Given architecture’s reputation for having a long-hours culture, it is perhaps naive to think the profession will have time to read the Architects Registration Board’s five-year corporate strategy, published last week.

But, for anyone who does have the time, I hope you will take two big messages away from reading it: firstly, our view that if we, as a society, are to tackle some of the fundamental challenges we face, architects have a critical – arguably central – role to play. These fundamental – even existential – challenges include climate change, a housing crisis (of both quality and numbers) as well as low confidence in the built environment sector, not least because of the long shadow cast by the Grenfell Tower tragedy.

The second big message is that to support the continuing confidence of the public, government and others in the built environment, including those who use the services of architects, further work is needed to raise competence, not just of those architects currently on the register, but of future architects too.

…