Royal Society of Ulster Architects
known as RSUA
Trustees, Report
The trustees, who are directors for the purposes of company law, pr¢sent the annual report together with the
financial stat¢m¢nts of the ¢haritable company for the y¢ar ¢nd¢d 31 Mar¢h 2023.
ObJe¢tives and 2CtIFities
Objects aAd
The principal obje¢tiv¢s of the Society are as follows:
Good design matters be¢ause it briTW soci￿, ¢¢onomic and environEllenta] ben¢fit$. Well designed houses and
neighbourhoods make our lives healthker. happier and sa£eT and ow ¢omm)miti¢s stronger. students learn better
and achieve more in inspiring educational buildings, recovery times Amprove in hospitaE5 designed to rneet th¢
netds ofpatients and staff; and businesses profit from greener, well consider¢d Premises.
Public benefit
The public benefit may be demonstrated by the Increasing number of awards and positive publicity given to the
design of buildings and th¢ built environment in North¢rn trelan
These are not just awards for deswj in tenns of aesthetics but are also for constrnctxon excellence and
fimctionality. Such awards recognkse sustainability, accessibility, the seTvices the building ￿V¢S to the publi
aud the effed th¢ building ha$ on the regeneration of a stre¢t or area.
Articles on buildings in national as w¢ll as the local archifrctural and construction Press also demoustrates the
benefit to tlle public.
The beneficiaries are the users of buildings which would ¢ncon]pass all metnbers of the public.
RSUA'S objectives and publio benefit statement ar¢ aecepted by The Ckwity Commission. The main strategies
etnployed to achieve public b¢nefit by the Society can be broadly categorised dwing tbe year as follows:
* RSUA Design Awards
* Publication of th¢ So¢iety'S magazines.
* RIBA Bookshop at the RSUA
* Client Advisory Service, including d¢sign Con￿etitionS1¢0￿W)etltive interviews
* Practice Servic¢s Scheme
* CPD Seminars and courses
* Liaison with govenirnent bodies particularly in relatioll to public sectOT procurem¢nt and planning
These broad categorisatiotts of activities ar¢ ¢urrently catried out for the Public benefiL
The tn￿teeS cotifirn) that th¢y have complied with th¢ requirernents of section 4 0£ th¢ Charities Act 2008 to
have due regard to the public benefit guidance published by The a]arity Con)mission for Northern Ireland.
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Royal Society of Ulster Architects
known as RSUA
Trustees, Report
A¢hievements and performance
10 2022123 RSUA'S income increased by aTound £84k priijwily due to the following fartors.
Active Trav¢1 project fimding
. Study Tour
. RSUA Design Awards returning as an ev¢nt
. Judicial Review support from RIBA
. Early Career Architects competition funding
In 202￿23 RSUA'S expenditttye increased by around £130k Primarily du¢ to the £ollowitig factors:
. Event expenditLre
• Staff costs - incT¢¥tsed stsff and salary increases
. AGtive Travel project funds spent
. Early Career Ar¢hitects funds spent
. Judicial review costs
In recent years RSUA has increased its free reserves. For 2022123 RSUA budg¢t¢d to sp¢nd more than the
in¢ome we brought in. We were successful in doing so.
RSUA spent roughly £40k more than the income ￿ generated in 2022123.
RSUA intends to Gontinue to low¢r its fro¢ reserve over the next few years atkd will budget for anrnthl
¢xp¢ndtttsre levels to be higher than ￿mUal incoJn¢ levels.
Pagc 4

Royal Society of Ulster Arehiteets
known as RSUA
Trustees, Report
Th¢ income generated in 2022123 has enabled RSUA to carry out a wide rartge of ¢harAtable activities including".
Continuous Professional Development: Provided a broad range of learning opportunities for members through
online events inch￿illg an on-demalld option.
Architecture Nlgbt: Major evellÈ attracting over 200 that celebrates architecture in a unjque way. This year the
ev¢tLt was held at Riddel's W8rehouse in Belfast ckty ¢entre.
Early C2r¢er Design Competition: Storylines wks the RSUAIJP Corry Early Career Design Competition in
2022. The winning proj¢ct, Yellow Box, was at]nounced at Architecture Nigbt and a cash prize was awarde4
Engagement Ivith clients.. RSUA has engaged wxth Councils, central goven]ment bodies, universities, housing
associations and others to promote the benefits of investing in design quality and to provide support in obtaining
RSUA peer approved Design Quality Panel: The panel menibers provRd¢d expert assistance to a number of
initiatives including the Belfast Stories proiecL
Professlonal Insights Programmt: RSUA menthers provided over 100 second ye&r thdents from both
IinTversities in Belfast with a T8nge of practical insights to th.e work of an arcliit¢¢t in practice.
ProcErem¢nt: RSUA conlinued to work with clients 2nd policy n￿£[S to improv¢ procurernent Thitb a view to
creating ¢onditions to allow archAteets to deliver of tl]¢ir best.
Engagement with Councils: RSUA met with a number of local wuncils on a wide rdng¢ of matters but with a
partirular focus on platitiing.
RSUA Design Award5= A robust judging process for the RSUA Design Awards 2023 took place in Spring 2023
aad the WIt￿erS were announced at a Gala Evelling in at Parliament Buildings in May 2023.
Commllnleations: A Ml-page feature by an RSUA member appeared each month in the Lrish News. The new
RSUA website continued to be enhanced.
Gtneral meetiIigs: Two General Meetings this year have been held in~person and have included an
hit¢ct-led buildijjg tour. The other two General Meetings hav¢ been held onIine and have include a 'My
Ar¢hitectur¢' presentstion by a memb¢r.
Publications: Perspective and Living DeskgD rnagazines We￿ published throughout the y￿.
Practice Services Scheme: B¢n¢fits for practices that subscribe to the Pra¢ti¢e Services SchenJ¢ were ￿ttl
enh8n¢ed this year.
Sthdy Trfip: A Study Trip to Madrid took place in June 2022. A study trip to Cork was planned for June 2023.
Ask An Architect: The initiativ¢ raised £14,000 for Friends of the Cancer Centre tIM)ugh its pattnership with
the JAII Todd Trust whilst raising the profile to the public of th¢ role of the architect.
Loeal Groups: A range of RSUA local groups met with the lo¢d Council to s¢ek ways to improve architecture
and the built cnvironment in tbe Council aretL
Page 5

Royal So¢iety of Ulster Architects
known as RSUA
Trustees, Report
Bu]Iding Inspiratlon L¢¢ture: The building inspiration le¢ttre w&$ postponed. RSUA aims to restart the le¢ftwe
Series in late 2023.
Wider representation: RSUA actively participated in the NI Construction Group. the Strdtegic Design Group,
NI Assembly Ali Party Group on Construction and the Ewrt Pattel on Building Safety
Honorary men￿ership. In recognition of the importajjt role that non-atchitects and architects from outside Nl
have on architecture in Nl, RSUA confeTT¢d Honordry M¢mbership this year on AndTew Halry.
Commlttees and Groups.. During the year the Committ￿$ and Groups continued with an active programme of
worL The Education and C&reets Committee was forD]ed.
Engagement with students and younger members: RSUA continued to increase its engagement with skndents
and younger ￿Chitects this year through:
• Th¢ perfectly proportioned quiz of aTcI)itectur¢ and other things ill partnership with th¢ unkversities held in the
Black Box
. The Storylines d¢sign competition for early career archite¢ts
. Student medals
. Awarded the Alan Bames travelling scholarship
. Increased tbe number of practices signed up to fair pay comn]itments for Part I graduates
. Prolided free or reduced price tickets foT Students at V￿lOuS RSUA events
. Supported ATcSoc at QUB ftir a number of lectur¢s
. Otganis¢d 'Pr¢paTing for Practice. a Part 3 study evelling
Delivered the Professional Insights Programme for second year students in partnership with both B¢lfast
llniversities
. Early Car¢er Archit¢cts Fonun h¢ld 2 number of events
. Held 8 special celebration for all th¢ D¢wly qualAfied architects in NI
FiDantlal revieTV
Pollcy on reserves
The m¢mber5 of the Council have estsblished a policy whereby the unreslricted fiinds not conunitted or investsd
in tangible fixed assets ethe fr¢e r¢serves? held by the charity should be between 2 and 6 ll￿nths of the
resources expended, wbich equates to between £64,626 and £l93,877 iM g¢neral fuJLds. At this leveL th¢ Council
fttl tbat they would be able to continue the Current activiti¢s of the Ch￿lty. In the event of a significant drop i
fimding. it would obviously be ll￿¢$$ary to consider how the fimding would be repla¢¢d ￿ activities changed.
At pre8ent the fr¢¢ reserves an]ount to £370,935 and exceed tbe Council's target T9￿ge. The Council wiIl
Continue to monitor their free reserves.
RSUA has delivered a financial perfonnan¢e this year in line WAth its budget. The new accounting systern and
internal accouating PrO￿$S¢S introduc¢d in 2018119 have been refined &Bd are now providino better quality and
more tymely financial infornution. RSUA Continues to undertak¢ a fornul budget review process with Council
ea¢h ye￿.
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Royal SocAety of Ulster Architects
knoivn as RSUA
Trustees, Report
IA¢ip4lfunding sourc
The main incoming resour¢¢s of the Society remain the membership Sub￿riptiOn rebztes from RJBA, CPD
incorne, PSS income, sponsorsbip, book8hop, ￿n]missIonS and other grant funding.
Th¢ Society is extremely gratefvl to all Ats grant fundffi and sponsoTS, wÉthout whose support the Society would
not be able to njn a nunther of its activities.
Going concern
The financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis.
The tNstees asse&s whether the )Jse of going concern is appropriate i.e. wh¢th¢r there are any material
ucertainties related to events or conditions that may cast sigtiificant doubt on tbe ability of the charlty to
continue as a going concern. The trustees mak¢ this assessment in respect of a period of one y¢ar frotn the date
of approval of the financial statetnents.
Structurey governanee and Manage￿¢llt
Nature ofg(ryÉvning doeupftértt
The Royal S(i¢iety of Ulster Architscts is a company lirnsted by guarant¢¢ and as such th¢ liability of each of Éhe
members is limittd. Under Section 62 of th¢ Companies Act 2006, the Society is exen¥t from using the word
Limited. The Society's gov¢rning doctunent is the Metnorandum and Articles of Association. In the event of the
Company being wound up members are required to Gontribute £5.00.
Recrultffient dRd appoiNtmtAI oflpustees
Und¢r the requirements of the Mernorandum and Articles of Asso¢Aation the membets of the Council aTe elected
to serve for a period of tbr¢¢ years after which tbey need to stand for re-electÉon at tbe next Annual General
Meeting if they wish to continue to serve on Council.
RSUA seeks to ensure that members with a range of eXp￿￿e0c¢ from within the 8￿hIteCtUral prof¢$gion serve
on the Council.
Induction and iriuning oftrustses
Most Goun¢il members ar¢ familiar with the role of the Ch￿]ty through their membership of the a￿hitectur&1
profession. New council Membe￿ attend an orientstion meeting to brief them on their legal obligations and
responsibilities as membeIs of Council.
Arrangementsfor settlng key m4nugethentpersoMn¢l replluneyation
The President ond ￿$tee8 work wholly on a voluntary basis and re¢eive no remunuation, bonuses, OT
ben¢fits-in4(ind or hav¢ any pension entitlements. LÈkewise, society volunteers aTe not retnunerated. The post of
RSUA Director is a remunerated position. The Director's remuneration Ès set by the Honorary Officers
Committee.
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Royal Society of Ulster Architects
knoTrvn as RSUA
Trustees, Report
ory0￿$￿tional structhre
The So¢Aety 1$ n]allaged and directed by its Council. Vacant Council s¢ats are filled through an election process,
The Council meets at least six times during the period September to June.
Membership of the Society call be classified as: chartered members, honorary m¢nth¢rs, student rllembeTS,
associate members #lld affiliats m¢nJbers. Ea¢h category ha8 its own collditions and temis as oudined in the
Societys governing documenL
The Society is iti alliance with the Royal Insiitute of British Ar¢hitect5 (RIBA). The Council of the Society shall
relate to the Coullcil of the RIBA only in Tespe¢i of Enatters relative to its sta￿S in alliance. RSUA sits on the
Council of the Royal Institute of Archit￿tS of Ireland as an observeT.
Relatlonshflps wfith related parties
Tbe Society is in allian¢¢ with the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). The Council of the Society shall
relate to the Council of tbe RIBA only in respect of matters rel&tive to its 8tth￿ in alliance.
Major risks ¢Md managémtnt ofthose nsks
Personnel
the risk of losing key staff or volunteers, with the assQCi0t¢d loss of exp¢rtise and expaience
Reputation
the Tisk that tbe so¢i¢ty might be suffer reputational damage as the result of unauthorised public statements
FinanctalRisk
the risk that society ¢ould nm into fiJJaa¢ial difficulties
RSUA operates a risk register which fornially records th¢ key Tisks and actions taket) to minimise those risks.
The register is reviewed by Council aA)nually and is a pern&3nent item on the agenda for the Honorary Officers
eelings.
Fin*n¢ial instruments
Objeclives andpollci¢s
The ch￿ity'S activities ¢xpose it to a number of finattcial risks including credit risL cash flow TÉsk and liquidity
risk. The use of fmancial derivatives is governed by th¢ Charity's polk¢i¢s approved by the boord of tsvstees,
which provide ￿TItt¢ll principl¢s on the use of financial derivatives to rnanage these risks. The ch￿lty does not
use derivativ¢ financial instrum¢nts foT speculative purposes,
Cashflow kysk
The charity's activities ¢Kpose it primarily to th¢ financial risks of changes ij) foreign cuuency exchange rates
and interest rdtrs. The charÈty uses for¢iwJ exchange fornrd contracts attd kllterest Tate swap contracts to hed8¢
these exposuTes.
Interest bearing asstts and liabilities are held at fixa rate to ensur¢ c¢rtainty of cash flows.
Page 8

Royal Society of Ulster Architects
known as RSUA
Trustses, Report
Crnlit rlsk
Th¢ clwity's prillcipal financia] assets are bafjk ba12nce8 and cash, trade and other receivables, and investn]ellts.
The charity's ¢redxt risk IS WITll2ri1y attributable to its trade receivables. The amounts presented in the balance
sheet are net of allowances for doubtfill re¢eivabl¢s, An allowance for impaim)ent is made wheTr ther¢ ts an
Identified loss event whi¢ty based on previous experience, is evidence of a Tedu¢txon in the recoverability of the
cash flows.
The credit risk on liquid funds and derivative fin¥llcial instruments is limitsd because the coulltsIparties are
banks with high credtt-tatings assigned by int¢rnational cr¢(iit-rating agencies.
The charity has no significant coneelltration of credit risk, with exposure spread over a large of
counteiparties and customers.
Liquidity risk
In order to nmintsin liquidity to ensure tha£ sufficÈ¢nt fimds are avail8bl¢ for ongoing operations and future
developments, the ¢harity uses a mixture of long-tem short-terni debt finallce.
Further detsils regarding liquidity risk can be found ID the Statement of accoullting policies in the financial
statements.
Creditor p2yineut policy
The society support prompt and targets payment for goods and $¢Tvi¢es to be n]ade within agreed p4ym¢nt terni$
or witbiu 10 days of receipt of invoices not in dispute.
Small companies provislon statement
This report has been prepared xn accordance with the small cimipanies regttne under the Companies Act 2006.
Page 9

Royal Society of Ulster Architects
Iinown as RSUA
Trustees, Report
Statement of trustees, responsiblliti¢s
The In￿teeS (who are also the directors of Royal Society of Ulster Architects for the pury)oses of company law)
are responsible for Preparing the ttustees, Teport and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law
and United Kingdom Accounting Standallls Iunited Kirlgdom Generally Accept¢d Awounting Practice).
in¢luding FRS 102 "The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland" The
report and accouttts have been prepared in a¢cord&nce with the provK8ions in the Companies Act 2006 Telating to
small cornpanies.
Company law requires the trusfres to prepare finaD¢iak statements for each financial yeaT. Under company law
the trustees must not approve tbe fjnancial statsmenrs unless they 8r¢ satisfied that tbey give a true and fair view
of the slate of affairs of the charitable company and of the incoming resources and application of res0￿C¢s,
including its income and expenditure, of tb¢ ciwitable ¢omp8ny for that p¢rio¢£ In preparing thes¢ fmoncial
statements, the trustees are required to..
select suitable accounting policies aod apply them consAstently'
observe the methods and piinciples in the ch￿ltieS SORP.
make judgem¢nts and estAmat¢s that reasonable alld prud¢llt"
state whether applicable accounting standards, Coll￿n8]ng FRS 102 have b¢en folLowed. subject to any
material depathwes disclosed and explained in the financial stat¢ments' and
prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the
chaTitable company will continue in business.
The trustees are respottsible for keeping proper a¢¢ounting records that can disclose with reasonable accuwy at
any time the fu￿1claI position of the cknitable compiiny and ¢nable them to ettstwe that tbe financi21 statements
omply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarditig tbe assets of the charitable
company and hence for tslang reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and oth¢r iTregularities.
Th¢ trustees are reSI￿nSible for the maintenan¢e and integrity of the corporate and financiat infornrntion
included on the charitsble company's website. Legislation governing the preparation and dissemination of
fiDancial Staten￿rtts may differ from legislation in oth¢r jurisdictions.
The ann)Jal report was apptoved by the trustees of the chaTity on 26 May 2023 alld SAgt)¢d on its behalf by.
McAlister
Tntstee
Page 10