Week One : Thoughts on Designing the Future

Design of the ever new, as to quote Sadler (2005) is an imposing challenge. From how I have come to approach the built environment I do think as architects we immerse ourselves so much in the here and now we rarely adequately address the life of our design years into the future. In saying that though I do think it's also pointless to stake the claim that what we design is with any certainty what future generations will need. To agree with the suggestions made by Sadler (2005), I think it is crucial for architecture to be capable of recomposition. Buildings need a capacity for change and while it's a reality perhaps unfavoured by some professionals (the prospect of the non-designer becoming the designer) if space cannot be configured by a user which is ever-changing then does it have a place in an ever-changing world?

Interestingly, I find it hard to imagine myself in the future, mainly because there are so very many different avenues that the world may take. Technology has perhaps the most pressing influence yet I also think that in some applications it is a step away from the humanity of physical environments. Thus, I feel quite an aversion to artificial realities (especially those which have in the past be used to portray the future) as they seem completely void of human nature. I think regardless of future advances people will always seek authentic senses and emotion because they are the human variables that make life what it is. I would envision then that society perhaps fall out of love with virtual realms and rather seek out ways in which to enhance shared experiences, knowledge and collaboration. Thus the built environment would become a platform for abundance, social interaction and adaptation.