{"id":779144,"date":"2025-03-18T11:06:29","date_gmt":"2025-03-18T11:06:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/?p=779144"},"modified":"2025-03-19T08:35:19","modified_gmt":"2025-03-19T08:35:19","slug":"benedetti-submits-58-8-million-riba-house-of-architecture-scheme","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/news\/benedetti-submits-58-8-million-riba-house-of-architecture-scheme","title":{"rendered":"RIBA submits plans for Benedetti\u2019s \u00a360m House of Architecture"},"content":{"rendered":"

The practice submitted its plans for the Grade II*-listed headquarters in late February, three years after winning a competition<\/a> to overhaul the 90-year-old George Grey Wornum-designed 66 Portland Place building.<\/p>\n

Westminster City Council will now rule on the proposals, part of a larger \u00a385 million investment that also includes upgrades in the RIBA\u2019s collections and technology systems.<\/p>\n

66 Portland Place is set to close for three years from the end of May before reopening in 2028.<\/p>\n

Benedetti’s scheme will improve accessibility<\/a> by replacing the revolving glass door on the main entrance with a more accessible entrance for blind visitors, as well as less steep wheelchair ramps and new steps. <\/span><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, a<\/span> separate entrance on Weymouth Street will be introduced for a proposed caf\u00e9 \u2013 replacing the current bookshop \u2013 with pavement seating to encourage public use of the building.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The bookshop will relocate to be more \u2018public-facing\u2019 towards Portland Place on the north-west corner of the ground floor. T<\/span>he main exhibition space will move upstairs, with the existing ground-floor gallery remaining untouched.<\/p>\n

The introduction of larger lifts aims to provide universal access to all of the building\u2019s 28 levels, many of which can only be reached by stairs. A \u2018generously sized\u2019 entrance to the library, matching original Wornum features inside the building, will further increase accessibility.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The refurbishment also addresses inefficiencies in the plumbing and electrical systems, removing fossil-fuel-dependent systems to meet the RIBA and Westminster City Council’s climate targets. Heritage single-glazed windows will be largely retained, with secondary glazing introduced elsewhere.<\/p>\n

Other aspects include restoring the Jarvis Foyer, a 400-seat hospitality space, and more display space for architectural models and drawings. Meanwhile, banners originally proposed for the entrance have been dropped on the advice of Westminster Council following a consultation<\/a> last summer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

RIBA chief executive Valerie Vaughan-Dick said the scheme\u2019s submission for planning as \u2018the next step in our House of Architecture transformative programme that will focus on RIBA\u2019s architectural collections, upgrades to digital technology, and sensitive, essential refurbishment and restoration of 66 Portland Place in London to make it more accessible, functional, sustainable and welcoming.<\/p>\n

\u2018Support has been clear for the scheme and our overall House of Architecture ambitions. Feedback from our consultations has been supportive of the proposed internal improvements and external aspects and has seen us take into consideration some adjustments from the original proposals.’<\/p>\n

The wider RIBA strategy includes emerging plans for a new collections facility on a site away from Portland Place.<\/p>\n

RIBA president Muyiwa Oki told the AJ in September<\/a> that a committee was being set up to oversee the move of the collection out of the Victoria and Albert Museum in South Kensington. He said the RIBA was negotiating with the museum to extend a deal to host the RIBA\u2019s main collection beyond the current agreement of 2027.<\/p>\n

RIBA board chair Jack Pringle told the AJ<\/a> in March that the House of Architecture was<\/span>\u00a0\u2018a transformative and urgently needed programme to secure RIBA\u2019s future prosperity and sustainability\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n

He added that \u2018the systems at 66 Portland Place are at the end of their lives\u2019 and that <\/span>\u2018a reimagined RIBA will be better equipped to support our members and to show the world the value that architects bring to tackling the biggest challenges facing our planet\u2019.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Previous RIBA president Simon Allford used his first council meeting as president in 2021 to pledge to \u2018properly invest in this building\u2019<\/a> and make it an \u2018exemplary net-zero carbon facility\u2019 as well as a better place for \u2018engaging the public, government and ourselves\u2019. Before stepping down as president, he told the AJ<\/a> the scheme was \u2018not a vanity project; we do not have a choice\u2019.<\/p>\n

Benedetti was selected for the job in 2022 following an RIBA-run competition. Also shortlisted were David Kohn Architects, Belfast-based Hall McKnight, Roz Barr Architects, a collaboration between Freehaus with Donald Insall Associates, IDKHugh Broughton Architects, and a collaboration between Feix&Merlin with Haptic Architects & Heritage Architecture.<\/p>\n

66 Portland Place was built in 1934 and has undergone piecemeal upgrades throughout its history, most recently with the addition of a Hayhurst & Co-designed learning centre<\/a> and a Carmody Groarke-designed gallery<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The RIBA said it would look to fundraising and sponsorship to pay for the House of Architecture and that \u2018the funding strategy [was] not linked to member fees\u2019.<\/p>\n

The refurbishment had a notional budget of \u00a320 million when the competition to find an architect was launched in 2022.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Benedetti’s submitted RIBA House of Architecture refurb (Feb 25)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The practice submitted its plans for the Grade II*-listed headquarters in late February, three years after winning a competition to overhaul the 90-year-old George Grey Wornum-designed 66 Portland Place building. Westminster City Council will now rule on the proposals, part of a larger \u00a385 million investment that also includes upgrades in the RIBA\u2019s collections and …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131789,"featured_media":764710,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"ep_exclude_from_search":false},"categories":[681],"tags":[76353,3002,86790,1276],"yoast_head":"\nRIBA submits plans for Benedetti\u2019s \u00a360m House of Architecture<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Benedetti Architects\u2019 proposed \u00a358.8 million refurbishment of the RIBA\u2019s London headquarters has finally been submitted to Westminster City Council, weeks ahead of the building\u2019s planned closure so work can begin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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