DESIGN ARCHIVE: RIBA WEST MIDLANDS
Design Archive: RIBA West Midlands
Est. 1968, the BFCAA and BAA predate the RIBA regional structure
Location: Birmingham (UK)
RIBA West Midlands is the regional office of the Royal Institute of British Architects. It is committed to delivering services to RIBA members to enable them to work effectively as professionals, and to promote architecture, good design, and public interest in the built environment. Its office in Birmingham also accommodates the BFCAA library and other archival materials, and has close links to other architectural organisations and collections and in the city, such as the Birmingham Architectural Association, the Birmingham & Five Counties Architectural Association and the Birmingham School of Architecture, as well as the Royal Institute of British Architects’ RIBApix collection and RIBA library.
The architectural profession
The beginnings of architectural professional organisations in Birmingham probably date back to 1851 with the founding of the Birmingham Architectural Society, and the Birmingham and District Architectural Association in 1874. Both bodies eventually merged into the Birmingham Architectural Association, which was also known as the Birmingham & Five Counties Architectural Association between 1933 and 1967 to reflect the wider region. With the arrival of the RIBA regional structure in 1968, the Birmingham Architectural Association reformed as a regional RIBA branch, while the Birmingham & Five Counties Architectural Association reformed in 1979 with the aim of 'Furthering the Art & Design of Architecture' through a collection of books relating to architects and architecture in the region, an archive of over 250 design drawings and a yearly student prize known as the 'Green Book Award', which itself dates back to about 1909 and consists of a medal and a £500 travel bursary.
Birmingham’s architectural scene would not be the same without the Birmingham School of Architecture, part of the Birmingham Institute of Art and Design at BCU, and the only RIBA validated Architecture School in the West Midlands region. The earliest record of classes being held as part of the College of Art in Margaret Street dates from 1908, with the Part I course gaining RIBA recognition in 1923, and the Part III in 1930. Today the department is a vibrant centre for architectural education with great links to local practices, industry professionals, and built environment organisations such as MADE and RIBA West Midlands. Our selection of Design Archives exhibits features a BSA item from the BFCAA library – a syllabus document from the Birmingham School of Architecture that dates back to the 1930s, including an introductory text and a sample Year 3 technical drawing. We have also featured an image of the Birmingham School of Architecture project of the Anglican Church of St Philip and St James, Hodge Hill, Birmingham from 1969.
Architecture in the West Midlands
The architectural profession we recognise today did not exist by the same name or in a regulated manner until the 19th century in this country. Previously craftsmen such as stonemasons or carpenters would have trained as so-called ‘master builders’ and acted as builders and engineers on projects, although the terms architect was used in different countries throughout history, encompassing different meanings and responsibilities. Even later than that the terms architect and engineer were often used interchangeably depending on the country – this division is still visible in the differences in training, education and practice in different countries today.
Just like everywhere else in the country, high-profile construction projects through a master builder before the industrial revolution were mainly commissioned by the aristocracy or the clergy, while domestic construction was the domain of carpenters and stonemasons. With the change in societal structures,, the advent of the industrial revolution, mass industrialisation, urbanisation and a rising demand for housing, the need for architects arose, and with it the need for professional organisations like the RIBA to self-regulate both the profession and architectural education.
Within Birmingham and the West Midlands there are more notable buildings and architects than we can showcase here, but we have attempted to capture some key points from the materials available. Our selection aims to showcase key buildings and the rich heritage that make Birmingham and which are easily recognisable to the public, as well as shed a light on the key areas of redevelopment that have affected how Birmingham looks and views itself. Key to this are of course the Old Library and the Central Library, as well as Paradise Circus, Chamberlain Square and Centenary Square, particularly now as these parameters are due to change again with the New Library and the redevelopment of Paradise Circus. In a similar vein it is fascinating to look at the development and redevelopment of the Bullring and the Rotunda, which form another core of Birmingham public life.
Selected items
The images chosen for the Design Archives begin with a drawing of the Old Crown House at Digbeth Deritend, taken from Joshua Toulmin Smith 1863 book ‘Memorials of Old Birmingham - Traditions of The Old Crown House in Der-Yat-End in the Lordship of Birmingham.’, which is estimated to be the oldest secular building in Birmingham dating back to around 1450 and a key landmark.
Key to our region’s architectural heritage is also Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin’s (1812 –1852) legacy, particularly as we are celebrating the bicentennial of his birth in 2012. Pugin, a pioneer in the Gothic Revival style, was most notably involved in the interior design of the Palace of Westminster, but also left a great portfolio of work in the West Midlands: St. Chad’s Cathedral, Oscott College, Erdington Abbey, the interior of King Edward’s School, and further afield St. Giles in Cheadle, where a UVNS and RIBA Pugin exhibition is currently taking place.
Historically, Sir Aston Webb (1849 – 1930), a member of the RIBA from 1870 onwards, and his contemporary Ingress Bell (1836 – 1914) also had great influence on key Birmingham buildings that still shape the life of the city – namely in the form of the Victoria Law Courts and the core building and the clock tower of University of Birmingham’s Chancellor’s Court.
In our selection of images from the 1950s-1970s there is a great emphasis on key areas of public interest and their development throughout the decades, such as the Bullring Marketing booklet, and other images from the very beginnings of the Bullring.
Showcasing development of Birmingham in this era is impossible without featuring a selection of buildings from Birmingham architectural icon John Madin’s portfolio, including the Central Library, the Chamber of Commerce, the former Post & Mail Building or former Pebble Mill Studios. John Madin (1924 – 2012) strived to make Birmingham fit for the 20th century through a comprehensive redevelopment and collection of post-war landmarks that shape Birmingham life today.
Forward
Birmingham is popular with architects, and why is that? It is a city with an instinct for change, reflected in its civic motto ‘Forward’. The distinctive phases of redevelopment, from the slum clearance and civic grandeur of the Chamberlain period to the optimism and car-dominated re-construction of the post-war period to the postmodern period of ‘icons’ and landmarks, the city is constantly renewing with an appetite for change and an enduring architectural eclecticism. The result is a rich and complex topography of buildings and a readiness to keep developing a Birmingham fit for the 21st century and beyond.
Obsessionistas would like to thank everyone at RIBA WM, including Matthew Dobson - regional director, and particularly Carina Schneider - Events and Professional Development Co-ordinator, for her enthusiasm and contributions. Thanks must also go to RIBApix, Frank Brophy's John Madin collection, and the BFCAA library.
Birmingham Architectural Association http://birminghamarchitecture.ning.com/page/the-baa
Birmingham School of Architecture http://www.bcu.ac.uk/biad/architecture/about
Party with the Goths, RIBA Journal, Eleanor Young http://www.ribajournal.com/index.php/feature/article/party_with_the_goths/
Visit the RIBA WM website here
Visit the RIBA website here
Images © RIBA and published with kind permission.