To live in a world with unlimited possibilities is the beginning of the path to our unknown future. The stones that we lay on this path firm the foundation for this reality. This path contains puzzles that are easy to comprehend and some that are indecisive. A few remain anonymous to this day. However, the details of our future get unraveled by solving out each one of them. Among these mysteries, one of the puzzles is the usage of land on our planet. And the key to deciphering this puzzle is Architecture.
To Give Form to the Unstructured | Infinite Puzzle
In simple terms, form means to give shape to an idea that has sprouted in a person’s mind. Each seed planted gives birth to new ideas via the form. And one such seed is Habitat 67. Starting its journey as a thesis project for its architect, Moshe Safdie, it later went on to the World Exposition of 1967. The idea is conceived as an experiment for creating high-quality housing in a dense urban environment for low costs. This housing concept, thought outside the normal architecture realm, was carried forward by stacking 354 identical prefabricated concrete structures up to 12 stories high.
A conventional housing project would comprise either high-rise apartment buildings, known for their beautiful views and low maintenance cost, or suburban houses, known for their luscious gardens and semi-open spaces. However, Habitat 67’s ideology apprehended the best of these two ideas. It paved a path for an innovative method that created an opportunity for each apartment to have a roof garden up to multiple stories high, with ample sunlight and airflow through them. Architecture helps a person snap puzzle pieces together and give form to a new mystery to be solved.
Incorporating Nature’s Gifts
Mother Nature is one puzzle that exists on multiple levels. Different aspects of architecture unlock each level. We have adapted and blended various materials from nature to make structures. The comfort and warmth that nature provides us have a unique feel to it. Characteristics of nature can be incorporated into the design using a concept called Biophilia or Biophilic Design. Compared to the ideology of green architecture, which is to reduce the harmful impact on the environment, Biophilia takes it a step further by allowing the users to have a close connection with nature while spending their time indoors. It will enable more natural light to illuminate indoor spaces and incorporate raw materials and textures mimicking nature’s presence. Biophilic design will play a massive role in improving people’s health and our environment in the future years.
A Building Taking Care on its Own
Blending architecture with technology is the next big puzzle that we have commenced deciphering for our future. A vast potential that we see in front of us is the autonomous buildings. These are buildings that are conceptualized to be operated independently from the infrastructural and communication services such as electric power grid, water and sanitation system, and in some rare cases, public roads. A building that can adapt its behavior intelligently to the occupant’s needs and functions efficiently to improve its productivity.
An autonomous building will utilize the nearby resources within its allocated financial budget, thus minimizing human intervention. This type of building will use renewable resources to not produce more greenhouse gases than it consumes. Since these buildings will be energy-efficient to run, the cost to run the facilities will be less. To have a completely autonomous structure may not be possible now, but it surely will be the next wave that will impact the field of architecture.
World of Hologram
Light is one of the vital elements that stimulate our vision, and architecture helps create structures that can manipulate light to control what we see. Yet, this has a limitation to what a person can perceive. Mimicking the properties of light to create a new object is a puzzle that we are still solving. Still, we had made breakthroughs in some stages, and we received the field of study called holography. An example of incorporating holographic technology with structures is The Garage Screen by Syndicate Architects. It uses this technology to create a colorful and shimmering effect on the facade of its pyramid design. Although it is too early to predict, holography has the possibility of reshaping how we conceptualize and experience architecture completely.
The Key to a New Reality
To imagine a puzzle that can solve on its own is quite alarming and at the same time astonishing. Artificial intelligence, in simple terms, is the development of computer systems that can execute tasks that generally requires human intervention. With the help of this intelligent system, it will have the capacity to interpret data such as noise, air pollution, sunlight, etc., and can help in the urban planning of cities and may even design a structure on its own. Furthermore, AI can analyze and monitor the patterns and movement of humans and design more efficient cities.
Although the structure’s efficiency or city design might be close to perfection, the purity of architecture or the human element that makes a structure have its own identity might be lost. In the future, there will come a time where artificial intelligence exceeds human intelligence. This point of emergence is commonly referred to as Singularity. It also represents a symbiotic relationship where AI can use the creative thinking of humans, and we can integrate the memory and rapid computing of AI’s. Thus, it is evident that artificial intelligence will lay the foundation for future architecture and enhance people’s lives.
The Future of Architecture | Infinite Puzzle
Every mystery that we encounter in our journey to discover new realms in architecture has its ups and downs. Without finding new puzzles to solve, there is less scope for evolution. From the mud huts to the glass and steel-reinforced buildings, people have been working in making our lives and our surroundings safer and more advanced than it has been a while back. Since spaces will get more congested, efficient structures will be preferred, such as skyscrapers and compact homes. There are many paths by which architecture could travel in the future, but holding hands with sustainability and technology has a greater scope for a better tomorrow.
References:
Merin, G., 2021. AD Classics: Habitat 67 / Safdie Architects. [online] ArchDaily. Available at: <https://www.archdaily.com/404803/ad-classics-habitat-67-moshe-safdie> [Accessed 10 June 2021].
Equipe, A., 2021. Biophilia in Architecture: Nature Indoors and Outdoors. [online] ArchDaily. Available at: <https://www.archdaily.com/955940/biophilia-in-architecture-nature-indoors-and-outdoors> [Accessed 10 June 2021].
Cao, L., 2021. Holography: How It Could Change Architectural Space. [online] ArchDaily. Available at: <https://www.archdaily.com/963011/holography-how-it-could-change-architectural-space?ad_medium=widget&ad_name=articles-article-show> [Accessed 10 June 2021].
Baldwin, E., 2021. How Artificial Intelligence Will Shape Design by 2050. [online] ArchDaily. Available at: <https://www.archdaily.com/937523/how-artificial-intelligence-will-shape-design-by-2050> [Accessed 10 June 2021].
Mohammed, Y., 2019. A Review of Autonomous Buildings of the Future: Wisdom on Sustainable Design in Architecture and Engineering. Current Trends in Civil & Structural Engineering, 2(2).
