
This year’s ArchEx, themed Adapt, featured an interactive wall that asked a profound question: “How will architecture adapt to future societal needs?”
That’s undeniably a big question, but asking big questions is central to architecture; thought-provoking questions, questioning future scenarios and projections, questions for the sake of questioning…
Some questions are easy to answer, requiring no hesitation. Others are answered with a margin for error. And then there are questions that carry more weight than the answers themselves. Instead of focusing on reaching an answer, the process of how we get there and what that process entails becomes more significant. Perhaps the question posed by the interactive wall was one of those—a big question seeking a well-considered process design.
As Jaspers said, “Philosophy means to be on the way. Its questions are more essential than its answers, and every answer becomes a new question.”* The interactive wall aligns with this ethos, with the big question creating a space for dialogue rather than finding a single definitive answer. It’s a journey of exploration, not just of reaching a conclusion, but of understanding the way forward.
When we design, we envision structures that will stand for at least fifty years. Every decision we make today shapes that future. The responses from the wall can be seen as calls to action, urging us to start building a better tomorrow. Key themes emerged from the collective input:
Inclusivity: Designing with equity, listening, and fostering communication.
Technology: Embracing machine learning, AI, automation, and research to redefine the possibilities of design.
Environment: Using renewable energy, designing for longevity, and reimagining material use and reusing structures.
Architecture adapts today for its future self, for what it is becoming. As we move forward, the journey will be defined by the questions we ask and the processes we design to answer them.
Let us remain curious, reflective, and always on the way.
Irem Sezer, Assoc. AIA
Coastal Adaptation & Resilience Design
Post-Graduate Research & Development Fellow
*Karl Jaspers, 1951. Way to Wisdom: An Introduction to Philosophy. p.12.