Publisher description

Can architecture help us find our place and way in today's complex world? Can it return individuals to a whole, to a world, to a community? Developing Giedion's claim that contemporary architecture's main task is to interpret a way of life valid for our time, philosopher Karsten Harries answers that architecture should serve a common ethos. But if architecture is to meet that task, it first has to free itself from the dominant formalist approach, and get beyond the notion that its purpose is to produce endless variations of the decorated shed. In a series of cogent and balanced arguments, Harries questions the premises on which architects and theorists have long relied—premises which have contributed to architecture's current identity crisis and marginalization. He first criticizes the aesthetic approach, focusing on the problems of decoration and ornament. He then turns to the language of architecture. If the main task of architecture is indeed interpretation, in just what sense can it be said to speak, and what should it be speaking about? Expanding upon suggestions made by Martin Heidegger, Harries also considers the relationship of building to the idea and meaning of dwelling. Architecture, Harries observes, has a responsibility to community; but its ethical function is inevitably also political. He concludes by examining these seemingly paradoxical functions.

Many believe that the moral mission of architecture has been in serious decline for the last 25 years. In this important new book, Tom Spector points out the dilemmas of architectural practice and offers a theoretical and practical basis for an examination and transformation of the quandaries the profession now faces. What makes a good building or a good architect? Are there limits to an architect's ethical or legal responsibilities in a building process where architecture plays an increasingly smaller role? Is preservation a moral imperative? What happens when building codes and ethical responsibilities are in conflict? In The Ethical Architect, Spector investigates the moral underpinnings and implications of leading architectural theories, subjecting them to the analytical techniques of moral philosophy. His conclusions provide a road map to help architects make the right decision in the difficult tradeoffs that confront designers on a daily basis: Spector estimates that more than 100,000 decisions go into the design of an average sized building. The Ethical Architect is a work of theory but refers to real buildings and real-world problems. It is Spector's call-to-arms for his profession and a must-read for practicing architects and students alike.

Ethics is one of the most important and least understood aspects of design practice. In his latest book, Thomas Fisher shows how ethics are inherent to the making of architecture – and how architecture offers an unusual and useful way of looking at ethics. The Architecture of Ethics helps students in architecture and other design disciplines to understand the major approaches to ethics and to apply them to the daily challenges they face in their work. The book covers each of the four dominant approaches to ethics: virtue ethics, social contract ethics, duty ethics, and utilitarian ethics. Each chapter examines the dilemmas designers face from the perspective of one of these categories. Written in an accessible, jargon-free style, the text also features 100 illustrations to help integrate these concepts into the design process and to support visual understanding. Ethics is now a required part of accredited architecture programs, making this book essential reading for all students in architecture and design.

From theory to practice a unique, well-rounded guide to ethics fortoday s architect How does an architect assist a community in evaluating alternativedesigns? Resolve a dispute with a contractor? Take into account aproject s impact on the natural environment? When it comes to questions like these, making decisions about whatought to be done or what is the "best" or "right" solution requiresmore than sound technical knowledge and strong design talent. Itdemands a solid understanding of the ethical issues that lie at theheart of architectural practice. Ethics and the Practice of Architecture offers a complete,broad-based introduction to this crucial subject. First, itexamines basic ethical theories and their application toarchitecture, and discusses different ways of identifying ethicalcontent in architecture. Bridging the gap between theory andpractice, the second part of the book surveys differentprofessional settings and building project processes thatfrequently hold ethical concerns, and charts the ethical mandatesthat arise from them. In the final section of the book, thirty case studies explore awide range of ethical dilemmas encountered in architecturalpractice, with useful guidance on how to work through themeffectively. Arranged by topics that span the key phases of aproject from pre-design through post-occupancy evaluation, thesecase studies allow a detailed look at ethical concerns in real-lifesituations where multiple issues are often at stake. Providing a practical framework for the exploration of ethicalissues in architecture today, Ethics and the Practice ofArchitecture is an excellent resource for present and futurearchitects in all areas of the field.

In this new Architecture Brief, Ethics for Architects, Thomas Fisher presents fifty case studies representing a broad range of ethical dilemmas facing today's architects, from questions regarding which clients to work for, to the moral imperatives of reclaiming building materials for construction instead of sending them to landfills. This timely book features newly relevant interpretations adapted to the pervasive demands of globalization, sustainability, and developments in information technology. Fisher's analysis of architecture's thorniest ethical issues are written in a style that is accessible to the amateur philosopher and appealing to professional architects and students alike. Thought-provoking and essential, Ethics for Architects is required reading for any designer who wants to work responsibly in today's complex world.

Ethical issues, both practical and philosophical, are constantly arising in architectural work. This volume relates a broad range of theoretical questions to dilemmas encountered in practice, informed by contributions from many different disciplines.