The RIBA Knowledge Communities are web-supported

interdisciplinary Interdisciplinarity or interdisciplinary studies involves the combination of multiple academic disciplines into one activity (e.g., a research project). It draws knowledge from several fields such as sociology, anthropology, psychology, economi ...

groups designed to facilitate the capture, sharing, and application of professional knowledge related to architecture and the built environment. This initiative offers a knowledge community platform developed by

RIBA ''Riba'' (, or , ) is an Arabic word used in Islamic law and roughly translated as " usury": unjust, exploitative gains made in trade or business. ''Riba'' is mentioned and condemned in several different verses in the Qur'an3:130

. It is a collaborative resource, accessible to all professionals in the built environment field and those with related knowledge to contribute. Its main objective is to connect and engage professionals in the advancement of specific subjects of interest without any commercial intent.

Communities

There are currently RIBA Knowledge Communities for the following subject areas: ;Sustainability: For building environment professionals to discuss the

sustainable Sustainability is a social goal for people to co-exist on Earth over a long period of time. Definitions of this term are disputed and have varied with literature, context, and time. Sustainability usually has three dimensions (or pillars): env ...

production of architecture and to engage with the RIBA Sustainable Futures Group. ;Integrated Project Working: To engage an interdisciplinary professional base in the advancement of

CAD Computer-aided design (CAD) is the use of computers (or ) to aid in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimization of a design. This software is used to increase the productivity of the designer, improve the quality of design, improve c ...

BIM Building information modeling (BIM) is an approach involving the generation and management of digital representations of the physical and functional characteristics of buildings or other physical assets and facilities. BIM is supported by vario ...

and the mutual distribution of technical information between all areas of the building environment. ;Education Building Design: Helping to deliver intelligent

higher education Tertiary education (higher education, or post-secondary education) is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank defines tertiary education as including universities, colleges, and vocational schools ...

and

further education Further education (often abbreviated FE) in the United Kingdom and Ireland is additional education to that received at secondary school that is distinct from the higher education (HE) offered in universities and other academic institutions. It ...

school design and providing a forum for this discussion. It will leverage the level engagement among professionals in the industry. It will lead to enhanced outputs. ;Students of Architecture: For architecture students to share news, experience and events while keeping in touch with architectural research and progression. ;Regulations and Standards: To involve members in the production of building regulations and

standards Standard may refer to: Symbols * Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs * Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification Norms, conventions or requirements * Standard (metrology), an object t ...

and to support the ongoing work of the joint BRE CIAT RIBA Technical Task Force. ;Traditional Architecture: The RIBA Traditional Architecture group’s space to disseminate their research and to capture the experience of their members. ;International: For the RIBA’s International department to build a knowledge bank from around the world. ;Small Practice: Providing a platform for architects in small practice to share their experience while having the opportunity to be a part of the consultations for the RIBA Small Practice Group papers. ;Development and Disaster Relief: To explore the difference that innovative design and construction can make in the lives of some of the most vulnerable people on earth (facilitated by Article 25). ;Urban Greening: To create the pre-conditions necessary for trees to be considered as an integral part of development at the earliest conceptual and design stages of any scheme (facilitated by the Trees and Design Action Group).

Structure

The RIBA Knowledge Communities website is a

knowledge management Knowledge management (KM) is the set of procedures for producing, disseminating, utilizing, and overseeing an organization's knowledge and data. It alludes to a multidisciplinary strategy that maximizes knowledge utilization to accomplish organ ...

initiative focused on architecture, which is supported by the RIBA Research & Development department. The communities are organized around existing RIBA committees and are responsible for devising and implementing plans to advance their respective areas of expertise pertaining to the built environment. ;Champion: An appointed RIBA Knowledge Champion acts as a focal point for the governance of their respective RIBA Knowledge Community. They are selected on the basis of their expertise and active involvement in the community’s field of knowledge. ;Expert Peer Group/Committee: The Peer Group consists of approximately 5-8 individuals. They are selected for their expertise and active involvement in their community's field of knowledge. The group delegates responsibilities in liaison with the community Facilitators and community members for routine tasks and responsibilities as well as one-off activities. ;Community Facilitators: Facilitators will support the creation and maintenance of the communities. They are the main administrative focus for the work of the community. They receive support from the RIBA Research & Development department and provide assistance to ‘Knowledge Champions’ and ‘Expert Peer Groups’. ;Community Members: Knowledge Communities are organised as collections of architects and other professionals who are committed to collaborations within specialist areas of

design A design is the concept or proposal for an object, process, or system. The word ''design'' refers to something that is or has been intentionally created by a thinking agent, and is sometimes used to refer to the inherent nature of something ...

management Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a Government agency, government bodies through business administration, Nonprofit studies, nonprofit management, or the political s ...

and

construction Construction are processes involved in delivering buildings, infrastructure, industrial facilities, and associated activities through to the end of their life. It typically starts with planning, financing, and design that continues until the a ...

Applications

The RIBA Knowledge Communities website provides applications designed to engage the members in their subjects of interest, these include: *Personal

blogs A blog (a Clipping (morphology), truncation of "weblog") is an informational website consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries also known as posts. Posts are typically displayed in Reverse chronology, reverse chronologic ...

*Community discussion forums *Community events calendars *Contacts *Members directory *Resources (uploading files to share with other community members) * Tags *

RSS feeds RSS ( RDF Site Summary or Really Simple Syndication) is a web feed that allows users and applications to access updates to websites in a standardized, computer-readable format. Subscribing to RSS feeds can allow a user to keep track of many ...

The RIBA Knowledge Communities is powered by

Elgg (software) Elgg is open source social networking software that provides individuals and organizations with the components needed to create an online social environment. It offers blogging, microblogging, file sharing, networking, groups and a number of othe ...

which is an

open source Open source is source code that is made freely available for possible modification and redistribution. Products include permission to use and view the source code, design documents, or content of the product. The open source model is a decentrali ...

networking platform. The applications are installed as plugins that can be downloaded from the Elgg community website or created by

PHP PHP is a general-purpose scripting language geared towards web development. It was originally created by Danish-Canadian programmer Rasmus Lerdorf in 1993 and released in 1995. The PHP reference implementation is now produced by the PHP Group. ...

developers.

Communities

Structure

Applications

References

External links