|

RIBApedia - the architectural research wiki

One of the RIBA Research and Development department aims has been to make stronger connections between research and practice in architecture. The use of a Wiki provides a space where people within a community can deposit and share information, research, thoughts, ideas, articles, etc, and is peer-reviewed and maintained because everyone in the community can read and edit content.

Aimed at the architectural research community, RIBApedia will form a collaborative and free source of information that anyone can contribute to. The web pages can be easily edited by anyone who has completed a free registration process.

Utilising the same 'mediawiki' software popularly used by Wikipedia, the tool enables users to generate and update information on a number of topics, including:

• Study guidance and reading lists
• Research papers and study venues
• Research and study awards
• Profiles of research institutions, funding bodies, and practices engaged in research
• Profiles of schools of architecture - courses, specialisms, bursaries, and awards
• Profiles of professional societies including student societies and discounted student membership
• Links to research and study blogs, journals, and online databases
• Invaluable guidance on obtaining research funding (including worldwide travel scholarships).

RIBApedia can be accessed at: www.ribapedia.com|

For more information and support, please email us at research@inst.riba.org| or contact Clare Sinclair on 020 7307 3885.

Capturing the value of design

The RIBA has long been championing the real value that good design creates but being able to quantify the arguments for clients and other non designers has always been difficult. In work funded by CABE and published in their “Value Handbook”, Sebastian Macmillan, who is chair of the RIBA research committee, has identified six types of value that help articulate, if not exactly quantify the arguments: Exchange, Use, Image, Social, Environmental and Cultural value.

The RIBA research department is trying to find ways of adding some form of measure or quantification to the value of design. Last year we collected views and fed them into the development of the ‘Advisor’s Notepad’. For each individual project, the Notepad captures data on issues such as: type of client, building type, nature (new build, extension etc), region and stakeholder information with respect to outcomes under the value types above. All data will be treated anonymously by the RIBA and we appreciate that building a significant body of data will take some time but that is no reason not to make a start. It is primarily aimed at client representatives such as RIBA Client Design Advisors but we would be keen to hear from practices as well. Please email completed forms to: research@inst.riba.org|