Ian Ritchie appointed as Architects Council of Europe representative on the European Construction Technology Platform, High Level Group.

Ian Ritchie will be giving a lecture at the EDAS Moscow Postgraduate School of Architecture on 8 April 2005.
www.ikp.ru/eng/247/

Ian Ritchie RA, the Royal Academy’s Professor of Architecture, explores and challenges the meanings of some of the complex and contradictory issues that confront designers today such as progress, consumerism and sustainability. He will include examples of how his architecture and ideas attempt to focus these issues through the physical and ephemeral materials with which the architecture is made.
Geological Society, Piccadilly, W1. Monday 31 January, 6.30 - 7.30pm

The Royal Shakespeare Company appointed Ian Ritchie Architects in October 2004 to lead the design of the temporary RSC Transition Theatre in Stratford. Within 2 months of our appointment a detailed planning application was submitted by the RSC on 13th December. The engineering consultants working with the RSC project team includes WSP, King Shaw Associates and Paul Gillieron Acoustic Design. The RSC will have the new 1000 seat Transition Theatre available for performances in April 2006 in time for the planned Complete Works of Shakespeare Festival. The Transition Theatre will be in use for a few years as the main house while the new Royal Shakespeare Theatre theatre is rebuilt.

Ian Ritchie, together with Peter Cook have been elected the Royal Academy’s Joint Professors of Architecture. They intend to promote the architectural strength of the Royal Academy internationally over a four year period with a series of lectures and workshops in cities less obviously associated with leading edge architecture.

Anthony Whishaw’s invitation to Academicians to respond to the theme of ‘Visual Wit’ has resulted in a surprising range of interpretations. Members including painters, sculptors, architects, and printmakers have submitted works, many made especially for this exhibition. The concept of wit is explored in a number of ways, with artists employing optical illusions, using found objects, referencing past artistic icons and playing with humour.

Ian Ritchie’s contribution, ‘Architecture is Addictive’, can be seen in the Friends Room of the Royal Academy from 24 November - 8 March 2005.

Ian Ritchie gave the keynote address entitled, ‘Design, Ethics and Innovation’ at the SOM Building Science and Design Research Symposium in New York on 19-20 November.
The symposium was designed to bring together a diverse group of architects, academics, owners and industry representatives to present and discuss design and technology ideas about new materials, intelligent building systems and sustainable development practices in architecture.

Ian Ritchie gave a talk at the Tate Britain on 25 November as part of ‘Clear Visions’, a series of seminars on the glazed envelope organised by Architecture Today with Pilkington. The subject of the seminars is the design and maintenance of the glazed envelope.