House of Architecture

House of Architecture is the future of RIBA. It is a transformative programme to make architecture more accessible for everyone – our members, our profession, the world.

Building on our nearly 200 years of history, a major investment will galvanise our mission to support architects to make the future a better place.

It will reinforce RIBA’s identity as an outward looking cultural institution, help us promote a deeper understanding and appreciation of architecture among a diverse audience, and celebrate our members’ work. 

We have now launched the next phase of our House of Architecture consultation.

Thank you to everyone who has taken part throughout the year so far. We now want to hear your thoughts on the updated RIBA Stage 3 designs for our London headquarters at 66 Portland Place, ahead of submitting these for planning permission in early 2025.

You can visit our free exhibition, and public drop-in sessions, at 66 Portland Place, London and we are hosting an exclusive online session for RIBA Members.

For those unable to attend the above events, the exhibition is also available online and you can share your thoughts on the latest proposals via our new online survey (open until 19 December).   

We do hope you can get involved. If you have any questions at all, please email us at: houseofarchitecture@riba.org.

View the exhibition online and complete our consultation survey.

Find out more about our drop-in sessions at 66 Portland Place and member webinar.

Temporary Closure of 66 Portland Place, London

Our London office will be temporarily closed to the public from 1 June 2025 onwards while we undertake the work to make the building more accessible, sustainable, and welcoming. The programme for the construction phase - enabling works, construction, and fit out - is anticipated to take approximately two and a half years. 

The building will remain fully open for business to visitors and for venue bookings up until 1 June 2025, except for our onsite Library and Collections access services which will close 10 April 2025. 

An exciting new partnership will ensure that our collections remain accessible while 66 Portland Place is closed. Beginning in Summer 2025, The London Archives in Clerkenwell will host key items from the RIBA Collections alongside their own extensive holdings. Additional resources, such as books and the Robert Elwall Photographs Collection, will be housed at a temporary site in Stockwell, accessible by appointment. Read more on our London Archives partnership.

We will be putting in place interim arrangements for our Library and Collections access services at a London location while 66 Portland Place is closed – a further announcement will follow.

We will invest in:

1. Our Collections: Bringing together and sharing our unique body of architectural knowledge and history more widely than ever before.
   
   
2. Our Digital Technology: Creating a vastly improved online experience – widening our reach and expanding our audiences, across the UK and globally.
   
   
3. Our Headquarters: Making long overdue and urgently needed upgrades to our London Headquarters to make it more accessible, sustainable and welcoming.

Read more about our plans for House of Architecture in our news feature.

If you have any comments or questions about House of Architecture, you can email: houseofarchitecture@riba.org.

Architectural historian Neal Shasore introduces the architecture, influences, and innovations of the RIBA’s 1930s headquarters building, designed by George Grey Wornum.