"There has not been cultural change as a result of Grenfell" says ARB CEO Hugh Simpson

Necessary cultural change within the construction industry is still yet to happen nine years on from the devastating Grenfell Tower fire, the man in charge of the UK architects' regulator tells Dezeen in this interview.

"It is undoubtedly, I think, the case that there has not been cultural change as a result of Grenfell," said Architects Registration Board (ARB) CEO Hugh Simpson, who has been in the role since December 2020.

"Whether you speak to regulators or professional bodies, I think they would all argue that there's been some really positive things that have happened since Grenfell, but I don't think anyone believes that there have been the systemic improvements that will lead to sustained change," he added.

"If there were, I don't think the government would be pursuing a reform agenda, we would not be having a new construction regulator."

Grenfell Tower was a social housing block in north west London that was destroyed in a huge fire on 14 June 2017, with 72 people killed and hundreds left homeless.

The fire was able to spread rapidly around the building via flammable materials installed on its facade in a botched refurbishment project completed just a year earlier.

"No one came out of that inquiry looking good"

In response to the disaster, the UK Government passed the Building Safety Act in 2022, establishing a new Building Safety Regulator and introducing extensive new duties for those designing and constructing high-rise residential buildings.

Additionally, in line with recommendations later issued by a public inquiry into the fire, the government put forward proposals to establish a new "single construction regulator" in late 2025.

ARB has expressed support for the proposals, with Simpson hopeful they will help to "create a framework where people are incentivised to do the right thing".

"There is an external government reform agenda post-Grenfell, and what we do as part of that will be a very significant part of what we're doing over the next five years, is our working assumption," he said.

In February this year, ARB published a five-year corporate strategy setting out how it will respond to the findings of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, issued in September 2024.

The inquiry reserved its strongest language for the architecture practice involved in the Grenfell refurbishment project, Studio E, concluding that it bears "a very significant degree of responsibility for the disaster".

It also warned there appeared to be "a widespread failure" across the architecture profession to understand materials being used to clad high-rise buildings.

Nevertheless, Simpson doesn't believe that the architects should be singled out for blame for the disaster.

"No one came out of that inquiry looking good, and everyone should take their share of responsibility," he said.

"The risk of it is trying to identify a single person whenever there were systemic failures – and that means that it was everything from contractors to the local authority to individual professionals."

"And I think that the lesson that we need to learn is that the solutions or the improvement will not come from fixing one bit, but fixing the system."

"Naive to think cultural change has been embedded"

ARB has described its new corporate strategy as being "focused on improving safety, strengthening professional competence and improving workplace culture among architects in the UK" – the three elements it considers the "key gaps" highlighted by the Grenfell inquiry.

Simpson said the new strategy is not a change of direction, but a continuation of a process begun with the previous 2022-2026 strategy, which included the introduction for the first time of mandatory continuing professional development (CPD) for architects.

It also involved an overhaul of the architects' code of conduct and a review of the competency requirements for newly registered architects, including technical knowledge relating to fire and life safety.

"I think we would describe that very much as putting in place some really quite fundamental building blocks, a recognition that historically regulation of architects had not delivered what it needed to deliver," Simpson said of the previous strategy.

"The next phase is about consolidating those, embedding them, and making sure we're reaping some of the benefits of those."

"I think there are things that we did before the [Grenfell] report came out which I think are really positive," he continued.

"But I think you would be highly naive to think that the cultural change has been fully embedded, and it takes a while for culture to change."

Workplace culture report "shocking"

It's a busy time for ARB, with the new corporate strategy also making "tackling poor workplace culture" a priority.

"There will be measurable shifts in culture so that those working in the sector feel safer, more supported without fear of discrimination or sexual harassment," the strategy document pledges.

Simpson explained that this felt necessary after ARB-commissioned research published in 2024 identified serious issues with discrimination and sexual misconduct in UK architecture workplaces.

Among the findings were that one in four female architects have experienced unwelcome sexual advances at work.

"It's quite shocking, really," said Simpson. "You cannot look at that and think that's okay."

He sees a potential link between the issues raised by the Grenfell inquiry and poor workplace culture.

"From a regulatory perspective, there is loads of evidence that highlights that risk comes as much from poor culture as it does from technical competence, and certainly within high-risk industries," he said.

"If you have the wrong culture, then you're in all sorts of problems. You can't possibly hope to create a positive system if you're not dealing not only with competence, but also culture."

In the most serious cases, architects could now be struck off the register for damaging workplace behaviour.

Changes to training system

Also on ARB's agenda are changes to the rules governing how architects are trained.

Simpson said its ambition is to make the current system, which dates back to 1958, more flexible so that education providers can be more innovative with the courses they provide and students can switch to architecture from related disciplines without going back to square one.

ARB's focus, he said, is a trainee's level of competence by the time they join the architects' register – adding that the regulator is "agnostic, really, around how you got there", or how long it takes.

As a sign of progress, he points to an application by Leeds University for accreditation of a five-year integrated architecture and engineering course, where graduates would have a masters in a dual qualification.

Meanwhile, ARB has been conducting lengthy discussions with the UK Government about overhauling how architects are regulated so that the work they do is protected, as well as just the title.

The government is currently inviting responses to a call for evidence on the issue.

"I think we're optimistic that the government wants to at least look at the topic as part of their review of the post-Grenfell regulatory reforms," said Simpson.

"Certainly, we've had lots of positive discussions over the last 12 months."

"Being registered matters"

The way architects are regulated in the UK has become a hot-button issue, with RIBA president Chris Williamson refusing to pay his fees to remain on the architects' register in protest at what he called the "absurdity of the current regulatory framework".

However, Simpson warns that despite positive noises from government officials, changing the current system will be challenging, with no option to copy-and-paste another country's approach.

"We've made no secret the fact that we think there'll be benefits reviewing some of the legislative framework, but people should also recognise that regulation of function is not simple," he said.

"If it was simple, there would have been a ready-made, oven-made plan some time ago."

"I think what's really focused minds is post-Grenfell we need to think about what we need to do in relation to quality, and how do we drive standards within the sector, and if there are certain functions, should they be reserved to certain professions."

Moreover, he cautions that regulating the function of architects "is not a silver bullet for some of the challenges that exist within the profession".

And, he noted, since any reforms would likely affect legislation linked to building regulations rather than the 1997 Architects Act that sets its remit, ARB's role would not dramatically change.

"The really most important thing I would say is that being registered matters, being regulated matters," concluded Simpson.

"It matters to the public. If you want to use someone who is competent, has insurance, has no criminal convictions, and hasn't been struck off, you should use a registered architect, and that hasn't changed. I think that's a really important message to get out."

The portrait of Simpson is courtesy of ARB.

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