Plunder our brains and the brains of global experts in our Knowledge section. Find out the latest news, trends and ideas across every area of design thinking and practice including interiors, buildings, precincts and cities.
The COVID-19 pandemic has meant big changes to the ways we interact with each other as a society. Now, with Australia slowly emerging from lockdowns and restrictions, we’re faced with the prospect of returning to normal again. But when it comes to architecture and urban design, what will normal mean? Can it really be business as usual?
To those outside of the industry, the idea of taking a virtual tour of a new building before it’s even been constructed, every detail brought to life by wearing VR goggles, might sound like science fiction. But for designers, these futuristic technologies are becoming par for the course, rapidly transforming architecture as we know it.
As the country ends lockdown and stores begin to re-open, how will retail reshape itself amidst the possibility of ongoing social distancing requirements? What impact will this have on landlords when it comes to planning and managing space? And how will new developments adjust their plans to suit?
Amongst project delivery methods that have taken hold in architecture, collaboration is perhaps the most famous and beneficial one.
It’s times like these we reset the clock. The Coronavirus pandemic has forced us to take stock; to determine what’s important and what’s disposable in our lives.
As architects, we’re constantly asked about how we will adapt. New technologies, new ways of thinking, new societal expectations – they all affect how we design. Architecture is dynamic in its nature, constantly adapting and changing with society.
If cars are so detrimental to the health and wellbeing of our cities and their inhabitants, why haven’t we phased them out? We look at some of the issues involved, and how urban designers and architects can respond to the problem.
Gary Mackintosh, Associate Director / Seniors Living Leader at Hames Sharley, looks at how the design of aged-care facilities must change in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
For years, we’ve been told to expect a transport revolution: get ready for the driverless car! And yes, there are little signs of it happening – from universities using automated vehicles to ferry guests around on open days to the deployment of driverless transport as a way of circumventing coronavirus restrictions. But aside from feeling twinges of jealousy when watching self-controlled limos speeding characters around on shows like Westworld, we’ve more or less let the whole idea slip from our consciousness.
According to interior designer and Hames Sharley Principal Errol Chiplowitz, the popularity of integrated resorts worldwide (that combine accommodation, retail, gaming and entertainment) looks set to rise after the COVID-19 pandemic. Chiplowitz, who has 25 years’ international experience in the sector, says now is the time to prepare for an inevitable return of demand.
The computer entirely transformed every aspect of how architects work, from their first impressions to creating complex construction documents. But however impressive technology can get, there’s a lot to be said for continuing to work on paper.
Hames Sharley Principal and Workplace Portfolio Leader Stephen Moorcroft discusses the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on the traditional workplace, and what we can learn from the experience.