Ethics in architecture
WHAT IS ETHICS? AND HOW CAN IT BE STUDIED
Ethics by definition is a discipline concerned with what is morally good and bad (BBC n.d.). It serves as a framework to make decisions that lie in the best interest of society at large. This framework is based on societal norms, traditions, religion and historical patterns set by our ancestors. Yet ethics is more complicated than categorizing activities as good and bad, moral and immoral, and finally ethical and unethical. Actions can be categorized as intended and accidental. An accidental action cannot be deemed ethical or unethical as it is a mistake by design. On the other hand, intended actions further blur the lines between ethical and unethical as an intention considered to be unethical could lead to positive results (ethical) and vice-versa. In the above definition of ethics, morality plays a key role. Ethics and morality though often used interchangeably deal with two different concepts, Ethics deals with right and wrong in the light of it being a professional code of conduct, morality on the other hand deals with right and wrong under personal circumstances (soas n.d.). Often times ethical conduct is the result of a person’s morality, hence the two cannot be studied in isolation.
Ethics can be studied through 3 lenses. Meta- which focuses on the meaning of the term itself (what is goodness). Normative – is the study of ethical acts (what is the right thing to do). Applied- concerned with how people can achieve moral outcomes in situations. (iep n.d.)
Deriving from the above explanation of ethics, it is clear that each profession shares a unique relationship with ethics as a code of conduct. For a doctor it is unethical to end a patient’s life no matter how sick one is, for a lawyer it is unethical to partially present evidence irrespective of the client’s deeds. Yet the nature and need of ethics in architecture seems ambiguous.
WHY IS ETHICS IMPORTANT TO ARCHITECTURE?
Architecture is the profession that deals with the art of designing and constructing buildings and spaces. The notion that ‘architecture goes beyond the client brief’ (architectural review n.d.) and the scale of architecture as a profession, requires it to collaborate with various diverse factors. These factors form a circle of influences the shape architecture takes. Factors that influence design of architecture can be categorized under
a. The client and his/her needs and want
b. Process of construction that involves the contractor and technology available
c. Technical services that involve consultants and fellow architects
d. The natural environment
e. The economic environment
f. The historical context
g. The present context involving socio cultural features and demographics
h. The site Boundary in regard to by-laws and regulations
among others.
Due to the variety in the number and type of factors that influence architecture there are exponentially large combinations of possible outcomes for a single architectural project.
From this large set of possibilities, it is important to understand which proposals have the best interest of various factors that shape architecture. Other professions do not deal with the number of diverse factors that affect the practice of architecture, as architectural design has an impact on the future of living conditions, it has the ability to make spaces self-sufficient or influence behavioural patterns for times to come, where we might be facing issues such as overpopulation and over consumption of resources. Hence it is important to understand what is ethical in architecture and its nature (as there can be multiple right methods) with respect to the diverse factors of influence. (Fischer 2008)
For the purpose of this study the factors influencing architecture will be split as contractual relationships (bound by a contract) and non-contractual relationships (normative).
ARCHITECTURE, ART AND ETHICS
Architecture is also defined as an art, implying the creative nature of the profession. The components of architecture that make it an art include the aesthetics, unique ways practical problems are dealt with, sensitivity towards dealing with the factors that affect architecture. Architecture, like art, has a process and an end product. The end product is a culmination of all the choices and standpoints made in the process. The aesthetic style, choice of materials and the form of the built convey this standpoint taken by the architects to express their ideas, these can be driven by the client or the architect himself.
In the field of art, Ai Wei Wei, is a famous artist who has stood up to authority and the Chinese communist government through his works. Some of which, include ‘the fuck you series’ and a 3-part photograph of him dropping a Chinese urn.
In an interview, when questioned about ethics, Ai Wei Wei says “The job of the artist is to sensitively express a philosophical position, with regard to social and political engagement”. The philosophical stand taken by Ai Wei Wei in him breaking the urns does not extend to his admirer who broke Ai Wei Wei’s art, displaying solidarity towards the philosophy of the art by standing up to the museum authorities who were criticized for not displaying local artists. (Glasgow n.d.) His admirer was charged with a law suit and a heavy fine by Ai Wei Wei for breaking his art
In the case above we can see that the intent of the artist in making the art and the final stance taken by the artist are at opposing ends, considering that Ai Wei Wei questioned authority and his Admirer also did the same.
Figure 1 Ai Wei Wei dropping the Urn
In architecture, the Glass House (1949) by Phillip Johnson and the Farnsworth House by Mies Van De Rohe (1945-51) are extremely similar-looking belonging to the same time period, Phillip Johnson doesn’t shy away from saying that he was inspired from Mies Van De Rohe (Sontag n.d., Sontag n.d.). As a third person looking at the situation, we know the Glass house is a copy of the Farnsworth house with a few tweaks, even Mies Van De Rohe has expressed his discontent in the imitation of the Farnsworth house.
Ai Wei Wei and Mies Van De Rohe conceived and executed their respective projects in line with their initial philosophical stand, Phillip Johnson and the admirer of Ai Wei Wei reacted to the projects by acting on the lines of the same initial philosophy. (Figure 2) (Tory-Henderson n.d.)
The glass house though criticized for plagiarism, functions better than the Farnsworth house, it does not flood and did not cause discomfort to the clients who funded the project. The repercussions of the Farnsworth house were far greater than the Glass house. This leads us to the dilemma of calling the Glass house more ethical than the Farnsworth house even if it was heavily plagiarised.
Figure 2 the glasshouse and the Farnsworth house
Architecture like art cannot be practiced out of a rule book of dos and don’ts, yet unlike art has more players at stake. Understanding ethics in architecture depends on the process followed by the creator (artist or architect), thereby the initial intent or philosophical stand of the project needs to meet the final output and express the intent of the project. Throughout this process it must also ensure a sensitive approach towards factors over and above ones that are bound by a contractual obligation
WHAT IS ETHICS WHEN IT COMES TO THE STUDY OF ARCHITECTURE?
Ethics in contractual relationships are straightforward in nature. The relationships involve a written/oral contract or an implied understanding of agreement between two parties. (client, contractor, consultants, by-laws, regulations and the architect). (Joseph A. Demkin n.d.) Any non-compliance to these factors can be contested in courts with a definite consequence. . The architect cannot substitute materials against the wishes of the client. There must be fair and just practices towards labourers and contractors, there can be no default in payments beyond a contingency date. (Carrol n.d.)
The interaction of the design with the non-contractual factors such as response to climate, demographics, culture among others establish the relevance and the extent to which architecture can shape the future of our living conditions.
The architect however does not have a legal obligation to interact with the normative factors, he/she can determine the response architecture has to these factors with respect to their individual morality. Hence the ethical nature of architecture is linked to the factors considered important/ relevant by the architect. The factors considered for an architectural project need to be in lieu with the intent set by the architect.
The diverse factors to be mitigated by architecture and its identity as art indicating a process intensive approach leads to the understanding that ethics in architecture has to be applied from the inception of an idea to its final execution, giving raise to the following framework of ethics to be applied to the profession of architecture
Architecture shall be ethical, when the intention of the architectural endeavour is backed by the consideration and appropriate response towards relevant normative factors, leading to the execution of architecture in lieu with the initial intent.
In this paper ethics shall be studied as the alignment or discrepancies between the initial intent set by the architect and impact of the end product on the various normative factors of influence (non-contractual)
The question this paper aims to study Is how can ethics be applied to the process of architecture?
In order to answer that question 4 architectural projects are chosen to understand and exhibit the nature of ethics in in architectural endeavours
The 4 case studies are
1. Makoko floating school, Lagos ( Figure 3)
2. The highline Project, New York ( Figure 4)
3. Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao ( Figure 5)
4. Quinta Monroy, Chilli (Figure 6)
CASE STUDY 1
MOKOKO FLOATING SCHOOL, - LAGOS- AUGUST 2015 (Stiftung 2012) (NLE 2016)
ARCHITECTS - Kunlé Adeyemi, NLE Architects
THE INTENT OF THE PROJECT-
According to NLE the architects of the project the intent is as follows
‘The aim of NLE is to develop an improved type of architecture and urbanism for water settlements in African coastal cities – starting with Makoko. It will start with the small step of building a prototype of a Floating School. A ‘floating’ building simultaneously addresses different issues including flooding, land occupation, and foundation construction. The energy supply is based on renewable energy technology, the currently inexistent sewage system would rely on compost toilets. The school is to serve the urgent needs of educating children in the community. The prototype floating building will be modular, flexible and adaptable for other building typologies: homes, community centres, playgrounds – to gradually cultivate an improved quality of architecture, urbanism and living on water.’ (Stiftung 2012)
Figure 7
CASE STUDY 2- THE HIGHLINE PROJECT, NEW YORK
ARCHITECTS – James Corner, Piet, Oudolf, Charles Renfro
INTENT OF THE PROJECT
The intent of the Highline project was to preserve the historic railroad from demolition and provide an urban public space for the existing neighbourhood near the High Line. The project was supported by community groups and others with an intent to keep development out ensuring no changes in land prices and keeping the gritty and industrial feel of the neighbourhood intact (Ling n.d.)
CASE STUDY 3- GUGENHEIM MUSEUM, BILBAO
ARCHITECT – Frank Gehry
INTENT OF THE PROJECT
The project of building the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao was a strategic component of the Revitalization Plan for the city of Bilbao, in a region where the economic support had become outdated. (GENIUS PROJECT 2015)
CASE STUDY 4 - QUINTA MONROY, CHILLI
ARCHITECT- Alejandro Aravena
INTENT OF THE PROJECT
The Architects of the project have made the following public as their design intent ‘The challenge of this project was to accommodate 100 families living in a 30-year old slum, using a subsidy of USD
$7,500 that in the best of the cases allowed for 36 square meters of built space in a 5,000-square-meter site, the cost of which was three times what social housing could normally afford. The aim was to keep the families’ social and economic networks, which they had created close to the centre city, instead of evicting the families to the periphery. And we wanted the families to live in houses able to achieve a middle-class standard instead of condemning them to an everlasting social housing one.’ (ELEMENTAL n.d.)
INFERENCE
The reason for choosing the above case studies is to establish a comparison between 2 projects of similar intent and how one is ethical over the other
CASE 1 – Makoko floating school and CASE 4- Quinta Monroy, Chilli
The two projects aimed at an urban scale issue and dealt with projects that were intended to be for the community. In case 1 there is a clear lapse in understanding what was needed for the community. In a context that has been living and interacting with various factors on site the intervention did not consider the already living patterns of individuals apart from the fact that it had to be floating.
For a community whose lively hood depends on fishing a platform to carry out trade would have been a more relevant intervention compared to a school. This claim is backed by the fact that the school was used for trade by the users even if it was not intended or constructed in that manner
The structure of the project did account for a sloped roof but did not consider strong winds prevalent in the region that lead the project to drift away and the superstructure to collapse
In a project that is based of the community, the architectural endeavour was carried out as an alien insert than it being a result of communal participation in terms of construction technology and user patterns
In Case 2 the need of providing housing was tackled through understanding the needs of the user. Providing them housing in a location close to services was given paramount importance. The project aimed to develop a typology where people are given an opportunity to move out of poverty but at the same time do not have to compromise on their living standards and socio-cultural identities. This project too was modular but had the sensitivity to deal with the factors relevant to the context
Through the case studies it becomes apparent that case 1 would be deemed unethical as the intent set out does not meet the final execution and case 2 would be considered ethical as the intent aligns with the execution
CASE 2- High line, New York and CASE 3- Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao
The two projects chosen here had an impact on the economy of their respective context.
In Case 2, The high line was to be preserved to ensure that the land prices don’t raise due to development and to provide an urban relief space as a park for the neighbourhood. But throughout the process the neighbourhood that fought for its preservation were not involved in major decision-making processes. The nature and hype about the project influenced the land prices to shoot up leading a lot of the initial neighbourhood (included people of colour) to move out leading to large scale development and change in the demographics of residents in the neighbourhood. This project for the neighbourhood turned out to replace the very reason it was preserved
In Case 3, The Guggenheim Museum through its architecture by choice of materials, construction technology and form helped realise the intent of making it a tourism spot that helped revive Bilbao economy. Titanium a locally found material and steel framework kept the value of land at a bare minimum but enabled the city to raise huge revenues through tourism
In these two cases Case 2, displays discrepancies between the intent of the project to the final implications of its execution, and in Case 3- a museum typology by addressing various factors sensitively has met its initial intent of reviving a dying economy
CONCLUSION
Architecture as a profession is subjective in nature, as a change in context changes the nature of intervention. In such a premise the only way ethics can be applied to the study of architecture is to ensure that the intent set out for the project is met through its execution. The morality of the intent itself depends on the architect but discrepancies between the intent and final architecture produced can lead to various consequences among various parties involved and hence needs to be subjected to an ethical framework.
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