黑洞社区

The man with the questions

Tarek Merlin is a project architect at SMC Alsop. He graduated from Manchester University with an architecture degree in 1997, then did his Part 2 diploma at the Bartlett School in London. He worked for Foster + Partners for a year, before moving to Alsop in 2001 and completing his Part 3 in 2002. He has never been a member of the RIBA but is about to join 鈥� Alsop鈥檚 owner SMC Group pays the fee for staff. He is a member of 黑洞社区鈥檚 graduate advisory board.

The man with the answers

Jack Pringle is a partner in Pringle Brandon Architects. He studied at Bristol University and began his career at Powell & Moya before starting his own practice in the early eighties. He became the 71st president of the RIBA in September 2005.

TM Why don鈥檛 I want to be a member of the RIBA?

JP Maybe it鈥檚 because you don鈥檛 know enough about the RIBA or maybe it鈥檚 not right for you at this moment. The great thing is that it鈥檚 voluntary and, considering that, it鈥檚 amazing how many architects in the UK have joined 鈥� 7,000 out of 30,000.

TM Right. I think the key is that I don鈥檛 know enough about it.

JP Well, our Charter says it鈥檚 for the advancement of architecture. It鈥檚 not a trade union, it鈥檚 not about defending the income or interests of architects.

One of the things I only got to understand after I became president was the size of the brand. We are one of the two big institutions in architecture 鈥� the other is the AIA [American Institute of Architects]. And even the Americans would give their eye-teeth for what we have, because they鈥檙e not involved in education and they鈥檇 like to be. We validate 90 schools of architecture around the world. They don鈥檛 have the cultural assets we鈥檝e got either. We鈥檝e got 4 million objects that our members have built up in the past 170 years.

TM So is that the RIBA鈥檚 role today: validating education and looking after collections built up by members?

JP It鈥檚 not only that. The core function of the RIBA is to do what practices can鈥檛 do. Even large practices are quite small businesses with little clout in the government and cultural arena. In a way, if the RIBA didn鈥檛 exist, you鈥檇 have to invent it and members redirect it in every generation.

I came into the RIBA because I didn鈥檛 think it was doing the right things.

TM And have you been able to change things?

JP I think I have. I came to the RIBA as a young guy. I was in my twenties when I first started to complain and I got elected to the council. You realise that there鈥檚 not only an open door, there鈥檚 a vacuum sucking you in. I had huge arguments with everybody 鈥� I got kicked off the education committee because of my objections to shutting down some architecture schools. Then they asked if I鈥檇 chair education and we changed policies.

Now we鈥檙e going into campaigning mode again. Already, we鈥檝e changed the government鈥檚 mind on PFI. The Office of Government Commerce has changed the rules on how you can appoint architects, and a big new hospital [for North Bristol NHS trust, worth 拢374m] was just launched using 鈥淪mart PFI鈥� [under which a design is put in place before a project is advertised]. And we鈥檝e got a better relationship with the government.

I was called before the Public Accounts Committee and argued that the fiasco in St Mary鈥檚 hospital in Paddington [a PFI scheme which rose from 拢300m to 拢900m in value before collapsing last year] could have been averted if they鈥檇 used our proposal.

TM The changes you鈥檙e talking about are at a strategic level, to do with the government and big projects. Nobody that I canvassed 鈥� colleagues in their late twenties or thirties 鈥� knows anything about the RIBA. They don鈥檛 see that young architects or practices have anything to gain by being part of it.

JP It鈥檚 a pretty familiar conversation. It鈥檚 like that Monty Python moment: 鈥淲hat did the Romans ever do for us 鈥� apart from uniting Europe, having straight roads, a common currency.鈥�

You were a student: the framework of education was set up by the RIBA; the whole five-plus-two-years that runs worldwide and gives students the ability to move from country to country was set up by the RIBA; the criteria within which the curriculum sits was set up by the RIBA; we鈥檝e given students free membership so they can use the library and facilities, get a discount in the bookshop and attend lectures.

Then when you go into practice, all the services you get and all the contracts you鈥檒l be using were either written by the RIBA or contributed to on your behalf. The conditions of engagement were written by the RIBA. I鈥檓 not a quarter of the way through the list 鈥�

The RIBA can鈥檛 be continuously cutting edge 鈥� there are going to be new, edgier places that start up and shut down. We shouldn鈥檛 be the middle-aged vicar on the motorcycle 鈥� we have to be who we are.

TM The trouble is that if you don鈥檛 pursue the younger generation, we have to wait until we鈥檙e the older generation to see what it鈥檚 really about. There鈥檚 a gap in a young architect鈥檚 life when you鈥檝e finished being a student but you鈥檙e not quite a director, so you don鈥檛 see the strategic benefits.

JP You鈥檙e right, we need to address that. The door鈥檚 open, we realise we need more young architects. And I鈥檓 not saying that from altruism 鈥� we need them.

TM So why is RIBA membership so expensive?

Our website is a disaster and if anyone was taking that as the presentation of our brand it would distress me deeply

Jack Pringle, Riba president

JP It鈥檚 free for students, it鈥檚 about 拢50 for graduates, it鈥檚 拢200-ish when you first qualify and when you get to the top level it鈥檚 about 拢300. That鈥檚 pretty standard 鈥� it鈥檚 benchmarked at 1% of salaries. It鈥檚 cheaper than the RICS and subscriptions are only 25% of our income. We have sponsorship, we have commercial organisations, profits from the bookshop. You may be paying 拢300, but you鈥檙e getting more like 拢1,300 of value.

TM But that鈥檚 not the perception. Architects have to start with the Architects Registration Board (ARB) to be a registered architect, and that鈥檚 already 拢75. You鈥檙e sitting at your desk, January comes around and you鈥檝e got an ARB bill, and you think, 鈥淚鈥檓 not going to spend another 拢300 on something they don鈥檛 seem to be targeting at me.鈥�

JP First, the ARB鈥檚 fees have gone up three times since it started 鈥� you should ask it why. Second, I lecture every year to the Part 3 students at the Bartlett [School in London] and the bottom line is that if you want to be part of your profession, if you want to be influential, if you want to be in the technical or campaigning element of the profession or promote architecture in public life through things like the Stirling prize, then the only game in town is the RIBA. So the question is: 鈥淒o you want to be part of it or not?鈥�

TM The Architecture Foundation has a trendy new bar, and puts on lectures and events and you don鈥檛 have to be a member. They鈥檝e just started charging 拢3 but for the past few years it was free. Why isn鈥檛 the RIBA making the same moves?

JP Well, the RIBA lectures are 拢5, which I don鈥檛 think is particularly expensive. The programme is pretty good. Since I鈥檝e been president, I鈥檝e introduced Zaha Hadid, Herzog & de Meuron, Toyo Ito 鈥� We鈥檝e had some wonderful evenings.

But you could always do better. I would like to see the programme continue to be edgier and younger. Our entire programme this year is focused on climate change, and I think it鈥檚 quite brave of us to go away from putting together another list of 鈥渟tarchitects鈥�.

The Architecture Foundation can be a niche player, but we cover the complete panorama from the historic collection to established stars to emerging architects. I鈥檝e got no beef about the Architecture Foundation 鈥� I think what they鈥檙e doing is great. But we are part of the scene with them, not against them.

TM So how do you think the RIBA is going to progress? Do you see yourself changing your brand image in the future? Do you think you need to?

JP Yes, all successful organisations have to change or they become irrelevant. We have a lot to do on communications. Our website is a disaster and if anyone was taking that as the presentation of our brand, it would distress me deeply. We鈥檙e about to have a complete website redesign 鈥� it鈥檚 been delayed because I鈥檝e been bleeding awkward about it. We鈥檝e been through two or three iterations to make it more visually compelling. I think you want to fire up the RIBA website and go 鈥渨ooah!鈥�

TM It would be good if the RIBA didn鈥檛 take itself too seriously and presented itself with a bit of wit.

The perception from outside is that it鈥檚 not doing that.

JP But this is a bit like saying 鈥淚 don鈥檛 like tomatoes鈥�, then being asked, 鈥淗ave you ever tried them?鈥� 鈥淣o I haven鈥檛, but I know I鈥檓 not going to like them 鈥︹��

TM Well, it costs 拢200 to try them ...

JP There鈥檚 a lot that鈥檚 open to the public to have a look at.

TM But that鈥檚 not the perception.

JP You have a point and we are trying to respond. We鈥檙e not in that space yet but hopefully the trajectory is right.

I think we do a load of great stuff, and we鈥檝e got a lot to offer people of any age, but we know communicating that is a weakness.

The campaigning thing is very important. We鈥檝e just done a membership survey and satisfaction is up at about 70-80%, but they want to see us in the public arena more, sticking up for architects.

TM The conversation is on a very strategic level again. For young people in established practices who want to start their own, it鈥檚 difficult. The RIBA should be playing a networking role in the industry as well as outside. There鈥檚 a void 鈥� you can go to architecture events but you don鈥檛 meet the clients or the councils. The RIBA could be pivotal.

JP I see. We鈥檝e got client forums, and if you鈥檙e active in those working groups, you鈥檒l meet some of the best clients around. And the awards evenings are

knee-deep in clients. But we haven鈥檛 strategised for that type of networking.

However, we have something else. When you set up on your own, what you find when you鈥檙e trying to get your head around a scheme is that you want to talk to other architects, so I found the RIBA a useful place to meet other architects and maybe make other connections. The young architects that I do meet here get a lot out of those contacts.

黑洞社区 is launching Phase One, a networking club for new professionals. The first event is on 29 March at the Light Bar in Shoreditch, east London. For details, go to www.building.co.uk/phaseone