The RIBA Collections Move: An update and survey
June 2024
This feature is an extended version of the article on the RIBA Collections move published in the June issue of The Architectural Historian, the Society’s biannual magazine. At the foot of the article is a link to a survey, through which respondents can identify collections they would wish to have available during the period of the collections move.
The survey has been developed in collaboration with Oliver Urquhart Irvine and colleagues.
All images in this article are used with the kind permission of the RIBA Collections and may not be reproduced.
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) was established in 1834. The sunset of the Georgian era, with its unparalleled societal changes – from the industrial revolution to the establishment of modern education systems and the expansion of British commercial and political interests – provided the backdrop for RIBA's founding ideals. It was an epoch that demanded a rethinking of architectural practice and education, not just as an art form but as a science dedicated to the public good. RIBA was founded upon the exchange of ideas and education in architecture informed by a shared and growing collection of architectural literature, correspondence, and learning. RIBA’s foundation sets out for it the promotion of “the arts and science of architecture” explicitly for the good of civic and domestic society. This is the language of the 1830s and language shared with the foundation documents of University College London and King’s College London. This ethos, as updated for the 21st century, remains at the heart of the institution's mission and charitable objectives. Yet, as we navigate the complexities of the present day, the challenges, and opportunities we face require a reimagining of how this vast collection can serve not only the profession but society at large.
Today, RIBA is at the heart of the architectural profession in the United Kingdom, an institution of standing and a custodian of an architectural collection of unparalleled depth and breadth. Since its inception in 1834, RIBA has not merely observed the changing landscape of architectural practice and education but has been an integral player in its evolution. Its collections comprise not just highlights of architectural design and penmanship, but uniquely it also comprises the most significant continuous record of the people, partnerships, and practices that have made up the profession. Likewise, the stewardship of its collections is a testament to RIBA's enduring commitment to the dissemination of architectural knowledge and the promotion of excellence in design.
RIBA’s collections, comprising more than four and half million items, are one of the largest and most wide-ranging in the world. I use the word “collections” advisedly, as the totality of that comprises the library at 66 Portland Place, including its rare books and significant journals collections, the drawings, archives, manuscripts, coins and medals, models, architects’ instruments, ephemera and more in South Kensington and Fulham, as well as other, remote stores. The collections have been variously known as the British Architectural Library, or RIBA’s Library and Collections, or other combinations, but the 1834 Charter is clear, whatever the name in use at any time, a collection was formed at the outset of RIBA to advance the knowledge of architecture, comprising books and works of art. It is, in all but name, the British national collection for the study of architecture and its related fields.
From the RIBA Collections: 1) Palladio, Baths of Caracalla 2) Photograph, Liverpool School of Architecture 3) British Library Elevation, Colin St John Wilson
The collections are also part of an international landscape of research-quality holdings on the built environment. It is the largest in extent and the only national-quality collection to be entirely privately funded by its parent organisation. The NAI, Rotterdam, the Deutsches Architekturmuseum, Frankfurt, the Cité de l’architecture et du patrimoine, Paris, the Danish Architecture Centre, Copenhagen, and the CCA in Montreal, for example, all receive substantial subventions from the public purse, whether at local, territorial, or national governmental level, and in some cases from their local equivalent of all three. Nor has RIBA had Independent Research Organisation status (a UKRI designation), but nonetheless, RIBA has continued to support free access and an open-door policy for all, not just architects or architectural historians, but anyone interested in the built environment, irrespective of background and means. In other words, it has maintained, and continues to do, all the characteristics and behaviour of the best aspects of its founding concept as a learned society, even if not adopting this nomenclature for itself. This welcoming, inclusive, and socially responsible attitude has been and is, along with the sustained effort that is the Architectural Periodicals Index, and a growing programme of digitisation, an exceptional contribution by an independent charity to supporting education and research for all.
Miriam Wornum, Design for Library at 66 Portland Place
This collection is designated an Outstanding Collection and Accredited by the Arts Council England as a Museum both at 66 Portland Place and at the V&A and offers a narrative that is as much about the bricks and mortar of buildings as it is about the communities and civilisations they serve. From incunabula to contemporary photographs that document today's architectural feats, RIBA's collections reveal the story of human ingenuity and creativity in shaping the built environment.
As we peer at the cusp of RIBA’s third century, it is reasonable to take inspiration from the origins of this institution and the formation of its collections, not merely as historical artefacts but as a living collection that continue to inform and inspire and whose significance guides decisions about its future.
A century after its foundation, RIBA opened its new premises at 66 Portland Place in 1934. By this time, architectural education well established in universities (this year is the centenary of RIBA accrediting university courses in the UK, the first being that at Liverpool University in 1924), and the profession formally recognised and playing a key role in society at all levels. 66 Portland Place was designed as a celebration of the interaction between architecture and artisanship, as a place for a modern learned society deeply involved in the issues of the day, as a house of architecture for RIBA’s members, supported by expert staff, a home for its rapidly growing collections, and a venue for engagement with the architectural societies, chapters, and associations from the across the UK and for the public. The 1934 building was also the culmination of the drive and ambition of Sir Ian McAllister to transform RIBA into a national and international organisation from one that had been predominantly London based. On the day of opening, it was in its library – purpose-built to permit the easiest possible access to the collections - that RIBA celebrated its past achievements and future ambitions as a centre of excellence, expertise, and authority in architecture, with a presentation to the then King, George V.
As RIBA heads towards its third century those qualities that run through its DNA – responsiveness to profound social change, education, public engagement, sharing of knowledge and expertise, professional development, an international view, social impact, and creativity and innovation in problem solving – are being given expression as it works to create an open, accessible, and public-facing house of architecture. This is the 21st century successor of the 19th century concept of a learned society, with people, our shared global challenges, skills, and a confident profession at its heart. This is not an elite or exclusive exercise, but one that privileges access for all irrespective of background, means, opportunity and geography, to RIBA’s world-class collections and public programming.
From the RIBA Collections: Wren, sign language.
The collection is now spread across five locations, each with a different access and service regime. The move towards consolidating RIBA’s collections, reducing their physical spread while enhancing accessibility and engagement, marks a significant deepening in the institution’s strategic commitment to the collections. In an age where digital technology offers unprecedented opportunities for access and interaction, the vision for a more concentrated and publicly engaging collection speaks to RIBA’s adaptation to contemporary needs while honouring its foundational principles. The future of RIBA’s collections, therefore, lies not just in their preservation but in their ability to foster a deeper understanding of architecture's role in society and its potential to address global challenges.
The work to transform the discovery, access, use and re-use of the collections will underpin RIBA’s role in the exchange of knowledge and information in the spirit of the 1834 Charter and the spirit of the concept of 66 Portland Place but in a way that meets the needs and research ambitions of the UK and its international counterparts. RIBA’s collections are capable of supporting research across multiple disciplines and strong partnerships and collaborations are essential for both the production and dissemination of impactful research.
‘It is, in all but name, the British national collection for the study of architecture and its related fields.’
In a new arrangement RIBA will have both the capacity and the willingness to work much more proactively with academic institutions, including the leading architectural schools, engineering departments, and environmental science institutes who can provide theoretical grounding and rigorous methodologies. Earlier this academic year (2023-2024) we sought expressions of interest from universities, national bodies, and other external organisations, including the SAHGB, to collaborate or partner with us to transform access to the collections across the widest range of disciplines and audiences. We particularly welcomed proposals that would bringing our collective endeavour to new and larger audiences. No less significant are industry partners including architectural firms, construction companies, and technology providers who have real-world insight and testbeds for applied research based on data in RIBA’s collections. Collaboration with practices large and small could allow RIBA to conduct research in innovative areas such as parametric design or bioclimatic architecture. A collection of this quality should also be working with local and national government agencies, particularly planning departments, and supporting the work of RIBA in setting professional standards, advocating architectural matters with government, and informing the development of policy-relevant research.
‘The future of the RIBA collections, therefore, lies not just in their preservation but in their ability to foster a deeper understanding of architecture’s role in society and its potential to address global challenges.’
From the outset, RIBA has been international in character, and the exchange of ideas was enshrined in RIBA’s foundation as “correspondence with Learned and Scientific Men in Foreign Countries.” This is the language of the 1830s, but if anything, the value placed on this by RIBA is ever greater as RIBA Chartered architects continue to develop and exert their global significance. For the collections, there is also the opportunity to support the work of international environmental organizations like UNESCO, UIA, ICOMOS, the World Green Building Council and the World Monuments Fund. It is a powerful combination of the role of architecture and architectural heritage best practice in addressing the challenges we all face. RIBA’s ambition towards research positions the organisation and its future partners to make a lasting contribution to both the architectural profession and society. By focusing on sustainable, digital, and socially conscious architecture, and by promoting collaboration, diversity, and transparency, we can tackle the pressing challenges of our time.
From the RIBA Collections - Alberti, 1485: Opening Page.
This vision requires the collective effort of our staff, members, partners, and stakeholders. It requires wholesale access to RIBA collections not just as individual items and collections within collections, but as data sets capable of supporting new ways of using historic collections in support of solutions to the challenges we face today and in the future. Research areas of focus includes addressing the most urgent issues confronting architecture and the built environment today, including in relation to sustainable architecture, digital design and construction, urban planning and community development, heritage and conservation, and history of art and architecture. Because of the collections, RIBA has a responsibility also to play its role in facilitating collaboration, not just through outstanding access to its collections, but in terms of the physical facilities and digital offering it creates. Our public programme should play its role in disseminating research as well as addressing current themes and highlighting historic collections.
From the RIBA Collections: Design for Eden Project, Cornwall (below)
By the time this article is posted, RIBA will have completed RIBA Stage 1 for the future of the collections, a process that has involved the expertise from across the principal specialisms in the library and collections, public programming, and exhibitions teams. The output of this process is effectively the most comprehensive requirements gathering that has been done for RIBA’s collections for at least a generation. An analysis of our distribution of users by site has underscored that at the V&A, while we operate at 100 percent capacity, we have been able to accommodate on average over the last five years only 10 percent of total in-person researchers we receive as a whole and we run with constant unmet demand. The only way to increase that number is to put the collections where they can be viewed five days week and significantly increase the number of research spaces and increase our storage capacity and improve dramatically the proximity of a reading room service to all our collections. This analysis, along with the EOI process and its responses, the user survey undertaken in 2023, and engage with organisations such as SAHGB, significantly enrich and evidenced the reality of the need for transforming access to RIBA’s collections.
‘All users of the RIBA collections have the opportunity between now and the temporary closure to do their research on site, and the same applies to the V&A, and throughout the complete process the Piper Centre will be open alongside any other interim arrangements that we are making.’
This will be undertaken in a phased way, with interim access solutions provided alongside the collection moves. Over the next five years RIBA will also embark on a transformative digital programme and the refurbishment of its historic home at 66 Portland Place, including its library, exhibition and public programming and outreach spaces. By June 2027, RIBA will have moved both its drawing, archives, and models collections from the V&A, South Kensington, and its Library from 66 Portland Place, although once the work on 66 Portland Place is finished, the library will be reinstated There will be additional exhibition capacity and a greater variety of research and study spaces for all our users, accommodating individual members as well as groups needing space where materials can be consulted and viewed without disturbing the main reading room.
All users of the RIBA collections have the opportunity between now and the temporary closure to do their research on site, and the same applies to the V&A, and throughout the complete process the Piper Centre will be open alongside any other interim arrangements that we are making.
RIBA exists as a membership organisation driving and supporting excellence in architecture, in particular architects’ roles in the design and construction process as highly skilled and qualified champions of excellence in the built environment. In keeping with the basis on which the collections have been expertly stewarded over the last 190 years, we aim to provide the widest possible access to its collections onsite, offsite, and online to a global audience, for the benefit of RIBA’s members, students, and the public.
To do all this we have to be easy to find, access, use, and reuse for RIBA members, for educators and their students, for researchers, and for the public, supporting their needs and aspirations. We need to have the capacity to grow and develop the collections to reflect the work of RIBA through its public advocacy and policy, its social impact, and its celebration of architecture in its awards and honours programmes; and to grow and develop the collections in new and exciting ways and in analogue and digital form. The collections must continue to reflect British and international architecture at regional, national, and international levels for the benefit of research and education now and in the future. We must be able to support the use of the collections in the generation of revenue in support of RIBA’s charitable purposes and the organisation’s financial sustainability. And finally, we must find a home which is a fitting place to store, conserve and display our collections, and stories; this home must be a properly equipped base from which to achieve our objectives.
Link to Architecture.com at RIBA, for ongoing news and info
OH Urquhart Irvine, Executive Director, Programmes and Collections
RIBA, Portland Place, London
