ARCHIVE Buro Happold Competition winner blog
An excellent blog post from Rob Pollard, winner of our student architect essay competition.
As an architecture student, and having recently researched and written an essay myself, I feel that Designing Buildings Wiki is an excellent source of information for fellow students. Other than the RIBA library, there are very few dedicated resources where students can research architectural history and theory. Designing Buildings Wiki gives us an instant-access online resource with a helpful encyclopaedic format. This a great resource for research and it also allows us to publish our own work online.
For my own essay ‘The History of the Architect as a Profession’ I had to travel to London to use the RIBA library. I wanted to include a list of the bodies that govern the architectural profession in different countries around the world, but couldn’t find comprehensive, up to date information anywhere. There was very little online, and my university library was only of limited help. So I had to compile a list from scratch myself by searching for each individual governing body.
Having gone to all that trouble, and knowing my list and the rest of the research I’d done for the essay would be useful to other people, it was great to be able to upload it onto Designing Buildings Wiki. So now when people search for information about the architectural profession they will find my essay. Try googling – architecture "governing bodies" – and you’ll see it already comes up on the first page of the results.
Check out the other winners of our student competitions
- The winners of the student engineer competition...
- The winners of the student architect competition...
Smart cities - Great new article by Buro Happold
50% of the population lives in cities, but they account for 75% of the consumption and 75% of the pollution…Smart Cities should be about more than just technology….they should also balance opportunities through smart planning, design and construction...
Featured articles
Check out some of the best features and news from Designing Buildings as well as key stories from around the web.
Gasholders: a history in pictures. Book review.
Recognition, influence and growth
SocEnv identifies three strategic pillars in new strategy to 2045.
Discover the future of roofing, cladding and insulation.
New guidance for professional practice, cultural change and regulation in social housing.
The heritage of nuclear and conventional power stations.
New measures to stop people being ripped off
Government to protect families from cowboy builders and aggressive bailiffs.
New Futurebuild showcase brings an innovation-first approach.
National Planning Policy Framework
Understanding the 2026 changes.
ECA's public affairs priorities
Member consultation opens to shape priorities for 2027 to 2030.
Dutyholder responsibilities from 1 July 2026.
Where performance meets practice
The Building Envelope Stage at UKCW Birmingham.
CIAT publishes briefing on planning reforms.