Sustainability in Management Processes: Case Studies in Architectural Design Firms

Abstract

Building design is a strategic stage for meeting sustainability requirements. Many decisions that have impact on building performance are made in this stage. Hence, research about design firms’ management and their processes is essential for achieving suitable designs. This paper investigates the relation between sustainability and management processes of architectural design firms. Three case studies were conducted in architectural design firms from São Paulo city, Brazil. Semi-structured interviews and document analysis were carried out to collect research data. Thematic tables were used in the data analysis. The results show that sustainability automatically demands management processes in investment, technical knowledge, activities, and agents in the firms’ daily work. Facing daily work, design firms have not entirely taken into account sustainability, especially in strategic management processes. Architectural design has gained complexity due to the diversity of design requirements and new activities, new agents, and tools in its process. Therefore, understanding this context and preparing firms in terms of management should be a concern in the strategic sphere of design firms.