Is This the Building of the Future?

So this one seems a little 'Jetsons' like if you know what I mean, but wow, talk about an action packed building!

This document from Arup's UK branch imagines the 'urban building of the future'.

In 2050, the urban dweller and the city are in a state of constant flux - changing and evolving in reaction to emerging context and conditions.  The urban building of the future fosters this innate quality, essentially functioning as a living organism in its own right

This imagined building's structure will be flexible and adabtable both in terms of structure and materials, and also in terms of use and function. It will incorporate renewable and recyclable material, produce more resources that it consumes and contain urban food production.  According to the document, the building will integrate with the community through public facilities, integrated transport links and integrating with the public realm.  Lastly, it will be a 'smart system' collecting and utilising data on energy use and production, transport, weather and occupancy requirements to "execute informed and calculated decisions about the optimal use of resources".

Wow - yep this super building makes a heap of promises. I'm interested in seeing how even one aspect (transport integration, sustainability, flexibility) could start to become more common in buildings - but will a building like this exist by 2050?  Who knows?


Read more here.