The domain of Architecture is a steady-paced exploration of contexts, climates, and conceptualization of forms. The discipline is a reflection of fundamentals and construction techniques manifested over centuries through constant trial and error. These contemplations fused with present-day technological interventions provide critical insights regarding the future of architecture.
The following extract elaborates four major themes redirecting the course of architecture and design:
The manifestation of Prophylactic Architecture
The Code of Conduct of space inspires its architecture, and in return, architecture inspires its Code of Conduct. The COVID-19 era has challenged and changed this Code, setting new and revolutionary disciplines for design.
Alterations in the utility of open-plan offices, free-flowing household spaces, and formerly overcrowded streets offer an opportunity to subjugate foibles of these congested interruptions.
1. Residential Spaces
During the pandemic, apartments having harmonious living, dining, and kitchen spaces functioned against the esteem of their inhabitants. Hence, SO-IL, an award-winning firm reconditioned apartment houses in Brooklyn.
Contrary to the harmonious domestic spaces, the apartments exhibit separable living, dining, and kitchen quarters. The bedrooms spaced apart, offer better acoustic buffering and behave as suitable workspaces. Additionally, the architects attempt to deliver thirty percent extra outdoor space in the form of courtyards and extended terraces.
2. Office Spaces
Cushman and Wakefield, a commercial enterprise based in the Netherlands, laid general guidelines for the functioning of offices. The 6 Feet Office is a manifestation focusing on obeying the social distancing norms while promoting a healthy work culture. The floor area of each workstation is demarcated by a carpet consisting of two concentric circles.
The inner circle demarcates the private domain and its larger, adjacent circle is the pathway for a colleague to transverse to other parts of the office. Furthermore, employees are encouraged to advance in a single direction while traversing through outlined pathways. Thus, subtle modifications make it possible to manage density even in the most populous surroundings.
The manifestation of Non-Conventional Architecture
To sustain means “To Last”.In other words, sustainable buildings operate in sync with nature and serve their patrons like living entities. Sometimes this union is achieved by the use of Passive Lighting and Ventilation techniques and at other times, by the use of reusable materials.
Since every building is unique in its form, function, and constraints offered by the site, the path to achieving sustenance varies. However, the main aim remains to shape a building life-giving in its ambiance and life-saving in its form. The Green School in Bali, Indonesia is an excellent example of Sustainable Architecture. The complex is a manifestation of spiral roofs and hollow interweaving bamboo sanctions.
Along with draining run-off water, the deep overhangs of the undulating roofs act as inlets for air and shading devices for open-air galleries. Apart from its structural soundness, the specialty of Bamboo lies in its low gestation period of three years to achieve a length of eighteen meters making Bamboo a renewable and sustainable material.
The manifestation of Parametrics
Digital fabrication refers to the system which involves the use of computational data in designing and manufacturing stages. It aids a quick, effortless, and cost-effective construction process. Besides, new technology ensured the discovery of innovative materials paving the way for parametric aesthetics.
Smart Slab, one of the fifteen core elements of the DFab House is a model of a marvel of Digital Fabrication. Smart slabs are a remarkable culmination of precise 3d printed geometric forms and the plasticity of concrete. In the DFab House, the slab rests on a curvilinear mesh molded wall and is capable of carrying loads up to a hundred tonnes. The free-flowing slab is manifested by spraying concrete over ribbed prefabricated modules.
The resultant slab requires lower amounts of concrete and weighs seventy percent lesser than conventional concrete slabs. Therefore, skillful use of mathematical calculations and machinery has made it possible to conserve building material.
The manifestation of Innovative Business Models
1. Incorporation of Virtual Reality
Conventionally to convey concepts and ideas to clients, architects relied on Sketches, Two Dimensional drawings, and Scaled Models. Unlike representation in plans and sections, architecture is Three-Dimensional in nature. Hence, to convey the full impact of their propositions, firms resort to Immersive Technologies and Virtual Reality tools.
These strategies aid planners and clients witness proposed programs on a 1:1 scale manifesting a seamless and design process.
2. Synergic Practices
The contemporary design problems compose of numerous engagements like formulating concepts, generating relevant drawings and details, site visits, client meetings, contractor meetings, and the construction of the project. These endeavors demand coordination and teamwork. Jamb, a firm based in the United States, is a paradigm of partnership. Founded in 2017, by six architects the firm aims in increasing the impact of smaller firms via alliance.
Due to their increased availability of resources, the resulting organization becomes proficient in handling projects of varying scales and a multitude of complexities. Thus, small and medium-scale practices unleash their true potential and influence the architectural fraternity.
Hence, the pandemic served as a reminder of the profound relationship between Manner of Living and Architecture. The epoch also throws light on the scarcity of resources and encourages architects to rely on unconventional building materials like Bamboo.
The extract also focuses on the effect of the digital revolution, parametric forms and blending with architectural practices, and redefining business models.
