I have always wondered if we, as architects, have directly or indirectly contributed to global climate change. When clients approach an architect, they probably do not know much about energy efficiency or sustainable architecture. Do we, as a norm, educate them on the various aspects of the issue? Perhaps not. It isn't always easy for architects to convince clients of the importance of building sustainable structures as the initial costs currently are pretty high and it may be many years before clients see a return on that investment. The architect thus walks a tightrope between justifying the impact of this change on the world and the fear of losing a client to other commercially-minded competitors.

But, in recent times, architects have started devoting more of their time and effort into large humanitarian works, thus making a name for themselves while earning commissions for the work done. This, in turn, encourages more architects to work for the less fortunate, do pro bono work and make a living despite having to eat into their savings to pay their bills. If not for this shift in paradigm, architects and architecture would be affordable only to the 1% of the population, while disregarding the rest of the 99% who badly need the social changes brought about by the work that architects do. Further insight can be drawn from this article in the March 2012 edition of the Architectural Record and can be read here