[Blank]ism Leveraging technology of the future

At the beginning of our Mission 2130 journey, we recognized the urgent need to have society better coexist with both nature and one another, for the betterment of humanity in the future. In order to create and define a new paradigm, we developed our Summit concept, [Blank]ism.

The name is intentionally ambiguous but analogous to other economic or political systems like Capitalism. We believe that our economy needs to shift to a reward based system that incentivizes people for favorable climate-related decisions. [Blank]ism recognizes both impact-driven tasks and results, while also rewarding people for what they save and protect. We believe that society can leverage future technologies to provide us with positive feedback loops to help us make sustainable decisions while attaining both a more efficient and equitable society.

This was the genesis of our exploration of the ways in which evolving technologies, like artificial intelligence (AI), can help inform the work architects do. We looked at how technology can make future living and working easier, more efficient, and more sustainable.

The conversations below represent further thoughts we still have about these three aspects: ●

• How people should relate to the planet

• How we might leverage technology to help in this endeavor

• How young architects can work to make us an impact-driven profession

Kyle Palzer, AIA, CID, NCARB

Palzer is a project architect with Alliiance in Minneapolis in the aviation studio. He received his Bachelors of Science in Architecture, Masters of Architecture and Metropolitan Design Graduate Certificate from the University of Minnesota. He was awarded the AIA Minnesota Young Architects Award in 2022 and now serves on the AIA Young Architects Forum as the Minnesota Representative for 2023 & 2024.

Wei Wang, AIA

Wang is an associate and project manager at Dattner Architects. Wei believes the architect’s role goes beyond design and function; it also uplifts communities and fosters social equity. She manages projects from mixed-use high-rise residential developments to various commercial and industrial developments. Wei is the co-chair of the firm’s Sustainable Practice Group materials subcommittee, currently leading research on circular economy principles in construction, from material reuse to design for deconstruction.

Obed Eriza, Assoc. AIA

Eriza graduated from Portland State University with a Bachelor’s degree. He then started his architecture career at Specification Consulting firm; M.Thrailkill.Architect (MTA) in Portland Oregon. There, he is a Specifications Coordinator, where he communicates with architects to produce Project Manuals for a variety of types of projects.

Adriana Contarino Henry, AIA

Contarino Henry is an architectural designer at MASS Design Group. She received her Bachelors of Design from the University of Florida and Masters of Architecture from Cornell University. In her design work, she focuses on the role that architecture plays in linking social and ecological health through material research, food systems thinking and adaptive reuse projects.

Beresford Pratt, AIA, NOMA

Pratt is a design manager and architect with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He co-leads multiple EDI based architecture initiatives with Baltimore, Maryland. He was the 2019-2020 young architect regional director for the mid-Atlantic and the 2021-2022 AIA Young Architects Forum communications director. Pratt is an AIA 2023 Young Architect Award recipient.

What is the end goal of sustainability? Should we value the human experience or the planet more?

Kyle Palzer (KP): I believe the goal of sustainability should be to protect human life and health; to maintain human dignity and cultures and to increase our shared security. We can promote the common good of all, both those present and in solidarity with future generations; by caring for the gift of creation, which includes both people and the planet.

Adriana Contarino Henry (ACH): In the past, the goal of sustainability has been to prevent the destruction of our shared natural resources through research, advocacy and education. Presently, we’ve come to terms with the impending global climate crisis and have shifted our thinking to one of regeneration. The future of sustainability provides a great opportunity for global collaboration on locally adaptable strategies that center climate and culture. What we’ve learned over time is that there isn’t an end goal for sustainability but rather an ongoing process of ensuring harmony between human and ecological species.

Is it climate change or is it everything change?

Wei Wang (WW) We are at a crossroads. We operate in a world that’s mainly powered by coal and fossil fuel, a culture of consumption, where one’s value is defined by one’s possessions, a collective mass consumption that leads to mass production, a world where we cherish infinite growth, and we’re paying with our ever-depleting natural resources. Nature doesn’t support infinite growth. Its system is balanced and cyclical, with decay leading to new life. So why should our world within this planet have infinite growth? Growth for the sake of growth is cancer, and operating under a linear progression where virgin materials eventually end up in landfill will only lead to humanity’s inevitable demise.

So, what should we do? While the implementation of sustainability at all fronts are incredibly important, it’s crucial to shift our mindsets and transition from a fossil fuel energy culture, a one-time-use culture, to a renewable culture, where you are not defined by what you consume but by what you preserve. You are what you have and what you protect. Only against the backdrop of such a cultural shift will the tactical measures we take towards sustainability have real lasting impact. Then, we can truly internalize the urgency of change, address our challenges with empathy and intuition, and learn to value that which we already have.

In developed countries, 85% of the buildings that will be standing in 2050 have already been built. As the full human and environmental cost of new construction becomes all the more apparent, the excitement of seemingly endless new construction will fade. We are soon entering a world of existing conditions. It won’t be all about new growth, but rather more about transforming, reusing, and revitalization. As architects, we will see decommissioned buildings as material banks rather than waste, we will innovate to fully embrace circular design, and our built environment won’t just address current uses, but be conceived as part of a shared continuum extending far into the future.

Beresford Pratt (BP): I often wonder when building the case for climate action if there may be three buckets of people I have experienced; those who are convinced of climate change believing we must act fast, those who are unsure but don’t feel a strong urgency, and those who outright deny climate change. More often than not, as design professionals, we unintentionally surround ourselves with the first group, when it’s the latter two groups where our energy and outreach should be. As an optimist I wouldn’t believe we can convince everyone, but we can make our impacts clearer for the everyday person who doesn’t see the urgency quite yet. If each product or service we consume showcases its direct and indirect impacts on the climate in a measurable, tangible and relatable ways I believe we have a better chance to reach those who may not see the urgency.

Imagine when we take a shower and wash our hands, we have a direct feedback loop that indicates how much water was utilized, how much water is typically replenished regionally in comparison to what we utilized, the cost and time associated with cleansing/ recycling that water, and how much clean water is left per capita regionally. The next logical step would be to incentivize resource conservation at both the individual and institutional levels. It’s only then I believe we will see a majority of the biggest climate change influencers and contributors (i.e. those living in regions that disproportionately consume natural resources) will begin to see both their individual and communal impact and can then begin to alter behaviors. I hope we can then see climate change as a cultural change which by default will be value systems change, in other word an “everything change.”

What does it mean for us to adopt AI and other emerging technologies?

Obed Eriza (OE): Perhaps a specification section... SECTION 00 21 30 - WHY ARE WE AFRAID TO ADOPT?

1) I believe humans are scared of adopting AI because it would mean handing over our responsibilities - which tends to be our identity.

2) Identity: a) We have programmed AI to help with unwanted activities (things we deem time wasting), giving us more time to do “real work” that requires our human specific attention/ critical thinking. b) Once the AI is able to do our “real work” and we become obsolete in the workforce, humans will have nothing to pursue - nothing to be. c) I believe a big part of life is to “become someone” or to become “something” specific. Our occupation has largely been our indicator of “who you are” in the world. i) Think about some peoples surnames and how they came to be, based on their occupation. See examples below: d) Therefore, I believe we are scared to see the growing potential of AI because we can see the possible end to our identities and of what makes us who we are, both in the workforce and in the world.

(1) Archer, Barber, Bowman, Brewer, Butler, Carpenter, Carver, Cook.

(2) Palmer — pilgrim, Parker — gamekeeper, Porter — doorkeeper, Sawyer — carpenter, Schumacher — shoemaker.

WW: Yes, machine learning, data analytics and automation will transform the architecture and engineering industry. In order to maximize the positive impact, we should think about how we can leverage the tools, understand their limitations and adapt our definitions of expertise as it is augmented by these tools. It will push us to rethink our roles as architects, designers and engineers. I feel this question leads to more questions and discussions rather than a simple answer, questions like: are architects able to utilize the time we regained from automation to focus on more research and design work? What does productivity mean in the future? Is 40-hour work week still relevant? How can we utilize the tools to extract the data we need to approach design in a holistic way, to understand all cost/benefit impacts as part of the circular economy?

As change accelerates, design horizons remain relatively long. It is important that we be nimble and adaptable in both our processes and how we identify personally with our profession.

How will the future of architecture change with technological advancement?

ACH: Architecture has always been a field dated by the technology of its time. From the age of master-builder, to draftsperson, to the advent of computer aided drafting, building information modeling, and advanced building technologies, the industry has seen a number of transitions. In many cases its construction methods are etched into its form. Less visible are the social and cultural ideologies that these buildings adopt in relation to the governing powers of the groups who commissioned them. Think about the American suburbs in the creation of an economic boom, or Jeremy Bentham’s panopticon concept - where inmates of a prison have the constant sense of being watched by the configuration of cells around a centralized watchtower. These constructs were designed with a particular purpose tied to a larger underlying motive.

This idea is evident in Winston Churchill’s famous quote, “We shape our buildings; therefore they shape us.” This statement puts a great deal of responsibility on the Architect. It also shines a light on the parallels between architecture and technology. If we take this sentence and replace “building” with “technology,” the statement still stands. Technology and specifically the power of big data to impact our daily lives is similar to architecture in this way. With more technological advancement comes more automation and more pressure on the person providing the inputs to power the machine. There are inherent biases involved in the process of both data collection and architectural iteration. The future of both relies on transparency and diversity in the process.

To arrive at a more just and equitable future, we must consider the inherent biases embedded in our tools, the power of certain inputs, and the larger economic systems projects operate within. We must be clear and overt about the motivations behind these architectural and technological projects, especially as they become more and more intertwined. As young architects, we must challenge the status quo to better understand who our projects seek to help and who they might hurt.

Architects are equipped with visual communication skills that can be creatively leveraged to gain momentum around the funding of a publicly-aligned project. Instead of waiting for the perfect client to show up on your doorstep, designers can produce compelling concepts to broaden the sources of funding using the internet. In this way, design and technology can work in tandem to promote access and transparency while uncovering alternative economies to serve a wider group than ever before.

What actionable role do young architects have in creating impactful change within our institutions?

BP: Young architects today are more emboldened and have more resources at their fingertips than the generation that have come before us. Utilizing existing networks, I would love to see more young architects, design professionals, and advocates represented within local, state, and national politics. Whether it’s sitting on their mayor’s council through an appointment, or in a public office as an elected official, I believe in good disruption that shakes up the status quo.

In academia we’re often taught that architects can change the world through our designs, and I believe that is partially true. However, the real lasting change through impact comes from policy. Understanding that architectural policy tends to be most impactful when considered regional and state specific, I believe young architects are well positioned to develop deep rooted knowledge about the communities they cherish, live and serve in. They can better invest in the future of good design products and design practice.

KP: Young Architects should find ways to serve on boards both locally and nationally in order to have a literal seat at the table and a voice when it comes to policy making and decision taking. In particular, involvement with organizations like AIA or other sustainability-focused institutions is one way to influence policy. Another way would be through local politics in the form of commissions and board service. Finally, involvement can be as simple as joining an office sustainability or diversity workgroup within their firms to promote innovative policies and practices. At the end of the day, young architects should lead by example in whatever capacity they have to influence the communities and places where they already work and live.

Summary: One aspect of the Mission 2130 Summit was utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) software to create visual images of the future we were imagining. As a conclusion to this interview we wanted to ask the written form of AI, known commonly as ChatGPT, to address the concerns we discuss here and ones that are still on our mind. We appreciate the call to human and organization action the AI recognized in its response and we encourage our readers to take this message to heart.

What is your role in addressing climate change, and artificial intelligence potentially negatively affecting society?

ChatGPT: As an artificial intelligence language model, my role is to provide information and answer questions to the best of my ability, based on my training data. However, as a digital entity, I do not have direct influence over how society addresses climate change or the development and use of artificial intelligence.

My primary responsibility is to provide accurate and helpful information, to help increase understanding and awareness on these topics. It is up to individuals, organizations, and society as a whole to take action and make responsible choices that help address these issues and promote positive outcomes for the future.