Global and local in the housing of the future

Abstract

Paper presented at the XXXIII IAHS World Congress on Housing, 27-30 September 2005,"Transforming Housing Environments through Design", University of Pretoria.

Changes and progress are an inseparable part of modern living, and they reflect a growing degree of education, the ever-rising living standards and wealth. We are witnessing a growing influence of globalization and individualization based on new information and communication technologies - ICT. The growing awareness of human impact on the Earth became a vital contemporary issue. Every age has produced a particular way of dwelling as a reflection of technological developments as well as specific social, economic and cultural conditions. What is being sought is a more flexible and dynamic architecture, where the conventions of the past are changed by some new conventions of the digital time in which we live. We see the fusion of sustainability and ICT (Information and communication technology) as a right way to future development, and we call it Smart architecture. With our students we work on experimental projects and research of new housing concepts. We shall here present the experience from our work.