Architecture Foundation Diversity and Inclusion Policy
Board of Trustees
The Architecture Foundation board of Trustees is responsible for the organisation’s governance and financial management. It comprises a group of no more than sixteen individuals with an optimum size of eleven. Trustees serve a standard four year term, with the possibility of longer service in exceptional circumstances.
The composition of the board should broadly reflect the demographic of London. In recruiting new Trustees, the board therefore seeks to identify candidates’ suitability in relation to a range of protected characteristics, including race, gender, disability, sexual orientation and socio-economic background. Candidates are also invited to submit a brief statement outlining their life experience.
The board of Trustees must at all times represent a range of professional expertise, including a Treasurer and legal representative. No fewer than fifty percent of its members should be individuals who have received an architectural training and are now practising architects or working in a related field. Four positions on the board are identified as roles that are to be recruited on the basis of an Open Call, which is communicated through the Architecture Foundation’s website, newsletter and social media channels. The remaining appointments are made through direct approaches to potential candidates. While the majority of Trustees should be resident in London the board recognises the value of including members from outside the city, whether based elsewhere in the UK or overseas.
The two co-chairs of the Architecture Foundation’s Young Trustees are seconded to the Board of Trustees for their two-year term of office. They participate in the Board of Trustees quarterly meetings but have no voting rights.
The selection of the Chair of Trustees is undertaken by the existing Chair in collaboration with a sub-committee of existing Trustees. Where possible, the Chair should be recruited from the existing board in order to ensure a continuity of purpose. The Chair should be an individual who has received an architectural training and is now a practising architect or working in a related field.
Recruitment
While the Architecture Foundation is run by a small team, the organisation recognises the value of ensuring it is staffed by individuals representative of a diverse range of backgrounds and life experiences.
We are committed to advertising all new positions through our newsletter and social media channels.
Applicants will be invited to identify whether they are representative of a range of protected characteristics and this information will inform the selection process.
Programme
Reflecting our ambition to present voices under-represented in the architectural discourse, we consider protected characteristics in selecting participants for all areas of the programme.
We aim to provide platforms for a wide range of contributors by staging events in spaces of varying scale and ticket price. A substantial part of the public programme is freely accessible.
By running a diverse programme we aim to secure a diverse audience.
We aim to develop strands of programming that directly addresses the ways in which questions of race and gender impact on processes of urban change.
We do not stage public events with all-male panels and aim to ensure a balanced representation of genders across our live lecture programme.
We develop initiatives specifically targeted at widening the range of contributors to the architectural discourse.
Adopted at AF quarterly Trustees meeting December 6th 2023