Shaping Beauty

img.02012 MoMA/PS1 young architects program winner – Queens, New York, United States - HWKN (Hollwich Kushner)

"Architecture is not about math or zoning, it’s about visceral emotions" - Marc Kushner

In a recently presented TED talk, the architect – and co-founder of HWKN – examines the past thirty years of architecture to show how the public, once disconnected, have become an essential part of the design process. Kushner, also the CEO of Architizer, considers how – with the help of social media – feedback reaches architects years before a building is even created. The result, he argues, is that architecture can now do more for more people than ever before.

Why the buildings of the future will be shaped by… you. Video courtesy of TED

In a book released to accompany the presentation, 100 of the most innovative buildings of today are collected and presented alongside a thought provoking question: can a building breathe? can a skyscraper be built in a day? can we 3D-print a house?

"Architecture impacts how you feel every day, which isn’t surprising considering how much time we all spend inside buildings", says Kushner. "The average american, for example, spends 90% of their time indoors, yet so many of our buildings leave us without natural light, shelter us with low ceilings, and ignore our personal, social, and environmental needs".

img.1What do reindeer do all day? Tverrfjellhytta – Norwegian wild reindeer pavilion – Hjerkinn, Norway Snøhetta

"The average person is more comfortable having an opinion about architecture today than ever before, mostly due to the dialogue enabled by social media", Kushner continues. "The world’s 1.75 billion smartphones are fundamentally changing the way architecture is consumed, turning everyone into an architectural photographer. Photographs shared on social media liberate buildings from their geographic locations, enabling a new level of public engagement. We experience architecture today with an unprecedented immediacy, creating fodder for a global conversation about buildings and their impact".

img.2Can you get married in a parking garage? 1111 Lincoln Road – Miami beach, Florida, United States Herzog & De Meuron

Across 176 vibrantly illustrated pages, The future of architecture in 100 buildings proves an insightful and optimistic guide to the field’s present condition, while making valid and positive propositions regarding the future of the profession.

img.3Can you swim in poop? Plus POOL initiative (concept) – New York, NY, United States - Family and Playlab

img.4Is pretty a public amenity? Museo Soumaya – Mexico City, Mexico FR-EE / Fernando Romero Enterprise

img.5Can glass be a fortress? Harpa concert hall and conference center - Reykjavik, Iceland - Henning Larsen Architects with Batteriid Architects, Ramboll Group, Artengineering & Olafur Eliasson

img.6Can you sunbathe underground? The lowline (concept) – New York, NY, United States RAAD Studio

img.7Marc Kushner giving his TED presentation

img.8The future of architecture in 100 buildings (front cover) – Copyright Simon & Schuster / TED

The future of architecture in 100 buildings. Author: Marc Kushner. Edited by: Jennifer Krichels. Publisher: Simon & Schuster / TED. Year: 2015. Format: 5 x 0.7 x 7 inches. Features: hardcover, 176 color pages. Language: english. ISBN: 978-1476784922

Marc Kushner. Marc Kushner is a practicing architect who splits his time between designing buildings at Hollwich Kushner, the architecture firm he co-founded, and amassing the world’s architecture on the website he runs, Architizer.com. Both have the same mission: to reconnect the public with architecture.

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