by Paul Cline, AIA, LEED-AP

Summary: For me, writing about ethics feels a bit arrogant or grandiose. I am not a scholar of ethics, and topics such as choosing the right career path or being an ethical architect seem more appropriate for discussions among friends. While, at their best, politics is an important and noble endeavor, it is not the intent of this article to decide for you how to act. Instead, I will attempt to explain how, when I'm at my best, I decide which action to take in a given situation, and some mistakes I’ve made along the way.

The path to my personal ethics of architecture can be represented by three main constraints: my experience and training at the Air Force Academy, an injunction while studying architecture at Tulane that an architect must "propose a manner in which to live,” and the notion that architecture is a calling that comes with a duty to serve the public. Each of these combines with my values outside the realm of architecture to inform and shape the kind of person and architect I am.

The overwhelming emphasis at the Academy was to create leaders of character who are able to make excellent decisions under difficult conditions with limited information. We want the same kinds of leaders in our professional practice as architects.

The first major change in my behavior at the Academy was an end to lying. The cadet oath states, “I will not lie, cheat, or steal …” This was a radical departure for me. I never thought of myself as a liar but I soon discovered that I had been lying to avoid embarrassment, lying to avoid punishment for foolish behavior, and lying in an attempt to impress those around me. When I stopped lying, not surprisingly, I started avoiding doing foolish and embarrassing things, and I actually worked harder to earn people’s esteem. All my decisions about behavior gained a new level of scrutiny. Since, this has become a principle value of mine.

At the Air Force Academy, I learned this basic principle of ethical behavior: act according to one’s values. To make excellent decisions we have to know our values, estimate the likelihood that a particular outcome will occur, and judge the impact of that outcome if it does occur. With this information, we can then act on a choice that conforms most to our values and goals. Keeping one’s values present in one’s mind provides a compass for ethical action. Also, remember that indecision will have an outcome that you can evaluate. In effect, indecision is a kind of decision—usually a poor one.

A values exercise
To know your values, make a tentative list. Your values change over time, so don't be nervous to put them on paper. You can change it later. Put down 10 or 15 values that you hold and are important to you. If some of them seem similar, combine them into a single statement. Now, cross out all but the 5 most important values. Cross out the rest, one at a time, to understand which are most important to you. If you aren't sure of the list you created, start over. Once you have a grip on your values, discuss them with friends, family, and collegues. Allow yourself to be persuaded when it feels right and try the list again.

Habits drive decisions
To become more decisive under pressure, practice decision making daily and develop strong habits. Habit is the only thing that we know helps improve decision making in a crisis. Through repetition, all the little decisions necessary to perform a task are transferred to the subconscious, leaving the conscious mind room to make higher level decisions. A person’s habits will command their actions, good or bad, when their mind is preoccupied with a crisis.

Driving provides one of the clearest examples of this. How often have you driven home preoccupied with some idea, when suddenly you’re home with little memory of the turns, lane changes, and stop lights on the way? For non-drivers, think about how much easier design becomes when you master the tools you are using to communicate that design.

Remember what I wrote at the beginning of this essay? The Academy created “leaders of character who are able to make excellent decisions under difficult conditions with limited information.” The problem of having too little information will endure in many aspects of life, including architecture. Obviously, one wants to have all the information needed to answer a question or solve a problem, but most of the time it’s simply not available. I’ve learned that it’s best to decide a course of action with a firm acceptance of responsibility for the outcome based on what is known.

Making critical decisions and taking responsibility for them instantly increases performance. High expectations for meeting preparation and drawing completeness and coordination eliminate risks due to knowable scope. This leaves high-level business and design decisions as your main critical decisions.

Each architect must consider and "propose a manner in which to live." In other words, architects should develop and maintain a clear view of how our values will be deployed in the built environment. As experts in how spaces, buildings, and cities are organized, we must shape the community values related to architecture. To do all the other things that our profession requires of us we must develop a basis from which to make decisions. We must take a position on how to create and use the spaces, buildings, and neighborhoods we design.

Merge your values and behavior
In this area I have a tentative proposal. Briefly, I believe that most people should live in moderately dense cities, organized to conserve resources, and maximize the variety and number of opportunities available to the residents. As an architect working for a contractor building casinos and living in a suburban home, there is a gap between my proposal and my lifestyle. I am doing my best. Sometimes my values to protect and provide for my family trump my aspirations as an architect, but at all times I apply this proposal to my work.

The nature of professionalism is service. I take the view that being an architect is a privilege; people come to us with their hopes and dreams, with their business plans, and with a big chunk of their wealth. Then they trust us to deliver. No less, the public entrusts us with the authority to bless or inflict upon them the form and organization of the very community. The degree to which we take this trust seriously impacts the type of work we take on. We have to be able to turn down work that violates our sense of service.

I had a brief moment of crisis when I first began building casino projects. Does this serve my community? It didn’t feel as noble as designing a church or a school. The crisis went away soon though. I’m a native to Las Vegas, gambling and the entertainments that go with them are natural to me. These projects are the cornerstone of my community. Everything in the Las Vegas economy springs from the gaming economy. I’m excited and proud to be a part of extending what makes my city unique.

The AIA's 2007 Code of Ethics & Professional Conduct has six canons, which correspond to duties owed in six areas: general, public, client, profession, colleagues, and the environment. Take a look and refresh your memory. As an AIA member, you have committed to these duties and they shouldn’t be that difficult to fulfill. For us as ethical architects, this document is only a starting point for ethical behavior. Seek out the rest and share your discoveries with the rest of us.