The ethics of architectural practice

{"version":"0.3.0","atoms":[],"cards":[],"markups":[["a",["href","https:\/\/youtu.be\/xthJKWOErVU","target","_new"]],["a",["href","http:\/\/content.aia.org\/sites\/default\/files\/2016-04\/AIA-Ethics-Code-of-Ethics-2012_0.pdf","target","_new"]],["i"]],"sections":[[1,"h2",[[0,[],0,"Examining\nthe four obligations every architect will face"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"In the video \u201c"],[0,[0],1,"Ethics: From Building to Architecture"],[0,[],0,",\u201d\nHenry Cobb, FAIA; Carl Sapers, Hon. AIA; and Mack Scogin, FAIA, discuss ethics,\nas applied to architectural practice in the broadest sense. Cobb immediately\ntakes ethics beyond the architect, to the building: \u201cFor me, the issue of\nethics in architecture is not primarily about practice; it is about what I call\n'the voice of architect,' the way that buildings speak.\u201d"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"For those whose ethical focus is on our very specific\nprofessional ethical code, the "],[0,[1],1,"AIA Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct"],[0,[],0,",\nCobb has offered a welcome splash of cold water. Our ethical world goes beyond\nthe obligations defined in the Code, and we must step back to understand a more\ncomprehensive ethical framework."]]],[1,"blockquote",[[0,[],0,"Only by experiencing the design\u2014and how it impacts its world of owners, users, and the public\u2014can we judge how each architect has met this challenge."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The world of professional ethics is defined as a series\nof obligations. Four primary obligations, faced by every architect, are\nsummarized by Sapers near the beginning of the video discussion. The first\nthree, which he defines as \u201ctension points in an architect\u2019s career,\u201d include:"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\n 1) sufficient income to support the architect and his or her family;"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0," 2) the\n\u201csometimes conflicting requirements of serving the client\u201d; and "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0," 3) the\nsometimes preceding and \u201ccompeting interest of serving the public.\u201d"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The first of these is a personal tension or obligation,\nnot to be found in a professional ethical code. The second and third form the\ncore of the AIA Code, defining obligations to the client and the public.\nObligations are not always equal, he points out. The architect must weigh the\nclient\u2019s interest over his or her own, and the public\u2019s interest over both,\nwhen there is conflict."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"But then Sapers adds a fourth tension point: \u201cdevotion\nto the art of architecture.\u201d Hanging on an aspirational statement, no architect\nis likely to be disciplined or sanctioned for coming up short in this devotion.\nYet no architect can be said to have performed successfully without attention\nto this dimension of practice, which Sapers notes is \u201cin some ways, a peculiar\nattribute of the architect.\u201d"]]],[1,"blockquote",[[0,[],0,"For me, the issue of\nethics in architecture is not primarily about practice; it is about what I call\n'the voice of architect,' the way that buildings speak."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"To grasp the role of the architect in society and to\nnavigate our practice within these \u201cconflict points,\u201d architects must be\ncareful not to limit their ethical perspective to the \u201cfriendly confines\u201d of a\nprofessional ethical code that is held in common. Looking beyond the code is\nlikely to raise questions and issues that we might not otherwise encounter, but\nit can also help set the framework to define the appropriate hierarchies of\nobligations that architects face."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The architect is charged with acting ethically\nthroughout the course of a project, whether interacting with clients, the\npublic, colleagues, or employees. We must look to the final result of the\narchitect\u2019s work and passion\u2014the building (or space, or composition)\u2014to\nunderstand the ethical tensions posed by each project \u2014and how the architect\nhas \u201cwalked the walk.\u201d Only by experiencing the design\u2014and how it impacts its\nworld of owners, users, and the public\u2014can we judge how each architect has met\nthis challenge."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[2],1,"Cornelius (Kin)\nDuBois, FAIA, a Denver architect, is serving his second term on the AIA National\nEthics Council. His leadership service to the profession includes 2010\u20132011\npresident of the National Architectural Accrediting Board, AIA Colorado 2007\npresident, and regional director for the National Council of Architectural\nRegistration Boards."]]]]}