Tonight I had the pleasure of attending the RIBA Gold Medal ceremony where Niall McLaughlin was presented with the RIBA Gold Medal. Niall delivered a wonderful lecture as part of the welcome discussing details of some of his projects and importantly the process and thinking behind these. The stories behind the final outputs are so important and so key for students to understand that great work never comes from the first sketch, moreover it develops through multiple iterations, mistakes and reflections. Amongst the beautiful images and the built works that clearly deliver so much joy to so many people, I was touched by Nialls acknowledgment of the part his team has also played in his success and those that have cheered him on along the way. The lecture described a journey through his own career from early sketches to current projects in office that are waiting to be finished, highlighting as architects, we are always learning, always growing and always creating. I was so proud to join the RIBA Gold Medal Jury for 2026 and it will an honour to sit alongside Niall in August as we work to select a winner for the 2027 RIBA Gold Medal. For tonight, cheers to you @niallmclaughlinarchitects #riba #goldmedal #ribagoldmedal
Females in Architectural Education (FIAE) was established not to criticise, but to take action.
FIAE emerged in response to architectural education being placed outside the scope of the Build It Together report by the RIBA and The Fawcett Society. Rather than comment from the sidelines, we wanted to address what had not yet been explored.
Working together, Kelly Mackinnon and I sought to acknowledge the findings of the report and the wider challenges within our profession—while also highlighting a critical gap: architectural education.
Too often, our profession falls into a cycle of blame. Practice points to education for not producing “oven-ready” graduates, while education looks to practice for failing to engage with evolving pedagogies. FIAE aims to move beyond this, creating a shared space to address gender equity across both education and practice.
FIAE is now a national, research-led collective bringing together schools of architecture across the UK and Ireland. Its work highlights how structural inequalities within the profession are often shaped during education itself.
Early insights show:
• Women now make up the majority of architecture students
• Yet remain underrepresented in leadership and across practice
• Persistent intersectional barriers continue to shape career progression
By building a shared, sector-wide evidence base and developing a longitudinal research programme, FIAE is working to better understand how education influences career pathways and long-term equity.
With growing collaboration across academia and practice—and alignment with RIBA’s workplace research—this marks an important step toward meaningful, structural change in architecture.
#Architecture #GenderEquity #BuiltEnvironment #HigherEducation #RIBA
Got a call today to ask if I would be able to jury the nominations for those deserving of an MBE and OBE within architecture, awarded by his Majesty the King. This role will join my existing responsibilities on the RIBA honours jury this September. I am deeply honoured to be invited to do this but on a personal note, it made me think of my Granny, who was awarded an MBE in 1987. My Granny worked tirelessly in politics and her efforts were recognised by the Queen resulting in this very proud day for her in the photo next to mine. On receiving the news today, I thought back to how she would always encourage me to keep pushing forwards, to always smile and to never wear black (oops). She would be beyond excited and proud to know that I will be reviewing nominations for MBEs and OBEs within architecture. My granny was fiercely independent and a force to be reckoned with. Although she hated to be noted as a disabled woman, with only one functional hand and arm, she defied all expectations and didn’t let anything stop her from doing all the things she set her mind to doing. By the time she died, I had qualified as an architect and was working in practice in Nottingham. She worked with Margaret Thatcher, and often when I stayed at her house, she would receive phone calls from multiple well known politicians, which at the time, I had no idea of their significance. I was lucky enough to grow up with such a strong female role model and when I go to London in 2 weeks to do my duty on the RIBA honours jury, I will keep her very much in my heart and mind. #grandma #mbe #riba #obe #jury #proud @fionafarrow
Females in Architectural Education is now being recognised as a “movement”. I love this. It fits with my slightly rebellious side and the side that pushes against the grain.
I do try to follow the lines laid out but sometimes, it’s important not to follow and to fly solo and lead the way.
Very grateful for FIAE to get a mention in TYPE magazine today.
This is a great piece of writing Julia’s article explores the underrepresentation of women in senior roles within the architectural profession, and the importance of representation, recognition and mentorship.
“From under-recognition to pay gaps, the challenges women face within the profession remain largely unchanged.” This is one of the sentences that made Kelly Mackinnon and I look at each other and say “Shall we just do something?”. And we did.
Let’s move.
https://lnkd.in/eGptA7dN
@fiae_archeducation@kellybowers1979@type.ie
A time before CAD blocks. I found my drawing set from times gone by. My entire undergraduate degree was done in hand drawing, with the option of an Arch-CAD CD if you so desired. Rotring pens, long armed compasses, circle templates for curves at a variety of scales. The lettering stencil and the toilet stencil brought back memories of trying to make sure you got the pen in the perfect place so it didn’t gloop and bleed onto the paper. Getting the precision of the angle just right to make a crisp line. The paintbrush was my Dads, gifted to me to dust away any rubbings from my ink rubber so as not to smudge the ink. Drawing up was my favourite time - living on a handful of hours sleep, coffee and some good tunes. Mostly Led Zeppelin, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Dire Straits and a few easier artists like Tracy Chapman and Van Morrison to see me through the last days before submission. Those Rotring pens that we prayed not to bend or break - especially that 0.13. #drawing #ink #pens #architecture #education
The new front-of-house at the Leicester School of Architecture is looking fantastic — a beautiful showcase of student creativity, ambition, and making.
From beautifully crafted models to innovative design work, the space now gives visitors an immediate sense of the energy and talent within the school. It’s inspiring to see student projects taking centre stage and reflecting the culture of experimentation, critical thinking, and hands-on learning that defines architectural education at Leicester.
For prospective students considering where to study architecture, the BA Architecture and MArch courses offer much more than studio teaching. It’s a place to develop your own design voice, engage with real-world challenges, and become part of a supportive and creative architectural community.
A brilliant new welcome to a brilliant school. Congratulations to everyone involved.
Come and see more of our brilliant student work at our grad show on 19th June!
/e/architecture-degree-show-leicester-school-of-architecture-tickets-1989092111049?aff=oddtdtcreator
#Architecture #ArchitecturalEducation #LeicesterSchoolOfArchitecture #BAArchitecture #StudentWork DesignStudio ArchitectureStudents
A big thank you to the RIBA for creating space for such meaningful conversations around gender equity in architecture through the Build it Together: Gender Equity in Architecture symposium in London on 13th May and to everyone who contributed throughout the day.
Kelly Mackinnon and I were delighted to be invited to speak as keynotes on behalf of Females in Architectural Education about the work that schools of architecture are currently doing to address questions of equity, culture and belonging within architectural education. It was encouraging to hear FIAE referenced throughout the day by Dr Valerie Vaughan-Dick MBE FRCGP (Hon), Chief Executive of RIBA, recognising the importance of bringing education more centrally into conversations around equity, culture and the future of the profession.
Highlights from the day included seeing Kavita Dhande speaking on one of the panels, catching up with Helen Iball and meeting Sarah Wigglesworth in person, and seeing Grace Choi. It was also lovely to see Chris Williamson who has always been a cheer leader behind the scenes for FIAE - thank you. One thing that became especially evident — and perhaps confirmed what many of us working in this area, was how little education featured centrally within wider conversations around equity in practice, despite education often being where professional cultures and expectations first take shape. Architectural education must be part of these conversations alongside practice, contributing to how the profession understands and addresses questions of culture, equity and future change. There remains an important opportunity to bring architectural education more centrally into future conversations around equity, culture and professional change. This absence of architectural education is also reflected in the 2025 Fawcett Society report, Build It Together. While focused primarily on workplace culture and retention within practice, the report repeatedly identifies education as a foundational space where inequities and cultures of overwork often begin, while acknowledging that education is “so vast that it demands its own discovery and analysis.” (More in comments!)
I like to record my travels with a few snaps. Here is London in May. A fox, a cow, and some graffiti at 4:45am on a Wednesday morning #london #may #5amwalk
