The second edition of PNR.istanbul: focus took place on the 16th of october 2019 at VitrA’s Nisantası venue “Vbenzeri Mekan” in Istanbul with a presentation by Azlina Bulmer, Director of International Regions in RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects)
Focus II: UK brought together professionals from the leading architecture offices of Turkey and executives from RIBA. Azlina Bulmer began her speech by giving information about RIBA and the qualities they have that makes them different from other associations. She said, “We are a global professional membership and charity. Our objective is to drive excellence in architecture globally, not just in the UK.” She also added, “We place society in everything we do, we strongly believe in communities and sustainable environment.”
Bulmer talked about how the public doesn’t understand what architects do. She said “We spread the word to increase the understanding of the value of architects. How do we make people understand what architects do is valuable? We do this by demonstrating excellence in architecture.”
Answering questions like “What is it like practicing architecture in the UK?” Bulmer talked about the current conditions of the industry and what RIBA is doing according to these conditions. She emphasized that they don’t only work in the UK but they work globally and she gave examples of the events that took place in Seoul, Dubai and Singapore and also talked about RIBA’s plans for the future.
Listing the advantages of being a member of RIBA, Bulmer gave detailed information about the types of membership and the membership requirements for those who are not from the UK.
The event that provided useful information about the architectural practice around the world, ended with a coctail where the guests got the chance to interact with each other and the speaker.