More and more communities, clients, project users, and the public are demanding that architects’ actions and products be socially responsible. Architectural practitioners are increasingly concerned with being responsive to this need and producing relevant and meaningful architecture. Yet many ethical challenges face architects in this pursuit of serving “the public good.” Gain insight into the what, why, and how of ethics and the practice of architecture.

   Learning objectives:

• Discuss ethics and its specific relationship to the practice of architecture to establish the foundation for future study of ethical principles
• Compare and contrast a range of decisions that are a part of traditional and nontraditional practice, with particular emphasis on the ethical framework that should be used in making socially responsible decisions
• Demonstrate knowledge in the necessarily holistic approach to problem resolution and the benefits of collective problem resolution and discussion when dealing with ethical dilemmas