This article aims to highlight the future projections and predictions about architecture through the past and current building techniques. Sustainability is at the core of all the aspects discussed in this article, as the relevancy to the climate crisis is imperative to address when discussing the future of architecture.
The future of architecture will develop from trends which mimic the lifestyle choices and needs that are significant to society at that time. Whether architecture will be dystopian or utopian in the future, the one thing that remains constant is that architecture will always be a sustainable reflection of society in the time that it is built in.
The Impact of NBS (Nature-Based Solutions) on Social & Physical Landscapes:
One main priority that will be pertinent to the future social landscape is mental health. The future of architecture strives to improve this by incorporating designs that are stripped back and people-friendly. Biophilic design endeavours to do this via incorporation of more natural light, ventilation and landscaping into spaces. (DeJesus, 2024, p.186).
Biophilic design blurs the boundary between the outside and the inside, creating spaces for people that are future-proof and adaptable. Incorporating NBS (Nature-based Solutions) such as biophilic design and green roofs can help in ‘mitigating the urban heat island effects’ (Bardhan, 2024). A UHI (Urban Heat Island) is created when a central metropolitan area is warmer than surrounding green areas (Rutledge et al., 2023).
Greener, Smaller & Vernacular:
Delving into the sustainability aspect of the industry’s future, the notion of green building will be implemented more commonly into practices, reducing energy consumption. Future projections state that ‘the best buildings will use eighty to ninety percent less energy…’ (McLennan, 2004, p.244). From this, we can see that the lifestyles which cater towards greener construction are reflective of vernacular living. Examples of such lifestyles, which are being adopted by a growing number of people, are smaller-scaled living, living off-the-grid and zero-waste living. Modular and pre-fabricated homes tend to encompass these lifestyles well, as we can see in the growing trend of tiny-homes.
In some ways, Tiny-Home Living (or small-scale living) mirrors the lifestyle practiced by the people who inhabit vernacular architecture. Considering that Tiny-Home Living is more stripped back, it seems quite juxtapositional to think of it as an aspect of the future of architecture, however, perhaps the principles of historic and early lifestyles can dictate the future.
How Can The Past Dictate The Future of Architecture?
One such approach to this is the concept of adaptive reuse, which links the idea of adaptability (displayed by biophilic design) and greener construction methods (shown by modular, pre-fab and vernacular architecture). Constructing from existing structures that have outlived their use not only produces innovative design, but increases the life cycle of materials, which is imperative to consider as ‘buildings account for approximately 40% of the world’s carbon emissions’ (Biro, 2023). However, adaptive reuse demands a prerequisite from future architects, by mastering BIM (Building Information Modelling) tools and Virtual Reality, as most of the buildings that undergo this process are historic and/or ‘lack detailed and accurate documentation’. (Benes & Cowman, n.d).
Adaptive reuse not only addresses and solves problems with existing buildings, but can also be a solution for existing sites and contextual regions. Instead of choosing green-field sites or undeveloped land to construct on, future architects should acknowledge the environmental impact of substitutions of green-spaces with industrial materials on a grand scale. This can be addressed by policy makers to encourage prioritisation of construction on brownfield land (Bahar, 2024), by implementing adaptive reuse and its principle of circular economy that ‘reduces the carbon cost of new construction’ (The Heritage Alliance, 2024).
Blending NBS (Nature-Based Solutions) and Adaptive Re-use Techniques For The Future:
The amalgamation of both methods can strive to reduce the increasing urban sprawl (Cacique & Sheng-Jung, 2022, p.6989) caused by the construction and abandonment of existing buildings on brown-field, industrial and urban land. One successful example is Willis Tower, located in Chicago, where the design re-uses 360,000 square feet of the initial space. (Heiser & Ward, 2020).
By re-designing and implementing NBS techniques into existing high-rise buildings in central urban areas, the future of architecture can achieve a green-city status, not only in the principles of sustainable, but also visually. Furthermore, the amalgamation of both NBS techniques and adaptive reuse has proven to be successful in terms of improving people’s mental wellbeing. This was proven in a case study conducted in Taiwan, where the researchers, Maria Cacique and Ou Sheng-Jung, identified biophilic design elements in The Cultural Heritage Park, which was previously an abandoned distillery, and observed how people, who participated in the study, responded to the elements. Specifically, the study focussed on quantifying the emotions that resulted from experiencing biophilic design using the Likert Scale (Cacique & Sheng-Jung, 2020, p.6992). The conclusion resulted in recognising that the elements which impacted the participants directly, were ‘directly related to the natural environment’. (Cacique & Sheng-Jung, 2020, p.6996.)
In conclusion, the incorporation of natural elements, Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) and design that is ultimately stripped down, humble and raw, is the future of architecture. In other words, the future of architecture is sustainable.
References:
- Bahar, U. (2024) Addressing Britain’s housing crisis and the future of sustainable design: Interview with Ufuk Bahar. Written 25th January 2024. Available at: https://urbanistarchitecture.co.uk/housing-crises-sustainable-design/ [Accessed: 12/10/14]
- Bardhan, R. (2024) Climate adaptation: how can design science help the transition? Written 19th July 2024. Available at: https://www.architecture.com/knowledge-and-resources/resources-landing-page/riba-horizons-2034-climate-adaptations?srsltid=AfmBOorSDvkotbJIDRmMcpYeSTwowTEEAMQrSk7-KWW6rNllcwkuXFxe [Accessed: 12/10/2024]
- Benes, E. and Cowman, K. (n.d) Future-Proofing the Past Through Adaptive Reuse. Available: https://leoadaly.com/perspectives/future-proofing-the-past-through-adaptive-reuse/#:~:text=Adaptive%20reuse%20represents%20a%20transformative,spaces%20out%20of%20existing%20structures. [Accessed : 12/10/24]
- Biro, A. (2023) A Complete Guide to Adaptive Reuse in 2023. Written 19th June 2023. Available at: https://www.mbharch.com/post/a-complete-guide-to-adaptive-reuse-in-2023 [Accessed: 12/10/24]
- Cacique, M and Sheng-Jung, O. (2022) Biophilic design as an adaptive reuse of the built environment strategy and its impact on people’s health and well-being perception. Journal of Positive School Psychology, Vol 6 (5), pp. 6989-6998. Available at: https://journalppw.com/index.php/jpsp/article/download/8406/5476/9738 [Accessed: 12/10/14]
- DeJesus, A.J. (2024) American Builder: Old Money Architecture. New York: Alberto J. DeJesus
- The Heritage Alliance (2024) Consultation Response: Strengthening Planning Policy for Brownfield Development (DLHUC). London: The Heritage Alliance. Available at: https://www.theheritagealliance.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DLUHC-Brownfield-Consultation-Heritage-Alliance-Response-2.pdf [Accessed: 12/10/24]
- Heiser, T. and Ward, B. (2020) Adaptive Reuse Strategies For A Net-Zero Future. Dialogue, (35) [online]. Retrieved From: https://www.gensler.com/dialogue/35/adaptive-reuse-strategies-for-a-net-zero-future [Accessed: 12/10/2024]
- McLennan, J.F. (2004). The Philosophy of Sustainable Design. Missouri: Ecotone
- Rutledge, K.R. et al. (2023) Urban heat island, Education. Last Updated on December 15th 2023 Available at: https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/urban-heat-island/ [Accessed:12/10/24].
