The Architects’ Journal Architecture News & Buildings
The Allford Hall Monaghan Morris co-founder beat Sumita Singha, Valeria Passetti, Nick Moss and Jude Barber after securing 58 per cent of the vote at the fourth stage.
This means the candidate with the least votes was removed at three stages – and the second, third or fourth preferences of people who had voted for them were redistributed – before Allford reached more than 50 per cent of the votes.
Allford garnered 1,900 votes in the first round, compared with 1,101 for Singha, 1,064 for Moss, 1,045 for Barber and 602 for Passetti. The other candidate in the fourth stage of voting was Moss, who secured 35 per cent of the vote once second, third and fourth choices had been taken into account.
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The overall turnout for the contest was 13.2 per cent, with 17.2 per cent of chartered members and just 6.6 per cent of newly enfranchised student and affiliate members voting.
Allford will take up his role as president-elect from 1 September, before becoming the 78th president of the RIBA in September 2021.
The architect is a visiting professor at Harvard and a trustee of the London School of Architecture and the Chickenshed Theatres Trust. AHMM, the practice he co-founded in 1989, is the fifth largest architect in the UK and won the Stirling Prize in 2015.
The election is a remarkable turnaround for Allford, who said the RIBA presidency made ‘no difference’ in April when he called for architects to ‘storm the asylum’.
‘The lunatics (the council) have now left the asylum and a new motley crew has been invited in by the ringmasters (the executive) to run the empty shell,’ Allford said at the time.
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‘The president is [missing], though it matters not, as she, or in this case he, makes no difference.
‘[We need to] storm the building, taking it back for architects and architecture. Then we get rid of the ringmaster and his new crew, while simultaneously shrinking the payroll back to what is needed to run bars, restaurants, debates, lectures, exhibitions of the best drawing collection in the world and the celebration of excellence in education and awards.
‘Imagine 66 Portland Place as a fun palace for architects, and anyone who is interested in architecture: what it was, what it is and what it might become – with Architecture, with a capital A, as the engaging backdrop to the theatre of everyday life that we are all missing so badly,’ he told the AJ.
Speaking after his election victory, Allford said: ‘It is a privilege to have been elected and I look forward to working with members, Council, Board and staff to create a leaner, more open, productive, engaged and reinvigorated RIBA.
‘We need an institute that celebrates and promotes members’ work at home and worldwide. We need an institute that is a practice friend, enabling members to share ideas about best ways of working, using today’s technology to help advance architecture for the benefit of society – our Charter obligation.
‘I am committed to the ‘House of Architecture @ RIBA’, an online and physical entity capable of forming alliances with clients, consultants and contractors to influence government over procurement and education, while also helping us to address global climate change and architecture’s pivotal role in a post-pandemic world.’
The current RIBA president, Alan Jones, said: ‘Congratulations to Simon. The next few years will be crucial for our planet and profession as we navigate through health, environmental and economic crises – so Simon has a significant role to play in ensuring all architects receive the strong support and inspiring leadership they need to survive and thrive.’
Previous turnouts
2018 Alan Jones 18.9%
2016 Ben Derbyshire 15.2 %
2014 Jane Duncan 16.7%
2012 Stephen Hodder N/A
2010 Angela Brady 18%
2008 Ruth Reed 18%
2006 Sunand Prasad 27%
Comment: Paul Finch
This is a good result for the RIBA, despite the very disappointing turnout (again). The profession will be headed by a multi-awarding winning practitioner and teacher, who has proved his commitment to architectural culture. AHMM has produced exemplar buildings in terms of design and energy performance, for both public and private sectors and across a broad range of building types.
The institute will therefore have a president who knows what he is talking about from first-hand experience, which will be essential in responding to a range of issues including planning reform, the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, and the ongoing changes needed for zero-carbon environments.
Simon Allford’s commitment to a leaner, more productive institute makes huge sense, and this could be helped by the trustee board now in place, which will need a new chair, preferably an architect. The president-elect will have an important role in helping introduce the new governance arrangements; his experience in dealing with both major development and significant clients will be helpful.
The institute and the profession face some big problems, but in this president-elect they have someone who relishes a challenge, and is a proven winner.
Reaction
Congratulations to Simon Allford, newly President Elect @RIBA. #ChangeIsNecessary at the Institute and Simon has the authority, standing, experience & talent to push the work on, fulfilling the ambition of a leaner, more relevant membership body capable of advancing architecture. pic.twitter.com/IDpvkvdIFd
— Ben Derbyshire IPPRIBA (@ben_derbyshire) August 11, 2020
Congratulations to Simon Allford for winning this year’s @RIBA election. I wish you the best of luck with the presidency.
— Nick Moss (@NickMoss62) August 11, 2020
Simon Allford elected to cleanse the Augean Stables at Portland Place.
— Catherine Slessor (@cath_slessor) August 11, 2020
“The overall turnout was 13.2%” #RIBA needs to review why members have such low engagement rate. https://t.co/NfdsOvSQBd
— Eirini Christofidou (@eirchristofidou) August 11, 2020
Congratulations to Simon Allford on being the @RIBA President Elect 2020
— Valeria Passetti (@ValeriaPassetti) August 11, 2020
Voting breakdown pic.twitter.com/f7RjKHKMo0
genuinely gutted I was so hopeful for real change
— Alice Grant (@avlgrant) August 11, 2020
Congratulations to new @RIBA President Simon Allford @AHMMArchitects. We look forward to your promised ideas for a low carbon alliance & promotion of knowledge sharing. RIBA needs to be a strong voice for changing construction industry & welcome working together to achieve this
— Architects Climate Action Network (@ArchitectsCAN) August 11, 2020
Thank you to everyone who nominated and supported me in the RIBA elections- I remain truly grateful. I must add that a 13% voter turnout is pretty dismal and even though the voting was opened to students and associates this year, only 6.6% voted. Pandemic/Holidays/Apathy?!
— Sumita Singha (@Autotelic_Arch) August 11, 2020
I'd rather the @RIBA stated overtly they were a White Man's institution (Read the 1837 RIBA Charter) now aiming to be more inclusive then to pretend their history doesn't still have a large impact on their communications, operations and systems. If they continue to not.. 1/3
— Alisha Morenike (@aalishafisher) August 11, 2020
Fantastic news – really uplifting to see such a dynamo in place!
I’m feeling inspired for our future as Architects and the real potential for positive change, in all aspects. So now it’s design, design, design!! Wonderful
Depresses me. On what planet can a 58-year-old man essentially cut from the ‘architect male template’ (complete with smart, yet casual, indigo chore coat, shaved head and statement glasses) be the #ChangeIsNecessary candidate? This is the problem people – not Simon Alford himself, I don’t know him but I’m sure he’s GREAT and BRILLIANT, and all the other things – but surely it’s not beyond the wit of architects to elect someone who might actually be cut from different cloth to bring the change that’s supposed to be coming? Or is this just the usual institutional hubris? I would love to see an article on this – it’s so depressing.
The problem with our profession is surely not the lack of vision of those amongst the 17% of voters who cast their ballot in favour of Simon Allford, but the 83% who couldn’t be bothered even making the slightest effort to vote. The turnout is an appalling indictment of the membership. It should be relatively easy to lead a progressive coup with that amount of indolent individuals to mobilise.
Absolutely! Big challenge to turn that around. If SA can do that that would be a very good start, I guess.
A 13% turnout says an awful lot about the profession and RIBA members themselves.
Simon is clearly a very competent Architect and businessman, but amongst all the problems he has to confront and try to solve, procurement and the position/image of Architects in the industry marketplace is the most critical. If that is not secured and improved, then in a short time the RIBA (and ARB) will be an irrelevance because the Architectural profession will cease to exist in any meaningful capacity because there will be no work. The writing is on the wall for all Architects in the UK and it is to be hoped someone reads it well enough to catalyse and see through the necessary changes.
The real comparison figure on turnouts is 17 per cent, so in line with recent years.
Isn’t it odd how impeccably liberal people condemn in advance an elected representative on the basis of their age, appearance and haircut, especially while professing ignorance about the candidate who was the voters’ choice. All too familiar these days.
Ha! Paul Finch, you’re showing your age. Shame on you, you have no right to say those things! (LOL) ps, well said, and for an interesting insight into the “mental illness” that is the only way to describe one particular comment, this is interesting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flcN9dM9LQ4
Well said.
I couldn’t agree more with Stephen Walker. The RIBA has most certainly been fiddling while Rome burns for many years now. Simon has a monumental task ahead of him.
Thank you for your comment Vanessa. I would like to assist with what Simon has to do, and will volunteer in some capacity when the time is right, but as a sole practitioner working regular 75 to 80 hour weeks there’s not a lot of time resource available to me!
i really hope this isnt the end of architects declare. its only acheivement so far seems to be this election win.