The Royal Institute of British Architects is celebrating its 175th year. To mark this milestone the Institute has planned a programme of special events which look back on some of the most significant achievements of the past, while also looking forward to the years ahead. The RIBA aims to use its position as the home of architecture in the UK to engage an even wider audience in the important architectural issues which impact on the way we live and work now and in the future.

Public highlights of the programme include an Architecture Film Season at the British Film Institute, a national schools competition to design a new parliament building for the 175th anniversary of the Barry/Pugin Palace of Westminster and a public vote on the UK’s most romantic building.

Major annual events such as the RIBA Stirling Prize, the Royal Gold Medal and Annual Lecture will also be given special prominence during the year. Her Majesty The Queen will present the 2009 Royal Gold Medal winner, Alvaro Siza, with his medal at a private audience at Buckingham Palace in February. This is only the sixth time that the medal has been presented by a member of the Royal family since its inauguration 161 years ago. In January the RIBA will launch a website to celebrate the history of the Royal Gold Medal which can be viewed at www.architecture.com