The Changing Fortunes of the Architectural Profession in Postwar Britain: Complexity, Technological Change, and the (Re)construction of Knowledge

Abstract

AbstractProfessions are one means of organizing the delivery of goods and services. In this paper, the authors consider how the power and control of professional groups can change within specific fields of work due to a combination of endogenous and exogenous factors. Their case study is the changing role of UK architects within the private residential sector over the post-war period. The architect was once the primary actor who brought together, organized, and integrated the workflow of a myriad of contractors, legal agencies, and planning authorities, but this is no longer the case. To understand how this occurred, and whether the architectural profession could regain a key position in the UK housing industry, the authors conduct a broad historical analysis of the factors at play within the UK architectural profession and the industry as a whole that have resulted in this shift in knowledge, roles and power.