New & Re-Emerging Architecture

Dear FuturArc readers, Why do humans innovate? Is it to address problems out of necessity or to address questions out of curiosity? In architecture, innovation enabled by technology has brought about different forms and systems of design. On the building side, it has led to novel construction methods and ways of using existing materials more efficiently or in creating new ones. It is common to equate this phenomenon with something brand new being made, as it is human nature to always want something new, hence setting the wheels of innovation in motion. This sometimes results in technological products supplied in abundance on one side—at every touchpoint, a new product attending to niche concerns—and adoption or implementation playing catch up on the other, especially in developing markets. “Technologically, the building industry is fragmented into isolated socio-technical pockets with little or no reciprocal connection between labour markets, material supply chains and design advice.” Milinda Pathiraja, co-founder of Robust Architecture Workshop, addresses the disconnection between the different parts and players of the industry, and asks us to imagine...