Routine production or symbolic analysis? India and the globalisation of architectural services

Abstract

Developments in information technology have reduced the need for spatial proximity in the geography of architectural employment: computer-based drafting allows for better standardisation and more efficient production of project information, whilst electronic communication links make the immediate transfer of this information possible across long distances. The ability to compress time and space may be paving the way to the relocation of architectural production facilities from higher-wage to lower-wage regions: numerous examples already exist of firms that have adopted this strategy to reduce their overheads.Thus far, discussion of the viability and desirability of this emerging trend has been hampered by its close focus on the type of work carried out, and a consequently narrow view of its costs and benefits. Remote drafting is seen as a cheap form of professional north-south exploitation in architecture's intellectual circles that should be ignored if not deplored. By stressing the connection between the task and the culture in which it is developed, this paper seeks to produce a broader, alternative perspective, which identifies the several limitations of current off-shore collaborations but also points out possible future strengths, development strategies, and necessary environmental conditions.The Indian context provides an opportunity to highlight analogies and differences between the recent growth of the export-oriented IT industry and the construction of a colonial professional practice at the turn of the twentieth century. If properly acknowledged by the domestic profession and considered by policy-makers, the development of a framework for distant architectural collaborations could be used not only to support the local design sector and bring the contested components of its post-colonial tradition in sharper focus and possibly closer together, but also to respond to the many challenges posed by the country's economic policies, growth, and infrastructural conditions.

Inequality and regional development in resource economies of advanced capitalist economies

“…Labor is a large proportion of these costs, with advanced capitalist nations having the higher overheads of higher minimum workers' rights across various contractual aspects of holidays, pay, superannuation (etc.). Nonetheless, while some employment “locations” (e.g., design‐related and business‐services) have shifted from advanced capitalist to developing nations (Rothboeck, ; Tombesi, Dave, & Scriver, ), other jobs demanding higher skill and education have consolidated in advanced capitalist nations (James, ). This human capital accumulation has implications in terms of overall wealth accumulation, with three key aspects to highlight regarding the spatial distribution of resource economic activities.…”

Problem-Based Learning as a Model for the Interior Design Classroom: Bridging the Skills Divide Between Academia and Practice

“…There are increasing demands on academic institutions to provide students with an educational experience that readies them for a professional career. The increased outsourcing of entry-level work reduces the number of jobs available to new graduates (Tombesi, Dave, & Scriver, 2003). With low employment rates for graduates as well as increasing overall tuition costs (Ehrenberg, 2000), the future architect or interior designer may prefer a program of study that provides a competitive foothold in a difficult job market.…”

Corporate Ecologies of Business Travel in Professional Service Firms

“…At the opposite end of the spectrum to the command-and-control tactics described in advertising, global architecture firms often create a spatial division of labour based on expertise in their projects. This can involve the offshoring of processes to locations that can provide services more cheaply (Tombesi et al, 2003), but also the fragmentation of project work to tap into the expertise of architects located in different offices or to collaborate with colleagues in other offices with relevant expertise. For example, a firm may have a group of computer scripting experts located in London who manage the refinement of designs produced by a group of stadium design experts in Paris.…”