GIA CHAPTER REPORT: SUMMER 2022
The Glasgow Institute of Architects has been incorporated as a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO) following significant work by the Past President and GIA Council, and Trustees for the SCIO have been appointed. This has brought GIA in line with “best practice” guidance provided by the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR). The GIA constitution has been rewritten in a modern fashion. The maximum number of Trustees has been reduced to 15 in line with OSCR guidance, and Trustees are appointed and voted into office by the Chapter membership. Voting rights have been extended and now include the following RIAS Membership categories:
• Chartered Members
• Fellows
• Associate Members
• Student Members
• Academic Members
• Retired Members
Provision has been made to allow for voting in-absentia to encourage participation of the membership in the election of Trustees.
The GIA Student Awards were assessed in June and included a mix of in person visits to the two architecture schools and remote reviews. The judging panel were extremely impressed by the high standard and breadth of the student work, and awards were presented at House for
an Art Lover.
The Architecture Places and People Committee continue to be involved in the Glasgow Urban Design Panel, which convenes every 6 weeks. The APP Committee have arranged Design Conversations, the first of which debated the question Does Glasgow Need Tall Buildings? which has been followed up by related Chapter-wide debates reflecting climate context and the aim of achieving net zero carbon.
The Conservation Committee developed an Ideas Competition for the retention and imaginative reuse of Cumbernauld Town Centre, and there has been discussion of how this may have wider resonance for modern buildings at risk and embodied energy in existing buildings across the Chapter area.
The Conservation Committee respond regularly to information requests from members of the public, most recently from an architect in Wellington, New Zealand seeking information on Thomas Turnbull, who was born in Glasgow, and whose portrait appears in the GIA Members’ Album.
Digitisation of the GIA Archive is ongoing, and progress can be viewed at https://gia.org.uk/gia-history
The Practice Committee has promoted the 2022 CPD programme of events, and these are being delivered online, covering topics including acting as an expert witness, assessing fees, designing inclusive environments, asbestos awareness, and GIA Design Award winners.
The Small Practice Group has noted the potential impact, particularly for domestic clients, of the recently-introduced additional local authority fees for obtaining discharge of Planning Conditions and Non-Material Variations.
Following the focus on COP26, the Sustainability Committee developed several new initiatives, including building visits to innovative low carbon projects and material manufacturers. The committee has this year taken the form of a Monthly Sustainability Salon, rotating committee meetings with building visits and visits to architectural practices.
The building visits included the Kinning Park Complex.
Originally built as an extension to the former Lambhill Street School in 1910, the Kinning Park Complex in Glasgow is now a multi-use community space, which through adaptive re-
use and internal reorganisation now offers community and creative workspaces.
It is a real pleasure to meet architects from across the Chapter, and discuss what work they are involved in, with such a breadth of urban, rural, coastal, and island projects, covering an incredible range.
With GIA having a new constitution, focussed committees, and modern communications, it has been great to see members joining the committees and getting involved in the work of the institute in supporting and promoting the profession.
R Jonathan Potter FRIAS RIBA
President, Glasgow Institute of Architects