Swati is an architect and town planner with twenty-six years of experience in the buildings and infrastructure business. She has worked in India and the UK, focusing on the design and delivery of projects in the hospitality, residential, education, mixed-use, and industrial sectors both locally and internationally. Swati has successfully led large teams and managed high-profile projects, demonstrating her expertise and leadership in the industry.
In a recent conversation with Women Entrepreneurs Review Magazine, Swati discusses emerging architectural trends in the Asia-Pacific region, focusing on integrating resilience and disaster preparedness for building safety and longevity. She also highlights incorporating sustainable urban design and resilience planning to address environmental challenges.
As the industry evolves, what emerging trends do you foresee shaping the future of architecture in the Asia-Pacific region?
According to the Gensler Design Forecast 2024 report, there are eight key trends that we identify as crucial signals and opportunities in today's build industry. In the Asia Pacific region, certain trends are gaining significant momentum. For instance, with increasing urbanisation and evolving work patterns, converting outdated office buildings into residential or mixed-use spaces is becoming more common. This trend of adaptive reuse and conversions not only addresses housing shortages but also revitalises urban centres.
Sustainable design is another major trend. Given the pressing concerns of climate change and extreme weather events, sustainable and resilient architecture is essential. This involves using green building materials, striving for net-zero energy, and incorporating regenerative design principles. AI also plays a significant role in the design process. Rather than replacing designers, AI collaborates with them to create more sustainable and responsive buildings. In the rapidly urbanising Asia-Pacific region, AI would help to streamline the design process and opens up new creative possibilities.
The Asia Pacific region is known for its seismic activity and extreme weather events. How do professionals integrate resilience and disaster preparedness into their architectural designs to ensure the safety and longevity of buildings in these regions?
Severe weather events have become the norm, with recent months in 2024 marking record-breaking heat and the highest sea surface temperatures ever recorded. A survey by the Gensler Research Institute found that 90% of people globally have experienced severe weather recently, underscoring the urgent need for resilient buildings and infrastructure. Designing for resilience means creating structures that can withstand extreme conditions and serve as refuges during crises. Understanding local environmental stressors is crucial for developing resilient communities. By integrating resilient design across architecture, interiors, and urban planning, we can mitigate financial losses, protect assets, and maintain accessible infrastructure during extreme weather events.
Gensler is a mission-driven firm, and we believe in making the world a better place through the power of design. We’re deeply committed to shaping the future of the world’s cities. Gensler is not only the largest architecture and design firm, we’re the only firm that touch every part of infrastructure and our practice area specialization differentiates us as experts. We are really focused on being local but our practice areas are set up in a network across the globe. At Gensler, we incorporate resilience and disaster preparedness into our architectural designs through several strategies. We prioritise passive survivability, creating buildings that maintain comfort and functionality without powered systems. Clear landmarks and intuitive way finding enhance navigation and awareness during crises. Additionally, we emphasise social integration by designing inclusive spaces that foster collaboration and support. These strategies ensure safety, longevity, and a resilient built environment in the face of natural disasters.
How do you integrate principles of sustainable urban design and resilience planning into your projects to address environmental challenges?
At Gensler, environmental stewardship is paramount, and our commitment to achieving carbon neutrality is embodied in the Gensler Cities Climate Challenge (GC3). This initiative outlines our roadmap to help clients meet their carbon targets and aims to make every building in our portfolio net zero carbon by 2030. To achieve this, we focus on two main fronts: reducing operating carbon through strategies like optimising energy efficiency and increasing onsite renewable energy, and minimising embodied carbon by selecting low-impact materials and promoting reuse over new construction. Our approach extends beyond our designs; we collaborate with partners worldwide to develop sustainable construction practices and specify materials with low environmental impact. We're also enhancing our expertise and design technology tools to integrate resilience and sustainability into every project, ensuring we lead the industry toward a sustainable future.
The concept of ‘regenerative architecture’ is taking the cause of sustainability one step further. What insights can you share about the concept of regenerative architecture and its impact on improving sustainability?
Regenerative design isn't just a concept; it's a transformative approach that challenges us to rethink our relationship with the environment. At its core is the recognition that achieving net zero emissions alone is insufficient to address the broader ecological crises we face. Focusing solely on carbon reduction overlooks the significant impacts of urban development on biodiversity and natural systems.
Looking back at our ancestors' practices, we see examples of architecture that harmonised with nature, using materials that either lasted for centuries or returned harmlessly to the earth. In contrast, modern construction often involves short-lived buildings and frequent renovations, relying on materials that are environmentally intensive to produce and dispose of.
At Gensler, we are dedicated to advancing regenerative design principles across the Asia Pacific region, drawing inspiration from successful global implementations. Regenerative design goes beyond reducing our carbon footprint; it involves actively restoring and enhancing ecosystems. It calls upon architects to act as stewards of the Earth, designing spaces that not only minimise environmental impact but also contribute positively to their surroundings. This paradigm shift necessitates embracing a holistic perspective on sustainability, one that considers the long-term health of urban ecosystems and the well-being of communities. By integrating regenerative design into our projects, we aim to address current environmental challenges and create lasting benefits for future generations.
With advancements in technology reshaping the architectural landscape, how do you envision next-gen technologies such as AI, machine learning, and virtual reality reshaping the future of design and planning processes?
AI isn’t just about efficiency for us; it’s a game-changer that drives innovation and enhances client satisfaction, as highlighted in our 2024 Gensler Design Forecast report. AI is transforming our approach to design by boosting creativity and enabling faster, more responsive iterations. With AI’s computational power, our designers can push boundaries, delivering projects that go beyond the norm. This integration promises to elevate sustainability, improve building performance, and customise spaces to fit unique user needs and preferences.
Our strategy isn’t about replacing human creativity with AI; it’s about enhancing it. AI-powered tools allow us to quickly simulate designs, deeply analyse local environmental factors, and precisely measure building performance and user comfort. These capabilities are crucial in creating spaces that not only meet functional requirements but also set new standards for innovation and user experience.
Beyond design, AI is also enhancing our overall business operations and enriching workplace experiences for clients across various sectors. By integrating AI into our workflows, we aim not only to streamline processes and deliver top-notch designs but also to foster a culture of ongoing innovation and client focus. This strategic embrace of AI underscores our commitment to leading technological advancements in architecture and design, ensuring we continue to shape the future of the built environment.
3D printed buildings is another burgeoning trend in architecture. What is your take on the trend? What advantages does it offer in comparison to traditional build methodologies?
While 3D-printed buildings are an exciting trend, the technology itself isn’t new. For example, Gensler designed the world's first 3D-printed commercial building, the Dubai Future Foundation's Office of the Future, back in 2015. This project highlights several key advantages of 3D printing over traditional construction methods.
First off, the time savings are remarkable. This office was 3D-printed in just 17 days and assembled on-site in only two days. Compared to the months or even years it takes for conventional builds, this represents a massive efficiency boost. Labor is another area where 3D printing excels. The entire Dubai Future Foundation building was assembled by just 18 staff members, cutting labour costs by 50% compared to a traditional building of the same size.
As 3D printing technology continues to develop and mature, it offers significant advantages in terms of speed, cost-efficiency, labour reduction, and sustainability. It's not just about building faster or cheaper it's about opening up new possibilities in design and functionality that traditional methods can't match.
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