RIBA, the ARB, and the battle for Parts 1, 2 and 3

British architecture’s big educational shake-down

And the battle commences: Just a few moons ago, the Architects Registration Board (ARB) published its proposals for some of the most radical reforms to architectural education and training in a couple of generations. One of the very noble aims of Tomorrow’s Architects is to widen access to the profession by reducing the time and cost needed to qualify. So far, so good.  

As ever, though, the devil is in the details. And it’s precisely those details that have given RIBA a nasty migraine, as they include the scrapping of the three-stage qualification process for architects – the sanctified Parts 1, 2 and 3.  

For ​​RIBA’s president Simon Allford, this will initially result in a detrimental blow to the international reputation of a UK architectural education. The reason is twofold. 

First off, RIBA recently told Building Design. that scrapping Parts I, II and III would be “unwise” because the current system has “significant value attributed internationally” and removing the globally-recognised three-plus-two education system would risk “cutting students off” from accessing international opportunities. 

At the same time, RIBA pointed out that the second victim would be critical revenue for the UK’s architectural education system. This is because the ARB’s new framework is designed around a master’s programme, so the removal of the requirement for a five-year education could “undermine” the ability of UK architecture schools to attract international students for whom a five-year programme is the “norm”. 

Simon Allford went on to explain that RIBA is not against reform, and in fact recommended it in its own 2023 proposals – The Education White Paper. This was a follow-on from RIBA’s The Way Ahead, published in 2021, which outlined the organisation’s Themes and Values for Architectural Education, and aimed to provide a useful framework for Schools of Architecture to address shortcomings. 

Simon also stressed that he and RIBA “welcome the proposal of opening up an entry point at the start of Part 2, which will improve accessibility to the profession for a small number of people”.  

However, the next, and probably greater sticking point for Simon and RIBA is the belief “that the proposed model undermines and undervalues an undergraduate degree in architecture”.  

In an opinion piece about the ARB’s proposals, Simon is adamant that “there is huge value in a Part 1 qualification which is where students learn about the design process and its critical connection to building performance. Part 1 students also develop key skills such as the ability to solve problems and think in three dimensions. In addition, the current model provides a level which is recognised by all Schools of Architecture and thus supports students who wish to undertake their Part 1 in one institution and their Part 2 in another”. 

For its own part, the ARB recently told Dezeen that they are simply trying to remain true to their goals. “Some people may not have a degree at all, but be able to demonstrate professional experience that a learning provider deems appropriate and sufficient to enable them to achieve the learning outcomes,” they explained. “We believe that this approach will widen access to the profession.” 

The ARB’s proposals won’t be taking effect until 2026/2027, but in the meantime RIBA has just published its robust 13-page response.  

At the same time, Simon and RIBA underlined that it’s essential to avoid any inconsistency between the ARB prescription and RIBA validation criteria. They also reiterated that they hope to work closely with the ARB in the development and refinement of their proposals. 

We’ll have to wait until later this year to hear the results of the ARB’s consultation, but in the meantime there’ll be some very interesting conversations going on behind closed doors.  

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