At the RIAS Council meeting on 17 May, Trustees rejected the modified recommendation put forward by its working group to relocate the Incorporation's offices, gallery and bookshop from Rutland Square to Evolution House, an RIBA-Award-winning building in Edinburgh, in a short-term lease agreement with the Edinburgh College of Art.

The working group, comprising four past/current presidents of the RIAS and the Honorary Treasurer, had recently carried out extensive consultation with the membership. A sounding of members' views indicated that a majority of 55% of respondents were in favour of moving from the Georgian town-house premises owned by the Incorporation in Rutland Square, which are in need of repair and are not currently wheelchair-accessible. The recommendation which failed to find favour with Council members proposed that the RIAS should relocate to Evolution House on a renewable 3 year contract, allowing time for alternative longer-term accommodation projects and development opportunities for 15 Rutland Square to be fully explored.

RIAS President, Douglas Read, said "The Headquarters Working Group felt it had responded positively to the views of members – what we presented was an exciting but low-risk option which addressed specific requests raised in the consultation process. There were lots of benefits in this proposal - members would have had access to the ECA library and technical library, a room named for the Edinburgh Architectural Association, and free board room access for Council meetings. At the same time, we proposed not to rush into a decision on 15 Rutland Square but to take time to evaluate the professional advice we have commissioned on the best realization of this asset."

Instead, a motion tabled by the Presidents of the RIAS Chapters (local member groups), drawn up prior to the meeting favours setting up a task group to carry out further extensive consultation on a business/strategic development plan by November 2006 while remaining at Rutland Square. The RIAS President and Chairman of the working group will respond to the motion at the next Presidents' Policy Committee in June.