The Royal Fine Art Commission Trust

The Royal Fine Art Commission Trust is a UK registered charity, established in 1987 as a complement to the Royal Fine Art Commission. It is dedicated to promoting design excellence in architecture and the built environment. The Trust focuses on enhancing public knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of artistic, architectural, historic, and aesthetic matters.

History and Purpose

Founded to support the work of the Royal Fine Art Commission, which served as the government's independent adviser on public amenity and aesthetic issues in England and Wales, the Trust has a history of encouraging visual education and awareness. Its charitable activities include organizing lectures, seminars, publishing books and papers, and conducting or commissioning research related to design and the built environment.

Activities and Initiatives

Over more than three decades, the Trust has pursued its objectives through various initiatives:

• Educational Initiatives: Promoting visual education in schools to foster early appreciation of design.
• Awards: The Trust ran the Building of the Year Award until 2005, initially in partnership with The Sunday Times and later with Sky.
• Commentary and Research: It continues to contribute to design discourse by producing commentary on design matters and undertaking research.
• Partnership Projects: The Trust collaborates on projects where its involvement advances its mission.

Building Beauty Awards

A key recent initiative is the Building Beauty Awards, launched in 2021 and sponsored by Ballymore. These awards celebrate outstanding examples of beautiful architecture in the UK, highlighting design excellence that positively impacts the environment and communities. The first UK awards ceremony took place at Bloomberg European Headquarters in 2022, with an International Building Beauty Prize awarded at the World Architecture Festival in Lisbon that same year.

The awards include categories not only for buildings but also for engineering structures, public spaces, and small-scale interventions ("Little Gems") that enhance neighborhoods. This initiative aims to foster public discussion about the importance of beauty in the built environment and encourage demand for visually enriching developments.

Charitable Objectives

The Trust's overarching goal is to promote knowledge and appreciation of artistic and architectural quality through various means such as:

• Promoting visual education
• Organizing lectures and seminars
• Publishing educational materials
• Instituting research projects
• Recognizing excellence in architecture and design through awards

Governance

The Royal Fine Art Commission Trust is registered with the UK Charity Commission under charity number 298201.

The Trust remains an influential voice in advocating for design quality and visual beauty in public spaces, aligning with broader efforts to integrate aesthetic considerations into urban and architectural planning.

[1] https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/about-the-register-of-charities/-/charity-details/298201 [2] http://www.rfact.uk [3] https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/constituency-search/-/charity-details/298201/contact-information [4] https://buildingbeautyawards.com [5] https://www.charitychoice.co.uk/the-royal-fine-art-commission-trust-136435