Architect in the House - bringing good design to the British masses

The value and necessity of architecture is often lost on the layman. That buildings emerge from a skyline, or even in the neighborhood, appears the work of people who sling hammers, not those with sharp pencils. Thus, when costs must be saved – be it in designing the family home or the new civic center – an architect may not be the first call. Several websites report the decrease in pages published by various international architecture journals, and the decline of people choosing architecture as a profession.  So, do we need architects?

An initiative in the United Kingdom aims to heighten the prominence of the profession — one homeowner at a time. Architect in the House offers one free hour of architectural expertise to families considering a remodel or a new build project. In exchange, the family makes a suggested contribution of 40£ to Shelter, a British non profit organization providing for the homeless.

The concept is simple, and organized by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). Now in its 14th year, Architect in the Home pairs RIBA Chartered architects with curious homeowners. The architects provide their time for free, offering design inspiration, green building tips, price-to-value analysis, help troubleshoot existing problems or guidance on steering clear of likely pitfalls. Consultancy beyond the first hour is at the homeowner’s expense. Interested families are asked to sign up by a certain date, then matched with a RIBA Architect in their area, with the consultation following shortly thereafter.  So far, more than 50,000 homeowners across the UK have participated.

Since inception, the initiative has raised 1,000,000£ for the beneficiary charity, Shelter. 105,000£ was raised in 2009 alone.  In 2009, participating architects worked double time: 3,000 families and 1,250 architects participated.

It is uncertain what percent of families who participated in the scheme would otherwise not have called an architect.

One case study on the Architect in the House website identifies a couple who live in a split level terraced house. Approaching retirement, the couple wished to live on one floor – a desire made impossible by the location of the bathrooms, upstairs. The house was redesigned with the help of their new architect.

The American counterpart of RIBA is the America Institute of Architects.