“To what end do we put our skills without ethical purpose”
Richard Sennett, The Craftsman

The pursuit of technical mastery without ethical consideration has long been a defining tension in professional practice. History offers stark examples – figures like J. Robert Oppenheimer, who grappled with the moral weight of his scientific achievements, and Adolf Eichmann, who saw himself as a mere functionary, absolved of responsibility by bureaucratic process. Both were highly skilled, yet their legacies are shaped by the ethical consequences of their work. In architecture and construction, where decisions about materials, design, and procurement shape lives and landscapes for generations, this same dilemma persists. How much agency do architects truly have in shaping ethical outcomes, and to what extent have they surrendered responsibility to cost, regulation, and external pressures?