Witnessing and attempting to respond to various social changes, the history of twentieth-century architecture includes numerous architects who moved between all levels of the profession, including the field of everyday objects. While some of these objects and pieces of furniture were designed or conceived as part of a larger architectural project, many others were designed as everyday objects in their own right, independent of any architectural work.

OASE 121 explores why architects think about, design and make furniture. It combines theoretical research into the role of furniture within architecture, its practice and discourse, with detailed, focused studies of the work of architects who design furniture and for whom this area of work has become an important part of their oeuvre.

‘Quality’ is an all-pervasive concept in contemporary architectural practice, yet it is also a somewhat vague notion that can be used for many very different valuations. Talking or thinking about a high-quality built environment opens up new opportunities for critical interpretation and for new social or ecological endeavours. By the same token, the concept of quality may limit the arena for the evaluation and legitimization of architecture to expert opinions.

This issue of OASE considers contemporary processes and environments in which the quality of (public) architecture is negotiated. How do state or city architects, urban quality commissions or design competitions ensure the quality of regional planning? What is the importance of the exchanges and negotiations between designers, experts, mediators and other stakeholders? And how do these ‘settings’ fit into the evolving frameworks of architectural culture, urban or infrastructural policy and the political economy?