1. In 2026, I’m fighting for a future-ready, technology-adept profession.

Beyond Titles: Why Capability Will Define Architecture’s Future

Architects achieve extraordinary results despite outdated workflows. That tension sits at the heart of where the profession now stands.

In 2026, my focus is firmly on a future-ready, technology-adept profession. Not in a nostalgic sense. Not by trying to rewind the clock. And not by pretending regulation alone will save us.

Recent commentary from RIBA reinforces something many of us have known for years: in the UK, the title “architect” is protected, but the work is not. Anyone can deliver architectural services, provided they don’t use the name. That isn’t new.

What is new is what comes next.

The real shift facing architects is not about titles or legislation. It is the rapid democratisation of design and delivery tools. AI, automation, and data-driven workflows are already reshaping:

-Who gets to design

-How quickly work is delivered

-How value is defined, priced, and perceived

This creates both an enormous opportunity and an existential threat.

Across my work inside practices, one pattern is consistent: we are behind on AI readiness, behind on workflow maturity, and behind on strategic technology adoption. While the industry debates protection and policy—processes that typically take years—the tools are advancing weekly.

Quality and safety will not be protected by titles alone. They will be protected by capability.

That is why my focus this year is deliberate:

1.Helping architects understand what actually matters in this new landscape

2.Helping practices move from fragmented tools to coherent, future-ready workflows

3.Helping ConTech companies engage with architects in ways that respect how practice really operates

I am not interested in hype. I am interested in context, clarity, and practical progress.

If you are an architect trying to make sense of what is coming, I will share what I am seeing honestly. And if you are a ConTech company serious about working with the profession, not around it, let’s talk. Through AEC Tech Jobs, we are already supporting more and more companies in exactly this way.

2026 is not about louder voices.
It is about better ones.

2. If You Sell ConTech software, This Is The Room You Need to Be In

If you build tech for architects or engineers, the biggest challenge isn’t the product, it’s getting in front of the people who can actually buy it. That’s why AEC INNOVATE (June 16–18, 2026, Aria Las Vegas) matters.

It brings together 500+ Principals, CTOs, Innovation Leads, Digital Directors, and decision-makers who come specifically to evaluate new AI and workflow tools.

This isn’t a trade show. It’s direct access to your ICP.

Why Exhibit?

You get two days of high-intent conversations with senior AEC leaders who are actively:

✓ Looking for new tools
✓ Making budget decisions
✓ Comparing solutions side-by-side
✓ Planning their 2026 tech roadmaps

If you want pipeline, product feedback, visibility, and deal acceleration, I think that this is it.

Your Exhibitor Package Includes

• Exhibit space
• 2 passes
• Your logo on the website + main stage
• A custom promo link (below) giving your prospects $200 off

Why It Works

AEC INNOVATE is built to connect ConTech builders with the exact end users shaping adoption across the industry - the people who influence real buying decisions.

Want one of the limited exhibitor spots?
Use this link to register your interest: https://www.psmj.com/innovateaddd

3. In 2026 AI Won’t Replace Architects. It will Hire Them. Here are 10 companies hiring AEC talent right now. 

A shift worth paying attention to.

There is a lot of noise about AI replacing architects. What I am seeing in practice is the opposite. In 2026, AI is not replacing architects. It is hiring them.

Architectural skills are becoming increasingly valuable in the tech economy because the future of the built environment is not just designed. It is engineered, automated, simulated, and optimised by people who understand buildings, construction, and delivery.

The companies hiring right now are not removing architects from the process. They are expanding what architects can become. Roles spanning AI compliance, digital delivery, visualisation, automation, and platform design all rely on deep AEC knowledge.

This week I shared ten companies actively hiring AEC talent, each pointing to where expertise is moving next. It is a clear signal of where opportunity is forming.

1. Xfigura - Design intelligence with control

2. Agave -  Field and finance, finally in sync

3. Domos -  The most powerful AI solution for property management  

4. Permitflow - Construction’s AI workforce

5. Anybotics -  Autonomous robotic inspection solutions 

6. Greenlite -  Your ideal path to a building permit

7. Evercam -  Your complete construction visibility solution

8. Integrated Projects - Turn any building into as built plans, on-demand

9. Swapp - Architectural efficiency, delivered

10. Speckle  - The better way to work together in 3D

👉 If you want to explore further, there are now over 500 live AEC tech roles available on AEC Tech Jobs. This is where architecture meets its future.

PS: We Build Brands in AEC Tech. You’re BUSY building the product. We’ll make sure the right people hear about it.

Thanks for reading!

See you next week,
Allister

Founder, ADDD & CoFounder AEC Tech Jobs

Get in touch with any questions you may have: [email protected]

Thanks for reading!