Shape to Come

‘The Shape of Things to Come’ was the title of the 1971 Newsweek article which explored the role of the architect to help shape the built environment for the future. Coming off the heels of the World Exhibition in Montreal in 1967, there was the message that we must aim our efforts towards solving the challenges of humanity.

In this project, we engage in an experiment that will position us in the future, with a commission to design a mixed-use high-rise development in downtown Boston on the waterfront. The client has requested that the project represent the latest in ‘all-season design’ in that it must transform completely for the hot summers and frigid winters. Additionally, the designs will adhere to the latest Boston Planning and Development Agency Resiliency and LUSH greenery incentives programs. What will be the lessons learned from the Pandemic of 2020 where we learned to work from home and improve archaic mechanical ventilation systems? How will we uphold the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals and related professional design guideline circulars? How will our life be transformed by the move to compulsory electric and shared-car usage?