The RIBA Collections - The Foundation Stone of the House of Architecture
Since the news of the ending of the partnership between the RIBA and V+A broke last year, the SAHGB’s Chair, Elizabeth Darling, and Bob Allies, member of the Council, have been liaising with RIBA to ensure that members’ interests are represented in the discussions about the Collections’ future. This is an ongoing process but we are pleased to present this initial report from Dr Adrian Steel, Director of Collections and Programmes at RIBA about the current state of affairs.
We can also announce that Oliver Urquhart-Irvine MVO, Executive Director of Architecture Programmes and Collections, RIBA, will join us for a hybrid Q and A session about the collections move. This event has had to be rescheduled for early 2024 - you can add your name to an Expression of Interest list here.
Dr. Adrian Steel writes:
The RIBA has exciting plans for the future of its collections. The House of Architecture programme gives us an opportunity to showcase them like never before, and the refurbishment of 66 Portland Place and the completion of the RIBA’s Architecture Partnership with the V+A in 2027 offers the chance to bring our collections together, improve facilities for collection management, digitisation and conservation, and through this serve our community of users and stakeholders better.
To deliver these improvements there will inevitably be changes in the services we can offer to our users, in particular while works are being carried out to our buildings and stores. While we don’t yet have full details of all the dates of these, we really value the opportunity for dialogue with SAHGB members and others to help us share the latest information, and to hear and talk about any issues that upcoming moves and changes will bring with them. Many research users of our collections filled out our recent User Survey online – over 150 responses were received altogether. This information will help us plan future services during and after the upcoming changes, we’re very grateful to all who took part.
Oliver Urquhart-Irvine MVO, has gladly accepted the invitation to participate in an event to take place in the near future, and will be able to discuss and answer questions directly from those present. In advance of this we hope it helps to summarise the latest information we have on dates relating to the collections stored at our main three current sites:
66 Portland Place
As has been shared in the latest RIBA update on the House of Architecture 66 Portland Place refurbishment, the building (including Library) is expected to stay open for at least the next two years.
RIBA + V+A Architecture Partnership, Study Rooms
We will update with further information as soon as we have it, but are currently working on the assumption that our study rooms will remain open for researchers until at least Summer 2025.
RIBA Collections Store – Piper Centre
We always try to facilitate access to material by appointment if possible. There is always the chance that works to the site or other projects may make appointments temporarily unavailable from time to time and we’ll update enquirers when contact is first made if there are any issues of this nature – please get in touch via the Drawings/Archives collection .
Tile image @henmankk, via Unsplash