In a comment piece published exclusively by the AJ today, the 61-year-old architect said he was ‘giving serious thought to running’ in this year’s election. If victorious, he would take over from incumbent president Chris Williamson when his term ends in 2027.
If Baker-Brown does throw his hat into the ring – a decision the AJ understands is based on whether he feels he has enough support – it will be the second time the academic, architect and founder of East Sussex-based BakerBrown Studio has stood for the RIBA’s top elected role.
Currently the postgraduate course leader for MArch architecture at the University of Brighton, Baker-Brown previously ran against Williamson and Funmbi Adeagbo in the 2024 election, eventually losing narrowly to the Weston Williamson + Partners founder.
In his article, Baker-Brown described the current professional and academic landscape as an ‘extraordinary moment to be in architecture’, adding that to call ‘this a period of change’ felt like an understatement.
Given this ‘once‑in‑a‑generation chance to reshape the profession’, Baker-Brown said, ‘I’m giving serious thought to running for RIBA president in June. Last time around, I was defeated by just 110 votes.
‘Perhaps it’s time for a small‑practice director, postgraduate course leader, and regular RIBA representative at UN COPs to step forward.’
Baker-Brown said his presidency would ‘differ considerably’ from Williamson’s, arguing that as a small‑practice director, he understood ‘the same pressures and uncertainties as most RIBA members’.
He also took a swipe at Williamson’s recent, headline-grabbing Loop high-speed rail proposal for the UK, which the current president said had been inspired by the mammoth ambitions of Saudi Arabia’s 170km-long Line scheme.
‘I won’t champion vast, outdated, high‑carbon megaprojects such as the Line,’ Baker-Brown said.
The architect, who worked at Rick Mather Architects before setting up his own Lewes-based studio in 1994, said that ‘for decades’ architects had lost ground to contractors, developers and other consultants who had absorbed key roles.
However he said: ‘[The] proposed Single Construction Regulator (SCR) could help shift this by unifying oversight of professionals, safety, products and digital regulation. With ARB and RIBA involvement, the SCR could finally define and protect the role of the architect.’
Baker-Brown is co-chair of the RIBA’s Climate Action Expert Advisory Group and sustainability champion for the proposed £58.8 million retrofit of the institute’s 66 Portland Place headquarters in London, a key plank of the wider House of Architecture programme.
Nominations to become president, and for other roles in the RIBA elections, officially open on April 1 and close on April 15. Voting opens on 15 June.