Kent Architecture Centre is a not-for profit organisation based at Chatham Historic Dockyard. It works with a range of architects, planners and designers to promote high quality and sustainable practice in architecture and the built environment. Recent activities include work with Kent County Council on the Design Excellence in North Kent programme (DENK).
Objective
Following a new strategic plan, Kent Architecture Centre commissioned Counterculture’s Stephen Escritt to review is governance arrangements, identify improvements and help facilitate changes. Change and development was required at constitutional and board level to respond to a new business model and income strategy.
Actions
The organisation’s structure, board skills and recruitment were comprehensively examined. Counterculture interviewed the company’s directors, the executive and a range of external stakeholders to establish what changes would be beneficial. An implementation plan was mapped out to guide the organisation through a year-long process of change.
Results
The organisation embarked on a series of changes aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of the business – including a move to charitable status, and the establishment of an expanded board with a broader skills base. These changes are enabling Kent Architecture Centre and its board, to be more responsive to the current funding and business environment.