The Highlands and Islands Architectural Association is the northernmost chapter of the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS). The move – which was agreed by members at their recent AGM – is intended to better represent the profile, practice and loci of architects and architectural trainees across the Highlands and Islands, and to celebrate the breadth and diversity of the region’s flourishing architectural scene.

The Association is excited at the change as it allows it to fully represent the geography of where HIAA members are based and work – from major urban centres including Inverness to remote rural practices. The chapter’s area is famously ‘bigger than Belgium’ and its island-based council members have contributed significantly to the work of both the Association and the RIAS, most recently in a programme of community outreach to raise awareness of climate change that coincided with the 2021 COP26 Summit. The Association already has local groups in Skye, the Western Isles and Shetland, and hopes to grow more in the Lochaber and Moray areas – largely through online activity to bring members together without adding to their carbon footprint.

A spokesperson for the HIAA said the organisation is looking forward to the opportunities that the name change will open up which will be seen not only through a rebrand with a new logo and graphics, but also – and most importantly – through new outreach to the public, new members, clients and stakeholders in the area.

“There is lots of work to do under the new banner and the leadership of new HIAA President Catriona Hill,” the spokesperson added.