Morality and Architecture

In the wake of a new era of design brought upon by 9/11, FT.com's architecture writer reflects on the origins and the future of morality in architecture.

1 minute read

November 10, 2003, 5:00 AM PST

By Connie Chung


"Contemporary architects are not accustomed to presenting their plans in terms of morality, but the replacement for the Twin Towers, destroyed in moral outrage, is being judged in moral terms....Morality had been central to modernism, a functional architecture stripped bare of decoration and the accrued layers of history to reveal its soul. That soul, now visible, had to be accountable - which required an architecture of clarity, purity, whiteness and a machine-made rigour which seemed to deny human involvement....Today, talk of morality and ethics in architecture in New York causes people to roll their eyes....[Libeskind] will now have to ponder whether, smashed against the demands of developers, local government and bureaucracy, his architecture has perhaps become the sacrificial vessel buried with the thousands of dead of September 11, dragging the dream of a moral architecture into the grave."

Thanks to Connie Chung

Friday, November 7, 2003 in Yahoo! Newswire

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 2, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

White and purple sign for Slow Street in San Francisco, California with people crossing crosswalk.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths

Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

July 1, 2025 - KQED

Google street view of red brick multi-story power plant building in Pittsburgh, PA.

Defunct Pittsburgh Power Plant to Become Residential Tower

A decommissioned steam heat plant will be redeveloped into almost 100 affordable housing units.

July 4 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Cyclist on protected bike lane in middle of street in Washington D.C. with Washington Monument obelisk visible in background.

Trump Prompts Restructuring of Transportation Research Board in “Unprecedented Overreach”

The TRB has eliminated more than half of its committees including those focused on climate, equity, and cities.

July 4 - Streetsblog USA

Blue and silver Amtrak train at small station.

Amtrak Rolls Out New Orleans to Alabama “Mardi Gras” Train

The new service will operate morning and evening departures between Mobile and New Orleans.

July 3 - New Orleans City Business