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The headquarters of the RIBA, Portland Place, London
RIBA Headquarters, London
The headquarters of the Royal Institute of British Architects in Portland Place was erected in 1934 to the designs of George Grey Wornum, the winner of a major architectural competition. It is a classic example of an early 1930s building, commissioned by architects for architects, and is a perfect compromise between classicism and the prevailing modernism. The simple exterior derives from Swedish models. The open interior exemplifies the most up-to-date contemporary ideas about internal planning, while the rich internal finishes, worked by a team of young artist-craftsmen, recalls the English Arts and Crafts tradition. Although some enlargements were made in the 1950s, the original building survives virtually intact. It contains halls, committee rooms and offices, a bookshop and the National Architectural Library.
AHP, in association with Julian Harrap Architects, prepared a conservation management plan for the building, which is now used much more intensively than was originally intended.