ABSTRACT
There is no doubt that the practice of architecture is starting to be deeply affected by an ever-more rapidly accelerating climate of innovation, spawned by advances in science and technology. Many people in today’s world are alarmed and anxious about the impending crises of climate change, inequality and scarcity of resources, combined with a rapidly growing and urbanising global population. The architectural community is no stranger to unusual combinations of ostensibly unrelated ideas. Creating a Venn diagram for the job description of an architect is a rather daunting task. Architects are experienced in discussing and illustrating issues located at the overlap of contrasting and often opposing requirements–arts and economics, sociology and ecology, physics and neuroscience, management and health. So, perhaps, architects are well placed to make a meaningful contribution to resolving the dilemmas facing our society, especially when the direction of thinking seems unclear.
