Will the fire burn down the city?

Top 10 Entries in all India Essays in Architecture Competition by DSCA

Is the future bright or bleak? Is technology that snake that may bite us back after feeding and pampering it? Or Is technology that sweet nectar which will give us the immense strength and power to change for good? Technological advancements brought us from the caves to the towers. The new technologies in architecture will see a novel way of thought, presentation, perception and experience of designs. Like a coin that has two sides, one may always compare technology’s bad and good sides. But the question that arises is, is technology’s bad and good side mere opposites or do they walk hand in hand and gets the better off the other? The debate continues on how we should handle the technological spur; if it has to be slowed down or let to race past us.

Early architects’ biggest enemy was time. Thinking of designs was followed by the hectic task putting them together in a presentable format. This occupied most of the design process period. With the onset of software era, this was greatly reduced. Softwares that give you multiple options for each weather condition and strength parameters have eased in bringing new design fronts to the table. The way designs are presented and perceived have taken a huge leap. One can sit at the comfort of your home and visualise yourself as moving through the built form. Designers and architects all over the world can now create timeless and challenging design and invest all time on the creative process. The scope of experimentation has grown over wild and wide. Forms that were once considered off-limits are made possible and the world of parametric architecture doesn’t sound so alien as it used to do once.

Design and construction were treated as two entirely different chunks of study and work region. With the advancement in technology, one can observe how this difference fades off to give birth to a new form of advanced architecture. Robotics and the ease of 3D printing has been a game changer that will pave ways for faster and efficient construction. One may argue that these have replaced the human workforce and rendered them jobless. But the fact that this work force can now be allotted to other fields where innovation and creative thinking are critical. Creative thinking and experiential design are still pristine and yet to explored by integrated technologies. The shift in role of an architect from a supervisor to one that has the brush to paint the world beautiful around him. Generative softwares have taken the game to yet another level with design options and material palettes that leaves you in a confused state of affairs. We have seen softwares that has the ability to adapt the same design to different terrains and climatic conditions. Not to forget about BIM that takes over the management aspect too and integrates it with the construction process. Each design has the opportunity to give total experience even before the foundation stone is laid. The successful integration of these technological innovations have further led way to sustainable and energy efficient architectural practices. However the challenge lies in the imparting of this advancing knowledge to the students and upcoming firms. This gap between the course curriculum and the practical world will turn the tables over in the coming years. The sad fact that this advancement does not reach most of the students and budding architects shows the predicament the field has fallen into.

Life has been made easier with the development in disaster resilient architecture. We now have disaster immune cities which were a dream of the past. Rebuilding and remodelling after the nature’s strike has been a child’s play ever since technological advancements have hit the construction industry. Self sufficient homes and underwater buildings are not a dream anymore. The future holds floating self sufficient cities to tackle with the agro deficiency and the rising sea levels. Architects like Bjarke Injels and Vincent Callebaut made strong statements with their design approach and technological integration once again to prove how we can steer these advancements to our benefit. Their design stand testament to the successful integration and adaption of various technological advancements to formulate better spaces.

Research and studies are being conducted in fields pertaining to evolving spaces according to the mental space and emotional state of the users. This would establish a typology which can adapt and relate to a wide range of people from all walks of life and intern emotionally connect to them helping them hold a unique connection to the very same space that evolves as do their emotion. This can also help in the well- being and mental instability among our stressed out generations. Harnessing the technology to our benefit is the need of the hour. Thinking over the barricade of disadvantages and adapting it to create a timeless design might appear bleak and vague. Some might argue modern architects fancy technology and paint dreams in air but what we really need to focus on is that once a mile long skyscraper was just a sketch on a piece of paper that was deemed impossible.

As our focus shifts from the cons to the pros, the more brighter the technology looks. Our goals and objectives have the ultimate power to lead to desired effects. The discovery of fire was never considered a bane. One could argue about how deadly a fire could turn into and why we shouldn’t be using it in our day to day lives. But rather than focusing on how disastrous it can turn into we switch sides by learning how to control and operate. Similarly, focusing on the pros, we are stuck in yet another dilemma; to built future settlements on mars or to make earth better and greener once again at the press of the revert button.

Bibiliography

• https://www.alvarezdiazvillalon.com/how-technology-is-transforming-architectural-design/

• http://www.designcollaborative.com/design-blog/technology-in-architecture/

• Bashabsheh, Ahmad K., et al. “The Application of Virtual Reality Technology in Architectural Pedagogy for Building Constructions.” Alexandria Engineering Journal, vol. 58, no. 2, 2019, pp. 713–723., doi:10.1016/j.aej.2019.06.002.

• https://medium.com/studiotmd/emerging-trends-that-will-shape-the-future-of-architecture-356ba3e7f910

• https://www.di.net/articles/future-architecture-education/

• https://www.fastcompany.com/3042937/5-trends-shaping-the-future-of-architecture