RIBA NW Chair Parting Notes

It’s now the last few days of my term as Chair of the North-West Region of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA NW).  I’ve been in the post for the last 3 years, and it’s been a great honour to follow some well-known figures as RIBA NW Chair, and it’s been a privilege to work alongside a committed Regional Council and our dedicated Regional Staff.

My time as both the RIBA NW Regional Chair and previously as an RIBA National Councillor, has opened my eyes to how much work professional construction bodies such as the RIBA do. I’ve also been able to witness first-hand how much important work RIBA staff and volunteers do, in order to support and promote RIBA Members and advance the wider profession; much of which goes unnoticed.

The RIBA North-West Region is one of the largest RIBA Regions with over 4000 members. The region has 6 active branches that represent members on a local level. These branches are incredibly varied both in terms of size, scale and location. There are two large metropolitan branches (Manchester and Liverpool) at the larger end of the scale, two of the smallest RIBA Branches (Cumberland and Lancaster & Westmorland) at the other, with Lancashire and Cheshire branches in between. The NW Region also contains 6 Schools of Architecture that are also represented on the Regional Council.

Each branch is different and has its own identity, with members focusing on different issues in their local areas. The Branch Chairs / Presidents feedback the key issues from their branch members to Regional Council which shapes what the institute does at regional level or even at a National Level. This link is incredibly important, and it does work; issues raised at RIBA Branch Meetings do make their way to National Council and onwards (such as when the RIBA respond to government consultations).

It’s been a joy to work alongside the six branches during my time in office. I’ve also made a point of visiting each of the branches (and the one chapter) during my time in office; where I’ve met lots of people who care about advancing Architecture and making the built environment a better place for everyone. We’ve also been able to take comments and feedback from the members back to HQ.

The feedback from our members also informs the work of the NW Region’s Special Interest Groups who meet to focus on issues including Sustainability, Conservation, Education and EDI to name a few. The region’s 3 Special Interest Groups also help to produce events or seminars. Over the past few years, the NW has developed closer ties with the RIBA Regions in the North-East and Yorkshire, and we have collaborated on some specific events.

The four biggest issues over the past years have been Planning, Practice, Sustainability and the Building Safety Act. My brief thoughts on each of these key issues is as follows:

Planning:

One of my professional highlights during the last 3 years as North-West Regional Chair has been the opportunity to contribute to some of the RIBA’s responses to Government proposals on changes to National Planning Policy. I’ve also been involved in attending party conferences and speaking to decision makers about the value of good Architecture and the importance of a properly resourced planning system.

Planning has become more and more complicated since I qualified as an Architect in 2000. Over the last 25 years, lack of investment of local authority planning departments and regular changes to legislation have left the system in a weakened place, which was then compounded by the Covid pandemic. The planning system is crying out for investment, simplification and some TLC from the government. The new National Planning Policy Framework, which was issued a couple of weeks ago, is a step forward. However, the system does need more investment and de-clogging.

On a national level, the RIBA are working with other professional institutes to try and persuade the government to invest in the planning system by increasing the amount of planning officers and simplifying legislation. A good starting point would be to make sure that Planning Fees are invested back into Planning Departments, which is not the case at the moment.

On a local level, the RIBA NW have been helping by encouraging some north-west local authorities to collaborate with local Architects on specific projects. For instance, a design forum has been set up with Liverpool City Council where a local Architects can meet the Local Planning Team to discuss design matters and work together to improve the quality of the built environment in the city. Similar initiatives have happened in other parts of the region over the past few years, particularly in the Lake District and Lancaster; and we’re hoping to get some of these forums going again.

It makes complete sense for local Authorities to work with locally based Architects who can offer lots of advice on building design and construction techniques. The day-to-day design experience of Architects is invaluable to Planning Departments, and a shared collaborative approach between Local Planning Authorities can make a huge positive difference to the quality of the local built environment.

This approach does work; and I know from personal experience that some our practice’s best work has come on projects when we’ve had a good collaborative working relationship with the local planning authority.

After I finish my post as RIBA NW Regional Chair, I’m going to continue to being a member of the RIBA Planning Expert Advisory Group who respond to government planning consultations about changes to planning procedural issues and national policies; as well as working with Local Authorities to encourage greater collaboration between Architects and the Planning Profession.

Practice:

One of the areas we’ve tried to focus on is the value of an Architect.

Most people tend to think that Architects are only trained to design buildings. However, in reality, Architects are trained to be the equivalent of the General Practitioners of the Construction Industry with a wide range of skills from design, technical detailing all the way through to Construction Management. It takes a long time to train to be an Architect as there is so much to cover!

In fact, it’s an exam which majors on professional practice and Contract Law that eventually allows you to qualify as an Architect and join the regulator’s list of approved practitioners.

Architects, therefore, can offer a multi-disciplinary service and need to promote these non-design related services they’re trained to offer; as they show how the profession can add value. This is something we have been doing in our practice.

Sustainability:

There have been positive steps over the past 3 years, but I am frustrated about the pace of change. We were taught about the need to design sustainable buildings in the 1990’s and a lot of the things we were being taught to do back then have only become mainstream practice. For instance, insulation thickness in walls is now 5 – 6 times thicker than when I first started working.

Currently there is a carrot and stick approach to implementing sustainability. The biggest changes happen when the Building Regulations change, so history suggests that the only way sustainable construction is going to take-off in this country is when regulations change. Architects are already trained and are ready and waiting to help on this issue.

My personal view is that the legislation needs to get even tougher, and there need to be more financial incentives to encourage sustainable building, especially retrofitting existing buildings; which is something that the RIBA has been lobbying the government to do. Architects have a major role to play in working collaboratively with others in the sector to improve our building stock to make it fit for the future.

Building Safety Act:

Over the last 3 years a lot of the Regional Chair’s role has involved attending numerous virtual meetings regarding some of the biggest changes in the industry for the last 30 years.

The introduction of the Building Safety Act earlier this year was a huge game changer to the whole construction industry. Feedback from RIBA members in the NW is that they’re ready and prepared to step up and take on the extra responsibility and duties that the Building Safety Act requires; and the RIBA is leading the way in trying to make sure that all its members are trained and practicing to the highest standards through training.

Signing off:

The last 3 years as RIBA NW Regional Chair have been very busy, and there’ s been some important changes in the industry. I’m handing over to the capable hands of Ged Couser who has previously been a member of the RIBA NW Regional Council when he was President of the Manchester Society of Architects. Ged will be ably supported by Chithra Marsh and Paul Iddon, our 2 RIBA NW National Councillors, along with our dedicated Regional Council. I’ll be still involved in Regional Council for another year in a supporting role.

I’d like to thank the RIBA NW Regional Council and Staff Team headed by Lifa Zvimbande and Laura Rushton for all their support over the past 3 years, along with the backing of many RIBA members in the Region. Finally, I’d like to thank Zoe Hooton and the amazing team at HPA for allowing me to take the role on in the first place. They’ll be seeing a bit more of me now!