Architectural design management : a practical reflection on the development of a domain

Architectural Management has evolved from a small number of seminal works published in the 1960s into an important knowledge domain today. This domain is underpinned by a growing body of theoretical knowledge which is valued by practitioners for its contribution to the improvement of planning, design and execution of projects. In the Netherlands, for example, a substantial number of design management tools (over 75) were developed by the Architectural Design Management Systems (ADMS) programme of the TU/e over the past decade. Much of the international work on architectural management has been developed via the CIB’s W096 Architectural Management, supported by a growing number of PhD thesis, academic papers and a small number of books. Architectural Management has expanded and changed in response to the demands of clients and users, the continuous growth in complexity of our built environment, and the focus on whole life cycle/sustainability issues. Concomitant with this is the need for better collaboration, communication and integration, facilitated by developments in ICT and a better application of management. The aim of the work presented in this paper is to concisely review the development of architectural design management to identify the most pertinent issues for researchers and practitioners. These are then discussed in the light of the current and future challenges facing the Architecture, Engineering, Construction (AEC) sector. The paper concludes with a framework for further exploration of specific aspects with the aim of further developing architectural management.