“To make the built environment better for all, architecture must continue to strive to become a fairer, more equitable profession – and RIBA is uniquely placed to support it in this vital mission. Genuine, impactful and long-lasting change takes time and requires a solid foundation of data, policy and practice frameworks to facilitate it. Over the past year, RIBA’s Inclusion and Diversity team has been prioritising this work.
This Inclusion Transparency Report outlines RIBA’s progress in creating a more inclusive organisation and profession between January and December 2023.
It is an important annual reflection – providing transparency on our EDI progress to date, our evolving strategy, and our goals for the future. Read the report for a summary of what has been accomplished this year and what to expect in 2024.”
Robbie Turner, RIBA Director of Inclusion and Diversity
Dr Valerie Vaughan-Dick MBE, RIBA Chief Executive
Muyiwa Oki, RIBA President
Data and insights
As part of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with five other built environment professional bodies focused on improving equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in the industry, RIBA has worked collaboratively to deliver actions from an agreed plan prioritising the three key areas of data collection, education to industry pipelines, and professional competency.
Regarding data collection, RIBA has co-produced a diversity monitoring data questionnaire that RIBA Members can use in the UK and the Republic of Ireland. Creating a standardised data collection questionnaire across the six organisations on behalf of our sectors is a move towards ensuring the built environment is more representative of the society it serves. This will help us create a more diverse, equitable and inclusive sector. In addition, a paper outlining challenges and providing guidance for global demographic data was also produced.
To showcase how data can be leveraged effectively to drive change, the Inclusion and Diversity team produced the first-ever survey of EDI data among individuals involved in RIBA’s governance. The full report presents the RIBA governance data for all protected characteristics as defined by the Equality Act 2010, along with measures for social mobility and caring responsibilities. We plan to survey RIBA governance EDI data every two years to monitor progress.
By establishing transparent EDI data collection, and reporting regularly, we hope to build confidence and trust in both RIBA staff and members. If our senior leadership is willing to share their EDI data to assist in developing a more inclusive RIBA, then we believe staff and members will be more likely to do the same.
Training and events
RIBA continues to work closely with partner organisations that are responsible for our Memorandum of Understanding. Now known as BE Inclusive (Built Environment), the group consists of the following membership bodies: The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), The Landscape Institute (LI), The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI).
As part of BE Inclusive, RIBA co-delivered three major EDI events for the architecture profession. To build stronger relationships, all events were collaborative efforts which elevated the work of industry networks and partners. For these events, we aimed to focus on meaningful actions that attendees could take away and start implementing both personally and professionally to help shape a more inclusive culture across the industry.
- Addressing Gender Inequity in the Built Environment
- Advancing Racial Equity in the Built Environment
- Pride in the Built Environment
Our Public Programmes Team hosted several external network events to elevate their work to improve culture, experience and representation in the profession.
We undertook an EDI skills gap analysis across RIBA, from which we developed a colleague EDI learning programme. We have subsequently tendered and commissioned independent external providers for an EDI training programme for colleagues and senior leaders. The training has run throughout 2024.
We support continued informal learning about EDI for both RIBA staff and members through the provision of a drumbeat of activities and content around EDI celebration dates. In creating this content new relationships with members have been created and existing ones have been strengthened.
Our main EDI celebration campaigns included London Pride Month 2023, Black History Month 2023, UK Disability History Month 2023, Women’s History Month 2023, South Asian Heritage Month 2023 and LGBT History Month 2023 which saw the launch of our internal community group exhibition series, starting with OUT of Space – highlighting contributions of the LGBTQ+ community to the built environment with images from the RIBA Collections.
In addition to core annual campaigns, we spotlighted important dates bolstered by collections materials and member-based initiatives. This includes Holocaust Memorial Day, World Menopause Day and Neurodiversity Celebration Week.
Regionally, RIBA North and our LGBTQ+ Community Chair worked in collaboration with Liverpool City Region Pride to develop Pride House, a designated safe space located at the heart of the Eurovision village. During the week, RIBA North saw 8,000 visitors from across the world partake in two architecture-themed exhibitions, performances, workshops and family activities.
Policy and practice improvements
As a first step to ensuring that inclusion and access are embedded in everything we do at RIBA, we produced an Equality Impact Assessment process (EqIA), which is a systematic and evidence-based tool to enable us to consider the likely impact of our work on different audiences. Along with the process itself, we produced organisational training, guidance and templates which we have been piloting in selected teams. Using the EqIA process, we have also started to review internal policies and procedures in collaboration with the RIBA EDI Communities.
In terms of our RIBA EDI Communities, we have continued our support for staff initiatives and activities, including relaunching the Origins Community, securing funding for events planned by the group members themselves, and relaunching the Generations Community.
Publication of the Inclusive Design Overlay
The Inclusive Design Overlay to the RIBA Plan of Work seeks to embed inclusive design across all stages of construction projects and empower each of the teams involved - from architects and clients to operators - to contribute to creating inclusive environments.
Books published
In 2023, RIBA Publishing launched several books focusing on EDI topics, including some written or edited by RIBA Members. Here is a selection currently available from RIBA Books:
- Happy by Design: A Guide to Architecture and Mental Wellbeing
- 100 Women: Architects in Practice
- The Access Audit Handbook: An inclusive approach to auditing buildings
- Thrive: A field guide for women in architecture
Ongoing projects
In August 2023, we created and launched the first ever RIBA EDI Leaders’ Action Group which brings together EDI professionals from across RIBA Chartered Practices to action meaningful change in the profession. The group works to identify where employers need support, co-create practical resources and tools to highlight good practice and encourage uptake and implementation.
Current projects include a free, online and accessible inclusive events toolkit, and an ongoing project widening work experience opportunities in partnership with the RIBA Learning team.
Three key priorities for 2024
1. Building a more inclusive and diverse profession
We are committed to supporting and expanding the work co-produced with the EDI Leaders’ Action Group to deliver the above projects and set new actions and deliverables for the second half of 2024.
2. Making our policies and products more accessible and inclusive
The Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA) process will be key to embedding inclusion into everything we do. We will be finalising the EqIA pilot and its review with the aim of embedding the practice across the organisation.
3. Being an equitable and inclusive organisation modelling good practice
In May 2024 we will be providing EDI training for all colleagues, including senior leaders. In addition, we plan to launch a Microaggressions Toolkit and develop short awareness sessions with colleagues with a view to creating a workplace culture where colleagues feel safe to speak up.
Our support for the RIBA EDI Communities will continue, with increased financial support to create and run a programme of external speakers focusing on lived experience and awareness of key community issues. In addition, we will encourage increased colleague input and feedback on key policies at RIBA, especially around the House of Architecture Project, with staff consultation on the inclusion and accessibility of working spaces at RIBA.
We are not complacent and, naturally, there will continue to be issues that cause concern to our members, our staff, our stakeholders and the general public. However, we are committed to moving RIBA to a place where such issues can be called out and acted upon with speed and effective action. Culture and attitudes can take time to change but we know how passionate people feel about EDI and we are committed to moving the dial as quickly and as effectively as possible.
We will continue to work with and support people who feel underrepresented in the profession, to help members and practices end discrimination, and to redress the current imbalance of representation.
Find out more about our ongoing EDI initiatives and resources.
