On the evening of the 14^th February 2019, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) bestowed the Royal Gold Medal for Architecture 2019 on Sir Nicholas Grimshaw CBE, PPRA, who is well known for his modernist buildings, including Waterloo International railway station and the Eden Project in Cornwall. With a career spanning six decades, Sir Grimshaw was recognized for his “indelible contribution to contemporary architecture. His practice is recognized internationally for its finely crafted and technically pioneering approach to the design of buildings, infrastructure and civic projects”.

On the same evening, Perit Vincent Cassar, a Past President of the Kamra tal-Periti and current President of the Commonwealth Association of Architects (CAA), was awarded the RIBA Presidential Medal in recognition of the beneficial contribution and collaboration between CAA and RIBA, and to stimulate further dialogue between the two organisations.

The Medals were bestowed as part of the “RIBA Royal Gold Medal and Fellowships Week”, held between the 12^th and 14^th February 2019 in London, which event attracted a number of Presidents of international, regional and local organisations.

Sir Nicholas Grimshaw (left) with Perit Vincent Cassar

RIBA Royal Gold Medal and Fellowships Week

The week started off with an International Presidents’ roundtable with the participation of 12 Presidents, including: Georg Pendl, President of the Architects’ Council of Europe (ACE); Thomas Vonier, President of the International Union of Architects (UIA); Victor Leonel Miguel, President of the Africa Union of Architects; and Rita Soh, President of ARCASIA. The roundtable was chaired by Ben Derbyshire, President RIBA, and focused on the “Future of the Profession” statement which was signed by the Presidents of the five architecture institutes of England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

The Presidents of these five institutes came together to critically examine and reassert the role and value of architects in serving clients and society and have committed to:

1. Place the public interest and value to society at the heart of all we do – by promoting the highest ethical standards and ensuring codes of conduct are continually strengthened;
2. Be accountable, and the Gold Standard – by protecting the public and maintaining the highest standards of architectural education;
3. Reflect the diversity of the population in our workforce – by adopting reforms and policies that promote diversity and inclusion within business practices;
4. Research, build and share essential knowledge – by developing and disseminating the body of knowledge embedded within the profession;
5. Lead our profession in the fight for a more sustainable built environment – by placing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as a key guiding principle in all they do.

Following an overview by the RIBA President of these five goals, the participants split into three groups to discuss three topics, namely, education, public interest and networking, the latter of which was put forward by Perit Cassar during the roundtable discussion. He also emphasised the need to act on these issues now, rather than allowing them to remain on paper. The roundtable resolved that there was the need to (i) act on sharing knowledge on policy issues, (ii) ensure more Regional collaboration, and (iii) establish a global network for sharing ideas and knowledge.

A presentation of Int FRIBA (RIBA International/Honorary Fellowships) also took place on the 12^th February. The RIBA has throughout its history honoured men and women who have made a major contribution to the world of design and architecture. Any architect outside the United Kingdom who is not a UK citizen, and who has a demonstrable interest in the objectives of the RIBA and exhibits distinction and a breadth of contribution to architecture, may be elected an International Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects. The lifetime honour, conferred annually, was this year conferred on six recipients.

The RIBA also awards RIBA Honorary Fellowships, to acknowledge the contributions made by the recipients to architecture in its broadest sense, its promotion, administration and outreach, its role in building more sustainable communities, and its role in the education of future generations. This year nine recipients received the award.

RIBA Fellow Member status is awarded to inspiring RIBA members who represent the diversity, talent, and dynamism of architecture and the built environment. The attributes that lie at the heart of RIBA Fellow Membership are positive contributions to architecture, from working with poorer communities, to designing infrastructure abroad, and the desire to support, influence and affect change. Eight recipients received this annual honour this year.

As part of the celebrations of the 2019 Royal Gold Medal, the RIBA Education department hosted the RIBA President’s Medals Student Crit 2019. Since 2006, the RIBA has organised a Critique (Crit) event where the winners of the President’s Medals present their award-winning work to a panel of experts comprising the Royal Gold Medallist as a guest of honour. The intention of this annual event has been to bring together the RIBA’s oldest awards in a celebration of past, present and future architectural talent, with an expert panel using their experience and expertise to critique the award-winning work produced by the President’s Medallists.

The recipients of the RIBA President’s Medals during the Student Crit