Social Value in Architecture

Working in architecture is an ever-evolving field, and one of the main challenges that many architects will face is the need to provide services that keep up with the latest trends. However, this has now become even more vital than simply being a valuable option for ensuring your client is happy with the final result. Social value in architecture now demands that architects put their all into developing breathtaking designs that not only serve an ideal functional purpose but also provide numerous community and social benefits.

Fortunately, architects are in a unique position when it comes to social value. Indeed, there are countless amazing ways you can provide social value in architecture; this can help ensure your work has the best possible impact and touches as many people’s lives as possible.
What is Social Value?

Before we go any further, it’s crucial that we first outline what social value is. Social value is a quantifiable measure of how many social benefits a business – in this case, an architect – brings to its local community. Social value can include many different aspects of this, naturally; for example, you could consider opportunities to bring new economic, environmental, or social boosts to the local community.

One unique trait of social value in architecture is that it’s typically not based on your local community. Instead, most social value in architecture applications focuses on the communities around the project; that is to say, where the project is intended to be built. With this in mind, as an architect, it’s valuable to have an understanding of the local area before commencing any designs to ensure every design is capable of delivering social value.

Is Social Value in Architecture Important?

Social value in architecture is vitally important since it plays a significant role in the overall perception of the project. Local communities are often hesitant to accept new developments, especially if they are likely to have an impact on their views, access, and so on. Therefore, as an architect, focusing on ways to mitigate these issues through social value can be highly important.

Some Clients Can Only Hire Architects with a Focus on Social Value

We should point out here that one major benefit of investing in social value for your architectural projects is that you’ll be able to take more valuable projects. Many businesses hiring architects want to ensure that their development will be met with welcome arms, not resistance. Hence, proving that you can deliver social value will often be highly influential in your chances of being hired.

Furthermore, if you’re planning to work on public projects, social value in architecture is an essential part of the hiring process; you’ll be unlikely to win government contracts unless you can demonstrate evidence of providing social value in your work.

How to Implement Social Value in Architecture?

Implementing social value in architecture is, fortunately, surprisingly easy. Indeed, there are numerous ways you can go about this. Unsurprisingly, one of the easiest options is to focus on the environmental benefits of the development; in doing so, you may be able to easily increase the project’s social value without significantly impacting the community. Furthermore, designing the project in a way that allows local firms to work on it could also provide a valuable option.

Final Thoughts

Social value is often massively important, but many architects overlook this during their work. Unfortunately, overlooking social value could negatively impact your business, even if you are self-employed. With this thought in mind, to ensure you’re giving your business the boost it needs while staying compliant with the Social Value Act 2012, we strongly recommend you consider how social value in architecture could support your business going forwards.