With the release of the thoroughly revised 13th edition of The Architect's Handbook of Professional Practice last year, publisher, John Wiley & Sons, determined as well to update the popular student edition.

"The 13th edition of the Handbook focuses on the client as a key participant in the practice equation, the changing business functions of the office of the 21st century, and the enlarged realm of architectural services that expands the architect's role in the building world," wrote Student Edition Editor Robert Greenstreet, Assoc. AIA, RIBA, in the student edition preface. "As such, it represents an important new perspective on the continued evolution of the profession and a useful road map to its practical application."

That a board of educators reviewed the new student edition and that it was edited specifically to the learning needs of students are two somewhat new twists. In previous editions, the student edition was simply a paperback replication of the Handbook.

"Conceived nearly a century ago as a tool to give the profession greater definition or structure, the Handbook in this, its latest edition, places the emphasis not on formulas or setting boundaries, but on flexibility, nimbleness, and innovation. In fact, this edition begins with the client as a sort of first cause and then moves to the relationship between architect and client as a consequence," wrote Greenstreet, who is chair of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Architecture and Urban Planning. "This is different—and the difference is energizing."

Copyright 2001 The American Institute of Architects. All rights reserved.