Quality out of control

"There is widespread disagreement about what quality in architecture is, and how it can be measured and achieved. Formerly grounded in values of craftsmanship - in the skilled making of things - 'quality' is now associated with the management of administrative or technical processes. Whereas its appreciation was once based in the exercise of individual judgement and taste, increasingly it is founded on supposedly objective systems of evaluation." "Practitioners of design are under pressure to quantify quality, but it is questionable whether it is possible or even desirable to do so. This important and highly topical issue lies at the heart of this book. It considers how, in architectural and cultural practices, 'quality' is defined, evaluated, managed and constructed. It is organised around issues of appreciation, production, belief and measure. With contributions from leading architects and architectural critics, this book is of great interest to architects, clients, architectural academics and students, and anyone interested in what architectural quality is, and how it may be achieved."--Jacket.