Patrik Schumacher said 'a more tailored approach' is needed to the UK's immigration policy / Zaha Hadid Architects

The UK should use Brexit as an opportunity to create an immigration policy which stimulates its creative industries, according to Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) director Patrik Schumacher.

Talking to CLAD, Schumacher said that leaving the European Union (EU) could facilitate “a more tailored approach” to immigration that gives architects and designers from outside the EU more opportunity to move to the UK.

The architect – who said “he didn't like the anti-immigration spirit of the Brexit campaign” – argued that freedom of movement with the EU, and the resultant pressure on the government to curb immigration from around the world, had skewed the diversity of overseas workers entering the UK’s creative industries.

“Brexit is a bit unnerving, but we have the opportunity to find some positives,” he said in an exclusive interview. “My hope is that with the new situation there is a chance to manage immigration more sensibly. We need to search the whole world labour market for talent and skills rather than being so focused on Europe versus the rest of the world.

“At ZHA we have people from America, Latin America and Asia and we need to go back into these regions. I love to be an entrepreneur and I think there need to be entrepreneurial freedoms in order to flourish in the world market.

“I hope there will be open borders as much as possible in all directions, in terms of trade and talent. Of course there's no guarantee that such a policy will be used in the way I would wish it to be used, but there's a chance, and within the EU there was less chance.”

Asked on the UK’s potential to develop its creative industries post-Brexit, Schumacher again found at least some reasons for optimism since the passing of Dame Zaha Hadid in March.

Patrik Schumacher: 'Zaha Hadid Architects want to tell the world we're still viable'