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At 8pm sharp, and with a little encouragement from 好色先生TV, the sparring candidates and their audience repaired to St Steven鈥檚 Tavern, as MPs have done for well over a century.

There are just two presidential candidates this year, and they鈥檙e not exactly celeb architects. Ruth Reed is a practitioner turned academic at Birmingham City University, and Andrew Hanson runs his own practice in London. And don鈥檛 imagine any eye-gouging brawls 脿 la Obama and Clinton. The head-to-head was all very professional and civilised with not a hint of rivalry or oneupmanship.

To Peter Fennell, of the Gebler Tooth Practice, it was a 鈥渧ery good conversation. They were both very articulate but quite different. Ruth came across as the technocrat and Andrew as more charismatic.鈥�

They were both articulate but quite different. Ruth came across as the technocrat and Andrew as more charismatic

The audience included three committee members of the RIBA students society, Archaos. To Marcus Lee, 鈥渢he RIBA should champion poor students. At the end of a five-year architecture course, you鈥檙e looking at a debt of 拢20,000. There are bursaries, but they鈥檙e hidden away and you鈥檝e got no idea how to apply for them鈥�.

To fellow student Elena Tsolakis, the big issue is women in architecture. 鈥淚n law, there is a 50/50 split between men and women, but it鈥檚 much less in architecture. The problem is that there are not enough women in managerial roles that other women can look up to. Ruth鈥檚 good on this subject, as she understands the situation from personal experience.鈥�

So how will Ruth cope with the high-pressure, time-consuming demands of presidency of 42,000 architects?

Ruth鈥檚 good on the subject of women in architecture as she understands the situation from personal experience

鈥淚t really helps to have a supportive employer,鈥� she says. 鈥淏irmingham City University is keen to have a high-profile member of staff, so they will provide cover for me while I鈥檓 away. The election has also come at a good time for my family as my eldest daughter is at university and the youngest is about to do A levels and wants to become a doctor.鈥�

Andrew admits that Ruth has a slight advantage when it comes to finding cover. He says his 10-strong practice is 鈥渧ery efficient with very low overheads, and I have a fantastic relationship with the people I employ. Currently I鈥檓 the only partner, but if I win the election, I might bring in another partner鈥�.

So would he promote his associate, Wendy, or bring in someone else? Andrew鈥檚 keeping his powder dry on this one 鈥�