Professionalism for the Built Environment

"Mind changing! It is relatively rare to read a book that actually changes your mind about something that really matters to you. Refreshingly, this is such a book. As one who has consistently and confidently prophesised the decline, if not demise, of the professions of the built environment, I am now renewed with a fresh hope for their future. Simon Foxell has, somewhat inspiringly, given hindsight, insight and foresight to this engaging subject. Hindsight, in the way he scholarly describes their historical foundations and subsequent flourishing. Insight, by skilfully examining what some see as their present malfunctioning, misdirection and marginalisation. And, most of all, foresight, for his strategic exploration of their future prospects, promise and potential with his outline ‘six-point plan’ and collaborative sense of purpose. The challenge of reforming the professions of the built environment remains daunting, but I am now imbued with a greater feeling of optimism, expectancy and direction."

John Ratcliffe, Professor Emeritus DIT & Founder, The Futures Academy

"Professionalism for the Built Environment raises our awareness of the foundations of professional society and sets the agenda for a radical reappraisal of the educational and institutional structures we may require in the future. This book stimulates debate on the professions’ responsibilities to civil society, company and self. It provides an authoritative briefing for practitioners, educators, clients and all concerned with creating a built environment that is equitable, fosters wellbeing and improves livelihoods."

John Worthington, Co-founder DEGW, Formerly Commissioner of Independent Transport Commission and Director The Academy of Urbanism

"This comprehensive discourse explores the origins, development, rise and uncomfortable transformation of our Built Environment Professional Institutions, all fascinating. For more than 25 years Simon Foxell has been exploring these ideas and has assembled a great story. This book concludes with a collective challenge that is beautifully articulated by considering the many pressures facing a new young chartered professional. Yes, professionalism clearly has great value but, in a rapidly changing world with automation threatening, can the institutions pool their efforts for the greater good of humankind and our planet? This is essential reading for aspirants, practitioners and academics."

Robin Nicholson, Senior Partner Cullinan Studio

"A real gem for any professional interested in improving collaboration amongst built environment professionals. Professionalism in the Built Environment touches on the past to inform an effective plan for the future of our industry. As a Head of Department for Architecture and the Built Environment, I am delighted to see a book that will bring the professions closer together and will become the ‘must have’ for all built environment professionals."

Elena Marco, Head of Department Architecture and the Built Environment, University of the West of England

"This book looks at the professions’ need to reinforce the actual and perceived value which ultimately justifies their existence: highly topical and of genuine importance in the UK but also globally. The author treads a careful path between dispassionate and survivalist analysis, with wide-ranging examples from earlier times and other sectors. The thorny issue of whether professionals can reclaim the benevolent arbiter role without having any (or much) "skin in the game" is addressed as is the role of ethics, supported by a comparison of institute code of conduct topics."

John Field, Past President CIBSE (2016-17)

"Anyone entering the built environment professions should ground themselves in an understanding of how today’s society arrived at its current relationship with the professions. As the labour market evolves, the dominant status of professions within our class structure is being challenged. Professional practices are definitive in governing how we build, but must be clearer in guiding the professional to reconcile competing priorities, balancing public good with private gain. In the future, built environment professions will have to reckon with the planet’s most serious challenges. We should therefore be both critical and concerned with the fitness of built environment professions. This book equips the professionals themselves to make that assessment of their profession. It is accessible to all who work building our future, yet stands on the shoulders of the intellectual giants who have analysed the emergence of professions over three centuries – a history intertwined with that of the RSA."

Matthew Taylor, Chief Executive, Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA)

"This is an energetic and engaged survey of ethical issues raised in the evolution and current state of the professions most responsible for the built environment in England. It offers a stimulating and valuable contribution to debates over the ethical responsibilities of professionals more broadly."

Melissa Lane, Class of 1943 Professor of Politics, Princeton University

"Simon Foxell continues the important work begun by RIBA Past President Frank Duffy. For the profession of architecture to survive and prosper we must build a body of knowledge that is of more value and accessible to society and to our clients. In an era when most service delivery is advertised as being ‘professional’ we must set new standards for the definition of ethical professionalism. We must play our part in the huge challenge to diversify and rejuvenate the building industry, improving how we develop and retain talented people from all walks of life. Deploying artificial intelligence alongside these strategies, we can increase the perceived value of our service, advice and design solutions. We can thereby expect in due course to receive a more valuable return for that contribution. Simon Foxell’s book provides us with vital and insightful analysis towards achieving this goal."

Benjamin Derbyshire, President, Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)

"This is a hugely interesting and important book examining professionalism and the built world in which we live. Ranging from the occupationally created social order of Florence in the middle ages to Nazi Germany’s use of architecture, and ending up at today, Foxell has produced a magnificent portrait of how society, economic structures and the built environment intermesh. A compelling analysis is presented of how engineering, surveying and architecture impact on us today. A truly impressive book, which I wholeheartedly recommend to anyone interested in understanding why their lived experience is as it is."

Professor Gerard Hanlon, Queen Mary University of London

"In an era of abundant information, rapidly developing machine intelligence and an erosion of public confidence in ‘experts’, questions of what it means to be professional have never seemed more pressing. This excellent book is a timely reminder of the importance of professional values, not only for all those involved in construction and the built environment, but for society more generally. Simon Foxell has provided an honest, insightful and compelling analysis of contemporary challenges facing built environment professionals and their institutions. In doing this he has positioned the role of professionalism where it should be: in supporting the creation and development of a built environment that is fit for everyone. A very worthy achievement indeed. Highly recommended."

Professor John Connaughton, Head of Construction Management and Engineering, School of the Built Environment, University of Reading

"This is a must have book for professionals working in the built environment. It is absolutely bursting with useful information and insight. For the new entrant there is a clear explanation of what it means and how to be a true professional. For the student of history there is a comprehensive and intriguing account of how we got here and why we are the way that we are. For practitioners and business leaders there is a compelling analysis of the current state of the professional services sector with many clues about how to build a value proposition based on professionalism and avoid the commodified race to the bottom. For leaders of the professions there are both challenges and supportive suggestions about how we need to deliver social value in a highly competitive and fast changing market economy. I always like a book that helps organise my, often disparate, thoughts and this was definitely one of those!

Ed McCann, Director of Expedition Engineering and Vice President of the Institution of Civil Engineers.

"This book provides a fascinating insight into the history of the professions of architects, surveyors and civil engineers, which puts into perspective many of the challenges resulting from the fragmentation of the construction industry we are currently witnessing. By drawing out the parallels between the industries in the UK, Germany, France and America the book explores the organisation of professional bodies further. It lays out the bare facts of the challenges to our industry, which we need to learn from and use to push our profession forward."

Caroline Buckingham, Director caroline buckingham architects and RIBA Vice President, Practice & Profession

"Given the rise in public awareness and expectations of the ‘professional’ in any sector of the economy, there has never been a more important time to explore the key aspects of professionalism in the built environment arena. Given the Grenfell Tower disaster and similar catastrophic events around the world, the need for a professional approach when addressing construction methods, building regulations, health and safety guidelines, environmental statute and land use policy is a prerequisite to ensure public confidence. Otherwise, fundamental ethical behaviour and the financial transparency of the property sector are put at risk. This is a superbly written review of a wide range of professional areas all supporting the built environment and I endorse it wholeheartedly."

Dr Louise Brooke-Smith, Partner Arcadis LLP – UK Head of Town Planning and Head of Social Value, RICS Past Global President (2014-15)

"The professions need to move with the times and what Simon Foxell’s book points out is that professional organisations do have the ability to change with society’s changing demands, even though often it involves a lot of kicking and screaming. His historical analysis of the development of professions globally and across the principle disciplines of the built environment is both comprehensive and eminently readable. From the incongruous detail of the 1887 RIBA entrance requirements, through the turbulent history that led to the development in the 1930s of the separation of the profession from its regulating authority, to Egan, Morrell and the rise and fall of CABE, this is a definitive study that will stand the test of time. Perhaps for longer than the professional climate it defines."

Peter Clegg, Senior Partner Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios

"How best can the professions, for whom certainty is a touchstone, navigate such very uncertain times? Simon Foxell finds a compelling path that starts with a meticulous and fascinating examination of the development of construction professions and proceeds to an illuminating comparison of their cultures across continents. Running through these stories are masterful analyses of both foundational and contemporary questions of ethics and morals and their intersection with practicalities. Through these Foxell suggests the way ahead. Although the focus is on construction professions, all will find much food for thought here. A culmination of two decades of engagement with professional dilemmas, this book goes further and deeper than any other."

Sunand Prasad, Senior Partner Penoyre & Prasad LLP and RIBA Past President (2007-09)

"There has never been a more appropriate time to examine the relationship between our built environment professions and the society that they serve. Recent events such as the Grenfell fire and the collapse of Carillion have brought into question the level of trust in which our professionals are held. Simon Foxell has produced a comprehensive review of how the professions in the built environment have developed over the last 200 years and, importantly, addressed what it means to be a professional in this industry today. I commend this book to current practitioners, students and those operating in the policy arena."

Professor Peter Hansford, Chair of Construction and Infrastructure Policy at University College London and former Chief Construction Adviser to the UK Government

"This is a book on a subject that should be dull but which is actually engaging and full of vital lessons for society. Tracing the history of three powerful institutes, Foxell shows how dilemmas professionals struggle with today – public interest vs. private gain, occult knowledge vs. openness, established order vs. rapid change – are rooted in how the professions formed and how they guarded their privileges. Proving that this can’t go on, the author offers solutions to keep the professions relevant and valuable. All professionals and policy-makers (as well as clients and the public who rely on them) should act on these solutions."

Dr Richard Simmons, Chief Executive the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment 2004-11

"This is a fascinating and important book, which by tracing the historical constitution of professions, leads us to a critical point in the contemporary context, where the service provision aspect of professional life in a financialised world has overwhelmed the professions’ wider responsibilities to society. Foxell ends with a compelling set of suggestions as to how the professions might regain the trust from clients and the public, a trust that has been rapidly eroded in recent years."

Professor Jeremy Till, Head of Central Saint Martins and Pro Vice-Chancellor Research, University of the Arts London