Joint Training for Professional Collaboration in the Building Industry

The establishment of a Department of Architecture and Civic Planning in a university inevitably raises the question of the relationship between engineers and architects, not only in education and training, but also in practice. A building is not the work of an architect alone. Although he is responsible for the co-ordination of its design and the supervision of its construction, without the other members of the team it is doubtful whether the building would materialize or, if it did, it would hardly satisfy the client. At the design stage he relies on the structural engineer, the heating and
ventilating engineer, the electrical engineer and the quantity surveyor. The contractor, supported by subcontractors, organizes the construction of the building
under the clerk of works’ supervision on behalf of the architect. The same applies to the broader art and science of planning. On this enlarged scale of design the team embraces even more disciplines and requires the contributions of economists, geographers, sociologists, engineers (civil and traffic) and surveyors, as well as architects and town planners. It would, however, be sensible in this discussion to restrict our consideration of joint training to the field of building.

Arthur Ling