“Form follows profit, it is the aesthetic principle of our time” Richard Rogers. It's a point of view. Discuss the factors beyond the influence of the architect that you believe have the most impact on building design today. Consider the positive and negative aspects of these influences. Profit is certainly an important factor when considering the impact on building design, but profit may not have the greatest impact, other factors such as economics, client, Political and technical possibilities could also claim to have the greatest impact on design. “In 2012, the UK construction sector contributed £83.0 billion to economic output, or 6% of the total. (Rhodes, 2013, p. 1)” Therefore, when the 2008 recession arrived, it affected the construction industry immensely. “Between February 2008 and March 2009, the number of architects claiming job search allowance increased by 760%. (Lowery and Wright, 2011) Although architects have been fortunate to keep their jobs, the impact of the recession on building design and the construction industry in general has been incredibly significant. Architects working in all sectors have been affected. In the public sector, school infrastructure has been reduced by 81%, largely due to the abandonment of new school construction (Rogers, 2012). This means that the majority of newly built schools will need to be designed within a strict budget. Architects are no longer able to design public buildings without thinking about the current economic climate. In the private sector, individuals and businesses themselves have been hit hard by the recession, with minimal pay increases and ever-rising costs of living. This has left the private sector with little or no discretion...... middle of paper ...... recruiting specialists to investigate the animals will therefore incur unexpected costs which may need to change parts of the design to stay within the required budget. For some species of bats, they cannot be rehoused and will therefore have to be designed around them, such as in the DMA's apartment block in Westminster, where "designs had to include habitats for pipistrelles and bats horseshoe and bird species (Vaughan, 2007). ).' This increased costs and also affected the appearance of the design as they are to include "A series of bat tubes and bird boxes will be integrated into the wall composition, limiting their visual impact and providing a sheltered habitat (Dextermoren.com, 2007). “Overall, the site could raise many unexpected issues with planning applications and therefore the design may need to be amended to adequately satisfy the planning board..