Globalisation, Business, Design and the Future: An interview

TRANSCRIPT

Interviewee: Richard Proctor

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The interviewee starts by stating that a main difference in the future is the replacement of most lower order and menial jobs with by machinery. When asked about problems we will face in the future, he states that wealth distribution is and will be a huge problem that we must overcome. He then states that restructuring will be necessary, but as a society we must retain the working population. He reckons that Australia in the context of globalisation has allowed large multinationals to come in and change the whole country’s economy. However economically beneficial, he states that this is not always good given the control corporations can have over a government – “They can be very dangerous”. When asked about design in a business context, he states that looking good and having smart creative design is a key for a business to stay alive. The application of good design with proper analytics is key, to attracting the consumer properly with but the feedback from marketing is key to ensure they are actually responding to it. He iterates that there will be great change in the future as Australia’s economic growth has been great in the last few years, but he questions the longevity of the country’s prosperity due to the nature of our industries. He is of the mindset that design can alleviate certain economic problems through smart marketing, smart design and certain cultural factors to help us invest properly. Other measures however need to be implemented, as design alone cannot fix everything. He also discusses with me about how the trade and economic dynamic between Australia and Asia due to their increased wealth and their dependence upon our resources. An example of this is seen in our property market and how it’s affected. His concluding statements are that design is powerful in how it affects our lives but we don’t notice it because we expect it. But it has the potential for great power.

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After a lot of speculation and research, it seems to me that people are ambivalent towards globalisation despite the seemingly positive effects that we are told it has on our economy, lifestyle and prosperity. But what does the effect of opening up trade via mass deregulation combined with ­technology and the means to communicate, travel and expand alongside, have on us? I spoke to Richard Proctor, an accountant by trade, to discuss the ramifications of globalisation on business, design and politics in the future.

Overall I get the sense that there are some major issues that need to be resolved in the future. That there will be many problematic things that grow from smaller present day issues, culminating with time. Wealth distribution came up in the interview as an initial concern for the future due to potential job loss. We see that from the Industrial Revolution, which led to the loss of many production line and unskilled labour based jobs. Richard believes that all unskilled workers will eventually be replaced by machinery. This raises many questions for me; what defines skilled work? Do tertiary credentials equate to real work? What even defines work? I was thinking to myself that machines could do most of our work anyway, so shouldn’t we be working less? Though he was quick to mention that that efforts to restructure the workforce and working are completely necessary in the future; not only this but to retain the employment, retrain people accordingly and essentially protect people from such drastic change. He highlights the threat of multinational corporations, which reminded me of the secretive Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) that many countries, including Australia had agreed to enter. This, for all we know currently, means corporations can sue governments for laws that do not go in the business’s favour. For an accountant who seems very business orientated, his concerns were really fascinating to me.

The desire for smart products, technology and design is not only conducive to market growth, but it is almost expected now a days from consumers. For example, Apple is an example of a company, which sells well-designed, smart products, with the Phone proving to be one of the most sold products yet and yielding one of the best product investment ever (Williams-Grut 2015). Apple simply is an example of how visually beautiful designs can dominate its competitors due to a clever mix of design and marketing in the market place. And as previously mentioned, it has as a result become a multinational business earning millions if not billions in profit each year. This equates to a lot of power and influence. In combination with their clever marketing tactics and beautiful design, does this make them ruthless yet seemingly subliminal? Most probably yes. To repeat what Richard said, “They can be very dangerous”. It is reassuring but also startling how much of an effect and influence good design can have on individuals.

Williams-Grut 2015

Having the discussion delve into China, and the shifting role of Asia may be the source of anxiety for a lot of people. For a long time Western countries have been the global dominant force, however this may all shift in the next hundred years or so. Unless there are any huge political shifts preventing that from occurring, I simply think there’s no choice but to work with it. As designers we can behave like ultimate pragmatists, but also have our designs speak volumes to the subliminal or unspoken desires. Because we work in a specialised field that requires the workings of a much larger system, there’s a lot that we will put up with. Without a good economy and people to consume, design is more or less useless despite how beautiful it may be. It is interesting to hear this articulated from a layperson’s perspective as a lot of ideas echo through just in a different format. Though however clear or mutual our understandings are about the ideas , we probably have completely opposite spectrum end reasons for engaging with it.

Reference:

Williams-Grut, O. (2015). Apple’s iPhone: The most profitable product in history. [online] The Independent. Available at: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/analysis-and-features/apples-iphone-the-most-profitable-product-in-history-10009741.html [Accessed 29 Oct. 2015].

Drastic not plastic

Plastic has provided the world with a supremely malleable, versatile yet resilient material, which has assisted in the last hundred odd years of industry. It has changed methods of production, by taking the place of wood, and many other materials allowing for efficiency in manufacturing. However now we are experiencing a worsening state where the negatives of plastics outweigh the benefits. This is primarily caused by the way in which it breaks down causing debris to reside in our waterways and surroundings, affecting our health, food systems and ecosystem. Intelligent solutions are vital at this point to help design ourselves out a predicament which will take a long time to solve (Changedesign.org 2015).

Plastics can be re-used up until a point and recycling and upcycling have provided the means to do so creatively. Plastic’s transformative abilities have paved way for beautiful and elegant designs to be made, look anywhere and you can see this. However, the real talent lies in the utilisation of existing plastic products. Everyone has the ability to make their own DIY style creations and even some high fashion and product design has arisen from this design trend (Upcycle That 2015). Though as previously mentioned, plastic is reusable up until a point and that is where the real problem comes in when it starts to lose integrity and degrade. And worst of all, the use of plastic in general creates a demand for more virgin plastic as older plastic supplies degrade (Boyle 2015).

So what are we to do? A perfect and long-term solution for the plastic problem does not exist yet, with all the plastic that has ever been created, still floating around somewhere causing harm. The closest solution so far has been proposed through the use of soybeans to mimic the same qualities and materiality of plastic. This has proven successful with the making of a car by Henry Ford in 1941 (Thehenryford.org 2015). The reasons for making the car did not resound with the same concerns that we have today. The creation was borne out of times of war, when resources were scarce and the integration with agriculture and industrial manufacturing would have been beneficial and sensible in frugal times. However, in modern times, while the growing of soybeans to make a plastic alternative seems feasible and a good solution; the same amount of crops grown it takes to make the car could be used to feed people. So while there could be a pathway to a solution right in front of us, we must iterate upon these ideas or face the moral dilemma of only solving one problem at a time.

Essentially nothing will be solved immediately or be done so without perhaps contributing more to the problem than we otherwise may already be doing. Interestingly enough the banning on plastic bags has gone through in many regions worldwide and both the reasons and results seem to vary (Big Fat Bags 2014). The Conversation (2011) argues that the solution may just be an aesthetic solution for their particular city but on the whole does not fix the larger problem. Though in my opinion it is initiatives like these that add fuel to the efforts to try and fix one of the biggest problems of our next few centuries. A ban or two won’t fix it all, but the effort and willingness does more than complicity.

Chathasaigh, Chathasaigh & Dhomhnaill 2014

Henry Ford’s Soybean Car 2015

Robin Tennant-Wood 2011

References

Big Fat Bags, (2014). List by country; ‘bag charges, taxes and bans’. Big Fat Bags. Accessed 29 Oct. 2015 <http://www.bigfatbags.co.uk/bans-taxes-charges-plastic-bags/&gt;

Boyle, L. (2015). Plastic Recycling And The Great Swindle. The Huffington Post. Accessed 29 October 2015 <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lisa-kaas-boyle/plastics-industry-markets_b_912503.html?ir=Australia&gt;

Chathasaigh, N H, Chathasaigh, N N. and Dhomhnaill M N. 2014 Junk Kouture, viewed 13 October 2015 <http://www.upcyclethat.com/junk-kouture/5315/&gt;

Changedesign.org, 2015. Everywhere and Nowhere: An Introduction to Plastics. Accessed 29 October 2015 <http://www.changedesign.org/Resources/EDFPublications/Articles/Papers/Plastic1.htm&gt;.

The Conversation, 2011. Banning Plastic Bags: real change, or a cosmetic solution? Accessed & viewed 29 October 2015 <https://theconversation.com/banning-plastic-bags-real-change-or-a-cosmetic-solution-3097&gt;

Thehenryford.org, 2015. Soybean Car. Accessed 29 Oct. 2015 <https://www.thehenryford.org/research/soybeancar.aspx&gt;

Thehenryford.org, 2015 Henry Ford’s Soybean Car viewed 13 October 2015 <https://www.flickr.com/photos/thehenryford/sets/72157627139933658/with/5913071956/&gt; 

YouTube, 2015. Are we being consumed by plastic ?: Dianna Cohen at TEDxThessaloniki. Accessed 29 Oct. 2015 <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SO4axNuoPis >

Forever Speculating: The process of an overcooked project

Our research and direction of assignments were driven by food and technology as focal aspects. Drawing a series of quadrant studies, we hypothesised different scenarios unfolding. It was clear that a focus on low-tech societies, high food abundance and methods of maintaining this were interests of ours. In a world as fast paced and technologically driven as ours, we saw this is a great opportunity to look at a scenario completely like our current day and age. We agreed that low-tech societies do not have to be a sacrifice back to savage way or primitivism or a result of dystopia. Specifically, I viewed it as a societal realisation in reaction to shifting priorities post growth where individuals continually seek an increasingly better work-life balance and sustainable environment (Burke 1995).

Ubiquitously, our current food systems are profit driven, have been designed is for efficiency and are not sustainably designed and so we researched ways where these issues were being addressed (Young 2010). Start ups and initiatives have begun offering more sustainable services for those interested in being better consumers. Kelly Cube is a Melbourne based service which offers locally sourced produce to be bought in bulk. While as benevolent as the Kelly Cube initiative is, the biggest downside is the cost which do not make for the most economical option compared to supermarket giants (the Conversation 2014). Another example of this kind of initiative is a concept store in Berlin called Original Unverpackt where all products in the store are not encased in unnecessary packaging (Team O 2014). From here it was easier to imagine and design how sustainable systems, lifestyles and cities could manifest from now to our trajected 50 years into the future.

Kelly Cube 2014

Original Unverpackt 2014

Original Unverpackt 2014

An innovative and forward thinking city of the future is one, which listens to and caters for the needs of people living in it. Whilst the city of Sydney already has initiatives to be more sustainable, our response to the assignment 2 brief extrapolated on these existing plans (BIKESydney & Cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au 2015). The brochure we produced proposed that citizens were ubiquitously environmental, engaged in community farming, supported renewable energy and sustainable food systems. My focus engaged a lot on the political and social side of the scenario commenting that changes would be market driven as opposed to legislated by governing bodies.

 Sketches from Assignment 2 visualisations

Our research lead us to create the Algae-rhythm pillow which allowed the user to make their own edible algae. Artists Michiko Nitta and Michael Burton who created a mask worn by an Opera singer inspired the object whose breath was converted into edible algae. The artwork ‘positions itself as exploring the “cultural revolution that will replace agriculture” ’ (Wired & Zimmer 2015). Burton Nitta is an interdisciplinary art and design studio based in London which focuses on technology and science to creatively alleviate certain problems with agriculture, medicine and other human centred disciplines. We proposed that the object was created by leading retailers in the 2050’s in response to faltering food supply chains, consumers desiring sustainable alternatives for the not so sustainable systems which may be in place at the time. Therefore, personal devices that allowed for personal food production and subsistent style living would become more and more available and popular amongst consumers.

Image of our final prototype

References:

Burke, Peter (1995). “The Invention of Leisure in Early Modern Europe”. Past & Present 146: 136–150. JSTOR 651154.

BIKESydney, (2015). BIKESydney – Bicycles and a liveable city. Accessed 29 Oct. 2015 <http://bikesydney.org/new10/&gt;

Cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au, 2015. Sustainable city living – City of Sydney. Accessed 29 Oct. 2015 <http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/live/residents/sustainable-city-living&gt; .

Team, O. (2014). Original Unverpackt – der erste Supermarkt ohne Einwegverpackungen – Social Impact Finance. [online] Socialimpactfinance.startnext.com. Available at: https://socialimpactfinance.startnext.com/original-unverpackt [Accessed 29 Oct. 2015].

Zimmer, L. 2015. Algaculture: A Symbiosis Suit That Uses Algae to Grow Food From Light. Accessed 21 Oct. 2015 < http://www.ecouterre.com/algaculture-a-symbiosis-suit-that-uses-algae-to-grow-food-from-light/&gt; 

The Conversation, 2014. Elizabeth Dori Tunstall Redesigning Food Systems <https://theconversation.com/re-designing-food-systems-25728>

Wired UK, 2015. Algae Opera imagines a world where song produces Earth’s food supply (Wired UK). Accessed 29 Oct. 2015 <http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2012-09/27/algae-opera&gt;

Young, E M. 2010. Deadly diets: geographical reflections on the global food system

Also see:

http://teemingvoid.blogspot.com.au/2010/06/measuring-cup.html

Business.vic.gov.au, 2015. Export and Trade | Business Victoria. [online] Available at:http://www.business.vic.gov.au/export [Accessed 11 Sep. 2015].Mcdonald, M 2013 The Future of Australian Climate Politics, Australian Journal of Politics and History: Volume 59, Number 3, 2013, pp.449-456.

McDonald, M. 2013, ‘The Future of Australian Climate Politics’ Australian Journal of Politics & History. Volume 59, Issue 3, pages 449–456

Nelson, T., Nelson, J., Ariyaratnam, J., Camroux, S. 2013 An analysis of Australia’s large scale renewable energy target: Restoring market confidence

Get ‘cultured’.

Brainstorming, researching, sketching, making, constructing, deconstructing.

The process of our prototype was very organic. Firstly we reflected upon our scenario to come up with some speculative objects. These ranged from wearable solar energy, objects to help food feed off CO2, breathing tubes where condensation is collected to grow plants, as well as a shoe that creates compost for your garden. We overcame a few hurdles of being uninspired in our ideas but through making and sketching, we decided to create this pillow.

The pillow was mainly inspired by a piece by Michiko Nitta and Michael Burton, called Algaculture, in which algae is grown through the user’s carbon dioxide and wearable garments supply nourishment.

Algaculture: a symbiosis suit

This way of thinking and visualisation investigating ways “alternative ways to fuel the body” (Zimmer 2013), inspired us to think about ways our product could do so too – perhaps in a less invasive way. This idea suggests that humans evolve to be more like sea slugs and salamanders as they become more semi-photosynthetic. These suits would allow humans to convert light into nutrients that are high in energy, with algae as a clear example. At first glance this may seem like a strange option, however Jeff Simmons states that “People don’t want safe, modern and efficient technology used in food production” (2011). The future should provide an affordable and abundant food supply while also being sustainable. We researched into the benefits of algae to a diet, and found that it has a high source of protein, B-vitamins and iron and it also increases energy and metabolism. (WebMD) 

According to Arne Jensen in her article, Present and future needs for algae and algal products, the growth in human population, exploitation of land, lack of freshwater and pollution will push us to use seaweeds. She states that it is important to consider the uses of algae and to investigate the supply and prices of present and future volumes.  It was an interesting read about algae being a potential fuel of the future as Amanda Leigh Macarelli explores. Algae thrive and grow in the presence of water, sunlight and carbon dioxide as well as being easily harvested. With thousands of kinds of algae to choose from, experts are “exploring a wide range of possibilities for harnessing energy from these microbes” (Macarelli 2009). She states that an issue in algae cultures is that an open pond can easily be contaminated and invaded by unwanted species. A solution is to grow the algae in enclosed containers that have controlled levels of sunlight, water and carbon dioxide.

We worked in between prototyping and sketching to gauge a better vision of what our final object would look like. As the sketches developed, so did the materials we used for the prototypes. Starting with easily malleable materials such as paper and tape, our object started to take shape and we could use these early objects to inform a more refined final prototype. We used our combined research to inform the way we would design this prototype, taking into consideration the uses of the algae, how it is grown and how our product is worn on the body.

Image of our final prototype

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Jensen, A. 1993, ‘Present and future needs for algae and algal products’, Hydrobiologia, , no. 260/261, pp. 15-6.

Mascarelli, A. 2009, ‘Algae: fuel of the future?‘, Environment, Science and Technology, vol. 43, no. 19, viewed 23 October 2015, <http://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/es902509d>.

no author 2015, BLUE – GREEN ALGAE, WebMD, viewed 22 October 2015, <http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-923-blue-green%20algae.aspx?activeingredientid=923&activeingredientname=blue-green%20algae>.

Simmons, J. 2011, ‘Making safe, affordable and abundant food a global reality’, The Three Rights: Food, Choice, Sustainability, viewed 24 October 2015, <https://www.ncbiotech.org/sites/default/files/pages/Three-Rights-White-Paper-Revised.pdf>.

Zimmer, L. 2013, Algaculture: A Symbiosis Suit That Uses Algae to Grow Food From Light, Ecouterre, viewed 24 October 2015, <http://www.ecouterre.com/algaculture-a-symbiosis-suit-that-uses-algae-to-grow-food-from-light/>.

Sustainable Design Thinking

Interdisciplinary LAB A takes you out of the realm of design thinking and into a more complex matter. Thinking about the future and creating scenarios based on our own research as well as the lectures given through topics about the Anthropocene, Big Data, Human Technology Interaction and Design at the Border has helped in viewing the future differently. As a group James, Angela, Marie and I brain stormed our scenario towards the idea of technology focused on research and development rather than communications, food abundance or scarcity and urban and green living.

The research for our scenario helped lead towards our ideas, ideas like creating urban farming similar to the indoor farm in Japan. As our scenario of green living is further highlighted in an article by Tom Armour in which he states, “Sustainable urban development, which is integrated with technology, is the answer“(2014). As a Director for Global Landscape Architecture with Arup, Armour suggests a future in very similar ideas as the group. A future where technological developments help with sustainable living as well as the population increasing resulting in high food demands turning into alternative methods to meet these demands.

Formulating our future scenario, we also had to design a suitable speculative object that integrates with our scenario. Designing the prototype taught me to think about the future of design and how to approach a design that connects with future possibilities. Our speculative object looked to the prospect of creating algae through human sweat, which is collected pass a series of filters and into a tube all designed into a pillow. Algae can be seen as the future food source, with food demands high alternative measures will be needed to feed the growing populations. Dr John Finley a professor of food science states, “Forty years isn’t very long to get there. We can’t do it with traditional agriculture alone. Microalgae has incredible nutritional value. Ultimately, it’s just an environmentally clean way to produce quality food.” (J.Finley 2014). Our object focused on creating an alternative method of producing food sustainably and organically. It was important for not only finding alternative foods but also foods that supply the nutrients needed in the future. In creating a sustainable food production, other solutions can be made towards a sustainable and ecological living.

The vision for the future is a sustainable one, “ There is certainly no ‘one size fits all’ solution, but there are strategies and actions that have the commonality…” (Jenks & Dempsey, 2005). Our scenario and speculative object aimed for a brighter future and alternative solutions. The actions of older generations cannot be changed, but in creating solutions to work towards a sustainable and ecological future is possible. With many possibilities of inventions and innovation through technology the future is looking brighter.

Reference:

Weiss, A. (2014). ‘Food of Future Past: Want sustainability? Eat Algae..’ Online. Solazyme. Viewed on 28 October : http://solazyme.com/blog/2014/09/08/food-future-past-want-sustainable-future-eat-algae/?lang=en

Armour, T. (2015). ‘The future of our cities lies in the technology – ecology balance’. Online, The Information Daily.com. Viewed on 28 October: http://www.theinformationdaily.com/2014/05/07/the-future-of-our-cities-lies-in-the-technology-ecology-balance

Ronald, P. and Adamchak, R. (2010), ‘The future of sustainable food production’. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1190: 184–185. Viewed on 28 October: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.ezproxy.lib.uts.edu.au/doi/10.1111/j.1749-6632.2009.05261.x/full

Jenks, M. and Dempsey, N. (2005). ‘Future forms and design for sustainable cities’. Amsterdam: Architectural Press. Pp. 415

‘Intentional Design’

Climate change has increased severely, affecting agricultural systems and the availability of food produce. These consequences have developed into important issues in developed countries causing great concern on food supply for the future. A future scenario visualisation of 2050 was developed through the process of creating a quadrant resulting with the scenario of food scarcity and advanced technology availability. Throughout the research process, it was predicted that a variety of innovative strategies such as vertical farming and rooftop farming will replace agricultural systems due to climate change, thus becoming an alternate way of food production. It was visualised that these innovative strategies are supported by the availability of advanced technology, as society in 2050 will change the use of technological resources, from social connections to environmental use. This prediction of a slow living lifestyle modifies society’s lifestyle, as greater attention is offered to sustainable living

As the chosen quadrant focuses on the idea of food scarcity and advanced technology availability, a pillow prototype was designed and created as a response to environmental and food concerns. This pillow known as ‘Algae-rhythm’ is designed to enhance the idea of sustainable living, through the process of absorbing sweat, which is transformed into algae through a technological, scientific system in the transparent pillow. The produced algae are purposed for gardening and mainly eating since it contains the nutrients and protein required. Thus, this innovative pillow will guide society and reduce the concern of food production. The algae is created through the process of sweat being absorbed through the textured soybean plastic on the inner section of the pillow, which is then processed through muslin cotton fabric, micro-tubes and two larger tubes, transforming the sweat into algae. Therefore, the innovative system of the Algae-rhythm pillow demonstrates the concept of sustainable living benefiting the environment and the wearer’s lifestyle.

   

Product designer, Bui Bjarmar Adalsteinsson addresses the issue of food scarcity as he created an innovative product design known as the Fly Factory purposed to breed insect larvae for human consumption. Adalsteinsson was inspired by an article exploring the concept of society beginning to eat insects to reduce the issue of hunger and pollution. Therefore, his interest directed him into designing the Fly Factory that is demonstrated as an eco-friendly product since it does not produce waste. “The conceptual micro-factory feeds insects on food waste and recycles the nutrients they excrete as fertiliser.” (Dezeen magazine 2014) Adalsteinsson further proclaims, “The larvae are given organic waste and become rich in fat and protein, which then can be harvested for human consumption.” (Adalsteinsson 2014) The designer believes this approach is a way of directing society into changing the way we eat and produce food, and to act more sustainably and harmonize with the planet.

    

Academic Nathan Stegall explores the design aspect of the designer’s decisions of responding to environmental concerns, as he believes that ‘sustainable products’ do not act sustainably. “The idea of a “sustainable product” is misguided because the impact that any product has on the social and ecological environment depends as much on its use as on the technology it deploys.” (Stegall 2006) Through this, Stegall portrays the aspect of designers creating ‘sustainable products’, however it would not be completely sustainable as people may not return it for recycling at its end life. “…any artifact makes an argument for how people should live and what values they should hold and consciously designing products that encourage positive, constructive ways of life.” (Stegall 2006) Stegall refers to this as ‘intentional design.’ Nevertheless, Adalsteinsson follows the idea of ‘intentional design’ as he informs his product is used in an industrial environment such as restaurants instead of households. Adalasteinsson believes people may not favour growing their own food since western society is highly dependent on processed food. Thus, Adalasteinsson takes design decisions into account to ensure that the product is used sustainably until the end of its useful life.

REFERENCES

Stegall N. 2006, Designing for Sustainability: A Philosophy for Ecologically Intentional Design, Design Issues, vol. 22 , viewed 29th October 2015, <http://www.mitpressjournals.org.ezproxy.lib.uts.edu.au/doi/pdf/10.1162/desi.2006.22.2.56&gt;

Iceland Magazine 2014, ‘Icelandic Product Designer came up with a Sustainable way to Prevent Food Shortage’, viewed 29th October 2015, <http://icelandmag.visir.is/article/icelandic-product-designer-came-a-sustainable-way-prevent-food-shortage&gt;

Dozen Magazine 2014, ‘Fly Factory Produces Insect Pate that “tastes like chicken”‘, viewed 29th October 2015, <http://www.dezeen.com/2014/05/04/fly-factory-breeds-insects-for-human-consumption-and-produces-no-waste/&gt;

The Future is in Our Hands

“Sustainable architecture isn’t a prescription. It’s an approach, an attitude. It shouldn’t really even have a label. It should just be architecture.” (Maxman 2001)

As part of my primary research, I conducted an interview with architect student Shayan Athari who currently study’s at the University of Sydney Technology. Shayan offers an insight into his thoughts and opinions on the concepts of technology and the environment, and its impact on the architecture world. Technology has become a significant impact on our daily lives, as it has become a routine to involve some sort of interaction or use with technology. Shayan deepens into this concept revealing his perception of the unnecessary use of technology in architecture, as he believes advanced technology is not a necessity in the design process to express inspiration and the experimental process of architectural designs. “Computer technology only helps me realise my vision, I don’t use it as an actual vehicle to drive it.” I found his particular statement fascinating since students at UTS receive the education and have the availability of technological to enhance the aesthetics of their designs especially in architecture. Nevertheless Shayan expresses his creativity through traditional practices, which I find highly intriguing.

The rapid growth of technological advancements has negatively effected the environment through certain ways such as waste energy, consumption of non-renewable resources to make technology and disrupting ecology. However, Shayan exposes a positive outlook on technology use and its methods of improving environmental issues, specifically focusing on global warming. It is highlighted by researcher Christine Pasquire, “These challenges appear in the areas of ‘environment considerations’, ‘innovations in technology’, ‘planning and policy issues’, ‘social requirements’, ‘political forces’ and ‘economic considerations’. To respond to these macro level challenges, buildings need to change in terms of the ‘function’ they house, the ‘capacity’ to achieve the performance required for the population they hold and the ‘flow’ of reacting to internal and external environmental forces.” (Pasquire 2013) Shayan emphasises on this idea of buildings responding to environmental issues where architectural designs would result with an effective outcome to the aesthetic design and users of the building and to the environment. To gain a deeper insight, the innovative strategy of rooftop gardening was specifically questioned to understand Shayan’s thoughts of integrating this system into architectural designs. Shayan further establishes the concept of effectiveness and the reduction of wasting resources, as well as an aesthetically pleasing design would create a future of sustainability in the architecture world. As he emphasises, “There must be a balance!”

It was found in the Journal, ‘Adapting buildings’, Pasquire also proclaims the same idea Shayan expresses, “A recent consideration has been given to identify how the new building stock could be adapted to face the 21^st century challenges, which requires an understanding of the extent of changes required to the existing building stock and the lessons learnt for designing buildings to be sustainable in the future.” (Pasquire 2013)

Shayan’s perspective of architectural design integrated with a sustainable approach to prevent current environment and technology concerns from increase, interesting and exciting. Approaching a primary research by interviewing a design student revealed a distinctive view through in depth explanations and examples in relation to the design field, architecture.

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Transcript: Interview with Architect Student Shayan Athari

 So why did you choose architecture? Tell me your story

In high school I took engineering as an elective and I pretty much failed. Doing model making in the subject seemed interesting but the mathematics side just literally killed me. Oh I was terrible at math’s, but the design part I particularly enjoyed. This is why I decided to study architecture, I want to be as big as Frank Lloyd Wright!

What form of identity or aesthetic have you built as an architect student?

I’m still finding my way, so I don’t actually have an aesthetic. But the style I like is Japanese minimalist architecture such as Sou Fujimoto, I like his type of designs. I basically only like the Japanese aesthetic, the simplicity of it. For example the concept of blurriness in Japanese architecture is pretty fascinating. This type of concept involves the design aspect of how they create spaces in the idea of…how do I explain. For example imagine a room filled with tiny columns and you can’t see ahead of you because there are too many tiny columns, which creates that blurriness, the congestion of objects.

So Japanese architecture would clearly be your inspiration in most of your architectural designs

Yeah minimalism and simplicity is what I think that balances and creates a distinct architectural design outcome.

How do you envision yourself as a designer in the next 10 years?

I don’t know to be honest. I would like to be an independent architecture you know doin’ my own thang, running my own thang, engineers doing my own thang hahaha But I would like to be in Japan. But I don’t think I would reach the level of current Japanese architects because I have never studied there. But I would love to study in Japan increasing my knowledge and skill about Japanese architecture.

There are recent studies that technology advancement is a threat and has disturbed society’s lifestyle. Has the rapid growth of technology effected your design practice negatively?

Not really, when I started architecture I always used pencil and paper its like my own ‘thang’. I take my journal with me, pretty much everywhere I go and just sketch things all the time. I still use the computer it enhances augmentation. But I think that some people use it too much, for example they use algorithms to generate forms, which I dislike.

                     

Has computer technology helped shape your design field and why?

Not really, it hasn’t because I usually take inspiration from designers such as Frank Lloyd Wright, Sou Fujimoto, Kenzo Tenge, and Kisho Kurokawa. Computer technology only helps me realise my vision, I don’t use it as an actual vehicle to drive it.

Do you prefer using computer technology during your design process or do you still draw on paper?

No, pencil and paper at all times. Sometimes it feels more free! You can sketch what you want. There are no restrictions. Using a computer feels like you can only enter certain commands.

In the next 50 years do you think the artificial will replace natural aspects of society? If so, how would this change the way you approach your design process and present ideas?

No I don’t think so, I mean even if it does happen it will but its up to us if that can happen later in the future. Humans have chosen the Internet to replace human interaction, it’s really up to us. It would certainly impact the way I design, I place a lot of emphasis on design, it would impact me on a personal and professional level. The thing is I would be the last person who would go against the idea of technology replacing certain ways of approaching the design process. But if it does take over I would still do my own thing, head strong, still carry my journal around and sketch as much as I like, and produce designs using pencil and paper with patriotic music playing in the background and that’s it hahaha im not giving up…

How can architecture participate in acting sustainable to improve environmental concerns and develop a better future?

First of all, Jesus Christ man the concept of orientation is the most important aspect of architecture, so make sure you orientate your building carefully. Every building has to have the smart use of materials. Its not suppose to look ‘cool’, it needs to be recyclable. There are buildings in Japan that get torn down and recycled even though they are known to be important buildings. Another important thing is materiality and the context of the built environment. You have to take note of these two aspects before making any design decisions, because once you do consider those aspects then you can make informed decisions on how your building will react to its context and how its context reacts to the building.

How would you as a designer approach sustainability in your design practice in 10 years time?

I don’t know to be honest, the thing is climate change is a big factor, the planet is warming up so whatever we build even in a few years time, it has to account to that and respond to that in a very direct way. Climate change is such a big factor it changes our lives in general. I currently work in a nursing home and there is a lot of food waste, maybe architecture can help minimize the issue of food waste. Because you cook food and there is a lot of energy used, which also turns into waste energy, so I think there should be systems implanted to reduce food waste, energy waste and the effect of climate change somehow. The simple way of doing this like I said is orientation and the colour of the materials. Painting a building using darker colours will absorb too much heat from the sun. Although a climate where it is cold would be fine like Norway, however in Australia a black building wouldn’t make sense. I think we need to take that aspect of liking dark buildings out of our dictionary and respond more sustainably.

One of the main issues I have come across during my research is the issue of agricultural strategies disturbed by the increase of global warming. Farmers are finding it difficult to adapt to the effects of climate change, thus a preparation of innovative strategies have commenced to avoid the possibility of food shortage in the future. One of these agricultural strategies include rooftop gardening. What is your opinion about this innovation integrated into the architectural design such as the building at One Central Park on Broadway?

It works in central park because it looks ‘cool’, it doesn’t involve the act of people, they don’t climb and get food from it. But if an actual building provides food in that manner such as an office or apartment building it would have to be effective, this would include effective methods of farming the food within that building as well as an effective office building in general. If you can’t do both perfectly well then you shouldn’t do it, you wouldn’t result with a good building or farming strategy. So you would be wasting resources on both.

What is your prediction on the style of architecture in the future since rooftop gardening is beginning to take part in architectural design?

Hmmm.. I think it would be awesome, I really like that idea of rooftop gardening but only if its 100% effective and very sustainable and productive. It shouldn’t waste more food that what is happening now. It needs to be perfectly balanced. My prediction is that aesthetically it will look minimalist. In terms of performance it would be to a very high standard responding to the environment in a very structured manner. In the future we would have the calculation of food waste and would be able to respond to the issues more effectively through the design of architecture. But yeah aesthetically, minimalism would be my prediction of architectural forms.

REFERENCES:

Guy S. & Farmer G. 2001, ‘Reinterpreting Sustainable Architecture: The Place of Technology’, Journal of Architectural Education, vol. 54, viewed 29^th October 2015, <http://www.tandfonline.com.ezproxy.lib.uts.edu.au/doi/pdf/10.1162/10464880152632451&gt;

Manewa A. & Pasquire C. 2013, Adapting Buildings: Striving Towards a Sustainable Future, online article, viewed 29^th October 2015, <http://global-cities.info/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Adaptable-Buildings-Striving-Towards-a-Sustainable-Future1.pdf&gt;

Primary Investigation

For primary research, I decided to approach my brother with these questions as I was interested in a perspective that was fresh and not tainted by research or overthinking. Some of his responses were quite interesting, especially “liquid food” and the future of technology and the way that it will work even more cohesively and sychronized with the body.

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1. What kind of technology do you currently use most in your life?

Currently I use my iPhone the most, then laptop and internet. They are probably the main way I stay connected in communication, through social media, networking and research as well as movies and entertainment.

2. What do you think technology will be like in 2050?

I think that in 2050 technology will consist of implants and devices that work cohesively to our bodies, synchronizing the thoughts, emotions and actions in everyday life. It will be super advanced in a way that is actually very clever and intuitive. People won’t need to ‘learn’ how to use it because it will be such a smooth transition from what we see as ‘normal’ now.

3. What will food be like in 2050?

There will be simplified dishes which everyone will be able to enjoy in liquid form for convenience and to enhance nutrient intake. I don’t think there will be much meat – I’ve read some articles talking about a potential vegetarian future, but this will probably be caused by the climate and sustainability around farming practices and production.

4. Liquid form – that’s interesting, why do you think that this will occur?

Because with growing rates of obesity and people wanting to live a healthier lifestyle as well, convenience will become an essential in the busy life as population growth increases.

5. How do you envision the way technological changes in the next ten years will impact our lifestyle?

People may become lazier due to the convenience of technological advancement such as cars that drive themselves. The ease of use for social media may become a downside for networking because instead of face to face connection, people may develop a false sense of friendship and bonding which may affect someone’s psyche.

    6.  Through our research, we found that there is a potential future where cities will be very green and buildings will consist of vertical gardens and indoor farming. What events or major global issues would lead Sydney’s society to transform in this way?

Sydney has already begun to change in this way as you can see at Central Park where they have incorporated a lot of greenery on each of the balconies. With climate change evident raising weather conditions and temperatures affecting crop and plant growth and a rising ageing population, Sydney may be “forced” to conduct such transformations to keep the environment clean and free from pollution too. The urban space will become a central part for food production as it will save costs on transportation.

The Future They See – Primary research

The future, something many of us think about. There are many possibilities, many scenarios created to how our future will be like. During this subject while looking towards future possibilities, finding alternative methods and focusing on the Anthropocene, Big Data, Human Technology Interactions and Design at the border, my view of the future have been influenced. Not necessarily negative influence, but to think alternative measures that can help the future.

Leading to this aspect I interviewed my sister for my primary research to see how she viewed the future by answering 4 simple questions. I chose her specifically as she is studying communications and has a greater knowledge of global situations. These questions highlighted her view of the future, technology and society.

How do you envision the future to be like in 2050?

By 2050, the future will look heightened than what it is now. At the rate of developing technology, I think more society will rely more on technology or machine in terms of getting to places, building things, connecting with one another on a device – a lot of things will rely on technology, especially with a generation that doesn’t know what it’s like to live without it.

The environment will probably look less green. And have heightened days of really cold or really hot. Green spaces will probably be man-made in efforts to undo deforestation and you can already see that with places like Central Park Living and the shopping mall. More species of animals will be extinct, as they can’t cope with the changes of higher water and atmospheric temperatures. I also think having clean air will be a luxury, as industrialisation and urbanisation of the world affect air pollution.

The world in general will see more built structures, less houses, more apartment units, and more emphasis on saving space rather than having the luxury of space.

How will technology change in the future?

It might be ‘smarter’ than humans in terms of efficiency and cost. In the production of goods, technology could be the one producing rather than the hands of people because they might do it at a faster rate and is cheaper instead of paying for labour.

Sense of immediacy from technology will drive the competition between manufacturers of technology… what/who can do something the fastest, achieve the best result in the most limited amount of time. In the future, there will be a bigger market of different technological industries (phone, computer, Wi-Fi, transport, etc.).

What would society be like in the future?

There will be less diversity in a global society. As people travel more, live in different countries, have interracial offspring; the blurring of culture and national identity slowly erases the differences of these cultures. People will become accustomed to a culture from somewhere else (an example of this right now is the international fanbase of kpop). English is becoming a global language, making it difficult for generations forward to be able to speak a mother tongue of their parents.

Borders will probably still exist to distinguish nation states but a higher population of people will be global citizens due to ease of connection through social media (presently) and whatever form that will be in the future, and this ease of connection will be made through advancement of technology.

How will we be living like?

People might not know how to be ‘social’ with one another, or be able to know each other on a deep and personal level. Instead we’ll rely on communication through technology. Immediacy and ease of connection with the world could hinder our ability to connect face to face. This could be the norm. Social cues and common sense could be lost. At the same time, we might already be experiencing this and this whole technological phase could pass and everyone might try and live with each other without reliance on technology.

We’ll probably be living in tower buildings and houses might be a thing of the past and viewed upon with rarity. We might be more sun-conscious due to climate change and our fashion might alter to cater to climate protection whether in very hot or cold weather. Global citizenship could possibly increase number of languages spoken by a person through interest and interaction with people in other countries. Who knows?

Maybe this is the view many of us think of when we are asked about the future. The future where technology will be ‘smarter’ than humans, citizen are global citizens with borders expanding and our cities will continually be going up than out. We can only think of alternative solutions to solve these growing views of our future and the negative connotations it brings. Solutions which start now.

Transhumanist and We?

Top 10. A common sight found of various sites. Top 10 future gadgets, Top 10 Innovations and Future Tech. With many future scenarios focusing towards technology and the possibilities of a technological driven world, how much of human interaction will be affected by technology? Even now with social media and smartphones, our lives have been effectively influenced by technology. As technology develops, so do ideas. As human interactions have changed due to the overwhelming integration of technology, we have become mass consumers and mass producers of data. From the moment we wake up to the moment we fall back asleep, our engagement with technology is throughout.

New innovations are changing, from interaction to becoming a part. Technicism is described in which technology would become the main contributor to the changes in society. Not only that but the future of Trans-Human technology is becoming prominent, with many breakthroughs in science, “You are now living in an era of trans-human technology — an era some call an evolutionary renaissance. And you are what we call a cyborg: part human, part machine.” (C.Phillips 2014). Are we slowly changing human interaction with technologies to incorporating technology within human form?

Joel Kinnaman stars in Columbia Pictures’ “Robocop.”

In the 2014 remake of Robocop directed by José Padilha shows a future possibility with the creation of Cyborg. The film shows a critically injured man being selected to be part of a governmental experiment in creating robot soldiers. Although seemingly unrealistic, the scenario may be possible. The Robocop has software implanted that allows his brain to process information as accurately as a computer. Does the idea of half man and half robot showcase possibilities of humans in the future and effect human interaction? Maybe.

This goes back to our present day, with many of us using technology, our interactions goes further than human interaction. It works towards how the Internet has become our form of interaction with one another. Video viewing, commenting, liking, are just some aspects of interaction within the Internet. Its vast sources have enables humans to gain knowledge of ongoing situations from around the world. It also creates a virtual reality within our lives through social media. Technology has set a part human interaction, with connecting and communicating creating a gap between, “If we are constantly checking in with our virtual worlds, this leaves little time for our real-world relationships.” (L.Rosen, 2015)

The advancement of technology is only going to be exponential, in both human interaction and human integration. Although thoughts of human’s already becoming robot like due to our connection to technology rather than human integration, are we going to become like a robot? Future possibilities are there with the cyborg but it may just be an alternative in making us more human.

Reference

Blackford, R. (2015). ‘A Transhuman Future’. Online, Philosophersmag.com. Viewed on 24 Oct. http://www.philosophersmag.com/index.php/tpm-mag-articles/11-essays/25-a-transhuman-future

Phillips, C. (2015). ‘Building a Better You? The Era of Trans-Human Technology’ (Op-Ed). Online,Viewed on 25 Oct. http://www.livescience.com/45872-transhuman-technology.html

Chow, D. (2015). ‘‘RoboCop’: When Will Cyborgs Walk Among Humans?’. Online,Viewed on 25 Oct. http://www.livescience.com/43287-robocop-cyborgs-robots-future.html

Geggel, L. (2015). ‘Human Cyborgs Come to Life in Nat Geo’s ‘Breakthrough”. Online. Viewed on 26 Oct. 2015.http://www.livescience.com/52419-human-cyborgs-national-geographic-breakthrough.html

Rosen, L. (2015).’ Is Technology Making People Less Sociable?’. Online, WSJ. Viewed on 26 Oct. http://www.wsj.com/articles/is-technology-making-people-less-sociable-1431093491#livefyre-comment