ABSTRACT
Over the past half century, and probably longer, the profession of architecture has steadily retreated from its civic obligations. The contributions made to the countless thousands of people over the past decade are surely confirmation enough of the positive role architects can play in the aftermath of a natural disaster. Graham Saunders describes the working situation as 'very hand-to-mouth', due to a lack of recognition of the shelter sector, concluding that 'unless there is another disaster there are no or very limited employment opportunities'. Charlesworth proposes a bifurcation of the profession, a fork in the road, to create sub-categories of greater specialism in humanitarian fields, such as how the legal and medical professions are structured currently. The mainstream architectural practice needs to be involved with the humanitarian movement, because of what it can stand to learn from it.
