The Ethical Challenges in Redefining Architectural Excellence for Universal Design of Buildings

The best of Irish architecture, as judged by the profession, is awarded with medals based on its reception many years after works are completed. The role of ethics in informing the design of medal-winning buildings is not clear. Ethics in architectural practice translates to a set of considerations that govern how architects interact with clients, building users, contractors, procurers and other stakeholders. Critically, ethics also underpin design intentions which dictate how an architectural work will interact with its environment. The role of ethics in what makes 'excellent' works of architecture can be examined through various lenses. Vitruvius advocated for architecture that responds to the practical needs for stability and durability (firmitas), to functional needs for convenience (utilitas), and with appropriateness to 'delight' (venustas). Ethically-informed frameworks for considering architecture such as universal design (UD), posit the functional needs of all users as the core responsibility of architectural design. Crucially, UD, in opposition to earlier approaches to accessible design, does not allow this focus to impede the potential for architecture to be 'delightful'. Ignoring aspects of design in favour of a tight focus on others, even if ethics informs this focus, is not in itself ethical. If "basic values of architectural design" are sacrificed in favour of focus on specific ethical concerns - ageing populations, climate emergency amongst others - then the resultant design can lack an essential ethical component. The dilemma for the profession is that the complexity and range of current ethical challenges entice architects to focus on specific technological or engineering aspects of practice. This paper is the beginning of a larger study into the ethical basis of architectural practice and whether it can withstand the pressures of contemporary and future societal demands. The paper begins with a brief exploration of the defining characteristics of architectural design, and an overview of its ethical components. The paper presents a limited historical overview of overlaps between what the architecture profession in Ireland jointly recognised to be good design and explores its relationship to ethically informed frameworks in UD. The basis for this study are winners of the Gold Medal for architectural achievement and Silver Medals for housing and conservation projects, all awarded by the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (RIAI). The RIAI is the professional body representing Irish architects. The critical evaluation and reception of medal-winners alongside is analysed against ethically-informed design frameworks. The paper explores how the concept of architectural excellence evolved (within the architectural profession in Ireland). It reflects upon the extent of the emerging ethical challenges to design and their influence on redefining the notion of architectural excellence in UD of building. It includes initial predictions about the role of the discipline of architecture in resolving any gaps between the 'ethical' and the 'good.'