<P>Although architecture is the fastest-growing profession in America, its private context remains shrouded in myth. In this book, Dana Cuff delves into the architect's everyday work world to uncover an intricate social art of design. The result is a new portrait of the profession that sheds light on what it means to become an architect, how design problems are construed and resolved, how clients and architects negotiate, and how design excellence is achieved.Dana Cuff has taught as a social scientist among architects and as an architect among social scientists. Her participant/observer studies for this book, carried out over the past decade, involved more than 200 individuals representing 80 different firms. She is Associate Professor of Architecture and Planning at the University of Southern California.</P>