The optimism of architecture

I’ve always been intrigued by architecture as a trends analyst. To be clear, I don’t say that as someone who knows about specific architectural designs and patterns, but as someone who loves to ponder how every intricate detail of a space can have a massive impact on societal wellbeing.

"I don’t create fantasy world; I create a fantasy of reality. " – Frank Lloyd Wright

Architects are some of the strongest daydreamers among us; they are not just daydreaming for themselves, they simultaneously shape our daydreams as well.

When I think about the challenges our society is currently up against from climate change to urbanization, I look to architecture trends to find comfort.

Two articles that have consistently stuck with me the past decade have been about architecture:

“What if the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 never happened?” – Curious City

“How the Coronavirus will reshape architecture will reshape architecture” – The New Yorker

Both of those articles explore massively devastating events that crippled cities and economies, but architecture created the way forward. There is so much to be feel despair about right now, but throughout history architecture has served as a point of reinvention. The challenge for the next generation of architects will extend beyond the physical world as virtual and physical realities collide. That level of change brings discomfort, but the constant that gives me hope is daydreaming. Whether it’s an architect of a physical or virtual world, a common ground of architecture will always be turning fantasy into reality.