Our pick of the year’s best comment pieces
It has been a year of fierce debate in many fields, from the purpose of the title of architect to the role that the profession can play in the government’s housing ambitions. Here is a selection of BD’s best opinion pieces over the past 12 months.
End the monopoly: Why the ARB is holding architecture back
Published in April
When the prime minister recently called out the UK’s bloated quango culture, he could have had the Architects Registration Board (ARB) in mind. Created in 1997 as the keeper of a statutory register, the ARB now claims to “protect the public” and maintain standards in the profession.
But in my view, it is not effective at either and actively hinders the advancement of British architecture. It is high time the Architects Act was repealed and, with it, the ARB abolished.
Is the title of ‘architect’ still fit for purpose?
Published in September
A few weeks ago, before the summer break, Tessa Baird, director of OEB Architects, publicly challenged a client organisation over an invitation to tender that required architects to carry out RIBA stage 2 feasibility work across multiple small sites, without any payment. Her social media post went viral and resonated deeply.
It captured what many of us in the architectural profession have been feeling for some time, that architectural expertise is frequently undervalued, and our time is treated as expendable. Many practitioners added their opinions to the discussion.
Why I have decided I will no longer be called an architect
Published in December
Last week I wrote to the Architects Registration Board (ARB) outlining my decision to remove myself from the architects’ register, meaning that from next year I am unable to call myself an architect. The current regulatory system does nothing to ensure quality or safety for those who procure architectural services – the public – and, although I will lose my title, in practice I can still perform all of the work of an architect.
The system makes little sense, so it has been encouraging to see that my announcement last week has, broadly, been well received by architects. But one of the most common questions I’ve been asked is: what’s next?
Architecture in crisis: a profession undermined by its own structures
Published in October
Once viewed as a rewarding and respected profession, architecture in the UK is now increasingly defined by diminishing fees, increased costs, more liability, rising risk, and a growing disconnect between architects and the institutions that represent them. Behind our professional body’s glitz of awards ceremonies, revamped headquarters and pledges, a deeper crisis is unfolding, one that is a slow and continual erosion of the profession’s value and viability.
For decades, architecture offered the promise of meaningful, creative and rewarding work that shaped public life. But many architects now report a very different reality: mounting stress, diminishing margins, unpaid work, and regulatory burdens and liabilities that grow heavier each year.
Norman Foster and the Theatre of Dreams – a perfect match?
Published in March
The world of stadium design has undergone a seismic transformation in recent decades. Barely a week passes without the announcement of a new mega-project, particularly in Europe and the Middle East.
At the heart of this boom lies an arms race among the world’s biggest sports clubs, each vying to create not only higher capacities and increased revenues but also an iconic and intimidating stage on which to sell their brand. The days of purely functional, local grounds are long gone – at least in the top tier of the game.
Architecture at a crossroads: why low pay threatens the future of the profession
Published in February
According to a recent RIBA fees survey, in real terms, architects’ earnings have fallen by almost 20% over the last 25 years. Inevitably, this is resulting in architects migrating to different industries, where salaries are significantly higher. Whether architecture is failing to attract new talent or losing experienced leaders owing to decreasing wages, it is a worrying trend for the profession.
The current salary for a Part 2 could barely cover London childcare costs for one child. With two children, the salary of a qualified architect only just covers the cost of childcare and the commute. A qualified architect who is also a parent is then presented with a choice: investing in childcare and doing a job which is often stressful and frequently requires long hours, or, for a comparatively similar financial outcome, staying at home with young children.
Stop faulting the Stirling Prize for regional disparities and start questioning where Britain invests
Published in September
There are many column inches dedicated to the Stirling Prize at this time of year. Wisdom, and the boredom threshold of the average architectural reader, would suggest that I should not add to them; especially as the practice I work for has been shortlisted (though not for a building I have worked on). However, I am not going to comment on the contenders as such, rather the coverage of the shortlist.
The criteria for winning the Stirling Prize are rarely noted. To be eligible for this year’s award the project director must be a current RIBA, RSAW, RIAS, or RSUA Chartered Member (or RIBA International Fellow). The project must be located in the UK, and have been completed between October 2021 and December 2023.
Does Tony Blair have a point – is Britain’s net zero strategy ‘doomed to fail’?
Published in May
Tony Blair’s intervention on Britain’s net zero ambitions last week has unsurprisingly caused consternation. His statement that net zero is “doomed to fail” aligns with the stance of Reform and the Conservatives and is surprising coming from the former leader of a political party that made decarbonising Britain’s electricity grid by 2030 a key policy commitment.
Putting aside the timing of this statement, just before the local elections, it is worth examining why Blair said what he did. His central tenet is that countries such as China, India and potentially much of Africa, are growing at such a rate that carbon emissions are going up rather than down despite attempts to mitigate them.
Level 7 apprenticeships are making architecture more inclusive – why cut their funding?
Published in June
The government’s decision to withdraw funding for over-21s on Level 7 architectural apprenticeships is a serious blow to one of the profession’s most effective and inclusive training routes.
It’s not just Level 7 architecture apprenticeships that are under threat, it’s the progress towards a more diverse and resilient profession that they have enabled.
Walk into many architecture studios today and you’ll still see a profession that remains stubbornly undiverse: male, white and, often, privileged.
The case for more specialist pathways in architecture is growing stronger
Published in November
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) recently announced that it is piloting three new pathways to associate and fully chartered membership. These will focus on residential retrofit, sustainability advisory and data analytics and intelligence. When they come on stream next year, RICS will have 24 separate pathways. It is a striking contrast with architecture.
For all the recent changes brought in by the Architects Registration Board (ARB), the profession still clings to a single, largely undifferentiated designation: architect. The old Parts 1, 2 and 3 model is in the process of being superceded in favour of a more flexible, competency-based system. This may open the door to those from different backgrounds and with non-cognate degrees, but the end point remains a single destination. You are either on the register or you are not.
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