Design for Strength
The theme for World Architecture Day 2025 is Design for Strength and calls for approaches in the built environment that endure, adapt, and sustain communities. At its core is resilience. We invited our President and CEO, Brian Gerstmar, to share his insights on how the A&E industry is thinking bigger and acting bolder to strengthen resiliency.
How does AI support resiliency in the built environment?
Before the advent of AI, architects did not have the resources or know-how to thoroughly study issues such as resiliency on their projects. Most often, they outsourced that specialty to consultants who provided individualized expertise, such as for wind or seismic analyses. The cost and time available to study every design change limited the number of tweaks and improvements architects could make before the project was due. With AI, architects have now brought these specializations back in-house. Using Building Information Modeling tools, they can study all these parameters in real time as a building concept develops. This permits many more iterations of designs, increasing the opportunities to maximize resiliency within the project.
How will climate policy changes and industry commitments affect ESG and Net Zero goals — and how will owners be most impacted?
One of the key benefits of AI, especially with generative design, is the ability to generate dozens, if not hundreds, of design options within minutes. Using that capability as a foundation, we can then layer on not only net zero carbon and operational energy parameters, but also resiliency scenarios where we study the impact of those decisions on building’s ability to simultaneously withstand fire, floods, extreme heat, and earthquakes simulations. By studying both in tandem, we can create dozens of options that optimally balance both.
For building owners, the challenge will be how to get the proforma of their properties to financially work with this added resiliency requirement. Achieving net zero operational efficiencies is both good for the environment now and the returns they get on their investment over a long timeframe. Adding additional design parameters so the property can withstand extreme weather will most likely tighten their margins, but it is absolutely necessary if their buildings are to reach their 50+ year lifespan.
What is the relevance of urban regeneration in the built environment — and how does this approach support resiliency?
Urban regeneration is one of the most important strategies we have to help create resiliency in the built environment. The throwing away of zoning bylaws that segregate cities into different functional zones is long overdue. The negative impacts of this model have been building for decades, creating urban sprawl, neighborhoods that are segregated by wealth, and a reliance on the automobile to get anywhere.
The lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on hybrid working have inadvertently created an opportunity to rethink our urban experience, bringing work, play, and living together through the 15-minute city concept. Repurposing and adapting existing urban office and retail buildings for new uses creates opportunities to integrate climate-responsive elements at the same time, a need that would probably be neglected had the buildings not changed functions. It also gives us an opportunity to rethink entire neighborhoods, making them accessible to people from all walks of life.
These insights highlight that strength in design is possible by bringing people, design, and technology together to think bigger and act bolder.
Previous Post
