A fast pace in "Our changing world"

Ahead of this week's launch of our  next #RICSFutures report I wanted to share a recent article I wrote for our modus magazine in October.  https://www.rics.org/uk/news/journals/modus/modus-october-2014/ 

Do you remember the start of the digital age? For me, it all began at my primary school in Australia with a primitive Microbee computer, wheeled into class to provide a range of incredibly basic games, software and learning tools. Shortly afterwards it was our first home computer, a Commodore 64, opening the door on an intoxicating world of addictive button-pounding. Later, at university I created my first Hotmail email account, a first encounter with the communication medium that would take over the world – and, let’s face it, our working lives.

Looking back on the past three decades, the pace of progress has been staggering: Microsoft has struggled to keep up with developments, Apple has taken over the world, and the idea of a computer that can only function when placed on a desk might now be considered quaint.

The future is mobile. Home phones are on the way out, and our uptake of technology domestically now quite often surpasses the pace of change in the workplace. Recently I received a new Android smartphone for work and, although I am already an experienced iPhone user, I had to go back to basics to learn and adapt to this new technology. We are on a cycle of continuous learning just to keep up, even with things as trivial as our next mobile phone upgrade.

In our lifetime we are going to have to deal with many more changes thrown up by this perpetual digital revolution. For example, the buzz around 3D printing in construction is growing. The previous edition of Modus reported on Arup’s demonstration of the technology’s potential with a 3D-printed steel node that could be produced on site, conceivably using data straight from a building’s digital model.

The “Internet of Things” is another theme rapidly making the transition from hype to reality, offering a fully networked future in which our homes, offices and even transport infrastructure can “speak” to us – and each other – transforming their working efficiency and making them much easier to manage as assets. Specific to our sector, growing links between building information modelling (BIM) and pre-existing technologies, such as geographic information systems, promise to maximise efficiency, while wider access to myriad sources of data is ushering in greater transparency between businesses, government and the wider public.

It is becoming clear that change – indeed, revolution – is upon us, and that we will all need to adapt our methods of doing business to stay relevant. We will also need to continually update and broaden our skills to keep up with the pace of change. The question is, will traditional methods of education be able to keep up with this new demand for continual learning? Most built environment courses are delivered through traditional in-person higher education models, with all the effort in the period between the ages of 18 and 24. Not only does this seem to be focusing on far too narrow an age range, this traditional method of teaching is arguably too inflexible for the learning demands of those already engaged in a career.

On the other hand, the huge growth of massive open online courses (MOOCs) is offering a new kind of education – led by the learner, inherently global in outlook and flexible enough to fit around students’ ever-changing work commitments. Will this be the future of learning? For those of us seeking to keep up to date, diversifying and renewing our existing skills to capitalise on a world that is changing around us, the potential is clear. It is an exciting future, and one where curiosity and an individual’s thirst for learning will truly pay dividends.

JOIN THE DEBATE on what tomorrow’s world might bring at www.rics.org/futures