ABSTRACT
Architects have the paradoxical responsibility of designing spaces and structures that bring people together, while also creating the walls and other barriers that keep us apart and can isolate us from others. Ethics can give practitioners some tools in thinking about this dilemma, all of which end up at basically the same place: architects have a professional responsibility – and a long history – of mediating between these two conditions: meeting people’s needs for privacy while also addressing our need for community, allowing use to be alone while also making it easier for us to be with others when we so choose.
