#412 - MUYIWA OKI, President of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)
SUMMARY
This week David and Marina of FAME Architecture & Design are joined by Muyiwa Oki, President of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) from 2023-25 and a senior Architect at Mace. The three discussed Muyiwa’s background and influence; his education in Architecture; his early career; his responsibility as the president of RIBA; architects in public policy and non-traditional practice; major issues in architecture and potential solutions; and more. Enjoy!
ABOUT MUYIWA
Muyiwa Oki – The Millennial RIBA president from 2023-2025.
Elected to speak up for the future. With the responsibility and privilege of raising the profile of the architect globally, his ambitions are to advocate for his priorities of equity, transparency, and innovation in architecture.
He is an energetic architect with a vision for the profession's future.
And believes systems thinking will play a role in creating a profession that is agile and accessible, innovative and aspirational.
This can be done in collaboration with leaders in architecture and adjacent professions across the built environment.
As an Architect at Mace Group, he focuses on technology and innovation, working on Modern Means of Construction projects.
During his time at Grimshaw Architects, he was the founder and Chair of the MEGA (Multi-Ethnic Group and Allies) network that drove global cultural change for colleagues.
Muyiwa is an ambassador, speaker, and mentor for aspiring architects in programs such as Mayor of London Design Challenge, Scale Rule, and the Grimshaw Foundation, which exists to encourage greater social mobility within the industry.
TIMESTAMPS
(00:00) Muyiwa's background.
(05:13) Early education and influence.
(11:26) Architecture education surprise.
(14:41) AI in architecture.
(19:17) Master of Architecture study in the UK.
(25:56) Early Career & Modulor.
(31:01) Architects use skills outside of traditional practice.
“The issue about the sustainability of early career practitioners in architecture. Overtime pay was an issue, especially during the Covid period. Young emerging practitioners were mistreated, and it was up to the institute representing architects to address the issue head-on…If you bring any architecture students or early career architects together, they always complain about the same thing. [When the role of [RIBA] president was up for nomination, it was an opportunity to make sure that we are actually trying to suggest solutions for the things that we are unsatisfied about, as opposed to just perennially being agitated by it.]” (35:00)
(34:08) Being the president of RIBA.
(45:04) Architects in public policy and alternate ways to practice.
“When I was in university, the idea of an architect was a lone person sketching the future skyline. Yes, you can do that, but there also needs to be a plurality of what it is to be an architect. Whether it is at a typically design-focused practice; whether it is policy making; or it could even be working at a technology company, designing the tools that architects use to make good architecture. When you use BIM software, the fact that everything is drawn in plans first before you get to see it in sections and other perspectives really affects how you think about the design. As opposed to when you're using Rhino, the more organic format is influenced by the people who designed the software which in turn, influences how architects design things. So, my encouragement is to recognize that a good architect can work outside of a traditional design practice.” (46:56)
(50:40) Biggest issues facing architects.
“One of the biggest challenges [in architecture] is accessibility to the profession and retention rate. The number of women who drop out of the profession is staggering. In undergraduate, it's almost 50:50 [male to female ratio]. [However, the number of women gradually lessens as they progress along the pathway to becoming an architect.] So, making the profession accessible for everyone at all stages is something that we need to address. In my term as president [of RIBA], I am working on understanding the data [and the situation]. Figure out the cause of this issue and what potential solutions we can explore. What incentives do we need to create? How do we then create an environment to ensure that fewer women and other minority groups get to enjoy and stay in this profession that we love?” (51:33)
(55:46) Solutions for major issues in architecture.
“[Architects] need to be better at the [business] side of things. Something that we're discussing at RIBA is how do we encourage and help architectural practices be more economically savvy and how to run better practices to ensure that they pay their staff well.
That's probably a worldwide issue. In the United States, it's crazy that you could take 15 firms in the same city, and they all charge their clients differently. They all run better or worse businesses because they were never trained to run a business, or maybe they're just making the wrong decisions every time and it trickles down to their employees. I think in general, architects feel like they are undervalued and underpaid. Architect sounds like a prestigious title, but when it comes to paying an architect, it's almost like you have to fight your way through.” (58:06)
(01:06:48) Architecture organization in touch with practicing architects.
(01:11:04) What prepared Muyiwa to be president of RIBA.
(01:13:31) Muyiwa's favorite building.
