U5

ARCHITECTURE OF THE FUTURE

CLIMATE CHANGE:
It is a fact that climate change has affected our lifestyle during the last years. Overtime we have become more and more aware of the situation and trying to change it.
Beyond the emissions reduction registered in 2015, no further efforts were made to control emissions of CO2.
If we continue like this we are heading for a planet that will be 3 degrees hotter by 2100. This will lead to an air that will be hotter, heavier and polluted.
In 5 to 10 years various zones of the Earth will increase at a point that will be inhospitable for humans. We don´t know what the future holds for the next generations but changing the way we live is the only solution and a big part of that is architecture.

SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS:
As we know currently technology already exists to reduce pollution and if we build with a systemic vision it will be cheaper.
One of the most effective ways to combat climate change is a design that increases productivity, that is, an increase in the value of the product and a reduction in costs such as energy and material resources.
It is important that architects spend a lot of time thinking about how to reduce material costs without affecting stability. They must also use all available resources to carry out analyzes that allow a similar reduction in energy, time and materials. One of these resources is simulation tools.
It is important for architects to make long-term decisions that take into account the entire life cycle of the product or project. Designing for maintenance is also critical; After all, the most sustainable product is usually the most durable.
Finally, it should be noted that architects who maintain a holistic approach take into account the relationships between complex systems rather than focus on individual elements of the system. This is very important, since challenges such as climate change constitute a set of interconnected aspects that cannot be solved in isolation.

ECONOMIC CRISIS, MATERIALS

Because of the pandemic there is an evitable economic crisis right around the corner, and the architectural business will also get affected.
Starting with a very obvious consequence we have the lack of demand, people are going to be really busy trying to put their lives together again to go and plan on building a house.
However, buildings will still be made but maybe we will take two steps back and go back to those classic blocks of buildings that are flat and not as pretty or creative.
Lastly we could also see a change in materials, going back to those cheap ones and maybe even creating some new ones with the technology that we have nowadays making them more resistant, light and easier to work with.

LACK OF DEMAND

CHEAPER MATERIALS

FLAT STRUCTURES

TECHNOLOGY, CONCLUSION:

Due to the pandemic we have also been able to see how dependent we are on technology. It is a part of our lifes and as such, it is important for it to be present not only in our mobiles but also in our homes. We already have some examples of intelligent home assistants, Alexa and Google Home for instance, but in the future, we will see virtual helpers that are part of the actual house and have even more abilities. The aim is for occupants to live in a space totally adapted to their tastes and requirements; smart housing will allow this, using technology to make everything comfortable for us. We are in a time when everything is easy and instantaneous, we don’t have to wait at all to find information or to order things online, so our homes in the near future will work in this way too. Life is already hard, so an intelligent home will at least make matters simpler.