Since the 2008 global financial crisis, no profession, no culture, and no political regime have escaped the relentless search for culpability during the darkest economic times since the 1930’s. Architecture, in particular, has undergone a period of soul searching as the dual crimes of environmental insensitivity and aesthetic bombast were cited as both the real and symbolic reasons why architecture contributed to the meltdown. Five years on, the initial pangs of guilt felt by architects have now been replaced with a new ethical outlook.  This lecture, using the recent work of NMDA, explores the value and functionality of architecture and its global image in the time of new ethics.