An exploration of the relationships among architects, clients, and municipalities and the effects on housing design: Private sector housing in Riyadh, Saudi Arabi

A major housing problem facing the city of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, is not a housing stock shortage but rather the low design quality of the majority of new private-sector housing. This study explores the issues of poor design quality by examining the interactions among architects, municipal officials, and clients and determining what impact these interactions have on design practices, processes and official approvals.;The approach used in researching these diverse activities and relationships was ethnographic involving observations and in-depth open ended interviews along with a qualitative analysis of the data.;The following factors were identified as important in affecting the quality of housing design. The superficial face-to-face interaction between the architects and clients coupled with the insufficient architectural design services resulted in a lack of a long-term architect-client relationship. This lack can be attributed to client attitude, the solicitation of clients, office atmosphere and a commitment to the client on the part of the architect. Another factor was the temporary, insufficient, and unenforced professional licensing procedures which have enabled many Saudi and non-Saudi architects and engineers who lack ability and experience to practice housing design which created an atmosphere of questionable professional conduct. Clients who built houses were the victims of a design profession insufficiently established, unevenly enforced and improperly practiced. While the client has been victimized, he has also been part of the problem with his quest for faster and cheaper housing designs and his penchant for unauthorized changes in approved building plans. The combination of improper professional practice and client behavior resulted in the increased intervention on the part of municipal officials. This intervention further exacerbated the quality of housing design because these interventions were mandated as an act of authority rather than on an informed basis.;This study can assist municipal officials in understanding how clients and professionals are perceiving, reacting to, and coping with various municipal intervention techniques; shows design professionals what is lacking in their practice and raises the client's consciousness about the value of housing design and the services they are entitled to.