est.etic is an edition that prompts participants to engage in a multifaceted exploration of aesthetics and ethics in architecture. We propose a debate about the balance and impact of technology, the functional priorities in a fast-paced environment, and the values related to sustainability, history and social equity on the concept of beauty in architecture.
The well-being and balance experienced personally by individuals and collectively by communities depend to a large extent on how the built environment embraces innovation while ensuring that it aligns with ethical principles.
All of this makes the discourse on ethics in the field of architecture a priority, especially considering the increasingly complex responsibility brought about by factors such as climate change, community dynamics, urbanization and the need for technology infusion. An example that is already well-known is photovoltaic panels. The undeniable benefits are difficult to integrate into the existing built environment without often creating a visually aggressive and striking impact.
New materials and technologies are themselves the outcomes of processes that must adhere to ethical principles and address challenges related to sustainability and the need to reduce the carbon footprint.
An architectural object that does not adhere to ethical principles cannot be labeled as immoral, therefore it is important to see it not as something magical, but as the culmination of a journey that involves various stakeholders, including architects, urban planners, engineers and clients, financiers, and the administration (as a decision-maker and representative of the local community).
The perspectives from which we can appreciate the beauty of architecture are becoming increasingly diverse. Their multiplicity makes it necessary to anchor and prioritize ethical rationales throughout the process of imagining, designing and constructing an architectural object.
The beauty of architecture is subjective and in the absence of ethical considerations, it has no real value. We believe that these moral values that the creative process of architecture must include are organized or grouped into several different categories. Many of these principles can be found in standards that, of course, need to be updated in order to adapt to new functional needs. The beauty, refinement and balance of a project are directly reliant on the professional culture and education of all those involved. Components of a second series of ethical values may be included in this chapter. Community involvement, cultural identity challenges, social responsibility are perspectives that contribute to and enrich the ethics of an intervention.
Architecture is an art, and the analysis of aesthetic value takes into account compositional ideas, scale, design principles, chromatics, materiality. It is manifest that ethics in architecture is impossible to define, and moral principles are reflected in the ethics of professional practice. Making them a priority, focusing on and advancing these elements will result in achieving the quality, sustainability and beauty we desire in the built environment.
In a world where technological change is outpacing our ability as humans to adapt – faster in mind, slower in soul and body - how can we keep up with the pressure to build quickly, efficiently, yet ethically and beautifully? BATRA 2025 is the place where we seek together the balance between being and doing, between necessity and vision, between est.etic and the future.
Arch. Daniela Maier
Curator of Transylvania Architecture Biennial 2025