Construction work set to start early next year
Benedetti Architects鈥� plans for a 拢60m refurbishment of RIBA鈥檚 central London headquarters have been given the go ahead.
Westminster council used delegated powers to green light the two-year overhaul of 66 Portland Place, RIBA鈥檚 grade II*-listed base in Marylebone.
The entire building has now closed, with construction work expected to take around two and a half years.
The scheme, which was , aims to modernise the building as part of the wider 拢85m 鈥楬ouse of Architecture鈥� programme first unveiled by former RIBA president Simon Allford.
It will include a new space to house the institute鈥檚 architectural collections, a new cafe with outdoor seating on Weymouth Street, a relocated shop, bigger lifts, enhanced event spaces and a 鈥榯reasures room鈥� housing important exhibits..
Benedetti is also proposing to return parts of the George Grey Wornum-designed building, which was opened in 1934 by King George V, closer to their original Art Deco designs.
RIBA chair of board of trustees Jack Pringle said: 鈥淎nother landmark moment in our transformative House of Architecture programme, following an extensive and hugely positive consultation with Westminster City Council, Historic England, Twentieth Century Society and numerous local stakeholders including our freeholder Howard de Walden.
鈥淭his sensitive, essential refurbishment and restoration of 66 Portland Place in London will make it more accessible, functional, sustainable, and welcoming.
鈥淲e鈥檇 like to thank Benedetti Architects, Newmark and the other consultants for their hard work getting to this point.鈥�
RIBA Stage 4 design is now underway with the intention of enabling works starting in the autumn and the main contract works early 2026, and complete in 2028.
The project team includes Gardiner & Theobald as project manager, Eckersley O鈥機allaghan as structural and facade engineer, Jackson Coles on costs, Alan Baxter on heritage and transport and Gerald Eve on planning.
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