"Architectural practice 2040",

“ARCHITECTURAL PRACTICE – 2040”

In early days any one with basic visualization power was able to fulfill the architectural requirements of society. But now at present the bottom line of an architect’s role in society is to respond with the surrounds environment in a positive manner while rendering his/client’s needs. The trend in present days is that one who designs is different from the one who is getting it built to the one who is going to use. It’s a difficult job for him to satisfy the needs of all those people while keeping the effective environment of the place/ space intact.

Environment is the issue; the environment shouldn’t be seen as one of a number of issues. I believe it is overwhelmingly and terrifyingly the issue of the future. Which is why the future of the city is the future of the human race? Issues of density, governance, transport and land use all come together in my mind under the term ‘environment’ and design has a central task. This is, and must shape, the future of our cities.

Do architects and architectural firms have a social responsibility beyond our practice? We all have heard about the social consequences of architecture and about architects having a responsibility to the community when they create a piece of architecture. But do we have a social responsibility that extends beyond our practice? What does social responsibility in architecture mean in our time? Certainly it means sustainable design, however you choose to define it. The definition of social responsibility and how sustainable design is implemented are hotly debated, but most of us would agree that two goals of sustainable design are to eliminate or minimize negative environmental impact of the built environment and to connect people with the natural environment.

As architects, we want to believe that architecture affects the quality of life. An architectural education facilitates the development of critical thinking abilities, which can be applied to solving problems and addressing situations beyond design. Our social responsibility is not limited to needs related to the built environment or environmental issues. Our critical thinking abilities can also be valuable in designing an organization or setting strategic goals and implementation plans.

Environment is the problem, in recent years urban built environment is responsible for most of the world's fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions its solution is planning and designing collaborative efforts that pave the way to a sustainable and carbon neutral future and in future architect play a huge role in designing by using strategies, tools, targets and policies and professional education which will lead to sustainable development.

India’s architecture has to be structured in a universal style paving way for the “equality of accessibility”. Versatile infrastructure has to be established for unrestricted access. Housing affordability is a major barrier to social equity and a challenge for increased density, so new models of delivery, funding, taxation and procurement will have to be developed for greater equity.

Imagining the future shape of cities has occupied the creative energy of architects for centuries. Any future vision of the city must be based on an efficient and equitable infrastructure. It must be planned so that social infrastructure is accessible and interactions enhanced. Cities of the future must be socially, environmentally and economically sustainable; Future will be more compact and more densely populated, equitable and connected with communications and transport networks, giving greater access to opportunities and services. In making good cities, ways of seeing, and scales of seeing, are crucial.