Records of the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment: Design and...

CABE 8

1999-2011

The Better Public Building Initiative, announced in 2000, promoted the role of good design in transforming public services, and required government departments to work towards achieving high-quality design in all new public building projects. An Enabling Directorate was established within the newly created Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) to facilitate this approach through an Enabling Programme. The Directorate was renamed the Design and Planning Advice Directorate in 2010.

The resultant Public Sector Client Support Programme, developed by CABE, operated through a number of specialist Enablers, working as consultants to the internal CABE staff and collectively known as the Enabling Panel. Enablers provided technical advice direct to client organisations in the early stages of a project. Panel members included academics, architects, urban designers, landscape architects, planners, planning lawyers, development managers, project managers, builders and masterplanners; as well as specialists in housing, heritage, health, education, regeneration, and sustainability.

This series contains papers relating to CABE’s Enabling support service for government-funded public building programmes and projects from 2000. This direct client support, given to government departments, local authorities, funders, local clients, project teams, and grant recipients, covered advice and training on the determination of their requirements for capital projects, selection of teams, procurement and reviewing of evolving designs. A key part of the service was to help build capacity and knowledge to enable the development of 'intelligent clients' and achieve the best functional, robust and quality building possible for the client’s timescale and budget.

CABE was involved in part with all major capital programmes from 2000-2010:

• Schools programme- both Public Finance Initiative (PFI) schools (2000-2004) and Building Schools for the Future (2004-2010), including an audit of recently completed PFI schools in 2005-2006.
• Delivery of the Sure Start programme (2002-2004) and the Children's Centre programme (2004-2008).
• Public Service buildings - Social Services (2000-2002), Department of Justice court building programme (2002-2006); Civil Defence building including the Home Office police buildings (2002-2006), and Ministry of Defence housing programme (2001-2003).
• Department of Health acute hospital programme and primary care centres (2001-2010), including an audit of recently completed primary care centres in (2006-2007).
• Arts Council Capital programme: Arts Capital Programme (2001-2003) and Grants for the Arts Capital (2004-2008).
• The series also contains files relating to design competitions, including site briefs and national policy and competition development.

Public Record(s)

English

156 file(s)

Open unless otherwise stated

In 2019 Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment

Topics

Art, architecture and design

Government finances

Children

Armed Forces (General Administration)

No further accruals expected

Acquisition Policy Criteria 3.1 To record the principal policies and actions of UK central government and to document the state's interactions with its citizens and with the physical environment

The Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE), was established in September 1999, as a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). CABE succeeded the former Royal Fine Art Commission (RFAC) which had been established by royal warrant in 1924 to advise on individual projects specifically referred to it by government departments and other public bodies. RFAC was eventually sponsored by the Department of the Environment and the Department fof National Heritage, but had no statutory powers and was abolished in April 1999.

CABE was funded by both DCMS and the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG).

CABE was made a statutory body by the Clean Neighbourhood and Envirnonment Act, 2005. CABE served as the government's statutory adviser on architecture, urban design and public space in England. Its remit was to influence and inspire the people making decisions about the built environment; working directly with architects, planners, designers and clients.

CABE's remit did not cover Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. The equivalent body in Scotland is Architecture and Design Scotland.