firms for Building’s sister title Building Design shows a global uplift in sentiment, with the Middle East leading the way and cautious optimism on India, writes David Blackman

The good news for architects worldwide is that sentiment about the global construction economy has improved among respondents to the annual WA100 survey.

Just under two-thirds (65%) believe 2026 will see growth, with 8% expecting this expansion to be strong. This is an improvement on last year’s finding that 59% expected growth in 2025, making it the most positive sentiment since 2022’s post-covid rebound.

The proportion anticipating stagnation has fallen to 30%, compared with 33% last year. And those expecting a decline in the construction market worldwide have decreased from 8% to 5%.

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