Unveiling Social Sustainability: A Mapping of Practices at an Architectural Studio

Universal Design (UD) and social sustainability are closely related agendas in today's construction industry. This paper studies how social sustainability was implemented as a strategic asset at a company level in an architectural studio and how it was subsequently practiced by different parts of the organisation. The merging of two architectural studios into one involved strategic development and a new common strategy for future collaboration and innovation, entitled "Always Based on People" (ABoP). Based on interviews and document analysis, the architectural studio's strategic work on social sustainability is analysed using the conceptualisation of multiplicity. By following four roles and their practices in the organisation; head manager, communication officer, project manager, and sustainability auditor, this analysis look at their context, background, methods, understanding and end-products, reveals different versions of social sustainability in relation to different stages of the design process. The case illustrates how values are represented, negotiated, and established within the organisation, reflecting different types of values - espoused, shared, and aspirational. The paper argues that it would be relevant to assess and refine the feedback mechanisms and navigational skills of the organisation to include, distribute and coordinate, or even triangulate between, value-based concepts as social sustainability, UD, and accessibility. The result could be a situation where social sustainability functions as a lever for UD, and UD qualifies social sustainability counteracting social washing.