Back in January, RIBA East Midlands Regional Chair Barbara Griffin-Wright welcomed in the year with an exciting and varied programme of events. Little did we know what an unforgettable year we were going to have.
Looking back, we are pleased to see that despite the upheaval, we have been able to achieve much of what was planned, and more, with a number of member-focused events and activities, many supporting you - our members and practices - during the pandemic and subsequent economic uncertainty. Allied to this has been the tireless work of volunteer members in the region’s branches and special interest groups, plus dedicated branch presidents and a strong Regional Council.
January
We resumed the RIBA Core CPD programme in Nottingham with a seminar on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, a topic that has become pivotal for the RIBA. Pledge your support for a more inclusive profession and sign the RIBA Inclusion Charter.
March
RIBA East Midlands hosted an afternoon and evening of free events at New Art Exchange in Nottingham to celebrate International Women’s Day 2020. It was a great event and very well attended. Women in Architecture groups in Nottingham & Derby and Northamptonshire continue to ‘meet’ regularly and plan activities, including at a pan-regional level. Contact Lucy Grierson if you would like to be involved.
April and May
During the first national lockdown, we welcomed the further development of the RIBA Academy online CPD portal to ensure that the CPD core programme could continue. We were also the first region to hold an online ‘Town Hall’ meeting, providing an opportunity for members and practices from across the region to meet up and feed back on the challenges being faced and how the RIBA could provide support.
As a direct result of your feedback, we developed a series of interactive online events with colleagues across the country, providing sessions to respond to the issues raised. RIBA Practice Clinics, RIBA Global Small Talks and The Chartered Practices miniseries all attract impressive numbers and create dialogue, discussion and invaluable support. The Regional Team, Mike, Lucy and Cecilia, also carried out over 50 virtual practice visits to support members and gather insight from members to inform policy.
June
Seven projects were shortlisted for a RIBA East Midlands 2020 Award featuring in a special awards edition of the RIBA Journal. Due to COVID-19, jury visits have been postponed until next year, when we hope to complete the programme, including a regional celebration event.
July and August
Regional Council Elections were held, specifically for the post of Regional Chair Elect, with Richard Crowson and Nils Feldmann being elected to jointly fulfil the role. Our flourishing Women in Architecture groups in Northamptonshire and Nottingham & Derby also continued to meet and plan activity.
Branch activity over the summer included a presentation by the Northamptonshire Society’s Tom Jagger (GSS Architecture) on the Northampton Museum expansion project.
Nottingham & Derby branch also delivered various inspiring online events, some of which were recorded to watch them back.
September
The RIBA East Midlands Small and emerging Practice Group was launched with more than 22 members joining the first meeting. The group continues to grow while sharing knowledge via the WhatsApp Group as well as in the monthly meetings.
October and November
Students are back, and so were our 'welcome' and other student presentations, with nine completed to date to over 400 students. The region’s Student Awards took place. We also commenced our 2020/21 RIBA Future Architects student mentoring programme. All being online this year, it gave us the opportunity for practices outside our region to join. Despite the circumstances, we’ve been able to provide mentors for nearly 80 students! A big thank you to all architects supporting this programme.
Branch activity also featured strongly with the LRSA’s annual Love Architecture Festival being a great success with a series of online events, including by RIBA President Alan Jones on The Way Ahead, a challenging talk by Dian Small, RIBA London Director, on EDI and race and a lecture with Ben Channon, Happy by Design.
November and December
The pan-regional People, Place, Planet programme of climate emergency themed events continued, including Nottingham practice Allan Joyce Architects presenting the findings of their research, Mind the Energy Performance Gap project which was shortlisted for the 2019 RIBA President's Award for Research.
December also saw the first meeting of the member-led joint RIBA/RTPI Regional Planning Group focusing on building stronger relations between the two professions by addressing both the challenges and opportunities arising from the work of architects and planners.
Looking ahead, we encourage and welcome members and students to get involved with their branch and the region’s special interest groups - to help influence and support each other and the profession. Please contact RIBA East Midlands team for more details.
