The Royal Institute of British Architects: the London-based professional body that champions architects, accredits architecture courses and runs the Stirling Prize.
The Royal Institute of British Architects, known as RIBA, is the professional membership body for architects in the UK and around the world. Architects are the people who design buildings and the spaces around them. RIBA does not design buildings itself. Instead it looks after the profession: it speaks up for architects and architecture, it accredits (checks and approves) architecture courses at universities, it runs awards, and it looks after a library and collections about architecture. It also publishes the RIBA Plan of Work, a guide that sets out the stages of a building project from the first idea to the building being used. The Plan of Work was first developed in 1963 and its current 2020 version has eight stages, numbered 0 to 7.
RIBA describes its mission as to educate, support, inspire and champion architects so they can deliver "better, safer, more inclusive and sustainable places for everyone". It says being inclusive, ethical, environmentally aware and collaborative underpins its work, and its themes include climate leadership, support for the next generation of architects, equity and inclusion, and promoting architectural excellence. It was founded in London in 1834 as the Institute of British Architects, led by figures including Decimus Burton and Philip Hardwick, and received its Royal Charter in 1837. The charter tasks it with advancing architecture. It is a registered charity.
RIBA's headquarters is 66 Portland Place in central London, where it has been based since 1934. Wikipedia reports that the building is closed for refurbishment and that staff are temporarily working from Tavistock Square. Beyond London, RIBA runs regional groups across the UK, including an office for the East of England in Cambridge, and it works alongside the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland, the Royal Society of Architects in Wales and the Royal Society of Ulster Architects in Northern Ireland. Wikipedia gives about 44,000 members.
As a membership body, RIBA employs people in many kinds of roles rather than only architects. An organisation like this needs people who run events and awards, write and edit, look after the library and archive, work on education and course validation, speak to government about policy, and support members. The RIBA Stirling Prize, which recognises the best new building of the year, and the Royal Gold Medal, first awarded in 1848, are two of its best-known honours. Its governance includes a Board of Trustees and a Council that represents members.
If you are thinking about a career in architecture, RIBA matters because it sits at the centre of the route. RIBA validates architecture courses in three parts (Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3), and Wikipedia notes that becoming a chartered architect typically takes at least seven years. The RIBA website is the place to look for current information on courses, routes into the profession and the organisation's own vacancies, which we have not checked for this page.
Website: www.riba.org
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