The future of architecture relies on what the future holds: less damage to the environment, a better lifestyle, reasonableness, amplifying technology, and renovation of space. We could be reaching mars but cannot let go of the need of rethinking our way to practice civilization on earth.
Our future is no rocket science, but easily predictable. We have a growing population and growing needs which include majorly space. And by space it’s not just a roof, instead, it’s a full shelter with protective walls, enough ventilation, proper functioning of services, healthy physical as well as mental surroundings, indulging with nature and mankind.
Post-Pandemic Development
Now that the whole world has suffered from the global pandemic COVID-19 it is very clear that we are in the urge to change our lifestyles to survive and be healthy at the same time. Architecture around us is a major asset. And now that everyone has spent a part of their life behind closed doors, designing them has taken a turn to 180 degrees.
Buildings need to be designed after considering population, making it easier for people to tackle situations like these safely. Our homes not only need to be safe physically but mentally as well. Ventilation, open spaces, balconies, enough daylight, space enough for circulation, and interaction with nature play a major role in our mental health. And construction needs to change to provide that enough.
We need to create the interaction of the buildings to stay connected while we are at distance as for now all have understood it enough, the importance of private space and the requirement of still being available, visible, and touchable.
Sustainable buildings
We as humans have damaged nature at an extreme. And there is no further explanation to this: We need nature to survive and heal, whereas nature makes its path and heals itself. It doesn’t need us, for anything.
Sustainability is a way to collaborate with nature to create a better future for ourselves. Tiny homes converted to Green buildings operating on solar panels can feed the building itself. Whereas high rises and skyscrapers can be an addition to saving space and creating more rooms. Construction materials need to be re-evaluated on sustainability measures. Energies can be transformed, carbon releases can be reduced, deforestation can be stopped for architecture, i.e., the energy efficiency of buildings needs to be accounted for.
To be sustainable, cities will have to be compelled to become more space-savvy – making room for commercial and residential spaces alongside infrastructure and public services which will be ready to cope with an increased population, such as traffics, roads and highways, schools, and hospitals. Vertical cities are an answer to these.
AI and Technology
It’s not a secret that technology has accelerated at an implausible pace! Architecture is not an exception.
AI opens a gate to smart homes, living spaces that are complex living data-driven organisms. Smart buildings lead to smart civilization. And the way our cities look today is going to be very different in the future. Smart Cities will be places driven by real-time data and feedback, communicating with themselves like living organisms. The buildings, smartphones, cars, and public places will communicate with one another to enhance living conditions, limit waste, increase safety, and limit traffic.
VR & Immersive Architecture
Imagine an artificial world that you can observe, walkthrough, reach out to touch objects, and see everything around you respond in real-time. This is immersive virtual reality and these spaces are created employing a combination of special effects, wireless tracking technology, headsets, HD projectors, polarised glass, and more, all working together to create interactive and real-life experiences. The world of 3D virtual design and engineering is a fast-growing field and there’s some seriously forward-thinking happening in these fields.
3D printing
With an increasing population and dwindling resources companies are looking to streamline future home construction to make them more cost-efficient and it’s a point likely that many buildings of the future will be 3D printed instead of taking months to construct homes like these can be erected within a matter of days it can be made from a wide range of materials. Special mortar is used to hold it together and the overall cost of making. Honestly, this is a fraction of what would be needed for the traditional method. Not only it can be cheaper but can also produce far less waste and incorporate recycled materials and green energy proficients too.
Collaboration
Architecture as we all know it’s likely to disappear and, in the future, the role of architects could also be very different from how we recognize it today. Specialists in, for example, environmental science and social anthropology, landscape architecture, material knowledge will become active team members in design studios, working together on complex projects that require knowledge in different fields. Collaboration with system leaders is not any longer a luxury, but a necessity for meeting complex structural needs.
Architecture in the near future is going to be changed, and it’s not coming straight out of sci-fi movies, it’s not going back to the past. It may be inspired by the techniques of the past, it could be more imaginary than living on Mars. The ability to make new structures to be more than just boring concrete buildings, cities have been long akin to becoming soulless as more uninspired towers filled with new projects can now help add to the aesthetic of an area. What the future holds is exciting!
References
- DesignBox (2015). Vertical City: Future buildings architectural concepts. [Photograph]. [online]. Available at: http://88designbox.com/architecture/vertical-city-future-buildings-architecture-concept-564.html
- Architect Magazine. (2017). L’Arbre Blanc (The White Tree). [Photograph]. [online]. Available at: https://www.architectmagazine.com/project-gallery/larbre-blanc-the-white-tree_o
- Waste-Ed. (2021). vertical forest. [Photograph]. (Instagram). Available at: https://www.instagram.com/get.waste.ed/
- Commercial Design. (2020). Artificial Intelligence and Architecture. [Photograph]. [online]. Available at: https://www.commercialdesignindia.com/insights/6835-artificial-intelligence-and-architecture
- Inflexon. (2021). AI in architecture – is it a good match? [Photograph]. [online]. Available at: https://www.iflexion.com/blog/ai-architecture
