Architectural Knowledge

The success of the architectural profession in Britain in the years since the Second World War is directly related, argues Frank Duffy in this collection of interrogatory essays, to its stewardship of the intellectual property that he calls 'architectural knowledge'. This exists in the close interaction of three elements: the ability to design, an understanding of the ways in which user requirements affect design, and the capacity to lead the procurement and construction processes. These essays, written over a third of a century during a time of huge ideological, technological and methodological upheaval, witness British architecture's unceasing negotation with a vast and rigorous set of constraints and its eventual emergence as a truly modern profession - a special interest group responsive and answerable to social changes but shaped and informed by values and principles that may be on a longer cycle and perhaps a loftier plane. The backdrop to this debate is the term of presidency of the RIBA held by Francis Duffy, Chairman of DEGW, UK, between 1993 and 1995. During this period the architectural profession faced major challenges and threats. The book looks at the relationship between the architectural profession and the built environment in the context of the great political and social cycles in the British post-war period. Francis Duffy's writings provide additional insights and viewpoints to the subject.