Architecture is dynamic; though it doesn’t change through leaps and bounds, it does garner fluidity in every aspect it represents with each changing moment.
With the historical journey of architecture through time as our sample space, we observe architecture as what it commemorates. The dynamic identity has allowed the architectural design to progress from the creation of structures formed with the forces of nature, from era to era, each of which has given it a new addition of style and aura that represents its community. From a generation of natural formations to a more practical approach where everyday residences and buildings focus on functionality alongside innovation to today where we are at a juncture that presents the juxtaposition of the historical with the contemporary, the present developing in a way that lets us be a part of the vividly imaginative future.
This dynamic design does not change through leaps and bounds. Yet, we all can agree that architecture, as we see it today, is changing at an alarming pace. It is not only forms, aesthetics, and a core design that is proving to be more bold and experimental but also the factors of technology and concepts that are beginning to drive design into a futuristic transformation.
Every little experiment holds significance
Who knew 60 years ago that green buildings would prove to be such an inclusive topic that the concepts would have to be incorporated in every structure now to match a building’s lifespan with its carbon footprint?
Through sustainable architecture, the industry has adapted and maintained dynamic design to shape its structures in the hope of protecting our future environment and climate. For a holistic approach, sustainability has now become an integral part of mainstream architecture.
In the same way, who knows that 60 years from now we won’t have robotic buildings that function on their own with little to no indulgence required by human interventions? Think about it.
Digital Theory, Immersive Technology, and Virtual Reality have given architects the freedom to experience design in its conceptual stage whilst expanding the limits of architecture and construction.
When we think about what the future of architecture holds, we simply think about all the changes we’ve experienced on our journey as individuals. Where, as kids, we lived in simple colonies consisting of two-three storied buildings with one garden as an interactive space, to the point where the same town shapes itself as a metropolis.
Skyscrapers bringing the trend of going vertical have become more popular and beneficial as space becomes limited, with these buildings also exhibiting features that keep up with environmental preservation.
Dynamic designs are not only for buildings but also cities
When all the cities and towns in India started growing from within, some diverging into smart cities and some converging into small-scale townships. The city which received utmost recognition, and continues to do so, is Chandigarh—a city that portrays the epitome of town planning.
Le Corbusier, in the ’50s, conducted one of the most interesting and inquisitive experiments in urban planning in the 20th century and so the city of Chandigarh became the symbol of a newly independent India.
This showed innovation and the advantages that it can have for an ever-dynamic field. Taking this as an example, who’s to say that smart city initiatives with their precise planning and sustainable concepts or universal architecture that accepts the challenges of normalcy in design for all will not transform at a scale where tomorrow looks very different from what stands firm today.
The last two decades are proof that the industry has been subject to dramatic changes, paving the way for a future that focuses on building material, crowdfunding, and collaborative designs with increased importance given to energy efficiency and structures that break the stigma of repetition with forms created beyond the basics of a grid.
“Architecture, not so much as the art or technique of making buildings, but architecture as the intelligent way to organize our lives on earth, and infuse it with purpose.” – Ole Bouman
When we look at the journey of architecture and how dynamic it has proved to be to date, we consider the belief that architecture cannot and will not be focused on only one kind of vision. What seems relevant today will be replaced with the changing tides of time, technology, and theory.
With the changing modes of every generation and the time taken to develop the ‘next big thing’ growing shorter with every rippling effect, architecture will still stand to be an amalgam of details we perceive from history, groundbreaking concepts like sustainability or biomimicry that will keep conceptual transformation moving and finally the changing nodes of technology and digital theory giving infrastructure the freedom to be anything they would want to be.
The future of architecture is marked with upcoming trends at its forefront that facilitate better bolder designs, synchronize forms and functions, test the twists in technology and apply concepts proficiently.
