Future of Architecture

Architecture has always been everywhere around us, since the first human came into existence, till now. Most people have a preoccupied notion that Architecture is only related to construction of houses, bridges and other buildings, what they do not realize is that Architecture shapes our civilization,  it gives us our identity. It affects our lifestyle directly or indirectly. It is not wrong to say that Architecture always has been an integral part of the society and will continue to be one for many millenniums. 

   All of us know that we as a species have come a long way from living amongst cave to resting in condos. From dwelling in huts to residing in mansions and modern houses. The progress and development in the architectural field can be widely perceived. Not just the look of our buildings has changed , but the way we build them, the constructional tools that we use, the technologies incorporated while creating a habitable space , our knowledge for building materials have all increased and improved exponentially, based on availability and different needs. 

   But the real question that arises is that, have we reached the threshold? Can we expect our spaces 100 years from now to be somewhat similar to the ones that we presently have, with no significant changes in them? In short what is the future of Architecture? From the past one decade we have seen a lot of inclination towards sustainable architecture (minimizing negative impact on the environment). This involves using eco friendly materials and focusing on energy efficiency. To understand the future in depth it'll be beneficial to talk about it, in terms of the 3 divisions that I've created, namely_ Material, Technology and Form.

BUILDING MATERIALS

   By 2060 we are expected to increase the worldwide built area by 2 trillion square feet, that is equivalent to build another New York city every month for the next 40 years. Calculating the amount of cement that will be used in making these numerous structures is itself a mammoth task. 

   Now, we all know that the manufacturing process of cement involves huge emissions of CO2 into the atmosphere and CO2 is the greatest contributor in the greenhouse effect which eventually results in Global Warming. Considering the drastic effects of global warming we have to consider the possibility that reducing carbon emissions will become the most prominent thing in the future and hence , the building materials that are widely in use today will become obsolete in the future. 

   Efforts for reducing the carbon footprint in the cement industry are already in the making. A Canada based company Carbon Cure , has developed an innovative way to dramatically decrease the emissions into the atmosphere. They take the CO2 produced while making cement and compress it back into the concrete. This not only traps the Carbon from escaping into the atmosphere but also makes the cement more compact. This is how they make green concrete. If we start using green concrete then it will have a great effect on our environment , it will be like planting 500 million acres of trees annually. 

   Such new innovations will change the way our buildings are built. The future of architecture awaits the use of  green and eco friendly materials that do not have any adverse affect on the environment in any stage of their use. The industry is working on not only concrete but other materials like organic bricks, plastic bricks (from recycled waste), eco friendly wood etc. And these will soon replace the current materials.

BUILDING TECHNOLOGY

   It will not be smart to say that we will be building our spaces the same way that we are doing right now. That is because the world is developing at a rapid pace, everything is turning digital and virtual ...Architectural field is no exception. There are 2 technologies that will mould our ways of designing a space Virtual Reality (VR) and 3D printing.

   Using virtual reality architects and clients will actually be able to experience a space before even it is built. One can actually design and create a virtual house and get the feelings that the space will induce without even laying a single brick. This technology is so innovative that it is sure to be around in the period of about 10 years.

   Another emerging technology in the industry is 3D printing. This has been advocated by several architects, and they believe that 3D printing will go hand in hand with sustainable architecture and smart cities. 3D printing will allow us to remove all the limitations that we face while using conventional techniques and not only this but it will help us to create presumingly unattainable forms and pieces of architecture. The 3D printing technology will also reduce the efforts put into creating them.

BUILDING FORMS

 The shape or the form of our buildings will automatically change. We will be able to see even more number of  high rise buildings to accommodate the increased population and to cope with the lesser availability of land area. There are unpredictable changes and innovations coming up in the shape of skyscrapers. 

Also our future buildings will involve a lot of green areas, and by green areas I mean literally trees and bushes in our buildings, to deal with the disturbances created in the nature by clearing the land and cutting forest areas for more building area availability.  

This was a sneak peek into the future of architecture.

                                  ~By ADITYA JAIN