Issue #5/6 The Politics of Quality Management

The three Scandinavian countries are all developing national strategies of architecture politics. Each country has now released an official strategy document. Their common goal is to bring quality to all levels of architecture and planning. However, the national strategy documents give few answers to the most difficult questions: what constitutes quality in architecture, who should define it, and how should it be implemented? The tendency of these political strategies seems to be based on standards and consensus of opinions. There is little interest in initiating debates on the fundamental level. The aim of these documents appears to be to get rid of conflicting views and marginal players by establishing some very static and non-committing definitions. The current double issue of conditions,which explores the politics of quality management in architecture, tries to counter this tendency. By presenting more diverse views and complex perspectives we hope to initiate the discussion on the role of quality in architecture politics.

CONTENTS

The Daredevils
Interview w Jensen & Skodvin Architects

Quality management, architecture & politics – an Exploration
Luis Trappe

Entangled
Filipe Balestra / Urban Nouveau

No. of policies: 3 (and a half )
Survey

Going Dutch
Sergio Miguel Figueiredo

The Pritzker Effect
Interview w Martha Thorne

Architecture Idol
Illustration

What is architecture for you?
Jonas Runberger

Metabolic Quality
Rachel Armstrong

Quality Urbanism – We got what we wanted, but we lost what we had
Patty Heyda

Plan versus Section
Jimenez Lai

People, problems and cities behind numbers
Eduard Sancho Pou

Seeing Quality
Rasmus Wærn and Gert Wingårdh

Architecture Policy for the City of Oslo
The Agency for Planning and Building Services in Oslo

The Killing Machine
Bruno Alves

Works
Philippe Rahm

Quality management leading to a political discussion
Adarsha Kapoor

What about the burning icon?
Nathalie Frankowski and Cruz Garcia (WAI)

Dedication
Illustration by VisionDivision

Fairy Tales of Resistance
Iben Falconer

Quality management
Illustration

Something is rotten in the state of Denmark: Architectural Insurgency in Copenhagen
James Thompson

Young architecture – A critic of a Norwegian institution
Mathias Harang

Adding value through initiative, involvement and professionalism
TYIN tegnestue

Expo Pavilions rated
Illustration Maja Knochenhauer

Competitions – Public strategies for architectural quality
Fabiano Sobreira



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