Manual for Streets provides guidance for practitioners involved in the planning, design, provision and approval of new residential streets, and modifications to existing ones. It aims to increase the quality of life through good design which creates more people-orientated streets. It is a joint publication produced by the Department for Transport (DfT) and Communities and Local Government.

The Design Quality Indicator (DQI) is a web-based assessment tool that helps define and evaluate design quality at all key stages in the design and construction of new buildings and the refurbishment of existing buildings. It involves the people responsible for the design and construction and the building users and local community. DQI can be used at all stages of a building’s development and can contribute to the improved quality of buildings.The Design Quality Indicator is an initiative from the Construction Industry Council (CIC).

Young people can often be overlooked in community engagement, but Spaceshaper 9-14 aims to get them involved in improving their local parks, streets, playgrounds and other spaces. CABE has been working with Beam, the architecture centre in Wakefield, as well as The Architecture Centre, Bristol and Kent Architecture Centre to develop the Spaceshaper 9-14 tool. Spaceshaper works best when a wide range of stakeholders contribute to discussions about improving public spaces.

Spaceshaper is a practical toolkit for use by anyone – whether a local community group or a professional – to measure the quality of a public space before investing time and money in improving it. The toolkit works by capturing the perceptions of professionals involved in running a space, as well the views of the people that use it. Facilitated workshops allow discussions of the Spaceshaper results, debate issues of design quality and build a better understanding about how the space works for the different stakeholders. The toolkit is positive and aims to raise aspirations, encouraging people to demand more from their local spaces.

The Meanwhile Project was set up following the launch of 'Looking after our town centres' on 14 April 2009, which includes the plan to revive empty shops to prevent high street decline.

Development Trusts Association is leading the Meanwhile Project as part of its wider Advancing Assets for Communities programme supported by the department for Communities and Local Government (CLG).

The Meanwhile Project is currently in the first phase of work to explore, develop, and test meanwhile approaches in several towns throughout the country, gathering information about who is already doing what, and developing the meanwhile lease document prior to more formal pilots and wider promotion in late 2010.

See The Meanwhile Project website for more information.

Pop up Space is a new national website database connecting landlords and agents with projects. 
Visit the Pop up Space website.

On the opening day of the fourth International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam (IABR), representatives from six UK architecture centres met with their Dutch counterparts in Rotterdam’s Berlage Institute for what proved to be an invaluable day of knowledge exchange, brainstorming, relationship-building, and future planning around the topic of built environment education.  See the full story here.

The day's presentations by some of the UK centres are available for download by clicking on the appropriate link below:

• Presentation by Mark Drury, Director of Arts & Education, Solent Centre for Architecture & Design
• Presentation by Jane Field, Head of Programme Services, BEAM
• Presentation by Amberlea Neely, Manager, PLACE
• Presentation by Claire Toogood, Head of Learning, The Building Exploratory
• Presentation by Amy Harrison, Education Manager, Architecture Centre, Bristol
• Presentation by Gisele Bone, Head of Learning, and Michael Haughton, Director, Arc
• Presentation by Elias Redstone, Senior Curator, The Architecture FoundationPresentation by Bridget Sawyers, Architecture Centre Network 

A mapping document of the work being done by UK architecture centres in the area of built environment education which was developed for the knowledge exchange can be accessed below.

On July 25, a warm London sky lit up the Greenway for the first annual Discover the Greenway festivities – an event presented by CABE (and delivered by the Architecture Centre Network), Natural England, and Heritage Link as part of the London 2012 Open

Celebrating the area’s natural, historical and contemporary environment, the event welcomed between 750 and 1,000 visitors to adult and kid-friendly activities along the pathway starting at the newly-constructed View Tube – the new viewing area, which was opened on the day of the event.

Overlooking the evolving Olympic site, the View Tube’s terrace also functioned as a speaker’s area, as Heather Hilburn, John Hopkins, and Kay Hughes from the Olympic Delivery Authority provided stimulating talks about the exciting transformation in progress.

Enlisting the expertise of The Building Exploratory, The Architecture Foundation, and Fundamental Architectural Inclusion, The Architecture Centre Network programmed activities that fell under the umbrella of ‘Contemporary Architecture’. These activities included the screening of Winning Places, a film created by the over-55s groups from the Building Exploratory and Northern Architecture at The Building Exploratory’s gazebo; and an art obstacle course along the Greenway by Flour, which invited visitors to interact with their environment through game (one of the stations required identifying the different smells along the pathway).

Writer, Sarah Butler, asked visitors to use words to express their thoughts about the upcoming Olympics, while The Big Draw invited visitors to use pencil and paper. Fundamental Architectural Inclusion's Architecture Crew - young people from the Newham borough - were also largely involved in the day's activities - working closely with the Campaign for Drawing, and overseeing stations along the art obstacle course.

Along with these activities were many more which offered visitors an opportunity to get to know the area’s natural, historical and contemporary environment in a new and inspiring way.

Be sure to check out the next Discover the Greenway event in 2010, and be part of the living evolution of this exciting part of London.

www.heritagelink.org.uk/events/

New design guidelines published by MADE for the development of more inclusive play areas based on the experiences of 4,546 children in Dudley. The guidelines are published to coincide with Anti-Bullying Week.

October 2008

Northern Architecture has published a major document that presents a 10-point action plan on sustainability in the North East; the plan is the collective view of a substantial cross-section of people in the North East as their response to the major challenges of creating sustainable developments in the region.

The views were gathered at an event held at Newcastle College in March 2008. This event was the culmination of a series of five events held between November 2007 and March 2008 under the title ‘Designing for Life’ at which a range of professionals, experts and members of the public gave their response to the frightening fact that 50% of all the UK’s carbon emissions are produced by the built environment, and that the industry creates a third of all waste. These events were held in Newcastle, Durham, Sunderland and Middlesbrough and were attended by over 400 people.

The final event presented the key issues to come out of the preceding events, which had focused on the challenges of sustainability in relation to the four themes of communities, cities, buildings and resources. This new document presents ten key messages that were seen as key action points by the 65 people who attended the final event. It discusses these in the context of regional, national and global priorities, and of the key contributions made by speakers and delegates in the series as a whole.

Both documents were prepared by Northern Architecture with the substantial assistance of Victoria Eynon.

In March 25, 2009 members of the Architecture Centre Network visited the Olympic site. The visit was an opportunity for members to learn more about opportunities offered by the ‘O.space’ and ‘Discovering Places’ Olympic cultural programmes.

A guide for centres from Architecture Centre Network, Written by Nancy O'Brien, European Cultural and Learning Advisor.

Architecture Centre Network is pleased to publish its guide to the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) initiative.

Written by its European Cultural and Learning Advisor, Nancy O’Brien, the guide answers frequently asked questions about BSF, its process, partners and aims and signposts key sources of information and the opportunities that BSF offers educational transformation. 

It also looks at the work of the architecture centres with schools and other stakeholders in this area across the country. Two projects are showcased within the guide; the work of Architecture Centre Bristol with the Bridgewater consortia of schools, and Solent Centre for Architecture and Design’s innovative ‘Grounds for Optimism’ programme.

The way places and buildings are planned, designed and looked after matters to all of us in countless ways. The built environment can be a source of everyday joy or everyday misery. Its quality is an important influence on crime, health, community cohesion and prosperity. It has a major impact on wildlife and climate change.

The Government is committed to improving the places where we live, whether they be villages or large cities. This strategy lays out why and how quality of place matters and the practical steps the Government will be taking to build on the achievements of recent years and do more to create prosperous, attractive, distinctive, inclusive and sustainable world class places.

Buildings are the most public of art forms – we live in them, work in them and shop in them. They are a combination of design and functionality that is influenced by economics, politics, fashions and social trends as well as their context – the cities, towns and villages in which they are located. It is an architect who primarily designs these buildings, in collaboration with other professional such as engineers, surveyors and lighting designers; and who ensures that the contractor builds them according to the design.

Training to be an architect comprises three years degree training, one year of work experience, a two-year diploma and one final year of work experience prior to taking final professional exams. The skills acquired include history of architecture, law, IT, technology and management as well as substantial design skills combined with numeracy, computer aided design and project management.

Those who complete just the first degree often enter careers in: interior or spatial design, landscape architecture, commerical design, conservation, heritage sector, film and TV, set design and animation.

Gender breakdown 2008 architecture graduates – 63.1% male, 36.9% female

What graduates did next:
54.7% entered employment
13.5% entered further study / training
14.1% working and studying
9.8% unemployed
7.9% other

Types of work:
75.1% professional / associates professional / technical
6.4% retail / catering
2.9% commerical / public sector management
2.6% arts / design / culture
1.7% engineering
11.3% other

Sector breakdown
Architectural technicians / assistants 55.3%
Architect 36.6%
Landscape architects 2.9%
Town planning technicians 1.1%
Other 4.1%

(Guardian Newspaper 08/05/10; data supplied by Higher Education Careers Services Unit and Graduate Prospects)

Wondering what design review is all about? See the attached document to learn more...

Yes, working in a non-practice environment (ie architecture / built environment centres) could come into Category E, and currently a maximum of 3 months, post Part 1, could be counted towards the 24 months experience required for Part 3.

The RIBA has a dedicated website which is both a resource of information on professional experience, and an online record keeping system for students.

The acceptable categories of experience, and the time at which they can be used (e.g. post part 1 or post part 2; there being more flexibility post Part 1), can be seen here.

The RIBA is considering ways in which they can make changes to the categories in the light of the current economic situation, but have to keep the balance between flexibility regarding experience, and maintaining standards at Part 3.

Check your local architecture centre
Check the news section of this website
See the RIBA website
London Architecture Diary
Architectural press: BD Online, Architects Journal, Blueprint
If London based see New London Architecture