Established in 2005 by the International Union of Architects, World Architecture Day brings together the world's most distinguished architects, designers, and developers to celebrate architectural design. On October 1, this year's event will be held in London, and will include presentations, Q&A sessions, and discussions about current and future industry trends, as well as an awards presentation on the world's most innovative design solutions.
Expressing Our Cultures through the Built Environment
To me, World Architecture Day is a time to reflect on our own unique way of expressing our culture through the built environment, as well as a time to learn more about the ways other cultures build. No matter which culture you're exploring, each expresses their own individuality through building design.
Expanding the Architectural Practice to Other Parts of the World
This event is also an acknowledgement that architects are expanding their practices to include work in other parts of the world; previously only an opportunity for the very wealthy or a "star" architect. It's still a challenge and almost impossible without partnering with local firms, but working overseas can offer a great deal of knowledge about other cultures and what's important to them.
Bursting through Technological Barriers
Technological barriers are being broken throughout the world. I recently attended a two-day seminar, organized by the Virginia Society AIA, about the materials and technologies that form the "skin" of today's buildings. Much of this cutting edge technology is being generated abroad. It showcases incredible work that expands conventional building materials such as concrete and steel beyond what we might expect. Projects are converting fog into usable water, and algae into hydrogen for energy use. Architects are not just designing buildings, they're designing building materials too—informing the way we work and play.
Architects have always thought outside of the box and now it's time to think outside of the box in regards to our country's borders as we expand into new markets and share ideas with new teaming partners worldwide. Here's to World Architecture Day!