Social responsibility for architects in a global construction practice A theoretical foundation

Abstract

This article seeks to conceptualise an understanding of the role and the nature of socially responsible architects and their architectural firms in a rapidly growing global construction market. Recognising a construction site as a key field for architectural and urban research, the theoretical framework reflects the need for working interdisciplinary to understand current phenomena, the social conditions of global building production, the role of the architect within a globalised building practice, and the perspective of governance ethics. Therefore, it brings together various theoretical perspectives from (1) the profession of the architect, (2) the role of ethics in globalised professional design services, (3) corporate governance and business ethics, as well as (4) stakeholder theory. In particular, the paper describes the rapid intensification of moral challenges in this contemporary global construction practice, and it concludes that the social principles of justice and inclusiveness need to be embedded in architecture, planning, and construction.