Behind the Scenes of the Design Theatre: Actors, Roles and the Dynamics of Communication

This chapter analyses architectural design meetings from the point of view of the actors who participate in the design ‘theatre’: their formal and informal roles in the design team, the specific contribution of designers and clients, and the nature of the communication between them. We look at the data in terms of adherence to purely professional decision making along with other dimensions of discourse that cushion the design process and provide the necessary social scaffolding that ensures successful team collaboration.