F E AT U R E
U C T AV E N U E R O A D STUDENT RESIDENCE THE ARCHITECT’S PERSPECTIVE By Paulo Teti, Jakupa Architects and Urban Designers
Technology and Architecture
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ne of the biggest driving factors in the evolution of architecture came as a result of the Industrial Revolution in England around 1760. This period was characterised by radical changes on many different levels. The architecture field was especially affected by the growth of heavy manufacturing industries. The expanding output allowed for the mass production of various new ranges of affordable materials. Iron, steel and glass were suddenly produced at an accessible and continuous rate, a conveyer belt of materials waiting to be devoured by the booming construction industry. With new materials came new options, ideas and unlimited possibilities. Architects and engineers could reinvent themselves with a new world of form, scale and function to explore. Factories adapted and evolved to meet the growing demand for new expressive forms and altered uses, which transformed technology into what we see on our streets today. Almost three centuries later and we are reliving and experiencing a similar revolutionary moment, fuelled by contemporary materials and modern ways of construction; 3D printing, metamaterials, virtual and augmented reality. Architecture, like many industries, is facing a new rupture, one which only the societies of the future will be able to judge and experience in its full, unabridged form. Tools and technologies have evolved at an exponential rate to help us reach our ever-growing
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objectives. Changes in technology convey changes in social structure and in the way humanity contributes to society.
technologies can be built to relate with their environment, adapting, expanding and evolving as necessary.
We have an incredible opportunity in our hands to incorporate technology in favour of a more inclusive world. One great example of such technologies is used in the new UCT Avenue Road Student Residence, my current project at Jakupa Architects and Urban Designers, where we are incorporating hearing loops (also called audio induction loops) in some of the student meeting rooms. This is a special type of sound system that uses magnetic wireless signals to improve hearing for people with hearing aid devices. The hearing loop consists of a microphone that picks up spoken words; an amplifier which processes the signal and sends it through the final piece; a loop cable. This wire is placed around the perimeter of the room and acts as an antenna to radiate the magnetic signal to the hearing aid, ultimately improving the hearing accessibility of the space.
The use of new technology in our practice provides easier access to explore our creativity as designers, but it also shows us that the industry business model can go far beyond the traditional way of dealing with projects and construction.
Not only can new technologies help create more inclusive spaces, but they can help us better understand our spaces during the design process and post-occupancy. Digital technology is allowing us, now more than ever, to create a virtuous cycle of constant improvement aligned with current, continuous feedback from users. Computational design opens a world where architects can push new boundaries; where architecture can be created by using software algorithms; and where interactive physical
An example of this is the use of virtual reality equipment which allows clients and the professional team to experience and explore their projects during its concept and design phase. The use of such tools allows clients a viewpoint far beyond a printed 2D drawing. It gives them the opportunity to be fully immersed in the project and to get a feel for the product and vision they are paying for. Virtual reality walkthroughs will most likely become the new industry norm in the very near future. The countless technological improvements we are experiencing in a record period of time have led to large scale automation across industries. Work originally developed and carried out through human labour is now completed across various fields through the use of technology. Technology is an amalgamation of tools we use in different ways to increase efficacy and efficiency. Even though technology has replaced and eliminated the need for some jobs, it has also sparked the creation of new ones. New positions require new skillsets completely
