However, we know that the systematisation of methods, super-charged with developments in creative technologies, is a proven way to exponentially industrialise, as it has in the last 100 years.
Ultimately, we suspect that over time buildings will become flexible configurations of components, rather than large, fixed assets.We may end up creating loose-fit superstructures.
The superstructure contains the majority of the embodied carbon in a building.We could design these for a 100-year total life span, while the use of standardised components would make an interior refit possible every five to ten years.In its initial configuration a building might function as an office block, but components could be taken out and the building changed into a residential building or school.
At the end of its life, the various standardised components would be recycled, reused or redeployed, creating a circular economy.As the Internet of Things evolves and built assets become smarter, gathering increasing amounts of data, they could become self-optimising, intelligent buildings – recognising the need for a change in air or lighting levels.
Ultimately, this type of data would then feed back into the design process itself, creating an open-ended process of continual improvement, and contributing to the next generation of components.. Our sustainable future.
Of course, the most pressing, current question is: how do we make a planet which sustainably supports 11.5 billion people?The question now is how we allow for changes that may well cycle round in a matter of months..
In a world where everyone may need to work from home, what does that mean for designing and building flats and houses?If every occupant has to have the space, power and connectivity to work effectively?
And what will we do with that space if it’s not needed, if the occupants have jobs that can’t be done at home?.How will we design and build offices, if there’s the possibility that they might have to be re-purposed for domestic, healthcare or manufacturing purposes?