The Commonwealth Association of Architects (CAA), established in 1965, is a professional association of national architectural associations representing architects in Commonwealth countries. The stated purpose of the CAA is to "maximise the contribution of architects to the well-being of society."https://commonwealtharchitects.org/ The organisation's mission is to help facilitate real change through the Commonwealth network by advancing policy, education and practice to increase inclusion, equality and prosperity. Ultimately, the CAA aims to help make cities and human settlements safe, resilient and sustainable. The CAA is one of 80 accredited organisations which support the work of the Commonwealth of Nations.
History At the time of its formation in 1965, the CAA was formed by six architectural institutions. By the 1990s, the organisation had grown to represent 38 architecture institutions, with a combined membership of over 44,000 architects from across the Commonwealth.
The first President of the CAA was Sir Robert Matthew CBE from 1965 to 1969. Peter Oborn served as President of the organisation between 2022-2024. Following a General Assembly held in Kigali, Rwanda on 22 August 2024, Steven Oundo from the Architects Association of Kenya was elected President for the 2024-2026 term.
A five-day International Architectural Exhibition of the Commonwealth Association of Architects was held in Battaramulla, Colombo, Sri Lanka in November 2013. It ran concurrently with the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting."Council meeting of Commonwealth Association of Architects on Thursday" , Daily FT (Sri Lanka), 13 November 2013. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
The organisation held a two-day international summit in London, in June 2015, to celebrate its 50th anniversary."Preparing for Commonwealth Association of Architects Golden Jubilee" , The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka), 1 March 2015. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
In October 2025, it was announced that the CAA's 60th Anniversary General Assembly would be held in Auckland, New Zealand, hosted by Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects as part of their biennale in:situ architecture conference.
Structure
Constitution The CAA is formed by Constitution which was first adopted at the general assembly of June 1965. Since then, it has been regularly amended and updated in 1971, 1976, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1987, 1994, 2000, 2003, February 2016, August 2022 and August 2024. The Constitution outlines articles on the objectives, membership, assembly, council, finances, committees and by-laws which govern the day-to-day operation of the CAA.
Governance The strategic direction of the CAA is determined by an elected Council, drawn from member organisations and elected at a General Assembly held on a two-year cycle. The CAA Council is supported by two committees - Education and Practice alongside a part-time Secretariat and a five-member Board of Trustees. The CAA is a registered charity in the UK.
Council The CAA Council has the following members:
President Senior Vice President Immediate Past-President Honorary Secretary & Treasurer Executive Director Vice President, Africa Vice President, Asia Vice President, Caribbean and Americas Vice President, Europe Vice President, Pacific Chair of Education & Validation Committee Chair of Practice Committee Youth Representative
Initiatives
Research Published in 2020, the CAA's Survey of the Built Environment Professions in the Commonwealth identified that Commonwealth Countries are forecast to account for nearly 50% of the projected growth in towns and cities over the next 30 years. The survey also revealed a critical lack of capacity in many of the Commonwealth countries which are urbanising most rapidly and are among the most vulnerable to climate change.
Accreditation of Commonwealth Architecture Schools One of the principal initiatives of the CAA is to provide guidelines on development of architecture schools, including a validation system for architecture courses. It has focused on ensuring schools of architecture include The Habitat Agenda and principles of environmentally sustainable design to be part of every syllabus for courses validated in the Commonwealth. The process of accrediting schools was first developed in 1968, when the CAA published a List of Qualifications in Architecture Recommended for Recognition. Since then, it has been regularly reviewed and overhauled, eventually becoming integrated with a Statement of Objectives and Standards of Recognition of Schools and is informally known as 'The Green Book'. In 2012 the UK's Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) ceased to recognise CAA accreditation of Commonwealth architecture schools, after the CAA refused to grant 'significant' RIBA representation on its accreditation panels to inspect schools first-hand. At the time CAA validated 41 colleges, though only visited 15 of them beforehand.Merlin Fulcher (24 October 2012) "RIBA stops recognising Commonwealth Association of Architects schools" , Architects' Journal. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
Awards Programme The CAA runs an awards programme held at its general assembly once every two years, with a focus on recognising the work of architects and students that engage with contemporary challenges such as climate change and rapid urbanisation together with associated increases in vulnerability, inequality, and biodiversity loss. The awards celebrate individuals who have made a demonstrable contribution to addressing such issues and contributes to delivery of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The awards programme comprises the following:
The Lifetime Achievement Award (Robert Matthew Award) - Awarded to an individual or architectural practice in recognition of innovative contributions to the development of architecture in the Commonwealth. The Environmental Impact Award - Recognises work in any sector which can demonstrate achievement of a significant positive environmental impact in areas such as circular economy, energy and carbon, water, ecology and biodiversity and/or connectivity and transport. The Social Impact Award - Recognises work in any sector which can demonstrate having achieved significant positive social impact in areas such as affordability, community development, health and well-being, and social value. The President's Award - Recognises work of a student in Years 4, 5 & 6 which critically and creatively addresses issues associated with social, economic and environmental well-being in the context of the current climate emergency. The Student Award - Recognises the work of a student in Years 1, 2 & 3 which creatively addresses issues associated with social, economic, and environmental well-being in the context of the current climate emergency.
Lifetime Achievement Award (Robert Matthew Award) First awarded in 1983, the CAA Lifetime Achievement Award, also known as Robert Matthew Award, was established to recognise innovative contributions to the development of architecture in the Commonwealth context and commemorates the legacy of the first President of the CAA, Sir Robert Hogg Matthew. YearRecipientCountryCommonwealth Region1983Philip Cox AOAustraliaPacific1985ARUP AssociatesUnited KingdomEurope1989Raj RewalIndiaAsia1991Hampshire Country Council Architects DepartmentUnited KingdomEurope1994Ian Ritchie ArchitectsUnited KingdomEurope1997Gregory Burgess ArchitectsAustraliaPacific2000TR Hamzah and YeangMalaysiaAsia2003Balkrishna Vithaldas DoshiIndiaAsia2016Grimshaw Architects (Joint Winner)United KingdomEurope2016Pervaiz Vandal & Associates (Joint Winner)PakistanAsia2019Prof. Richard EnglandMaltaEurope2022Rafiq AzamBangladeshAsia2024Yasmeen LariPakistanAsia2026Peter Clegg OBEUnited KingdomEurope
Presidents Presidents of the CAA are elected by members at the general assembly and have historically served three-year terms. In 2022, following changes to the constitution, the term of office was altered and Presidents of the CAA now serve a two-year term. +Term of OfficePresidentCountryCommonwealth Region1965-1967Sir Robert Matthew CBEUnited KingdomEurope1967-1969Sir Robert Matthew CBEUnited KingdomEurope1969-1971Dr. Jai Rattan BhallaIndiaAsia1971-1973Dr. Jai Rattan BhallaIndiaAsia1973-1976Mr. Ronald Andrew Gilling OBEAustraliaPacific1976-1979Mr. Oluwole Olusegun OlumuyiwaNigeriaAfrica1979-1982Mr. Frederic Rounthwaite CanadaCaribbean & Americas1982-1985Prof. Peter Johnson ACAustraliaPacific1985-1987Mr. John Wells-Thorpe OBEUnited KingdomEurope1987-1989Dato I Hisham AlbarkriMalaysiaAsia1989-1991Dr. Wale OdeleyeNigeriaAfrica1991-1994Mr. David Jackson AOAustraliaPacific1994-1997Mr. Rusi KhambattaIndiaAsia1997-2000Prof. George HendersonUnited KingdomEurope2000-2003Mr. Philip KunguKenyaAfrica2003-2007Mr. Llewellyn van WykSouth AfricaAfrica2007-2010Prof. Gordon HoldenNew ZealandPacific2010-2013Mr. Mubasshar HussainBangladeshAsia2013-2016Mr. Rukshan WidyalankaraSri LankaAsia2016-2019Mr. Vincent CassarMaltaEurope2019-2022Mr. Kalim A. SiddiquiPakistanAsia2022-2024Mr. Peter ObornUnited KingdomEurope2024-2026Mr. Steven OundoKenyaAfrica2026-PresentProf. John BrownCanadaCaribbean & Americas Sources
External links
Commonwealth Association of Architects at the Commonwealth Commonwealth Association of Architects at the Commonwealth of Nations Association on pinterest