Archinect - News

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 ...

Inside the new BAFTA headquarters by Benedetti Architects

2023-06-20T19:54:00-04:00

Benedetti Architects has offered an insight into the new headquarters for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) in London. The Grade II listed building has seen a comprehensive expansion and re-design with a budget of £33 million (USD 42 million).

Photo credit: Jim Stephenson

Photo credit: Rory Mulvey

The resulting 26,500-square-foot revamp includes “state-of-the-art spaces with maximum flexibility, balancing the charity’s educational work with members’ needs and revenue.” The design included accessibility and systems upgrades, including a doubled WC capacity and enhanced fire safety, energy performance, acoustics, thermal comfort, and useability.

Photo credit: Thomas Alexander

Photo credit: Luca Piffaretti

Facilities within the building include two theaters holding 227 and 41 seats, respectively, as well as a banqueting hall, four kitchens, multi-purpose event and exhibition spaces, a members’ bar and restaurant area, a new skylit boardroom containing historic materia...

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 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 ...