I’m So Bored With The RIBA: Irrelevance Institutionalised?

Everyone loves taking a swipe at the RIBA. Either it's out of date, too bureaucratic, too ineffective, too expensive, too London centric and lacking diversity or all of the above. Yet with 44,000 members, the RIBA falls into the same difficulty as other British institutions such as the BBC and NHS and being so large that it's an impossible task to keep everyone happy.

The RIBA is still extremely prolific and internationally respected with it's Code of Conduct being seen as a gold standard for architects and a busy yearly programme of awards, competitions, lectures, workshops, exhibitions and community outreach and engagement. At it's heart it's an opt-in members organisation so if it's not for you there's no reason to join. But as a touchstone of British architecture surely it should be listening to valid criticisms from members and those outside?

So what do people actually want from RIBA? What changes would be best? Who is it trying to please and what other organisations are doing it better?

Speakers:

Helen Parton, Journalist (Chair)

Elsie Owusu OBE, RIBA Council National

Russell Curtis, RCka

Zoe Berman, Studio Berman/ Part W Collective

Stephanie Edwards, Urban Symbiotics/ RIBA Londo