ABSTRACT
The ways we design, build and occupy the built environment are on the verge of seismic shift. We face global challenges of climate change, population growth and rising pollution in parallel to the impact of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI). AI’s capabilities of pattern finding, design optimisation and risk identification offer novel ways to identify and mitigate unforeseen risks and amplify opportunities. Architects must enable their designs to be generators of data that can feed the AI, allowing it to augment the design process. They must add to their skill-set through collaboration with experts from multiple areas, allowing the architect to use AI to design hyper-optimised and adaptive buildings. If the architect does not do this, then others will real—estate firms, contractors, manufacturers and technology firms—but without the valuable human-centred skill-sets and mind-sets embedded into the architect's training and professionalism.
