{"id":749165,"date":"2024-07-17T08:12:40","date_gmt":"2024-07-17T07:12:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/?p=749165"},"modified":"2024-07-17T08:38:56","modified_gmt":"2024-07-17T07:38:56","slug":"to-save-the-riba-it-needs-to-be-decentralised","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/news\/opinion\/to-save-the-riba-it-needs-to-be-decentralised","title":{"rendered":"To save the RIBA, it needs to be decentralised"},"content":{"rendered":"

There is one thing we can gather from the results of the RIBA election: architects don\u2019t care about the result. For those that missed it, the turnout for the election was 9.3 per cent of eligible voters<\/a>. The shockingly low turnout is not new<\/a>; recent turnouts for the last few elections have been hovering around 10 per cent<\/a>, and I think this speaks volumes for the impact architects feel the RIBA has on their daily lives.<\/p>\n

Since this news emerged, RIBA Council has voted to increase the institute\u2019s membership fees<\/a> across the board by 5.5 per cent, meaning UK-based architects qualified for more than five years are set to pay around \u00a3470 per year for an individual membership from January.<\/p>\n

I recently met up with a friend from the North who said that during a meeting among members of the local RIBA chapter, the chair questioned whether membership to the RIBA was worth continuing. That might seem an insane thing to say during such a meeting but the most shocking part of this anecdote is that it\u2019s not shocking at all. More and more friends and peers I speak to are not renewing their RIBA membership, questioning the benefits and lamenting the ever-increasing costs.<\/p>\n

Membership bodies like the RIBA can be fantastic things for regulated professions. They can offer professional benefits and support to members and guarantee a standard of professionalism and ethics to the public. Having spoken to RIBA representatives, and to the president himself, I know there\u2019s lots of good work being done by lots of good people. The question is, why is this not being felt by the members?<\/p>\n

RIBA chapters around the country say the level of interaction with the central office is minimal<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

One answer could be that the RIBA is too London-centric; highlighted with the recent announcement that \u00a385 million will be spent on the renovation work to Portland Place. The tone-deaf nature of this announcement was surprising, given the struggles small practices face and the general mood towards devolved power and resources. I do not doubt that renovation work is needed, but do we need a \u2018vibrant destination<\/a>\u2019 in the capital, or do we need diverse investments for members around the entire country? P<\/a>ractices are struggling financially<\/a> and with additional fees for principal designer registers, it\u2019s little wonder members are feeling disenfranchised.<\/p>\n

Instead of a top-down spending approach, money could be given to local chapters for direct spending on local practices. In researching this article, I\u2019ve spoken to RIBA chapters around the country and learned that the level of interaction with the central office is, on average, minimal. Surprisingly, the chapters even have to pay to have an RIBA representative visit them. This does not seem like an institution aiming to support local initiatives.<\/p>\n

I was recently involved in a local event that had an architectural charrette for local schools and a panel discussion involving local architects, the Kings Foundation and the RIBA president. It was fantastic. Council members, community society members and planning officers attended. To me, it seems this level of decentralised, local engagement is a way to promote architecture around the country. Why couldn\u2019t we have smaller remote programmes and resources for regionally specific issues faced by local architects? With what seems like a constant hum of discontent with the RIBA it seems mad not to discuss this.<\/p>\n

I am not against the RIBA, and I win no points for originality by criticising it, but recent news proves that there needs to be some serious thought put into creating radical change in the institution. By listening to members, embracing decentralisation, and directing resources to where they are most needed, the RIBA could revitalise its relationship with architects nationwide.<\/p>\n

Toko Andrews is an associate at Tunbridge Wells-based Kaner Olette Architects and associate lecturer at the University for the Creative Arts<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There is one thing we can gather from the results of the RIBA election: architects don\u2019t care about the result. For those that missed it, the turnout for the election was 9.3 per cent of eligible voters. 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