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RIBA's House of Architecture plans become clearer with updated Benedetti proposal

2024-11-20T18:05:00-05:00

Plans for the upcoming restoration of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) 66 Portland Place headquarters in London have become clearer with the release of an updated proposal detailing the scope of work on the new House of Architecture project.

Benedetti Architects will be leading the project, which was won in 2022 after a short competition. The estimated £58.8 million (about $74.3 million USD) effort will enable full accessibility throughout all 28 levels of the 90-year-old Art Deco building while removing extant fossil fuel-dependent systems to support a push toward net zero. The original George Grey Wornum design has been protected under a historic Grade II* listing since 1970.

Image courtesy Benedetti Architects/RIBA

RIBA says: "[The] House of Architecture brings together three critical areas of our work that need investment, and will deliver on improvements that are fundamental to RIBA’s ongoing mission."

The project adds a new café while reinstating the building’s ...

RIBA announces 'once-in-a-generation' House of Architecture investment plan with new $107 million price tag

2024-03-25T19:45:00-04:00

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has provided an outline to overhaul its 66 Portland Place London headquarters into a “once-in-a-generation” home of the new House of Architecture initiative.

For a reported cost of £85 million ($107.4 million USD), the project from Benedetti Architects will restore the building while creating a new centralized space for its world-leading Collections archive. The initiative was originally announced with a budget of £20 million (around $25 million USD). RIBA says the new figure "includes all project costs such as contingencies, inflation, and fees" for the renovations, whose plan of work required an additional £58.8 million ($74.3 million USD) in outturn costs.

"House of Architecture is about unlocking and opening RIBA to make it — and everything it offers — far more accessible. The proposed investment in our collections, upgrades to our digital platform, and improvements to our landmark building at 66 Portland Place are vital," said ...

RIBA pauses 66 Portland Place renovation for a year

2023-05-04T16:54:00-04:00

RIBA’s well-publicized overhaul of its longtime 66 Portland Place headquarters building has been put off for at least a year, according to a report published today in the Architects’ Journal.

London-based Benedetti Architects has been in charge of the £20 million ($25 million) renewal scheme, which was supposed to entail a thorough interior remodeling to include a host of modern amenities, including a broadcasting center, for its members and House of Architecture initiative. RIBA President Simon Allford described the project as being both “urgent and essential” at the time of its announcement.

The firm had been selected by the organization over a group of shortlisted submissions that included Hugh Broughton Architects, Hall McKnight, David Kohn Architects, Roz Barr Architects, Feix&Merlin, and four others. A spokesperson for RIBA told AJ they are “reviewing the Stage 1 feasibility study and exploring funding options for a significant capital project.”

Earlier on Archinect: RIBA is ...

RIBA releases new finalist questionnaire ahead of its controversial 2022 presidential election

2022-06-21T15:28:00-04:00

As the organization continues the vetting process for a new President, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has today published a new questionnaire with the three final candidates vying to replace its current leader Simon Allford.

Allford’s tenure is coming to a close, with quite a bit of controversy surrounding the election of his replacement. In May, the organization changed the rules governing that election to exclude members who joined RIBA after April 23rd from voting altogether. This led to accusations of voter suppression from the consortium of the grassroots organizers pushing RIBA to install a younger architectural worker at the top to properly address exploitation within the industry. Perhaps ironically, Allford himself recently lamented an organizational culture in which “too few of our members vote and even fewer stand.”

The three candidates each answered the same four-question prompt, which asked them first to name their top three priorities, followed by an ...

RIBA taps Benedetti Architects to lead its 66 Portland Place HQ overhaul

2022-05-26T15:31:00-04:00

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has finally picked an architect for its 66 Portland Place refurbishment.

The organization announced today that it has selected Benedetti Architects in the national competition to lead the overhaul of its aged neoclassical headquarters first designed by architect George Grey Wornum in the early 1930s.

Benedetti was selected over shortlisted submissions from Hugh Broughton Architects, Hall McKnight, David Kohn Architects, Roz Barr Architects, Feix&Merlin (with Haptic Architects & Heritage Architecture), Donald Insall Associates, Freehaus, and IDK. The London-based firm will now work with the RIBA on a feasibility study that will include the appointment of several additional smaller practices.

Previously on Archinect: RIBA unveils shortlisted firms to lead 66 Portland Place HQ refurbishment

Benedetti’s founder, Renato Benedetti, said being chosen was a “tremendous honor” and that he agreed it needed “comprehensive improvements to be fit ...

RIBA unveils shortlisted firms to lead 66 Portland Place HQ refurbishment

2022-03-03T13:45:00-05:00

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has revealed a shortlist of seven teams in the running to lead the refurbishment and modernization of its 66 Portland Place headquarters in London.

RIBA announced the planned redesign in October in a move that aims to reimagine the use of its buildings as a majority of its workers report that they prefer to work from home due to the pandemic. In January, RIBA Chartered Practices formally issued a tender for practices to submit expressions of interest to help develop a brief, including design options and budget proposals to create a fully accessible, more flexible, and sustainable building. RIBA also wants to establish three new gallery spaces. The winning team is expected to lead the project and coordinate the design team appointed to deliver the refurbishment.

Previously on Archinect: RIBA is officially looking for architects to overhaul its aging 66 Portland Place headquarters

The project forms part of RIBA’s House of Architecture ...

RIBA is officially looking for architects to overhaul its aging 66 Portland Place headquarters

2022-01-12T17:21:00-05:00

The search is officially underway in what could turn out to be one of the most significant design contests of the next year following an update from the UK’s largest architectural organization.

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has formally issued a tender for any and all professionally chartered practices to submit expressions of interest in the redesign of its art deco 66 Portland Place headquarters in London.

The Institute announced the redesign in October as a means of delivering on President Simon Alford’s campaign promise to turn the 87-year-old structure designed by George Gray Wornum into “a house of architecture.”

The organization is in the process of selling off its adjacent 76 Portland Street offices after recently reporting a budget deficit and staffing changes related to the effects of COVID-19 on the economy. With more than 89% of its workers reporting that they feel more comfortable working from home during the pandemic, RIBA has decided on a fundamen...

RIBA is looking to sell property, refurbish headquarters according to new president

2021-10-01T17:08:00-04:00

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has announced two major changes that will help it restructure and rebound following recent economic losses.

The institute will shed staff and sell its surplus property as it looks to redevelop its 66 Portland Place headquarters according to reports published today in The Architect’s Journal and Building Design.

RIBA is currently facing a budget deficit after reported earnings for the year 2020 failed to match its £28.2 million expenditure by a figure of about £8 million ($10.8 million).

The organization is now looking to sell its offices at 76 Portland Place in order to reduce overhead after an internal audit reportedly revealed that approximately 89% of full-time staffers feel more comfortable working upwards of three days a week outside of the redesigned administrative center.

In addition to the sell-off, RIBA has also announced a new competition that would completely overhaul its adjacent 87-year-old art deco office originally desi...