Searchcataloguedmaterialacrossourcollections
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RIBAFellowshipsarealmostasoldastheInstituteitself,butthedefinitionandcriteriaforthehonourhasevolvedconsiderablyoveralmosttwocenturiessincethen.
Discoverevenmorestories,articlesandinterviewsdrawingfromourexpansivecollectionofarchitecturalmaterial
TheRIBACollectionscanbeconsultedin-personthroughourmainlocations:
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Searchcataloguedmaterialacrossourcollectionsthroughtheonlinecatalogue,orbrowsedigitisedmaterialthroughouronlineimagelibrary.
Inthisresearchguide,explorejustafewofthepioneeringprofessionalsrepresentedinourlibraryandcollections
Throughouthistory,architecturalspaceshaveformedsiteswhereLGBTQ+communitieshaveexplored,celebratedorconcealedsexualandgenderidentities
Browseourgrowingcollectionofresearchguides,highlightingtherangeofpeople,practicesandprojectsrepresentedintheRIBACollections
TheRIBAdrawingcollectionincludesalmostonemillionarchitecturaldrawingsfromsketchesandpreliminarydesignstopresentationandtechnicaldrawings.
ThecollectionfocusesonBritisharchitecture,withallsignificantarchitectsfromtheRenaissancetothepresentdayrepresented.MajorgroupsincludetheworkofInigoJones,SirChristopherWren,andseveralgenerationsoftheWyatt,Pugin,Scott,andWaterhousefamilies.MorerecentcollectionsincludethesurvivingdrawingsofEdwinLutyens,Ern?Goldfinger,andDenysLasdun.
TheRobertElwallPhotographsCollectioncomprisesaround1.5millionimagesfromtheearliestdaysofphotographytothepresentday.Thecollectionincludesphotographicarchivesofindividualarchitectsandpractices,travelandtopographicimagesfromacrosstheworld,pressphotographsfrommajorarchitecturaljournals,andlargebodiesofworkbysomeofthebestknownarchitecturalphotographersofthe20thcentury.Thecollectionincludesprints,negatives,slides,transparencies,photographicallyillustratedbooksanddigitalfiles.
TheRIBACollectionsholdsawiderangeofobjectsandartefactsdocumentingtheevolutionofthearchitecturalprofessionoverthepastfourcenturies.
Thisincludesvariouspiecesofdrawingfurnitureandmeasuringinstruments,offeringinsightintothechangingenvironmentofthearchitectureoffice.Smalleritemsincludecoins,architecturethemedtoys,andtheRIBAsilvercollection.Wealsocarefor120portraitsdepictingformerRIBApresidents,andhavebeencollectingarchitecturalmedalssinceourfoundation.
Thearchivesandmanuscriptscollectionincludesthepersonalcorrespondence,journals,notebooks,administrativefiles,andunpublishedtextsoffamousBritisharchitects.Thecollectionalsofeaturesmaterialrelatedtoindividualsandsocietieswhohavehelpedshapearchitecturalcultureglobally,includingjournalists,writers,historians,andeducators.ThisalsocoverstheRIBAinstitutionalarchive,whichdocumentsourhistoryfromtheearliestfoundingdocumentstorecentpublicationsandephemera.
Wecareforalmost400architecturalmodels,representingfivecenturiesofarchitecturalhistory.Mostmodelsinthecollectionwerecreatedbyarchitectsortheircollaboratorsasakeypartoftheirdesignprocess.,includingawoodenmodelfromthe1690sofEastonNeston,whichisoneoftheearliestEnglisharchitecturalmodelsstillinexistence.Latercollectionsincludemodelsofsomeofthebest-knownbuildingsofthetwentiethcentury,fromprivatedwellingstolargescaleurbandevelopments.
OurLibraryReadingRoomholdsbooksandjournalsrelatedtoeveryaspectofarchitecturalpracticeandresearch.Withover150,000booksinthecollection,5,000rarevolumespublishedbetween1478and1840,andaccesstoaround2,240periodicaltitles,itisoneoftheleadingresourcesinthecountryforthestudyofarchitectureandarchitecturalhistory.Includingmanualsandpatternbooks,largescalevolumesonarchaeology,anddetailedstudiesofsomeofthemostfamousbuildingsintheworld.
Ourcollectionofaudiorecordingscoverslectures,talks,andeventswithsomeofthemostfamousarchitects.
OurinstitutionalarchivedocumentsthehistoryofRIBAfromitsearliestfoundationaldocumentstorecentpublicationsandephemera.Thisisthelargestgroupinginourarchivescollection,anddatesbacktothefoundingoftheInstitutein1834.CoveringallaspectsofRIBA’swork,suchasexams,exhibitionsandNominationPapers,thisisanindispensableresourceforthestudyofthearchitecturalprofessionandarchitecturaleducationworldwide.