Architecture firms are considered more socially responsible than other professions for championing environmental issues, according to an independent study.

The 2009 Annual Business and Professions Study (ABPS), by Beaton Consulting, which surveyed more than 30,000 professional service firms, found architectural firms are more likely to be considered socially responsible than firms in other sectors. The architecture profession trumped the engineering, management, legal and IT services professions in the perception of social responsibility when rated by their clients, the study found.

“Social responsibility means firms have a strong community focus, display innovation within the industry and take the lead in environmental practice and ethical behaviour,” Beaton Consulting business analyst, Phillip Sargeant, told Architecture & Design.

“Architecture firms are using innovative practices and designs to improve environmental awareness and assist urban renewal,” he said.

Emergency Architects Australia CEO, Catherine Hart, says a number of firms are making pro-bono contributions as focus turns to the environment and pressure to act.

“Australian architects are realising the possibility of pro-bono work and enjoying the possibility of working alongside community members to help the environment,” she told Architecture & Design.

However, while architects are bound by an extensive list of ethical obligations, Hart says architecture firms are often free from ethical codes of conduct.

“Although architects comply with a long list of environmental requirements and government legislation, they feel the profession acts ethically without needing clearly defined conduct codes,” she said. “Architects have it more in their heart rather than having to have it in writing.”

Louise Wallace

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