There are a lot of architects in London, and, more to the point, a lot of people offering architectural services who are not architects at all.
Beyond the portfolio, the affiliations and accreditations a practice holds are one of the more reliable ways to understand what a studio actually stands for, and what protection you have as a client.
Here is an honest account of ours, what they mean in practice, and what to check before you appoint anyone.
Our director, Sean Ronnie Hill, reviewing a design model in VR with a client on site in West London. RISE Design Studio.
In the UK, the title "architect" is protected by law under the Architects Act, but the work itself is not. Anyone can design buildings and offer architectural services under titles like "architectural designer", "architectural consultant" or "building designer", with no qualification, no insurance requirement and no regulator behind them. Only someone on the ARB register can call themselves an architect.
Some architectural designers are skilled and diligent. But the difference matters when something goes wrong, because a registered architect is accountable to a statutory code, carries mandatory insurance, and can be struck off. An unregulated designer answers to no one. If you take one thing from this page, make it this: when a firm's website says "architectural" everywhere but never quite says "architect", that wording is usually deliberate.
The Architects Registration Board is the statutory regulator for architects in the UK. ARB registration is a legal requirement to use the title "architect". It is not optional and not honorary. It means we are qualified to the standard the law requires, and accountable for staying that way.
Registration carries real, practical protections for you as a client:
If you are considering working with an architect, checking their ARB registration is the most basic due diligence you can do. It takes thirty seconds at arb.org.uk and confirms that the person you are speaking to is who they say they are.
The Royal Institute of British Architects is the professional body for architects in the UK. Chartered membership, the RIBA after a name, requires a specific level of education, examination and ongoing professional development. It is a higher bar than registration alone, and it is voluntary, which tells you something about the practices that hold it.
RIBA Chartered Practice status applies to the business, not just the individuals, and it comes with obligations the practice has to evidence:
In practical terms, working with a RIBA Chartered Practice also means you have access to the RIBA's standard forms of appointment, which are client-protective contracts that set out clearly what you are buying, and a formal complaints procedure if something goes wrong.
Sean and Imran are both Chartered Members of RIBA, and RISE Design Studio is a RIBA Chartered Practice. In 2023 we were shortlisted for a RIBA Regional Award for our work on The Lexi Cinema and Hub in Kensal Rise, a project we are proud of for reasons beyond the recognition.
The Green Register of Construction Professionals is a not-for-profit organisation for built-environment professionals committed to sustainable construction. Membership requires active engagement, including a minimum of two days of training a year in sustainable building practice, rather than a one-off sign-up.
We joined because it reflected what we were already doing, not because we wanted a badge. The practice has worked on low-energy residential and commercial projects since we were founded in 2011. Passivhaus methodology, fabric-first retrofit and embodied carbon assessment are part of how we design, not services we offer on request. The Green Register also keeps a good, publicly available resource on sustainable building legislation and practice, worth bookmarking if you are early in thinking about a low-energy project.
Sean holds Passivhaus Designer accreditation, the qualification certified under the Passivhaus Institute, the international body that sets and certifies the standard. It is worth being clear about what this involves, because "sustainability" claims are cheap and this one is not. Becoming a certified Passivhaus Designer means formal training in building physics, detailed coursework in airtightness, thermal-bridge-free detailing, ventilation and glazing specification, and a rigorous examination. It also means working fluently in PHPP, the Passivhaus Planning Package, the energy modelling tool used to predict a building's performance precisely rather than approximately.
Not every project we work on pursues full Passivhaus certification. But the principle behind the standard, cutting energy demand through the quality of the fabric before relying on technology, informs how we approach every project from the first design conversation. When we say a house will be comfortable and cheap to run, that claim is built on modelling, not optimism.
Do I need an ARB-registered architect for my project? Legally, no, anyone can design a building. Practically, for anything involving significant money, structural change or planning risk, registration is your baseline protection: a qualified professional, mandatory insurance, and a regulator to answer to. The question to ask any designer is simple: are you on the ARB register? If the answer is anything other than yes, you are not dealing with an architect.
What is the difference between an architect and an architectural designer? An architect is registered with the ARB, which requires accredited qualifications (typically seven years of education and practice), carries mandatory insurance, and enforces a statutory code of conduct. "Architectural designer" is an unprotected description anyone can use, with no required qualifications, no regulator and no insurance obligation. Some are good; the point is that nothing external guarantees it.
What does RIBA Chartered Practice status mean for me as a client? It means the practice, not just its people, has to evidence PI insurance, a quality management system, health and safety competence and ongoing professional development, and that you have access to the RIBA's client-protective standard appointment contracts and a formal complaints route. It is the difference between trusting a firm's word and having a framework behind it.
Does my project need a Passivhaus Designer? Only if you want certified Passivhaus or EnerPHit performance, but the training pays off well short of that. A Passivhaus Designer models energy performance precisely, which benefits any low-energy project, a deep retrofit, an extension, a new home, whether or not it certifies. If low bills and year-round comfort matter to you, the skill set is relevant even when the plaque is not the goal.
These are the affiliations we hold and what they actually mean: a statutory baseline, a chartered standard above it, an active commitment to sustainable construction, and a specific technical qualification in low-energy design. If you would like to talk through a project, we are always glad to have an early conversation before any formal appointment is made.
→ Email us at architects@risedesignstudio.co.uk
→ Or call the studio on 020 3947 5886
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