Memo to Members – Tuesday 7 June, from Simon Allford, RIBA President

Hello.???

I hope you enjoyed the long weekend.???

Thanks for the feedback on my previous posts – please keep it coming. The aim is to share what is going on, in and around the RIBA and what I am focussing on.?

Firstly this week, I want to touch on plans for the?RIBA Collections. As many of you know, this world class collection of over four million books, journals, photographs, drawings, archives, models, and other objects is currently stored in several locations: 66 Portland Place, 76 Portland Place, the Piper Centre, Victoria & Albert Museum, and in a commercial store in Upper Heyford. Not only does this mean our material is somewhat inconveniently dispersed, but current storage facilities are fast becoming too small to house and showcase future donations.????

Reuniting the collections in a long term home and improving how they are accessed and displayed remains central to the long term?House of Architecture?vision. From school groups to researchers – our members and the public from across the globe must be able to benefit and seek enjoyment from the RIBA’s growing asset both physically and digitally.????

This week’s ‘news,’ so to speak, is therefore about the RIBA’s and V&A’s mutually agreed decision to end our V&A+RIBA Architecture partnership.?The RIBA will seek a new facility where access and presentation of the collections can be improved. I want to take this moment to personally thank the V&A – RIBA’s partners for over 20 years – for their collective passion and drive to support architecture. Both institutions have so much to offer and it’s our shared ambition to continue to collaborate in new ways in the future.????

Now, refocusing on this week’s agenda.???

Yesterday,?I attended a?roundtable with Minister Lee Rowley?at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). We spoke about?hindrances to?productivity including how businesses often?think in the short rather than long term about investment or innovation.?If we have less investment, it’s?not surprising we have lower rates of productivity.?One question became clear:?how can we incentivise businesses to improve productivity??The solutions? Suggestions?ranged from?setting up a?productivity commission?on statutory footing, to?promoting the?sharing of best practice and knowledge among SMEs, to providing?government-backed business advice. My own preference is for a Business Improvement Cluster – a different take on the successful BIDs (Business Improvement Districts)?There is clearly more work to do in this area and we will continue to work with government to drive these ideas forward?– watch this space.??

I’m also really looking forward to hosting the latest?Building Stories: The Awards Talks?event?tonight, where I’ll be speaking with the architects behind two of the 2021 Stirling shortlisted projects, Windermere Jetty Museum in the Lake District and Key Worker Housing in Eddington, Cambridge. This particular session will be held in-person from 6pm at 66 Portland Place – do join us if you can.??

Looking ahead to next week, Tuesday marks the fifth anniversary of the?Grenfell Tower tragedy?– a particularly prominent anniversary given where we are with changes to the building safety system. Further changes to the Building Regulations announced by the DLUHC last week include mandatory Evacuation Alert Systems in new residential buildings above 18m and new statutory guidance to restrict the combustibility of materials used in and on the external walls of those between 11 to 18m in height. While these changes must be broadly welcomed, they still don’t represent the comprehensive review of Approved Document B for which RIBA’s been long calling for. As we approach another anniversary of the tragedy, we continue to call for clarity: we must end the broad range of interpretations to meeting fire safety regulations.?

A couple of reminders to end with. On Wednesday next week, I will be hosting the 2022?Royal Gold Medal online celebration, live from Ahmedabad, India and London. We’ll be celebrating renowned architect Balkrishna Doshi, through awarding him the?2022 Royal Gold Medal?and speaking directly with him about his lifetime achievements and his philosophy on architecture. The event is free to attend and open to all, so please do join us.??

RIBA is also celebrating LGBTQ+ Pride?throughout June – highlighting the work of LGBTQ+ communities, sharing allyship guidance and resources and spotlighting Pride events.???

Finally, don’t forget to submit your application for Council seats and/or Presidency by 5pm next Tuesday, 14 June. RIBA needs you.????

Very best?

Simon??