One in six architects polled in the United Kingdom claimed to have been threatened with violence or was physically assaulted on a construction site, reported Building Design.

The British architectural weekly polled 60 architects and reported in its March 30 issue that 16 percent had been the victims of "building rage." Two of the respondents (3 percent) reported physical assault.

The Building Design survey was in response to a murder in Scotland of architect Gordon Wallet, 45, who was shot and killed at his home on March 19. Linked to that murder was Stephen Martin, 42, found at a relative's house the next day dead from a gunshot wound, apparently a suicide. Martin had had a "routine contract dispute" with Wallet over construction work, Wallet's business partner, Victor Swingall, told BBC news.

Building Design reported on similar disputes on the job site that led to threats and, in the case of RIBA President-elect Paul Hyett, being targeted by "a gangland hit squad," Hyett told the weekly. Other architects told of shoving matches and threats of being pushed off a high rise or "accidentally" hit by falling construction material.

The British Health and Safety Executive told the news weekly that the problem is exaggerated. "We have no statistics that indicate that violence is a problem in the construction sector," a representative told Building Design.

Copyright 2001 The American Institute of Architects. All rights reserved.