There are lots of future predictions done in books and movies. None of them turn out to be 100% right. No matter how logically you think or how many variables you consider while predicting. There is going to be at least one human who is going to go out of the predicted path. Create a butterfly effect and change the portion of the future, if not entirely.
The human community tends to accept change if it makes their life easier. If a person does something different and that one act makes him a standout in a better way, others will follow him and create a trend. New ideas, no matter how small or big they are, become part of our daily life. Our future progress develops on them. Take an elevator for example, or a light bulb or oil lamp to make it simple. If extracting oil is too complicated and the invention of fire is cliché, let’s take an even simpler one – befriending animals.
All the species cohabitate together on earth. But a situation where two different species crossing the boundaries of their herds and grouping up with other species is rarely seen. More importantly, other animals don’t go and copy them. Unlike them, our human species had to copy the very first human that brought the puppy into the family. It didn’t stop there. Other animals started to be included in a herd. And we can see what a huge role it played in developing humankind through history.
Predicting future of Architecture
“We shape our buildings; thereafter, they shape us.” (Churchill, 1943)
Similarly, architecture and community both shape each other. Architecture responds to people, their culture, daily life, events, problems, needs, demands, environment, and climate. All these and many more aspects that impact the human future will impact architecture too and vice versa.
Growth : towards the sky
If the population keeps increasing, then demand for houses and transportation facilities will grow in the city. At present, the most favored solution for that is building upwards. Vertical growth doesn’t always mean towers like skyscrapers. There are designs like habitat 66 that divide and create public and community spaces for people on different levels. Who knows, this might start another era of divided communities. Wealthy top-tires in the sky and poor lower-tier living in the shadows of skyscrapers.
As for transportation infrastructure, the ground will always remain the primary space. Unless humans discover technology to teleport physical and living objects. Some predict the chances of flying cars, but that doesn’t seem plausible. In air transportation, there are high chances of destruction and casualties during accidents.
Growth : Below the ground
There are chances that instead of going vertically upward, future generations will build structures underground. But chances of future architecture developing in this direction are rather low because the more the structure goes down the more the cost will be added to the overall construction cost due to excavation. So unless the air turns radioactive or solar radiation goes beyond human capacity, or some other danger forces human species to live underground the chances of cities developing underground are rather low.
This practice will also be harmful to the environment because we will disturb a large mass of underground habitats and ecosystems. The More the structures go down, the more the underground water streams, the untouched underground crystal caves, and the habitats of species living in such underground spaces will be destroyed.
Growth : Over the Sea
There is another possibility of instead going vertical, that is going lateral in the sea. Although the numbers are less this kind of development is happening at present. For example, aquaculture, resorts in the sea, etc. As long as these habitats take care of the environment and ecosystems of the sea, then this kind of development is not a bad option.
But if humans don’t learn from past mistakes; then a huge part of the earth’s ecosystem will be destroyed, rendering planet earth inhabitable. At that point, space will be the only option left. And the next generations will live on in domes or boxes with a closed, controlled environment, like a fish in a fish tank.
Growth : Vernacular
Maybe our species will learn from our past mistakes and try to connect and adjust to nature instead of preferring to live in a closed, controlled environment. Maybe instead of going into nature for a break from daily life, we will start making it part of our life.
Maybe instead of focusing the developing technology over mass-producing concrete blocks, we will use that energy to discover better material, better techniques, and designs that are affordable, environment-friendly, easy to process as well as construct. If that happens, our planet might have a chance to regain its lost health.
Effect of the pandemic
One significant occurrence that has affected our present and future is the corona pandemic. It has accelerated a few changes like the use of virtual platforms and AI. In some cases, it has decreased the speed of development not unrelated to the pandemic or construction industry. And it has completely changed the direction of the future for spaces like community and public spaces.
There are many cases of pandemics in history that have struck the human race since the beginning of time. All of them had some impact on human history. Some were bad enough to change architecture, cultural beliefs, social values, medical science, and technology. But unlike the corona pandemic, it never affects the foundation of a human lifestyle of being part of the public.
In the past, commoners didn’t have the option to stay home and work. Unless they are rich and have all the supplies stacked up in their houses, there is no other option than to go in public spaces. No matter how bad it is outside, they had to get out to get the food on the table. Today, most people have the option to stay home and still work, be entertained, organize events, and meet with other people without coming into physical contact with other people.
Availability of this option may reduce the need and importance of public and community spaces in the future. Maybe an increase in options, fewer efforts, less danger in accessing virtual space will extinguish the need for people to go out altogether. Virtual architecture will become primary and physical architecture won’t matter anymore. The need for big physical spaces will become lesser and lesser.
If during that time, humans are successful in accessing the virtual world only with the help of the brain then it will begin a new era. The era where there are rows and rows of people hibernating in the physical world, and living unimaginable life in a virtual world space where there are no laws of physics.
Future may not be 100% predictable. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t let our imagination loose. Most of the daily things we are accustomed to were once a fragment of imagination. Small things shape a big future. Like lifts shaped the cities with skyscrapers and light bulbs shaped the nightlife on earth.
