Architecture as discipline and profession has historically been focused on form, space, art and aesthetics. Assessing merit of architectural design, as measured through vehicles such as award programs, has conventionally deployed narrow perspectives and limited criteria. However, over recent decades the values of society have been dramatically changing and the value of architecture has been under intense scrutiny. Pivoting away from obsessions on formal aspects of design, architects and architecture are now called upon to respond to a breadth of factors, including dimensions of equity, social value, diversity, responsivity, wellness, inclusion, sustainability and so forth. The education of architects has subscribed to rather narrow views and ideologically driven pedagogies. However, the paths of education, the boundaries of the discipline, and the sphere of the profession, are all under great pressure to reform. The ways that society, and design professions, view quality have been out of synchronization. Many efforts are underway to reconcile this misalignment, and to seek common definitions, understanding and operationalization, of design quality. Globally many countries developed, or are developing, national architecture policies that raise bars around quality of design and, by extension, quality of life. Moving beyond bricks and mortar, and steel and glass, novel approaches to the conception and construction of our built environments now demand more sensitivity, adaptability and responsibility. The present research proffers arguments for change, explores case studies, and advances a framework for change. Notion of sustainable design increasingly transcend the physical to embrace social, psychological, cultural and other aspects of modern life.

Authors:
Brian Sinclair, University of Calgary, Canada

About the Presenter(s)
Dr Brian Sinclair is a University Professor/Principal Lecturer at University of Calgary in Canada

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