The future of architecture – Gavin Mullan

Posted 09.02.2015

We asked ten architects – each of whom joined Make in a different year since 2004 – to write about how they see architecture and the built environment changing over the next ten years. Here is last instalment in the series, from Make partner Gavin.

I see the industry today as being at a critical point of opportunity. As a student architect I am only too aware of the amount of education it takes to become even an average architect these days. I think young architects today need to listen to experienced, much wiser architects who have seen successes and failures, but we also need to establish a style for this era! I see this as including a much more energy-efficient approach. Solar energy is becoming a huge part of everything architects are involved in today. If this industry grabs all the potential solar power possesses, as well as other natural resources, we can inspire the world to become more green and totally energy efficient. My generation of architects can really set a new style and a new standard of architecture for years to come; if we put our heads together we can come up with something exquisite.

Will the car be here in ten years? Today’s streets have the same structure as those of thousands of years ago, when pedestrians and transportation coexisted. Vehicles of today and tomorrow need high-speed routes, while walkers need quiet itineraries. I’m interested in reduced dependency on the car and how the roadway could become detached from the pavement, like urban railways, and how architecture and urbanism could deconstruct the street corridor as we know it today.

On a different note, what also excites me about the next ten years is the unforeseen potential for there to be a discovery that fundamentally changes the way we all approach architecture and design. I see the seemingly exponential development of technology sparking demand for a new building type, fuelled by a new generation of architects. Vernacular will fundamentally change for good.

My generation of architects can really set a new style and a new standard of architecture for years to come; if we put our heads together we can come up with something exquisite.