ABSTRACT
The profession of architecture and its position in the construction and property industry has changed dramatically over the last 20 years. For architects in the UK, deregulation of the fee structure in 1981 and the rise of the knowledgeable client has eroded the architect’s traditional role as neutral representative between client and contractor. Increasingly architects on larger commissions are placed in two distinct and contrasting roles: one working on the client’s behalf and establishing requirements, testing options and preparing conceptual design-the ‘demand’ side; the other on the supply side of the industry, working as a subcontractor to the construction or project manager. Such a division at best can once again bring the construction process into the early stages of design, but at worst it can become divisive, with the client the loser. Recent inquiries into improving the construction industry’s performance (Egan 1998; Latham 1994) have stressed the need for better client communication, teamwork and partnership.
