Ruth Reed, president-elect of the RIBA
- Published: 31 July 2008 13:14
- Author: Max Thompson
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- Last Updated: 31 July 2008 13:47
- Reader Responses
The newly elected next president of the RIBA talks about women in architecture, living in Birmingham and building her own house
You will be the first female president of the RIBA – do you think that's relevant?
I didn't want to be elected because I am a woman; I wanted to be elected because I will be good for the job – it wasn't a keystone of my campaign. However, I would like to be a role model for female students and I would like to feel my election will encourage women to stay in the profession, too.
You beat your rival, Andrew Hanson, by only 506 votes. Will you be working together?
Yes, I am hoping to work with Andrew – he's a smashing chap. We did discuss it when we were on the road but so far we have only communicated by text. I thanked him for being such a companionable opponent – it could all have been quite aggressive and competitive.
Only 5,000 of the RIBA's 28,000 members voted – is that cause for concern?
It probably means that whoever is president is not that important to a lot of the RIBA membership, but it probably doesn't mean that the RIBA itself is not important. Who heads it up is obviously not an issue to them.
However, the RIBA needs to be constantly aware of its members – having been vice president of membership, I am acutely aware of that. But this year's turnout is not a sign of any new pattern – it is consistent with previous results.
The AJ revealed the RIBA will launch its own review of the ARB (AJ 24.07.08) – have there been any developments on this?
I've not been involved with the ARB review group for 12 months, so I don't know enough about recent initiatives to comment. But when I have been involved with the core curriculum at officer level, it all seems very cordial and constructive. The headlines in the press
do not necessarily reflect what happens on the ground.
Your tenure is two years. Is that enough time to get things done?
This is actually a fast-moving area because you have to
make immediate responses to government proposals. We will also have a general election soon, and if you get the timing of influence on the manifesto right, you can be very effective.
What is the first thing you will do as president-elect?
I will sit down with Sunand [Prasad, the current president] and see what he would like me to do. I don't want to bust in and start throwing my weight around – that's not my style. One of the strengths of the transition from George [Ferguson] to Jack [Pringle] to Sunand was the continuity: each brought their own personality and flavour,
but it was not unsettling.
You are based in Birmingham as director of a Part 3 course at Birmingham School of Architecture. Has the RIBA been too London-centric?
Yes, a lot of the events are held in London. I would like to see the RIBA promoted more strongly in the regions. There are gaps in perception out here.
Will you remain in Birmingham during your presidency?
I will be based in both London and Birmingham. I want to carry on my role in running the Part 3 students up here – it's not a full-time commitment so I shall split my time between the two.
It's a result for the university…
I have had messages of support from the vice chancellor downwards – they are looking forward to promoting the school. My students are thrilled, too.
They would like a tutorial from my presidential office, but I'm
not so sure about that one.
"I like reading maps - is that weird?"
You ran your own practice, Reed Architects, in Presteigne, Wales, for 12 years. Why did you stop?
I wanted to teach, and you do need to refresh yourself. I really enjoyed the self-build work there – I built my own house as well. It took seven months from the ground and it had breathable walls made from recycled paper. At the time [1997], it was ahead of its game; the problem with sustainability is that you are only ever ahead for a couple of months. But it was a lovely house with a big garden where we grew our own veg. It was the good life.
Have you got a favourite for this year's Stirling Prize?
I think it is a really good selection, but I am not going to predict – I've got it wrong every time so I am not the right person to ask!
How do you relax?
I like reading maps – is that weird? I prefer not doing it on the computer screen, such as using Google Earth. So when I get in, I pull out the map book of England and look up where I have been.
