Something that Williamson is vocally concerned about too is the rapid development of AI. In his initial statement, the new president confidently asserted that he would meet the challenge of AI \u2018head on\u2019, and in our conversion it is clear he views it as one of the defining issues of his term.<\/p>\n
He says, ominously: \u2018Everybody thought it was in the dim and distant future, but you can already see the effect that it\u2019s having on the industry.<\/p>\n
\u2018Anybody who can use a computer well might be able to be their own architect in five years\u2019 time.\u2019 To tackle this new problem, Williamson says that we need to be \u2018more empathetic\u2019 to the various risks that AI poses, but also its potential benefits.<\/p>\n
Keeping one step ahead of a constantly evolving technology is a tall order, but one that Williamson does not shy away from.<\/p>\n
He tells me: \u2018I\u2019m generally optimistic person. It\u2019s up to us to make the most of those new technologies and make sure that they are an aid to design and will enable us to be better, but it\u2019s really up to us.\u2019<\/p>\n
When asked about his support for the regulation of function in the industry, he extols the wonders of Swiss architecture. There, as among other European countries, rules stipulate that planning applications must be submitted with designs by chartered architects.<\/p>\n
He argues: \u2018It depends how much you value the environment as a society. In Switzerland just about everything has to be done by an architect, and that\u2019s why the quality of the architecture is fantastic.<\/p>\n
\u2018So there is a correlation, I guess, between who has the best architecture and who has protection of function.\u2019<\/p>\n
I then ask Williamson whether he thought that every building should be, in a way, a work of art?<\/p>\n
He replies \u2018no\u2019, adding that his own tastes are actually \u2018quite functional\u2019. There is often, he says, \u2018too much emphasis on the style of a building\u2019.<\/p>\n
Yet he also gives a rousing description of \u2018the space, the light, the way the sun comes through\u2019 in the best buildings that betray an enthusiasm for architecture that must have sustained Williamson throughout his career.<\/p>\n
Getting back to the presidency, we turn to the forthcoming RIBA \u2018rebrand\u2019, which is set to see a refurbished HQ in Portland Place open its doors to the architectural community as the \u2018House of Architecture\u2019.<\/p>\n
The House of Architecture is a fantastic opportunity<\/p>\n
Williamson seems enthusiastic about the prospect of creating more of a public-facing and interactive institution.<\/p>\n
He recalls the RIBA being the one-stop-shop for all things architecture when he was a youngster, having \u2018the best lectures, the best talks, the best events, competitions, awards \u2026 it was the place you went to for professional knowledge if you had any questions\u2019.<\/p>\n
He continues: \u2018I would like to see the RIBA collaborate more with people who are doing anything interesting on architecture; we don\u2019t need to do it all, but we need to be that repository for all those things.<\/p>\n
\u2018The House of Architecture is a fantastic opportunity because it\u2019s not just about 66 Portland Place; it\u2019s about all the online stuff, which can actually reach more people, and the drawings and collections, which can get people more interested in architecture and the built environment.\u2019<\/p>\n
Asked how far the \u2018rebrand\u2019 will go, Williamson says in his view the \u2018best\u2019 brand\u2019 are those which \u2018you identify with and like what they stand for\u2019.<\/p>\n
So we will not likely be seeing a radical overhaul that throws away much of the 200-year-old brand recognition.<\/p>\n
One of Williamson\u2019s key campaign pledges was for the RIBA to \u2018establish itself as the pre-eminent administrator of architectural competitions\u2019, which, unlike some processes, would ensure architects were getting a good deal and minimised \u2018free work\u2019, especially among young people.<\/p>\n
The message for clients is: you\u2019re choosing an architect, not a design \u2013 the design is an indication of what they might do<\/p>\n
Williamson supports the competition system in principle, going so far as to say: \u2018I\u2019ve had a lot of criticism from people because I love competitions, the excitement of being able to show people what you can do as an architect; I think they\u2019re really important.\u2019<\/p>\n
What he doesn\u2019t support is when architects are made to do vast amounts of unpaid work and spend a lot of money for no discernible result when, in many cases, they stand very little chance of winning anyway. For Williamson, the RIBA should assert itself as the authority on contests, something which would allow guidance to be enforced to make sure competitions are run fairly.<\/p>\n
How exactly this is going to be achieved isn\u2019t spelled out. The once-busy RIBA Competitions office hasn\u2019t launched any open contests this year.<\/p>\n
But Williamson is clear in saying that \u2018the message we\u2019ve got to get over to clients is: you\u2019re choosing an architect, not a design and the design is an indication of what they might do\u2019.<\/p>\n
In 2024, Williamson told the AJ that \u2018much of the good work of the RIBA is largely unappreciated\u2019. So how does he plan to shine a spotlight on all this good work being done in the background?<\/p>\n
\u2018It\u2019s always been a mystery to me,\u2019 he laments, \u2018that in all the time I have been involved with the RIBA, people really don\u2019t appreciate what goes on.\u2019<\/p>\n
We\u2019re not very good \u2013 architects in general \u2013 at telling people what we\u2019re good at<\/p>\n
Having seen the weight that the RIBA brand carries overseas, it is understandable that Williamson views the current perception of the institution here in the UK with some dismay.<\/p>\n
He sees it as a problem of self-promotion. \u2018We\u2019re not very good \u2013 architects in general \u2013 at telling people what we\u2019re good at. So we need to be more visible and make sure people know what we stand for and what we\u2019re doing.\u2019<\/p>\n
In order to invigorate the RIBA\u2019s domestic image, Williamson says he would work to better co-ordinate the way that projects are delivered and communicated, and puts an emphasis on the \u2018urgency\u2019 that he feels is needed to make his mark over the next two years.<\/p>\n
That said, Williamson knows the limits of his power; in a refreshing dose of realism he concedes there will be no grand achievements to boast about by the end of his two-year term. He merely hopes to have made a strong start on the issues he feels most strongly about and to hand the baton over to the next leader having left the institution in a more positive place.<\/p>\n
He said: \u2018You\u2019re just not going to get huge change in two years.<\/p>\n
\u2018Success, to me, is knowing that it\u2019s part of something that\u2019s going to continue. [Even so] I\u2019ll be really disappointed in two years\u2019 time if nothing has changed.\u2019<\/p>\n
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