IIDA – Perspective Fall/Winter 2019 - 46

P

Powerful (and often capricious) forces of
change are fundamentally reshaping our lives
at an unprecedented pace. And no industry
or corner of the world is immune to the
upheaval. In a recent Gartner survey, 71% of
executives said the pace of change is a key
risk for their organization. Yet with that risk
comes an opportunity-and a responsibility.
Amid all transformation, it's up to designers
to map out their vision of the future and how
they'll deliver on that vision.

"Designers can't just adapt or react to the changes
happening around them," says Billy Quimby, a principal
at BAMO in San Francisco. "They must help to shape or
even drive those changes."

rail in Kenya. All told, there are 1,814 infrastructure
projects in the works (so far) potentially valued at $8
trillion. It's a move bound to increase China's influence
on the world stage and expansion into new markets-with
enduring effects on design. And that presents its own
New Powers at Play
kind of uncertainty.
There's no escaping the current
"The question is: To what extent will
geopolitical and economic volatility:
the inherent architectural histories and
According to The Conference Board,
design histories of the countries China
executives are most concerned about the
is working in be allowed to flourish and
threat of a recession, followed by global
to develop?" says Andrew S. Aguanno,
trade threats, and political instability.
president of Andrew S Aguanno Architect
Case in point: the United Kingdom,
in Toronto. "Or as part of the economic
which is mired in sociopolitical dysfunction
bargain, will countries have a diminishing
after three years of intractable debate
opportunity to express their cultural
Andrew S. Aguanno
about Brexit. While the U.K.'s economy
values, both architecturally and in a design
had been growing faster than any other
sense? Will they have to abide by an
G7 nation, it's now lagging-delivering a direct blow to
external source that will be coming in to build things and
designers. IHS Markit/CIPS UK revealed in October that
to ultimately design things?"
construction had fallen at the second-fastest pace in over
Crisis of Climate
a decade. Commercial construction has been hit hardest,
The winds of geopolitical fate may shift unexpectedly, but
with survey respondents blaming domestic political
faced with an onslaught of storms, floods, droughts, and
uncertainty for spending delays.
wildfires, the world is coming to terms with the reality of
There's no such pause for China's Belt and Road
profound climate change. According to Munich Re, natural
Initiative, which has been steadily modernizing massive
disasters caused $160 billion in economic losses globally
swaths of the world, from extensive highway systems in
and 10,400 deaths in 2018. And a U.N. report warns, in
Pakistan to a remote seaport in Sri Lanka and high-speed

46

perspective

iida.org/perspective
http://www.iida.org/perspective
IIDA – Perspective Fall/Winter 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IIDA – Perspective Fall/Winter 2019
