JOIN USAs the New Year knocks on the door, it's time to draw a list of fresh trends and consider new opportunities involving art, architecture and cultural trends of the society. Architects need to know that trends play an important role in design work. The clients who come to them usually want unique designs and are influenced by the features they see in magazines or the homes of their friends or family and their desires. New collaborations, sustainable solutions and industry innovations are subtly changing the architecture of communities everywhere.
The following are some important trends that may be seen in 2018:
n Mixed-use development: This entails extreme operations integrated together to function coherently. Such type of urban planning blends multiple categories of development together to integrate both physically and functionally. This compact development emphasises a stronger neighbourhood character.
n Affordable public infrastructure: The upcoming trends for improvement of public infrastructure include re-development of railway stations, bus depots and low-cost airports. Due to the high concentration of mobility especially during the rush hour, the need for better utilisation of infrastructural networks forms a prerequisite for the economy. Affordable public infrastructure could be targeted through cross-subsidisation by means of revenue generation being integrated into the present scenario.
n Sustainability: A holistic understanding of sustainability and its expression in architecture is the key to contemporary living in modern times. The understanding of the Indian interpretation of sustainability enables us to lay emphasis on the local sustainability principles. Sustainable architecture strives to minimise the number of resources consumed in the building's construction, use and operation. Sustainable features like a green roof, intelligent facades and solar architecture are environmentally sensitive designs with energy and ecologically conscious approach to the design of the built environment.
n Digital facades: The aesthetically striking digital facades offer a visual expression for modern cities. They provide an interactive platform for the citizens via lights and screens to share data, news and updates. A growing practice all around the world is to illuminate cities after dark.