When I became Chair of the RIBA East Regional Council I met with my predecessor, Nicolas Tye, who told me of the responsibility and honour he felt taking on the role. At the time I was aware of the responsibilities but didn’t quite appreciate what an honour it would be. After serving two terms, however, I couldn’t agree more; the past four years have been informative, at times challenging, but thoroughly rewarding.
When I applied for the East region chair position, I wanted to encourage RIBA to work more closely with students and schools of architecture; engage with younger professionals; support wider access to the profession; and make sure the interests of members, particularly in the East region, were represented effectively within the institute. Four years on, the RIBA has made progress in these areas, thanks to a genuinely collaborative effort between branch chairs across the region, schools of architecture, RIBA staff and volunteer members.
From the Norfolk Association of Architects’ Design and Craftsmanship Awards to the Hertfordshire Association of Architects’ Awards, branches across the East of England have given local architects, clients, and contractors the recognition they deserve for design excellence and delivery. I have been honoured to join several branches in recognising local talent at design awards and student end of year shows, including Anglia Ruskin University, the University of Cambridge, the University of Hertfordshire, Norwich University of the Arts, and the University of Suffolk. Alongside local branch awards, the RIBA East Awards, and the best final year portfolio at each school, I have been privileged to meet a diverse range of students over the past four years; each promises to bring creativity, social and environmental responsibility, and incredible talent to the profession.
The value of supporting students is well understood by all in RIBA East, and I am pleased to have seen our education special interest group re-established in recent years. Initially led by Andrew Claiborne and now chaired by Liana Psarologaki, these passionate advocates for supporting students have brought together architects and educators from across the region to focus on student wellbeing, peer support, and encouraging schools of architecture in their journeys towards RIBA Validation. Cambridge was the only validated school when I started my role, so it’s exciting to have seen Hertfordshire achieving Part 1 validation and both Anglia Ruskin and Suffolk achieving Part 1 candidate course status during my tenure. This is a testament to the hard work of the universities, local architects, and branch members in supporting students to develop into the next generation of the architecture profession. We’ll continue to support Norwich University as they progress along their path.
Over the past four years, I have attended a number of local branch events, meeting with architects from across the region to listen to their concerns and understand the local context of architectural practice. This has been very rewarding, seeing both parallels and subtle differences in the professional issues faced by practitioners in St Albans, Norwich, Cambridge, South Essex and Chelmsford to name a few. I was particularly excited to join the "re-launch" of the North Cambridgeshire Society of Architects in 2018, seeing chair Luke Butcher and a new committee organising new CPD and networking events to support local architects.
Luke’s work has continued, teaming up with Sasha Edmonds to launch the New and Emerging Practice Network - originally an East region initiative, now rolled out across other RIBA regions - to create a supportive peer network for recently established practices. Meeting monthly, the group covers various professional issues as well as offering a chance for architects to share their experiences and find common ground.
This brings me to the most valuable, and most rewarding, part of my time as Chair of RIBA East Regional Council. I have been privileged to meet so many people in the practising profession and academe, including architects from practices of all sizes, students, and graduates. The nature of our work fundamentally changed over the past year with a move to virtual meetings and I hope we can see a safe return to in person events with time. This change did, however, reinforce the value of getting involved with RIBA.
I have learned that the issues I face in practice are shared with professionals across the region and, in fact, the wider RIBA. This has given me strength, knowing there is a family of like-minded architects working to encourage an inclusive, fairer profession; to promote design quality; and to lobby for better environmental and design standards. There is a wealth of knowledge in the network of architects we can all turn to, and I look forward to seeing what we can achieve together in the coming years.
I would like to thank the RIBA East team (Louise, John, Juliet, and Fiona and previously Jayne and Delyth) and all of the branch chairs I have worked with. Natalie Matanda has brought valuable insight as our Student Representative on Regional Council, whilst Roger Shrimplin and Jon Greenfield have been excellent regionally elected members of RIBA Council, representing our concerns at the heart of the Institute.
I have learned a lot from every member I have met. I have done my best to represent you at the RIBA Nations and Regions Committee, and I hope you have found the information I brought back helpful in your professional lives and work as volunteer members. The greatest achievements of RIBA lie in the grassroots activities of volunteer members in branches and regions across the profession: working with local authorities, schools of architecture, and the wider industry. I am proud to be one of those volunteers and look forward to continuing to support local RIBA activities in the coming years.
I am excited to see Chair Elect Jerene Irwin take the reins from me as the new chair of RIBA East Regional Council; I know she will bring energy, focus and commitment to the position.
A position with many responsibilities, and one which has been a genuine honour to hold.
Tom Foggin, August 2021
