ARCHIVE Buro Happold Competition winner blog
An excellent blog post from Rob Pollard, winner of our student architect essay competition.
As an architecture student, and having recently researched and written an essay myself, I feel that Designing Buildings Wiki is an excellent source of information for fellow students. Other than the RIBA library, there are very few dedicated resources where students can research architectural history and theory. Designing Buildings Wiki gives us an instant-access online resource with a helpful encyclopaedic format. This a great resource for research and it also allows us to publish our own work online.
For my own essay ‘The History of the Architect as a Profession’ I had to travel to London to use the RIBA library. I wanted to include a list of the bodies that govern the architectural profession in different countries around the world, but couldn’t find comprehensive, up to date information anywhere. There was very little online, and my university library was only of limited help. So I had to compile a list from scratch myself by searching for each individual governing body.
Having gone to all that trouble, and knowing my list and the rest of the research I’d done for the essay would be useful to other people, it was great to be able to upload it onto Designing Buildings Wiki. So now when people search for information about the architectural profession they will find my essay. Try googling – architecture "governing bodies" – and you’ll see it already comes up on the first page of the results.
Check out the other winners of our student competitions
- The winners of the student engineer competition...
- The winners of the student architect competition...
Smart cities - Great new article by Buro Happold
50% of the population lives in cities, but they account for 75% of the consumption and 75% of the pollution…Smart Cities should be about more than just technology….they should also balance opportunities through smart planning, design and construction...
Featured articles and news
BSRIA Statutory Compliance Inspection Checklist
BG80/2025 now significantly updated to include requirements related to important changes in legislation.
Shortlist for the 2025 Roofscape Design Awards
Talent and innovation showcase announcement from the trussed rafter industry.
OpenUSD possibilities: Look before you leap
Being ready for the OpenUSD solutions set to transform architecture and design.
Global Asbestos Awareness Week 2025
Highlighting the continuing threat to trades persons.
Retrofit of Buildings, a CIOB Technical Publication
Now available in Arabic and Chinese aswell as English.
The context, schemes, standards, roles and relevance of the Building Safety Act.
Retrofit 25 – What's Stopping Us?
Exhibition Opens at The Building Centre.
Types of work to existing buildings
A simple circular economy wiki breakdown with further links.
A threat to the creativity that makes London special.
How can digital twins boost profitability within construction?
The smart construction dashboard, as-built data and site changes forming an accurate digital twin.
Unlocking surplus public defence land and more to speed up the delivery of housing.
The Planning and Infrastructure Bill
An outline of the bill with a mix of reactions on potential impacts from IHBC, CIEEM, CIC, ACE and EIC.
Farnborough College Unveils its Half-house for Sustainable Construction Training.
Spring Statement 2025 with reactions from industry
Confirming previously announced funding, and welfare changes amid adjusted growth forecast.
Scottish Government responds to Grenfell report
As fund for unsafe cladding assessments is launched.
CLC and BSR process map for HRB approvals
One of the initial outputs of their weekly BSR meetings.
Building Safety Levy technical consultation response
Details of the planned levy now due in 2026.
Great British Energy install solar on school and NHS sites
200 schools and 200 NHS sites to get solar systems, as first project of the newly formed government initiative.
600 million for 60,000 more skilled construction workers
Announced by Treasury ahead of the Spring Statement.