Architectural management can be defined as ‘an ordered way of thinking which helps to realize a quality building for an acceptable cost’ or as a ‘process function with the aim of delivering greater architectural value to the client and society’. A research by Ar. Kiran Gandhi describes Architectural Management as a subject of practical aspects for an architect to successfully operate his practice.
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The management techniques and tools, borrowed mainly from repetitive industrial processes, did not comfortably fit in the seemingly chaotic and ephemeral world of architecture. There was a need for management thinking and tools to support and enhance, rather than distract from, the act of creating architecture. Efforts to combine managerial thinking with the management of architectural design organizations eventually gave rise to the establishment of architectural management as a new discipline of research and practice4.
The term ‘architectural management’ has been in use since the 1960s. The evolution of the field of architectural management has not been a smooth affai. Architectural practice was merely considered a business until after the Second World War, and even then practitioners appeared to be concerned about the conflict between art and commerce, demonstrating indifference to management. There was apparent conflict between the image of an architect and the need for professional management of the architectural business. Reluctance to embrace management and business as an inherent part of architectural practice could also be seen in architectural education programs and publications. It appears that the management of architectural design, as well as architectural management in general, is still not being given enough importance.
Architectural management falls into two distinct parts: office or practice management and project management. Office management provides an overall framework within which many individual projects are commenced, managed and completed. Both parts have the same objectives, and the techniques vary and mesh only at certain points. Achieving synergy between the management of design office and of individual projects (which are still commonly addressed separately) is crucial to ensure a profitable business – the essence of architectural management.
Other sources distinguish three major aspects of architectural management: the product, the process and the organizational aspects pertaining to the quality of the building.
Architectural management extends between the management of the design process, construction and project management, through to facilities management of buildings in use. It is a powerful tool that can be applied to the benefit of the professional service firms and the total building processes, yet it continues to receive too little attention both in theory and in practice.