Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book explores why architects matter, why the quality of the built environment makes a difference, why more people need to get involved in architecture and what people need from architects to help them do so. It argues that architects are socio-spatial problem-solvers, integrators of complex bodies of information and masters in space-craft. The book also argues that the key attributes of a profession are knowledge, ethics and professional judgement. However, lack of clarity about what it is that architects know makes it difficult for them to defend their territory. The book starts with a working definition of the term 'architect' and then sets out some of the different ways in which the profession brings benefits both to clients and to society, through economies of social value, cultural value and knowledge. It offers a strategy for developing a resilient, rigorous, respected research-led profession.