Where to start? After a week when every part of the way we work and live has been turned upside down, I offer some observations on the mood among the architectural community, our clients and the role of communications in such a crisis.

To give some context to the following, ING is a communications agency and we specialise in the built environment, representing many architects, developers, engineers and public bodies. On a personal level, I am the founder and managing director and have guided the agency through two major economic downturns – the Dotcom Crash (2001-2) and the Great Financial Crash (2008). While I don’t for a moment suggest that this is the same, I can only resort to drawing on these experiences while working through this new situation.

During the week, I have spoken to dozens of practices and the mood is surprisingly upbeat. After grappling with the concept of home working for years, most have managed to move the majority of staff to home working in a matter of days. Save for a few technical issues, it is all systems go.

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