April 24th, 2021

The prestigious paleontologist José Luis Arsuaga wisely comments in his book The Chosen Species, that the species that last and dominate are not the strongest or the biggest, but those that have better adapted to the times. Sapiens, we human beings, are one of those species that over thousands of years has known how to adapt to the environment, how to learn from it and how to evolve.

Human habitats are one of the clear evidences of adaptation to the times. Detecting evolutionary trends and anticipating the future has been and is the key in architecture field from the beginnings.

Today, adapting to new times means to understand new environments, new social and economic needs. These 3 great variables are the basis of all creation. The better knowledge of these new needs is what allows to apply better solutions in sustainability, efficiency and well-being, thus setting more intelligent trends.

Current times, marked by the effects of climate change, the pandemic, new working habits, new coexistence structures, the concentration and condensation of populations, among other variables, allow us to define some guidelines to take into account:

1. MORE COMFORT, MORE HOME CONCEPT

The domestic habitat has acquired greater importance as a refuge, and at the same time as a workplace with the introduction of teleworking. In recent times, the consumption of household hours has grown exponentially. That has already involved a lot of reforms and promises even more. In this context, issues related to the orientation of buildings and home layouts, optimization of heat and cold flows to better address seasonal changes or improvements in lighting, acoustic or environmental performance are already a priority.
 

2. ADAPTABILITY AND SHARING

The short-term dynamism and the heterogeneity in which we live make us to seek versatile solutions at the level of spaces and to offer more common areas of service, leisure or functionality. On one hand, the concept of family or coexistence unit is increasingly changing and requires easier changes of house space. And on the other, the high cost of m2 in metropolitan areas leads us to smaller conceptions of housing that seek to be complemented with greater community services (common green areas, coworking spaces, gyms, etc.) or promote the attraction of more personal homes and equipped in neighboring towns.

3. REDUCTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL COSTS AND MORE CHEAPER

Complementing the two previous points, houses must inevitably reduce their costs: environmental and economic. A trend that points in two directions, reducing / saving (from CO₂ emissions or carbon footprint to energy consumption or future maintenance costs) and producing / self-sufficient (self-generation of energy, water recycling or even productive green areas). The correct management from the location of the project to the final construction process, offer substantial and measurable results in terms of environmental contribution and savings for families.

Each of these variables matters, and each potential action, allows improvements. Trends set us to find optimal solutions in sustainability and efficiency. A good combination of both is the best adaptation to the times and is, therefore, an intelligent architecture.