Necessity Of Innovation In Architecture

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Ar. Gaurav Pathak, Founder at Design 21 shares his views on the ways architectural practice post pandemic needs to be rethought. In today's competitive world any business needs to be innovative to succeed. Even though the construction industry is substantial, innovation and production are slowly but surely declining. We need to recognize the need for design changes everywhere. Architecture and interior design is getting more coherent with technology. Though one needs to look at it as the result of extensive contextual analysis. Architecture is the art of layering information from multiple sources to ultimately achieve an absolutely sustainable solution that would ultimately help the society thrive. Innovation that is not need-based is set to fail. But, now there is an undeniable need to rethink the process of design. There is a need to look at sustainability as more than a mere certification. Apart from the pandemic, the population increase has also been creating some critical issues for the construction industry. IAQ- Indoor air quality. Ever since the pandemic, more and more people are realizing the unhygienic circumstances of a fully air-conditioned area. The poor IAQ of many offices helped spread the virus more quickly throughout the whole office. Hence, in architecture designs that are upcoming, one will have to relook at how the air-conditioning systems would work. External ventilation also becomes a necessity, so implement more engineering strategies that aid in cleaning the indoor air regularly. Urbanism Urban design, planning and the built environment will all have to work hand in hand with the health department. The cities need to adapt, adopt and modify themselves to the need of the hour. In the current scenario, it is important to make signs and indications that allow for a pedestrian to use a street or cross a street without having to physically touch anything. There are a diverse variety of implications that reveal potentiality in urbanity. While designing an urban level project, one will have to reimagine the usage of the space, analyze how, where, when and why the human body responds the way it does. Then design in a way that allows people to use the space, without having to “use” the space. Residential Design Most homes have started to feature office space popularly addressed as “work from home” space. With more and more people preferring to work from home, poses another challenge for interior designers and architects, which is the design of the space. It would have to allow for the “experience” of being at the office, but there should still exist an experience that allows for the relaxing home environment to prosper. Antivirus Built environment Since the pandemic, people have been getting more aware of the materials being used inside their homes. People want to know more about the available materials and finishes. They wish for antivirus countertops, tiles and even upholstery. If one were to design for today’s homeowner, one would have to pay attention to these aspects. Blurring the boundaries Architecture these days has developed the need to be more than just an ‘indoor’ or an ‘outdoor’. Most organizations and offices are opting for a nature-induced biophilic architecture to allow for greens in abundance inside the structure. Being stuck indoors for the past year, people are collectively experiencing the need to be a part of nature which their body was so used to.