Royal Institute of British Architects

Royal Institute of British Architects building, Portland Place, London.

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects in the United Kingdom.

Originally named the Institute of British Architects in London, it was formed in 1834 by several prominent architects, including Philip Hardwick, Thomas Allom, William Donthorne, Thomas Leverton Donaldson, John Buonarotti Papworth and Thomas de Grey, 2nd Earl de Grey. It was awarded a Royal Charter in 1837, becoming the Royal Institute of British Architects in London, eventually dropping the reference to London in 1892.

The RIBA is a member organisation, with 44,000 members. Chartered Members are entitled to call themselves chartered architects and to append the post-nominals RIBA after their name; Student Members are not permitted to do so. Formerly, fellowships of the institute were granted, although no longer; those who continue to hold this title instead add FRIBA.

RIBA is based at 66 Portland Place, London—a 1930s Grade II* listed building designed by architect George Grey Wornum with sculptures by Edward Bainbridge Copnall and James Woodford. The Institute also maintains a dozen regional offices around the United Kingdom. Parts of the London building are open to the public, including the exhibition galleries and Library. It has a large architectural bookshop, a café, restaurant and lecture theatres. Rooms are hired out for events.

Library

Interior of the RIBA Library, 66 Portland Place, London

Established in 1834 upon the founding of the Institute, the RIBA Library, otherwise known as the British Architectural Library, is one of the most important architectural libraries in the world with over four million items. As well its holdings of books and journals, some of which date back to 1478, it has very extensive collections of photographs that include the work of 20th century masters such as Eric de Maré, John Maltby, John Donat and Henk Snoek. The collections of drawings and manuscripts include many architectural drawings by leading British and international architects such as Andrea Palladio, Pugin, Ernő Goldfinger, Frank Lloyd Wright, Le Corbusier, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Charles Holden and Sir Christopher Wren. The Library also has portraits and architectural models.

Items from the collections are on permanent display at the Victoria & Albert Museum in the Architecture Gallery. Material from the Library have been seen in museums and galleries across the world, most recently in the exhibition Palladio and His Legacy: A Transatlantic Journey at the Morgan Library and Museum, New York.

The Library is located on the third floor of the RIBA headquarters and is open to the public without charge. It retains the original Art Deco interior designed by the building's architect, George Grey Wornum.

V&A + RIBA Architecture Partnership

Architectural Aspiration above the main entrance

Since 2004, through the V&A + RIBA Architecture Partnership, the RIBA and V&A have worked together to promote the understanding and enjoyment of architecture.

In 2004 the two institutions created the Architecture Gallery (Room 128) at the V&A showing artefacts from the collections of both institutions, this was the first permanent gallery devoted to architecture in the UK. The adjacent Architecture Exhibition Space (Room 128a) is used for temporary displays related to architecture. Both spaces were designed by Gareth Hoskins Architects. At the same time the RIBA Library Drawing and Archives Collections moved from 21 Portman Place to new facilities in the Henry Cole Wing at the V&A. Under the Partnership new study rooms were opened where members of the public could view items from the RIBA and V&A architectural collections under the supervision of curatorial staff. These and the nearby education room were designed by Wright & Wright Architects.

As well as at the V&A, the RIBA lends material to other museums and galleries across the world, and also stages temporary public exhibitions at its headquarters in London and regional offices across the UK.

RIBA Awards

RIBA runs many awards including the Stirling Prize for the best new building of the year, the Royal Gold Medal (first awarded in 1848), which honours a distinguished body of work, and the Stephen Lawrence Prize for projects with a construction budget of less than £500,000. The RIBA also awards the President's Medals for student work, and these are regarded as the most prestigious awards in architectural education. The RIBA European Award was inaugurated in 2005 for work in the European Union, outside the UK. The RIBA National Award and the RIBA International Award were established in 2007.

RIBA in the news

In July 2007, RIBA called for minimum space standards in newly built British houses after research was published suggesting that British houses were falling behind other European countries. "The average new home sold to people today is significantly smaller than that built in the 1920s... We're way behind the rest of Europe—even densely populated Holland has better proportioned houses than are being built in the country. So let's see minimum space standards for all new homes," said RIBA president Jack Pringle.

Designation

• ARIBA: Associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects (no longer granted to new members)
• FRIBA: Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects (now an honorary designation)
• RIBA: Chartered member of the Royal Institute of British Architects
• The Institute's president is designated PRIBA, past presidents use PPRIBA

See also

• Architects Registration Board
• Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists
• Chartered Institute of Building
• Construction Industry Council
• Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland
• Royal Society of Ulster Architects
• RIBA Knowledge Communities

Bibliography

• H.M. Colvin, A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects, 1600–1840 (1997) ISBN 0-300-07207-4
• Charles Read, "Earl de Grey" (2007)

External links

• RIBA
• RIBA Library Books, photographs, drawings and archives
• RIBA President's Medals Student Awards
• RIBApix Images from the RIBA Library collections
• RIBA International Dialogues: Architecture and Climate Change Talk series Video archive of the lectures