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The Royal Institute of British Architects

2005-02-28
The Royal Institute of British Architects has a continuing commitment to sustainability. The Institute's role is twofold: firstly to ensure the highest standards within the legislative framework and secondly to provide architects with the necessary information and advice to enable them to give their clients imaginative and cost effective sustainable buildings.
The RIBA constantly reviews, updates and improves its environmental policy, which renders hard copy quickly out of date. The latest environmental policies and accompanying guidance along with pointers to the latest CPD and information from other sources are available on request from the RIBA 020 7580 5533 and on the website.
Key features of RIBA advice and guidance include:
An overall Environmental Policy.
Practical Tools for Architects - Practice Environmental Statements (for practices to download for their own use), Environmental Quality Management Systems, An Environmental RIBA Guide (a guidance document for architects that is to be published electronically in the Summer of 2000), recommended literature and library searches on specialist and technical subjects.
Working with relevant bodies such as the Commission on Sustainability, the DETR Industry Advisory Groups on the Building Regulations, and Partners In Innovation programme, CABE and the Urban Task Force.

Liaison with organisations such as the Urban Design Alliance, the Centre for Alternative Technology and Association for Energy Conscious Building.

The RIBA enjoys a positive relationship with government and contributes regularly to consultations and working groups on sustainability. We have a lively 'MP pairing system' and work closely with DETR, the Construction Industry Council and the European Community, collaborating whenever possible with other professions to ensure that standards are moved ever higher. Current goals and standards are easily achievable but should be surpassed in order to redress the balance. Clients now more frequently demand for best practice in sustainability in many forms and combinations.
Quality and sustainability are now embodied in government procurement policy and the law, the building regulations and codes of conduct provide a framework for sustainability that must be used to the maximum and surpassed wherever possible.