Balkrishna Doshi gives a deeply philosophical reflection on the architecture and culture of India in a talk at the RIBA in 1991, now digitised from the RIBA Collections.

Balkrishna Doshi at RIBA, 1991

Acclaimed artist Bridget Riley discusses her work for Royal Liverpool Hospital and reveals how it was influenced by the art of ancient Egypt, in this 1984 talk digitised from the RIBA Collections.

Bridget Riley at RIBA, 1984

From 18 to 26 November 2021, our annual Inclusion Festival took the form of a dedicated radio station, broadcast live from the bookshop at the RIBA's HQ in London.

Marsha Ramroop, former BBC journalist and the RIBA's Director of Inclusion & Diversity, hosted a lively mixture of music, live and pre-recorded interviews, discussions and debate - featuring over 90 special guests from across the worlds of architecture, design, arts, culture, and sport, as well as key leaders from the worlds of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI).

RIBA Radio, Episode 29: The epilogue

In this panel discussion, RIBA Radio looks at the broader context - assessing what the next steps for the profession are. Marsha Ramroop, Director of Inclusion & Diversity at the RIBA; Jack Pringle, Chair of the RIBA; Sarah Akigbogun, Board Architect and filmmaker; Sarah Akigbogun, Studio Aki; Rebecca Roberts-Hughes, Director of Policy and Communications at ARB; and Alan Vallance, CEO of the RIBA conclude the seven days of broadcasting by reaffirming that in order to effectively design for the future, architecture must be representative of the society it serves. 

From 18 to 26 November 2021, our annual Inclusion Festival took the form of a dedicated radio station, broadcast live from the bookshop at the RIBA's HQ in London.

Marsha Ramroop, former BBC journalist and the RIBA's Director of Inclusion & Diversity, hosted a lively mixture of music, live and pre-recorded interviews, discussions and debate - featuring over 90 special guests from across the worlds of architecture, design, arts, culture, and sport, as well as key leaders from the worlds of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI).

RIBA Radio, Episode 28: CQ Action - Final panel

Hikaru Nissanke, Director at OMMX architects, and AJ 40 under 40; Arthur Mamou-Mani, Architect and Managing Director of Mamou-Mani; and Mark Nagle, Operations Director at urban explore how inclusion has impacted architecture practice in terms of innovation, better outcomes, maximised effectiveness, and better creative ideas. They discuss the importance of going beyond fundraising to help underrepresented groups get a footing in the industry by supporting sustainable training structures, the architecture recruitment chain, and tracking progression – so that the profession can be truly accountable around inclusion and diversity. 

From 18 to 26 November 2021, our annual Inclusion Festival took the form of a dedicated radio station, broadcast live from the bookshop at the RIBA's HQ in London.

Marsha Ramroop, former BBC journalist and the RIBA's Director of Inclusion & Diversity, hosted a lively mixture of music, live and pre-recorded interviews, discussions and debate - featuring over 90 special guests from across the worlds of architecture, design, arts, culture, and sport, as well as key leaders from the worlds of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI).

RIBA Radio, Episode 27: CQ Action - Inclusive outcomes

Understanding how specific tools can amplify the voices of the underrepresented and support them to progress is a vital part of making the profession more inclusive and diverse. A panel discussion featuring Rebecca Lovelace, founder and Chief Dot-Joiner at Building People; Neil Onions, CIC founder and CEO at Beyond The Box Consultants; and Deborah Williams, founder of The Women’s Association share ways in which they support underrepresented groups. From facilitating the navigation of support services, creating projects with communities, and creating strategies to fund support groups that drive forward diversity and inclusion, they discuss their roles in shaping solutions to improve the architecture profession. In a pre-recorded interview, Danna Walker, Architect and founder of Built By Us, discusses how Built By Us prioritises bringing diverse voices to the table to achieve better outcomes in the built environment, and is led by the ideal that a world built by all, is for all. 

From 18 to 26 November 2021, our annual Inclusion Festival took the form of a dedicated radio station, broadcast live from the bookshop at the RIBA's HQ in London.

Marsha Ramroop, former BBC journalist and the RIBA's Director of Inclusion & Diversity, hosted a lively mixture of music, live and pre-recorded interviews, discussions and debate - featuring over 90 special guests from across the worlds of architecture, design, arts, culture, and sport, as well as key leaders from the worlds of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI).

RIBA Radio, Episode 26: CQ Action - Supporting the underrepresented

Siraaj Mitha, Head of Accelerate at Open City; Amy Francis-Smith, Architect and inclusive accessible design specialist; Annette Fisher, FA Global Chair of Let’s Build Expert on Africa; and Caitriona Jackman, Professor at DIAS, and professional planetary scientist discuss projects and schemes that are adapting current ways of working to open the profession to people from communities which are currently underrepresented. The panel emphasis how adjustments such as embedding flexible working, ensuring that a diversity of voices with different lived experiences are platformed, and supporting young people across the profession, can help retain talent in workplaces, and increase the quality of life of employees. 

From 18 to 26 November 2021, our annual Inclusion Festival took the form of a dedicated radio station, broadcast live from the bookshop at the RIBA's HQ in London.

Marsha Ramroop, former BBC journalist and the RIBA's Director of Inclusion & Diversity, hosted a lively mixture of music, live and pre-recorded interviews, discussions and debate - featuring over 90 special guests from across the worlds of architecture, design, arts, culture, and sport, as well as key leaders from the worlds of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI).

RIBA Radio, Episode 25: CQ Action - Adaptations that work

Jeremy Till, Architect, writer, and Head of Central Saint Martins; and Indy Johar, Executive Director at Dark Matter Labs talk about ways in which diversity can be implemented in architectural education and practice, to unlock the maximum capacity of society, and become smarter as a collective system. In a pre-recorded discussion, Baroness Doreen Lawrence OBE  speaks of how the Stephen Lawrence Foundation is working to increase racial equality - through supporting students entering the profession by working with both architecture schools and practices. 

From 18 to 26 November 2021, our annual Inclusion Festival took the form of a dedicated radio station, broadcast live from the bookshop at the RIBA's HQ in London.

Marsha Ramroop, former BBC journalist and the RIBA's Director of Inclusion & Diversity, hosted a lively mixture of music, live and pre-recorded interviews, discussions and debate - featuring over 90 special guests from across the worlds of architecture, design, arts, culture, and sport, as well as key leaders from the worlds of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI).

RIBA Radio, Episode 24: CQ Strategy - Awareness and impact

Understanding different educational routes and qualifications practised and permitted across the globe can be a complex subject. Timothy Onyenobi, Architect and member of RIBA Expert Advisory Group; Diba Salam, Creative Director of StudioDS; Azlina Bulmer, Director of RIBA International; and Bin Sheng, Architect and partner at PLP Architecture explore how international architects are often not recognised as such in countries where they did not obtain their qualification, often needing to undergo local exams. They unpack different facets of this barrier, and ways in which this can be addressed by improving international partnerships and making assessments more accessible.  

From 18 to 26 November 2021, our annual Inclusion Festival took the form of a dedicated radio station, broadcast live from the bookshop at the RIBA's HQ in London.

Marsha Ramroop, former BBC journalist and the RIBA's Director of Inclusion & Diversity, hosted a lively mixture of music, live and pre-recorded interviews, discussions and debate - featuring over 90 special guests from across the worlds of architecture, design, arts, culture, and sport, as well as key leaders from the worlds of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI).

RIBA Radio, Episode 23: CQ Strategy - International architects

Dr Neal Shasore, Head of School and CEO of the London School of Architecture; Dr Corinne Fowler, Professor at the University of Leicester and specialist in colonialism; and Harsha Gore and Jasmine Lawrence from Decolonise Architecture Group (collective aiming to decolonise architectural education) discuss how the practice of decolonisation can spark creative exploration within the architecture profession. They also discuss different opportunities to manage the narratives around decolonising architecture, and how this is necessary to create an inclusive profession.  

From 18 to 26 November 2021, our annual Inclusion Festival took the form of a dedicated radio station, broadcast live from the bookshop at the RIBA's HQ in London.

Marsha Ramroop, former BBC journalist and the RIBA's Director of Inclusion & Diversity, hosted a lively mixture of music, live and pre-recorded interviews, discussions and debate - featuring over 90 special guests from across the worlds of architecture, design, arts, culture, and sport, as well as key leaders from the worlds of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI).

RIBA Radio, Episode 22: CQ Strategy - Decolonisation

A one-on-one discussion with Shani Dhanda, disability activist, The BBC's 100 Women in 2020. As a keynote speaker and practitioner for inclusion across business, government, non-profit and wider society, Shani discusses her work, explaining how she helps organisations break down barriers and integrate inclusion into their business frameworks.  

From 18 to 26 November 2021, our annual Inclusion Festival took the form of a dedicated radio station, broadcast live from the bookshop at the RIBA's HQ in London.

Marsha Ramroop, former BBC journalist and the RIBA's Director of Inclusion & Diversity, hosted a lively mixture of music, live and pre-recorded interviews, discussions and debate - featuring over 90 special guests from across the worlds of architecture, design, arts, culture, and sport, as well as key leaders from the worlds of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI).

RIBA Radio, Episode 15: CQ Knowledge - Disability with Shani Dhanda

A panel consisting of Sumita Singha OBE, Architect and RIBA Councillor; Tom Guy, Architect and founder of Architecture LGBTQ+; and Muyiwa Oki, Architect at Grimshaw Architects assess where the architecture profession is on its road to inclusion. 

From 18 to 26 November 2021, our annual Inclusion Festival took the form of a dedicated radio station, broadcast live from the bookshop at the RIBA's HQ in London.

Marsha Ramroop, former BBC journalist and the RIBA's Director of Inclusion & Diversity, hosted a lively mixture of music, live and pre-recorded interviews, discussions and debate - featuring over 90 special guests from across the worlds of architecture, design, arts, culture, and sport, as well as key leaders from the worlds of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI).

RIBA Radio, Episode 5: Overview - Inclusion in architecture

Dr Pragya Agarwal, behavioural and data scientist, consultant, speaker, and author of ‘SWAY’ and ‘Wish We Knew What To Say: Talking with Children About Race,’ explains the nature of bias and explores how we can challenge it.

From 18 to 26 November 2021, our annual Inclusion Festival took the form of a dedicated radio station, broadcast live from the bookshop at the RIBA's HQ in London.

Marsha Ramroop, former BBC journalist and the RIBA's Director of Inclusion & Diversity, hosted a lively mixture of music, live and pre-recorded interviews, discussions and debate - featuring over 90 special guests from across the worlds of architecture, design, arts, culture, and sport, as well as key leaders from the worlds of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI).

RIBA Radio, Episode 3: Overview - Unconscious bias with Pragya Agarwal

David Livermore, President of the Cultural Intelligence (CQ Center) introduces the CQ behavioural framework - through which we can strategically use cultural differences to come up with innovative solutions, and explains how this can be applied to architecture and the built environment. 

From 18 to 26 November 2021, our annual Inclusion Festival took the form of a dedicated radio station, broadcast live from the bookshop at the RIBA's HQ in London.

Marsha Ramroop, former BBC journalist and the RIBA's Director of Inclusion & Diversity, hosted a lively mixture of music, live and pre-recorded interviews, discussions and debate - featuring over 90 special guests from across the worlds of architecture, design, arts, culture, and sport, as well as key leaders from the worlds of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI).

RIBA Radio, Episode 2: Overview - What Is CQ with David Livermore

RIBA Radio, Episode 1: The prologue

In 1982, architectural historian and cultural theorist Charles Jencks took to the stage at RIBA to deliver a polemical and playful lecture: "Postmodernism: the true inheritor of Modernism". The talk was part of a RIBA series titled The Great Debate, at a time when ‘style wars’ – especially the merits of Modernist versus Postmodernist architecture – divided the architectural intelligentsia.

Image: Charles Jencks in the 1980s (Monica Pidgeon / RIBA Collections)

Charles Jencks: “Postmodernism: true inheritor of Modernism” at RIBA, 1982

In his lecture for RIBA’s Annual Discourse series, Charles Jencks traces the evolution of architecture and its broader cultural context in the 20th century.

This is a recording of an in-person lecture by Charles Jencks on 3 October 2000. The event was held at 66 Portland Place, London and was hosted by architect Mohsen Mostafavi. In the recording, Jencks references visual slides which are not part of the RIBA Collections.

Please note: at 00:47:08, there is a drop in audio, this is due to the tape being turned over.

Charles Jencks (1939-2019) was an American architectural historian, cultural theorist and landscape designer. 

Jencks begins his lecture by laying down the foundations of what 'modernism' means and how its definition has changed over time. He also discusses how modernism takes it forms, in architecture, technology and media as well as Le Corbusier's thoughts on 'superficial modernism'.

He then introduces the iconic architecture of 20th century modernism and its 'rivals' like the Arts and Crafts movement and National Romanticism. Jencks then explores modernism in its many forms throughout the decades and its relationship to classism and socio-economic contexts such as the Second World War.

Referencing famous architectural texts throughout the lecture, Jencks concludes with discussion of biological and sustainability-focused green architecture with references from new urbanism, post-modernism and High Tech. He then highlights the direction this green architecture is headed and what it means for 'critical modernism,' in particular when integrating events of the past into the design.

Learn more about Charles Jencks and The RIBA Charles Jencks Award: https://www.architecture.com/awards-and-competitions-landing-page/awards/riba-charles-jencks-award

The RIBA Charles Jencks Award was established with prize money awarded to Charles Jencks from the Nara Gold Medal, which he received in 1992. Charles Jencks graciously donated this prize money to RIBA to set up an endowment fund, the interest from which was initially used for an exchange programme between British and Japanese architects. 

In 2003, the investment purpose of the fund was changed to create an annual award with a remit that has remained untouched since then: to reward an individual (or practice) that has recently made a major contribution simultaneously to the theory and practice of architecture. In addition to prize money, the winner delivers a lecture at RIBA.

Charles Jencks: Critical modernism - the hidden tradition, 2000

The 1979 Royal Gold Medal for architecture was awarded to the Office of Charles & Ray Eames. 
This newly released audio-recording is of the acceptance speech by Ray Eames, and a presentation from RIBA President Gordon Graham.

Ray Eames' Royal Gold Medal acceptance speech at RIBA, 1979

Episode 1 in RIBA's Road to Recovery series, 'Defining Recovery'. 
What does recovery look like for architectural practices after Covid-19? We're joined by Tara Gbolade from Gbolade Studio, Angus Morrogh-Ryan from De Matos Ryan and Alison McKerracher from ADP Architecture to discuss their experiences on the recovery journey.

This series accompanies our Recovery Roadmap, an online digest of resources developed in response to the pandemic and the impact it is having on architects: https://www.architecture.com/recovery-roadmap

Drawing on insights from experts and practitioners, we've published a series of features to help practices plan their route to recovery – and future resilience.

Corporate Uplifting Chill by MusicLFiles
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/6298-corporate-uplifting-chill
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

RIBA Road To Recovery -  1. Defining Recovery

Episode 2 in RIBA's Road to Recovery series, 'Learning from Crisis'.

What have architects learned from previous economic or political crises that they can apply to the current situation caused by the Coronavirus global pandemic?
We're joined by Tim Bailey from X-site, Jillian Mitchell from Lomas + Mitchell and Peter Inglis from Cullinan Studio to discuss how this crisis is unique, what changes it has brought about that are for the better and what Covid-19 can teach architecture about practice resilience. 

This series accompanies our Recovery Roadmap, an online digest of resources developed in response to the pandemic and the impact it is having on architects: https://www.architecture.com/recovery-roadmap
Drawing on insights from experts and practitioners, we've published a series of features to help practices plan their route to recovery – and future resilience.

Corporate Uplifting Chill by MusicLFiles
Link: filmmusic.io/song/6298-corporate-uplifting-chill
License: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

RIBA Road to Recovery - 2. Learning From Crisis

Episode 6 in RIBA's Road to Recovery series, 'Supporting mental wellbeing'

What is it about the architecture profession that affects mental health specifically? What have we learned about mental wellbeing during the Coronavirus pandemic that we can take back into the workplace? And how can we look after our own wellbeing?

In this episode, we're joined by architects Jane Duncan from Jane Duncan Architects, Priya Aiyer from Mace and Head of HR at Stride Treglown, Sean Peacock to discuss mental health and architectural practice.

This series accompanies the Royal Institute of British Architects' 
 'Recovery Roadmap', an online digest of resources developed in response to the Coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having on architects: https://www.architecture.com/recovery-roadmap
Drawing on insights from experts and practitioners, we've published a series of features to help practices plan their route to recovery – and future resilience.

Corporate Uplifting Chill by MusicLFiles
Link: filmmusic.io/song/6298-corporate-uplifting-chill
License: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

RIBA Road To Recovery - 6. Supporting mental wellbeing

Miriam Wornum recalls the building of RIBA's HQ at 66 Portland Place in the 1930s, including her contributions to the design and what life was like on site. 

RIBA Collections

Miriam Wornum lecture on 66 Portland Place at RIBA, 1984

In Zaha Hadid's Charles Jencks Lecture at the RIBA in 2006, captured in archival footage from the RIBA Collections, she talks about her exhibition at the Guggenheim, projects including the Maggie's Centre in Fife, and the hotly-contested Cardiff Bay project.

Image: Monica Pidgeon / RIBA Collections

Zaha Hadid's Charles Jencks Lecture at RIBA, 2006

Richard Rogers talks about the crisis of style facing architecture in 1985, when he gave this powerful speech after being awarded the Royal Gold Medal. 

This talk was captured in an archival recording from the RIBA Collections, and appears online for the first time. 

Image: portrait of Lord Richard Rogers, RIBA Collections

Richard Rogers' Royal Gold Medal speech at RIBA, 1985

RSHP partners Graham Stirk and Ivan Harbour chat about key projects, collaboration, and designing buildings that give back to their cities at this event at RIBA in 2005, captured in archival recordings from the RIBA Collections. 

Image: 30 St Mary Axe, with the Leadenhall Buillding in the background. Gerald McLean / RIBA Collections

Graham Stirk and Ivan Harbour in conversation, 2005

Sir David Chipperfield speaks at a 'Young Lions' event at the RIBA in 1987, when his practice was only a couple of years old. He talks about early retail projects, and why form is more imporant than material. 

The main talk begins at 3:17, following an introduction by Peter Murray.

David Chipperfield at RIBA, 1987

Jane Drew reflects on her career at a talk at the RIBA in 1986 chaired by Lynne Walker.

Image: Jane Drew talking at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, on her 75th birthday. RIBA Collections

This talk include some language that evokes offensive racial stereotypes. We have taken the decision to include it for the sake of historical accuracy and awareness.

Jane Drew speaks at "Pioneers: Women Architects and Their Work", 1986

Elaine Denby reflects on her career at a talk at the RIBA in 1986 chaired by Lynne Walker.

Elaine Denby speaks at "Pioneers: Women Architects and Their Work", 1986

Rosemary Stjernstedt reflects on her career at a talk at the RIBA in 1986 chaired by Lynne Walker.

Rosemary Stjernstedt speaks at "Pioneers: Women Architects and Their Work", 1986

Patricia Tindale reflects on her career at a talk at the RIBA in 1986 chaired by Lynne Walker.

Popular tracks by The RIBA