Building Impact

Building on findings from the landmark report Building Community: A New Future for Architecture Education and Practice (1996), the authors of this report examine the current state of architecture in the United States and envision a future that increases the impact and relevance of both architecture education and the architecture profession.

The authors collaborated with three architecture associations — the American Institute of Architects, the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards, and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture — to inform their research instruments, protocols, and sample and to support their interpretation of the findings. The project was also informed by input from the American Institute of Architectural Students and other stakeholder groups, such as subject-matter experts from the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) and the National Organization of Minority Architects.

In total, the authors surveyed 377 students, 598 faculty, and 2,792 practicing professionals and conducted 107 interviews across the United States. Efforts were made to include students, faculty, and practicing professionals from diverse backgrounds and experiences, as well as institutions of varying missions and NAAB accreditation statuses.

Five core recommendations emerged from the analytic findings, which are intended to fortify the relationship between architectural education and practice to ensure that students are prepared and successful in entering the field of architecture. While the current study builds on the work presented in 1996's Building Community, these recommendations capture present-day issues and more squarely focus on matters of access, opportunity, collaboration, and inclusion.