In February of each year, organisations from across the UK come together to highlight the history of the LGBTQ+ community while promoting greater inclusion. This month, the Royal Institute of British Architects is showcasing the work of internal teams and external partners in celebrating the diverse, and often underrepresented, history of the LGBTQ+ community.
Founded in 2004 by the co-chairs of Schools OUT, LGBT+ History Month is an annual celebration that promotes equality and diversity for the benefit of the public.
OUT of Space exhibition
OUT of Space is an exhibition organised by the RIBA LGBTQ+ Community internal group, and the RIBA Library and Collections team to highlight contributions of the LGBTQ+ community within architecture and the built environment.
The exhibition presents items from within the collections including books and photographs from architects and clients who designed spaces that expressed (or concealed) their identity.
OUT of Space is free to view during RIBA Library opening hours, closing 30 March 2023
RIBA Library, 66 Portland Place, London W1B 1AD
- Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday: 11am to 5pm
- Tuesday: 12pm to 7pm
- Saturday and Sunday: Closed
For those unable to visit the exhibition in person, you can learn more about the content in our OUT of Space digital exhibition.
RIBA Collections
Throughout history, architectural spaces have formed sites where LGBTQ+ communities have explored, celebrated, or concealed sexual and gender identities.
These latest features highlight just some of the objects and people included in the RIBA Collections that were (or still are) part of the LGBTQ+ community and contributed to architecture and the built environment.
Seven architect couples in the RIBA Collections
Some of architecture's most prolific partnerships have also been in romantic relationships. Here are seven pairs of architects who were life partners, as well as professional collaborators - including Seely and Paget. The firm's partners, John Seely and Paul Paget, seem to have been life as well as business partners; an unofficial relationship that was tacitly accepted, or studiously ignored, by their friends and associates.
RIBA Collections: LGBTQ+ research guide
This guide signposts some of the resources and materials available through the RIBA's Library and Collections. It is likely that many more stories are yet to be discovered, remaining untold because of legislation that forced LGBTQ+ individuals to conceal their identities or risk prosecution.
Supporting LGBTQ+ architects
LGBTQ+ architects: how practices can make workspaces more inclusive for staff
RIBA’s Practice team have paired up with Daniel Innes, a committee member for the grassroots charity Architecture LGBT+, to look at the ways in which architecture practices can support their LGBTQ+ staff.
RIBA London Practice of the Month February 2023: Feix&Merlin
Each month, RIBA London showcases a London practice and what projects they’ve been working on. For February, they spoke with Feix&Merlin, an LGBTQ+ led architecture practice, co-founded by Julia Feix and Tarek Merlin in 2006. Both Julia and Tarek have always felt a quiet responsibility to be visible, never to hide who they are, and that representation is key.
Upcoming LGBT+ History Month events at RIBA
OUT of Space exhibition tours
RIBA Library staff will be offering guided tours of the OUT of Space exhibition throughout the months of February and March. Please check back soon for tour dates.
If you would like to arrange a private tour of the exhibition, please contact library@riba.org.
London Pride 2023
On 1 July, RIBA will be joining Architecture LGBT+ and other architectural practices to walk in the 2023 London Pride parade. Stay tuned for more information about joining the parade and attending our London Pride breakfast.
Visit our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion page to learn more about RIBA's EDI initiatives and access additional resources.
