LibGuides: Architecture and Interior Design: Other resources

Websites

Architects Registration Board (ARB)
The UK regulator of architects. Wide range of professional information. See particularly links from Information for Students tab.
Architect's Council of Europe
An association of member organisations to promote and represent the common interest of the profession of architecture in the European Community.
Architectural Association (AA) School of Architecture
Architectural Association (AA) School of Architecture. Useful for current events, publications, competitions.
Association of Master Upholsterers and Soft Furnishers
British Furniture Manufacturers
British Standards Institution
Building Research Establishment (BRE)
Provides research, advisory, training, testing, certification and standards information, including CPD courses for practitioners in built environment related professions, including BREEM and BIM training.
Chartered Society of Designers
Construction Industry Research and Information Association (CIRIA)
Useful for policy and regulation development, changing operating environments and new developments in construction techniques, materials and procurement, events and training.
Crafts Council
Design Council
Represents the UK design industry and related bodies. Now incorporates the work of the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE).
Design Research Society
FIRA (Furniture Industry Research Association)
Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)
RIBA is a professional body for architects primarily in the UK, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture. A vast range of useful links, including images, knowledge bank and Education/CPD section.
Royal Town Planning Institute
The UK's leading planning body for spatial, sustainable and inclusive planning and largest planning institute in Europe. The Institute is responsible for maintaining professional standards and accrediting planning courses nationally and internationally.
The Textile Institute

Other academic libraries with relevant materials can be searched via Library Hub Discover and accessed via the SCONUL Access Scheme.

British Library - access to material unavailable elsewhere. See their website for visiting information and how to register for a reader pass.

Specialist Libraries

Bishopsgate Institute Library - specialist collection on London history, includes a lot of architectural material. Free to access.
British Museum Libraries and Archives - subject areas covered reflect the museum’s collections such as decorative arts and crafts. Access by appointment only.
BSI Members Reading Room - British Standards. Students (with proof of student status) can consult British Standards not available from Construction Information Service free of charge for the first two hours as non-members of BSI. At least 24 hours' notice is required for visits.
Courtauld Institute of Art Book Library - visit by appointment only.
Dana Research Centre and Library, Science Museum - Technology, design history, product design. Open to the general public by appointment only.
Guildhall Library - history of London, particularly the city. It is strongly recommended to book a visit in advance if you wish to access material from their stores.
London Metropolitan Archives Library - archives from the City of London Corporation, free for all to access.
National Art Library (Victoria and Albert Museum) - reference library for research in art, design and decorative arts. Huge archive of photographs, reports, surveys and maps. It is strongly advised to order any items you wish to consult in advance of your visit.
RIBA Library - free to access, but photo ID required.
Sir John Soane's Museum - research library specialises in architectural history mainly from the 17th and early 19th centuries. Appointments needed.
Wallace Collection Library and Archives - 17th and 18th century French decorative art, sculpture, ceramics and furniture. Access is by appointment only.

See also the Local History archives in individual boroughs - search for them under Libraries.

ArchDaily - compiled by architects. Good for research, up-to-date projects and architectural products.
Archi-Europe Group - represents a unique platform where architects coming from all over Europe can meet each other.
Archinect UK - many useful features including Construction index, British Architecture chronology and UK Award Winners listing. Useful links section includes a wide range of professional & trade associations and public bodies (e.g. National Trust) who may offer jobs, placements, scholarships, bursaries or courses.
Architecture week - linked to "Architecture week" journal, presenting 1,000 classics of world architecture. Can search by building, architect or place.
Architonic - this platform can be used to find products, brands, retailers, and expertise for architecture and design.
Archives Hub - archives are a good source of primary material. Find out if there is an archive on your research area, where it is, and how to access it.
ARH net - research into the history of modern arts, architecture and design. It consists of three linked databases: ReVIEW (digitized, searchable versions of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century art journals); Arts & Architecture ProFILES (a biographical dictionary of modern artists, designers, architects, craftspeople and photographers); Design Abstracts Retrospective.
Barbour Product Search - a "searchable database of products and suppliers, including images, case studies, technical data, catalogues, news and project data".
British and Irish Furniture Makers Online - a digital resource created in a partnership between the Institute of Historical Research and the Furniture History Society. It contains details of furniture manufacturers and suppliers, their organising structures, their clientele, the material they produced and the services they provided from the beginning of the 17th century to the early 20th century.
BSI Knowledge Centre and Shop - find information on British Standards.
Building Research Establishment (BRE) - provides research, advisory, training, testing, certification and standards information, including CPD courses for practitioners in built environment related professions, including BREEM and BIM training.
Bustler - "sister site to the leading architecture platform, Archinect, focuses on competition and event listings in the architecture and design industries."
City of London London Metropolitan Archives - holds archives of construction firms, important registries of building control case files, plans and drawings series created by the architects, engineers, surveyors and planning departments of the Greater London Council and predecessor bodies, also the City of London Corporation.
Construction Index - a professional edited dictionary of recommended websites relevant to construction in the UK.
designboom - "industrial design today: courses, education, competitions, history and contemporary, shop, interviews, snapshots, design-aerobics".
Design Museum Designers - provides profiles of the leading designers.
Inhabitat.com - a weblog that provides information on new sustainable design and technological practices.
International Textile Collection - the collection is based at the University of Leads, but you can search for textiles and view images and descriptions on their website. The collection dates from the Ancient Egyptian to the present day, with the greater part covering the 19th and early 20th centuries. It's particularly good for embroideries from China and the Mediterranean region, resists and weaves from Indonesia, India and West Africa, and European woven samples. This collection includes the former International Textiles Archive known as ULITA.
London Residential Research - free half year reviews of the residential market in the City and Docklands reported in the press (Estates Gazette). It provides an in-depth analysis into market trends, sub-market activity and the planning pipeline, and provides the opportunity of highlighting the future direction of the residential market in Central London.
MoDiP - the Museum of Design in Plastics is based in Poole, but the collections can be searched online.
National Building Survey (NBS) - NBS National BIM Library - the only BIM object library which directly links to the market leading NBS specification software. A free website including the latest downloads for NBS National BIM report 2014. Building information modeling (BMI) is a process involving the generation and management of digital representations of physical and functional characteristics of places. Visit the NBS National BIM Library.

NBS National BIM Library - Source of BIM objects in the UK to support Building Information Modeling, the process involving the generation and management of digital representations of physical and functional characteristics of places. Includes generic objects for use in outline design stages and specific manufacture objects for use later in the project, all authored to NBS standard.

Survey of London - this is the website of the Survey of London's Whitechapel project. Use it to explore the histories of Whitechapel’s buildings and places. It includes a map, information about every building in Whitechapel as of 2016, photographs, stories, research, film clips and audio recordings.
World-architects.com - useful website for international profiles on architects, landscape architects, engineers, interior designers, lighting consultants, and architectural photographers. Also provides reviews and job vacancies.
Trendhunter - TrendHunter.com is a trend community. The site includes trend reports and consumer insights, and events.