Jeremy Till presents “Architecture is not Architecture is not architecture” in which he discusses the limited role of the architect, referring to the RIBA Plan of Work as a restrictive definition of the architect’s role, a way of controlling the profession and suggests it constricts the potential for changing practice. He exposes the ethics of the profession as ‘phony ethics’, and looks to ethics from outside the profession as the ethics of changing practice, with a need to look beyond the internal workings of architecture.
http://www.wmin.ac.uk/sabe/page-1005
shadow gaps on flickr

The Symposium draws to a close with a final question and answer session. In response to questions about what has changed since the last recession, Till discusses “the impoverishment of politics in the face of global capitalism”, whilst Harriet Harriss adds that the students of today will be at the forefront of redefining the profession. The question of trade unionism is raised, Till highlighting a conflict in the RIBA’s roles of both promoting architecture and distributing knowledge whilst protecting the function of it’s members. Harriet Harriss questions whether architects would be missed if on strike with so many other professionals ready to fill the gap. A final debate on whether architecture schools are teaching students about the realities of the forces that drive development closes the session and the day.

Thank you for reading so far, it has been a very interesting and thought provoking day. I hope these notes have proved useful and interesting. Please do check back for the summaries. Papers will be uploaded to architecture.com and I will link to these when available.

Christian Derix shows examples of his computer simulation work at the R&D department of Aedas, looking at behavioural modelling and the process of generating a form from data. Heuristic algorithms that result in the best arrangement of space. Best explained visually…
http://www.aedas.com/ComputationalDesign

Robert Webb adds the issues of Peak Oil and Climate Change to the debate in his presentation “The Architecture of Energy”. Suggests the need for professionals to take the role of advising on and encouraging the switch to renewable energy.
http://www.quietrevolution.co.uk/

Indy Johar presents “Community Generative Urbanism”, discussing the building of the consumer economy, homes as assets and how architects have become mere consultants in this process subordinate to the market or the state. Suggests the RIBA have been slow to acknowledge the changing role. Continues to discuss how architects need to understand the social and economic conditions that make places work, issues of ’superdiversity’ and ‘everyday segregation’, and architects are well positioned to have an increasing role in influencing government and generating new propositions for systems, institutions and environments.
http://www.architecture00.net/

Second Panel of the day

Q&A session  - In response to questions from the floor Stephen Hill calls for more cooperation between different professions, Robert Webb suggests the RIBA should be campaigning for a reduction in emissions from existing buildings and coordinate efforts with other professional bodies.

Starting with a film presentation entitled “Telling It As It Is”, Jonathan Charley examines architecture as a capitalist process in a world of commodity production, questioning whether the profession can ever have true creative autonomy free from the influence of politics and economics. He looks at attempts at creative autonomy through cooperative working and direct action. There is a call for a united voice, organising architects as a unified body. (The film should be available shortly in full, online - links to follow)

Liza Fior of muf continues the theme of creative autonomy, presenting examples of the multidisciplinary practice’s “research on the sly” and raising the question of how to get funding for investigative work in the public realm. She explains the concepts of value what’s there/define what’s missing/nurture the possible as a way of generating places.
http://www.muf.co.uk/

Stephen Hill presents another view from outside the architectural profession, speaking as a surveyor, perhaps providing some conservative balance. Starting with a discussion of slime mould, which joins together to migrate in search of food despite being an organism without a brain. Hill questions if the professions are as smart as slime mould. By sharing knowledge and working in a multidisciplinary fashion, the professions can be as smart as slime mould.
http://www.buildingfutures.org.uk/projects/building-futures/futures-fair-09/infrastructure/stephen-hill/

Jim Saker opens this session, with his presentation “Adaptable Futures - Is it the Future?”. Starting with an apology on behalf of the motor industry, Saker explains his background and as an architectural outsider provides an interesting take on the parallels between the two fields. Quotes from a Jeremy Till book, replacing the word architecture with the motor industry, and the similarities become obvious and show that architecture can learn from other industries. Examples of how the motor industry builds in adaptability, production techniques that allow a range of design options from one chassis. He points out the current relatively short relationship between architect and building - build, photograph, leave. Certainly is an interesting parallel, customers of the motor trade expect maintenance and an ongoing relationship - how many clients stay in contact with their architect after the signing off of a build?
http://www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/bs/staff/msjms.html

Keith Bradley of FCBS presents a history of their studio culture. There is such a thing as a free lunch. Emphasis on the studio culture and social development of the practice, from office lunches to away days. Encouragement of individual studios within the practice to develop their own manifestos, ideas and working strategies, but then bringing that together in the publication of research and the completion of projects. “Every man or no man”
http://www.fcbstudios.com/

Harriet Harriss discusses her fledgling doctoral research project “The Taxonomy & Transposition of Architectural Knowledge”. Examining the DNA of architecture and comparing its evolution to cell mutations. She suggests architects are at their most creative at the brief formation stage - this is where new ideas are generated and architects can most influence the design. Raises the question of the commercial value of architecture and where architects can best apply their skills to give maximum value. Invited feedback, may form basis for the world’s first architectural MBA.
http://www.harrietharriss.com/

The Panel

In the following Q&A session, Keith Bradley answered the difficult question of how to recession proof a practice, suggesting the creation of work through becoming involved in development, brief writing (linking to Harriss’ presentation), and looking at where architects can exercise more influence over the built environment. Also commented on the need to respond flexibly to the huge shifts in workload that come with the economic cycle. In response to another question, Bradley calls on the RIBA, CABE etc to look at the enormous amount of work that is done on a speculative basis for competition submissions. Jim Saker reemphasises the need to add value, those who don’t add value, don’t survive.

Break for lunch. RIBA sandwiches.

An interesting first session of the day covering the evolution of architectural practice.

Simon Pepper opened his presentation “Rise and Fall: A long century of changing public sector practice” with a graph showing the drastic decline in the proportion of architects employed in the public sector over the last 50 years. Colour coding the graph with socialist red and capitalist blue, the red shrinking to less than 10% in 2005. The public sector no longer has the draw to architecture students it once did - the images in journals and books now promote the exploits of star architects in private practice, not the new towns and council housing of the early and mid 20th century which inspired a generation of local authority architects.
http://tulip.liv.ac.uk/

Tatjana Schneider challenges the view of architects that expects the production of an object in her presentation “What architects also do”. WIth examples from MOM, Elemental, the Centre for Pedagogy and Rural Architecture Studio, she discusses the role of the architect as someone who “affects change for the empowerment of others”. I would definitely agree with the conclusion that architects need to extend their role to include the consequences of the architecture as well as the creation of the object.
http://www.shef.ac.uk/architecture/people/staffpages/t_schneider.html

Albena Yaneva presents her research into “Reconnecting Practice and Meaning” with a discussion of the design process of Rem Koolhaas and OMA. She discusses how architecture is a cooperative activity and to be understood fully, the design process needs to be examined rather than the external culture and context of the building. Surprising untold story of the process behind Koolhaas’ Casa da Musica, the form of which apparently evolved from a dusty model of a private house, taken from the storage shelves and adapted for the winning competition scheme.
http://www.msa.ac.uk/staff/profile/ayaneva

Sunand Prasad closes the session with the question of whether we wish to encourage the joining of alternative architectural practice and theory with the mainstream. Break for coffee.

Full transcripts will be available on the web in the future, and we also hope to upload Jonathan Charley’s film presentation to our YouTube channel.

Albena Yaneva presenting

Welcome to the live coverage of the 2009 RIBA Research Symposium - Changing Practices. Updates will follow at key points throughout the day summarising the presentations and debate from Portland Place.

Following a brief address to the room from current RIBA President Ruth Reed, and an introduction to the keynote speaker from previous president Sunand Prasad, Anne Lacaton has taken the lectern with her presentation “Transformation, density for a better quality of life in the cities”.

Lacaton discusses the question of recycling the modernist heritage of our cities. She discusses the reformulation of housing standards, and the need to look at housing from the scale of the city down to the scale of the individual room. As demand for housing has increased, the quality and size of our spaces have degraded.

Presentation of Lacaton & Vassal’s social housing scheme in Mulhouse. Dwellings built to sizes that exceed current standards. Question the requirement of the regulations to exclude the climate through insulation. Introduction of an inhabitable double skin that acts as a mediator of climate whilst providing additional adaptable living space. Use of prefabricated agricultural construction with built in climate controls, above a concrete base level. Discussion of rent - although this housing is significantly larger, rents should not be beyond the means of the citizens for which it was intended.

Presentation of idea for densification of cities through high rise villa style apartments, increasing density whilst providing high quality spaces. Densification in a way that is acceptable for inhabitants.

Question of recycling modernist heritage - demolition is the worst solution. Examples of potential transformations of tower blocks, paying close attention to cost.

http://www.lacatonvassal.com/

James K Thorp, Symposium Live Blogger

This week the fourth annual RIBA Research Symposium will be held at the institute’s headquarters at Portland Place, London. The theme for 2009 is ‘Changing Practices’, taking an introspective look at the profession and providing an opportunity for debate on the challenges and opportunities that architectural practice faces now and in the future.

Throughout Thursday, I will be live blogging the Symposium for ribablogs.com, with live updates and information on the wide variety of presentations from the speakers, along with a record of the debate that ensues.

The day will be arranged into four sessions:

Session 1 - The Evolution of Practice – An examination of the history of the profession with presentations from Simon Pepper (University of Liverpool), Tatjana Schneider (University of Sheffield) and Albena Yaneva (University of Manchester). This session looks at the changing nature of public sector practice, architects that have expanded the field of architecture beyond buildings, and the reconnection of practice and meaning.

Session 2 - Organization of Practice – A review of how practices are structured and managed with presentations from Jim Saker (Loughborough University), Keith Bradley (Feilden Clegg Bradley) and Harriet Harriss (Oxford Brookes University). This session looks at the concept of adaptability of buildings, the evolution of a leading practice, and how architectural principles can be applied to other disciplines.

Session 3 – Ideology of Practice – An exploration of the ideologies and belief systems that have shaped architectural practice with presentations from Jonathan Charley (University of Strathclyde), Liza Fior (muf) and Stephen Hill (Beyond Green). This session aims to critically examine the myths and assumptions of architectural practice, and looks at the role of the professions in the leadership challenges of a sustainable world.

Session 4 – Future of Practice – Looking at alternative deployment of architectural intelligence with presentations from Christian Derix (Aedas), Robert Webb (Quiet Revolution) and Indy Johar (00:/). Covering a range of topics including the use of computer simulation to transmit design experience, the architecture of energy (including a parable about clever monkeys), and Community Generative Urbanism.

In addition to the sessions above, the Symposium will hear an opening address from Ruth Reed (RIBA President), a keynote speech from Anne Lacaton (Lacaton and Vassal) and a presentation from Jeremy Till (University of Westminster).

As an architecture student at the Manchester School of Architecture who has just completed an eventful year out in architectural practice in one of the most challenging periods for the profession, I am particularly excited to be involved in this year’s RIBA Research Symposium. With a personal interest in the widening role of architects in areas such as climate change, social issues and political decision-making, the day is certain to be informative and insightful for someone in the process of entering the profession, as well as established practitioners.

Return to ribablogs.com throughout Thursday 24^th September for the latest updates on the Changing Practices Symposium.

For bookings and further info visit: http://www.architecture.com/WhatsOn/Conferences/2009/ResearchSymposium2009.aspx

The plains of Spain

Sunset in Madrid

We were greeted in Madrid by a beautiful sunset.

La CaixaForum, Madrid

The Palladio exhibition has finished in Barcelona to the next stop for us is the city of Madrid and the CaixaForum Madrid which is housed in an 1899 power station converted into a cultural centre by RIBA Gold Medallists Herzog and de Meuron.

As you will be only too aware, cash flow forecasts are a vital tool for running your business - especially at times like these.

Sadly, many businesses are incompetent at producing cash flow forecasts - especially architects.

These are some reasons why your cash flow forecast might be rubbish: 

• Your cash flow forecast is based on your budgeted profit and loss account.
• Your cash flow is based on an inaccurate profit and loss forecast.
• Your cash flow is not based on movements in your balance sheet.
• You prepare the cash flow forecast monthly when you need to do it weekly.
• Your cash flow forecast does not show assumptions.
• You don’t check actual cash flow versus the forecast.

If your cash flow forecast ticks any of the above boxes then it can and should be revised - you will have a better grasp of your business and you should be able to identify areas to improve on.

For a little more on why good cash flows are important see my article in the September edition of RIBA Journal:

 http://www.ribajournal.com/index.php/feature/article/capital_gains_AUGSEPT09/ 

Engage in the debate with financial management advisor John Toppin MA FCA and strategic advisor and business coach, James Cooke.

John Toppin is a specialist consultant finance director and ned for marketing,creative and professional firms.

You can check my credentials at http://www.linkedin.com/in/johntoppin

You can read my personal blog at http://finance-director.blogspot.com/

 John Toppin at www.nomizon.co.uk 

 James Cooke at www.jamescookecoaching.com