GIA Presidential Elections

The President of the GIA is elected by the eligible members of the chapter area to represent the interests of the institute and its members, and will serve for an initial 1-year term with the option to extend by one further year. The post is the most senior within the organisation and is responsible for providing strategic leadership of the GIA Council in the establishment of the organisations goals and plans. Voting will take place at the Annual General Meeting of the GIA on 25th April at 17:30 at the Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA) Glasgow. Only eligible members may vote (RIAS Chartered Members and Fellows within the Chapter area).

The President is expected to:

• Represent the GIA’s interests to the public and external bodies to maintain and enhance the influence of the organisation.

• Attend official functions and actively network to maintain and enhance the reputation of the organisation and profession.

• Actively contribute to, and liaise with, the RIAS, including the provision of a quarterly update on the organisations business.

• Establish the long-term goals of the organisation and relay these to the GIA Council.

• Work closely with the GIA Committee Convenors to ensure the approach, activities and budgets are closely aligned.

• Preside at all meetings and events of the chapter and provide leadership to the GIA Council and Committees.

• View full list of duties.

156th Annual General Meeting of the Glasgow Institute of Architects

Calling Notice:

The 156th Annual General Meeting of the Glasgow Institute of Architects will be held at the Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA) in Glasgow at 5:30pm on 25th April 2024.

GIA Presidential Candidate 

Following an Open Call for candidates for the election to the office of President of the Glasgow Institute of Architects the GIA has received one nomination that will be put to the membership at the AGM.

Election Statement

“I joined the GIA in 2017 as a member of Architecture People and Place, and since then I
have held the position of Vice President, Convenor of Glasgow Urban Design Panel, and
Convenor of Architecture People and Place.
The GIA has presented me with a number of different opportunities for which I am very
grateful. Aside from the opportunity to hold the positions named above I have assisted
with the organisation of the GIA 150 year celebrations, played an important role for the
GIA throughout COP 26, have led a number of judging teams for the GIA awards, and I have
been engaged with discussion around the SCIO from the early stages. These experiences,
amongst others, have helped to shape a well rounded understanding of the organisation.
As the GIA relies on people volunteering their time, participation is important to ensure
that the organisation can sustain itself now and in the future. Changing the charity status to
a SCIO is a positive step forward because this will provide non RIAS members and students
with voting rights. However, actively encouraging participation will be a priority and I hope
that this can be achieved with an increased amount of non-member events, technology
enabled meeting venues, and improved visibility.
The GIA could be more proactive to promote the good work that is achieved. The website
and associated whats the chat?, the social media platforms, and the newsletter, are all good
outlets but they rely on certain skill sets and peoples time to make the most of them. It
is hoped that the management of these activities will benefit directly from improved
participation in the short term. In the long term, I am of the opinion that identity and
accessibility, could be improved if the GIA had a permanent home. This could provide an
opportunity to promote the work of the GIA, to curate exhibitions, to store artefacts, and
to discuss and debate, all in a space that could be accessed directly from the street. Whilst
our experience of the COP shop highlighted many of the associated challenges, these were
far out weighed by the benefits - it provided the GIA with an identity through COP 26, it
provided exhibition space for GIA activities, and it facilitated many rich discussions.
The Glasgow Room is a concept that the GIA explored a few years ago. This was centred
around improving the planning experience by providing a welcoming space in the city to
discuss planning policy, celebrate completed and current developments, to help understand
and link up emerging development through mapping and by hosting the Glasgow Urban
Design Panel, and to promote new development opportunities to help encourage more
investment in the city.
A long term home for the GIA and The Glasgow Room are two different ideas that I think are
worth exploring further, and both could compliment the other. However, the underlying
theme of both is to provide space for discussion and debate on aspects of design, and
current topics which are affecting practices across the membership such as planning,
procurement, and the environment.

Participation, Identity, Discussion!"

Message from GIA President

Jonathan Potter

"I was very honoured to be invited to stand for the GIA Presidency in 2022. It has been a very enjoyable, entertaining and uplifting two years, and the energy of the GIA Council has been great fun to be involved in. Council has a diverse mix of participants, all voluntary, from seasoned practitioners to newly-qualified architects and student representatives, and I encourage all members to get involved.

During this period Angus Kerr received the RIAS Lifetime Achievement Award, and Fiona Sinclair was completely surprised by receiving the New Zealand Institute of Architects President’s Award. It was great to see two past-presidents of GIA getting these accolades.

The work of GIA Council and the Convenors is invaluable and the various committees widely promote the interests of GIA members and the profession, with fantastic commitment to furthering all things architectural. I am very thankful for their support and drive.

The challenges of the Planning system have been at the forefront of my concerns. I have had discussions with architects across the Chapter on how this is affecting their practice, and submitted the GIA response to the Call for Ideas on Planning System Ambitions, highlighting the effects of Planning delays on local and national investment. There needs to be momentum on effecting change, so that communities and settlements benefit from our inspired and dynamic thinking.

The Presidency has been a great opportunity to engage with RIAS and the other chapters and discuss the profession at national level. With members involved in so many initiatives including conservation, education and sustainability it is clear that GIA has a presence well beyond our Chapter boundaries.

Let GIA flourish!”

Jonathan Potter GIA President 2022‐2024