Between aesthetics and ethics in architecture

Andrzej Baranowski

Abstract

Although there are no doubts that the esthetic issues are universally considered an important aspect of the discourse about architecture, the ethical issues, which are also present, sometimes known, and sometimes concealed, remain in the shadow of the former. They are limited primarily to the requirements of professional codes of ethics which operate in the realm of obligations. In the context of architecture, the ethics of attitudes, convictions, and the ethics of architecture are rarely discussed. Are the ethical requirements then an obstacle in the realization of the esthetic program? It is no coincidence that โ€œless esthetics, more ethicsโ€ was the slogan of the Venetian Biennial of Architecture in 2000 [5]; was it supposed to mean that ethics is the opposite of esthetics? Do we have to choose between esthetics and ethics in architecture, or do esthetics and ethics complement each other? Wittgenstein [13] put it like this: Ethics and esthetics are one. If, however, ethics and esthetics can be considered โ€œoneโ€, then what is that union about in architecture if it is not at all so universally acknowledged as obvious? Finally, can we rationalize the ethical and esthetic issues in architectural practice as well as their inter-dependence and use them for the benefit of the designer? Or is it just about the workshop and the attitude?

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