Perception of the architect as a profession of public trust in Poland

Since the establishment of the professional self-government of architects, the profession of architect-designer has evolved into a profession of public trust. This paper presents three perspectives of this perception – the legal perspective, the public opinion perspective and the perspective of the architects themselves. The aim of the research was to identify the specifics and perceptions of the profession of public trust in regard to architects. The research methodology used was based on literature studies, analysis of legal sources and case law, interpretation of data from public opinion survey reports, and original quantitative and qualitative social surveys of architects. The research showed that the former two perspectives on the perception of the profession are fairly convergent. It was found in the survey of architects that practising a profession of public trust has already become part of their professional identity. However, the position of architects compared to other professions of public trust leaves much to be desired – hence the importance of building a favourable image of the profession and regulating it more comprehensively.