Category Archives: The Future

Designing for a New Age of Discovery

January 13, 2012 – 10:41 am

Albert Einstein was 26 when he published his “Special Theory of Relativity.”  James D. Watson was 25 when he and Francis Crick discovered the architecture of DNA, arguably the greatest scientific achievement of our lifetime.  Steve Jobs, another early bloomer, believed that you couldn’t trust people over 30 to come up with radical innovations. Working [...]

By Jim Childress | Also posted in Clients | Comments (0)

The Lights of Our Lives

June 1, 2011 – 3:54 pm

The era of the incandescent light bulb, initially patented in 1879 by Thomas A. Edison, is under assault through a combination of market forces and legislative fiat – primarily because it has been an energy hog. In 2007 the federal government mandated that the bulbs become more efficient beginning next year – although there are [...]

By Sheryl Milardo | Also posted in Materials, Sustainable Design | Comments (0)

Our Once and Future Future, again

August 20, 2010 – 2:35 pm

Good grief; the future is already here and I haven’t continued my blogging about the future.  Last time I had asked “What will make our world uplifting and sustaining in 2060?”  It’s time to bite the bullet (will bullets exist outside of museums in 2060?  I’d bet the mortgage they will), and imagine.  Again we’ll [...]

By Mark Simon | Comments (0)

The Ravages of (Not Very Much) Time

February 8, 2010 – 2:46 pm

I have a friend whose job is to maintain boats.  He labors on white decks varnishing, painting, and caring for wood and composite materials.  He’s been doing it for thirty years. Recently he told me he’s noticed boat materials are degrading faster than ever.  He said fiberglass and composites don’t resist chalking and pitting as [...]

By Chad Floyd | Also posted in Materials | Comments (0)

Our Once and Future Future

January 25, 2010 – 11:03 am

It is time for architects to think about the future; I mean REALLY think about the future, not try to “look like the future,” or contemplate next week, but consider the way-out-there tomorrows, say 30, 50, or 100 years ahead.  And not what it will be like, but what it SHOULD be like.  In this [...]

By Mark Simon | Also posted in Beloved Buildings | Tagged | Comments (1)