It may be said that architects work in a constant state of uncertainty because they can never master all of the necessary skills before starting a project. To practice their profession, they have to learn to cope with these uncertainties and work past them in order to make the right decisions: there is always someone who has more knowledge within the specific disciplines that architecture encompasses. Despite that, it is the task of the architect to formulate the best holistic solution. (Tham and Videgård Hansson in a discussion with Johan Linton. Psykoanalytisk Tid/Skrift 2009: 28–29) To control the complexity that is implicit in design work and in their field of knowledge, architects have to cultivate their professional acumen by thinking openly and critically. Their education does not strive to create a secure situation without uncertainty, because uncertainty is inherent in creative work. Instead, the goal is that the students learn to deal with uncertainties so that they can be used constructively, and that they gain the ability to evaluate problems and also to criticize their own proposals creatively. To reach that level, training in both critical thinking and critical work methods, together with the ability to question program briefs and standard and conventional relationships, is essential. This is all part of the architect’s professional practice, and can now be explained with the latest findings from design theory.
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