An exploration of architects’ ethical boundaries: Aotearoa New Zealand perspectives of care for the built environment

Purpose Built environment research frequently reveals tensions around issues such as intensification, environmental degradation, climate adaption, community engagement, heritage preservation or housing affordability. However, such discussions often overlook another crucial aspect of city-making processes: design ethics. This paper aims to focus on the ethical practices of architects as key actors in this process. More specifically, the authors ask whether, or to what extent, architects consider their ethical responsibilities to wider ecologies of “stakeholders” beyond the nominal client, and how these are affected by the outcomes of their design work – that is: who are architects designing for? Design/methodology/approach Using thematic analysis from literature and prior research, the authors examined qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with 25 architects practicing in Aotearoa New Zealand. This paper critically explores architects’ design values by situating these themes from practice alongside theory. Findings The authors find that architects often view their design responsibility as extending beyond the particular and immediate needs of their client and site. Architects operate within social, temporal and spatial boundaries of care (BoC). Research limitations/implications While attempts were made to include whakapapa Māori architects, the authors note the lack of representatives from this group in the study. Originality/value Challenging the prevailing narrative of competing urban interests, the authors advocate for a paradigm shift from competition to care in architectural practice and ethics. This paper introduces the concept of architects’ boundaries of care to inform research into the ethical dilemmas inherent in urban discourse.