Digitization continues to touch and disrupt all sectors in ways that weren't thought to be possible. As a result, in the past decade, telecommuting firmly established itself as the new professional norm. However, can sectors that haven't been traditionally telecommuting-friendly welcome these shifts?
This year, Pritzker Architecture Prize, often referred to as the "Nobel Prize in Architecture", has been granted to Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara. The two women, who are the directors of the Dublin-based Grafton Architects, are the first Irish nationals to receive this honor.
As the world is getting closer, travel firmly established itself as one of the largest industries in the world, contributing almost USD 8 trillion to the global economy. It employs over 300 million people, which means about one in 10 working persons is in travel.
By 2050, almost 70 percent of the world's booming population will be living in cities. In addition to the challenges of climate change, an exponential urban sprawl might accelerate issues like pollution or extreme weather vulnerability.
We've come a long way from ringing the doorbell or even needing keys to enter our homes, offices and buildings. Technology has given us smartphone apps, finger scanners and key cards. And now, facial recognition is making access even more convenient and secure.
As building projects often take years and sometimes even decades, architecture isn't a career for the impatient. Even if architects complete many striking projects, it takes a lifetime for some to get recognized for their work. Nevertheless, the interest in this rewarding career path is on the rise.
Millennials, the generation born between 1980 and 2000, are taking the offices by storm. As of 2020, 35 percent of the global workforce are millennials, also known as Generation Y. By 2025, this figure will rise to 75 percent. In some of the advanced economies of Europe and North America, they're already the largest working cohort.
For much of the 20th century, a large house in the suburbs with a white picket sense was the ultimate material aspiration. As the most tangible aspect of the “American Dream", millions associated such dwellings with prosperity and success.
Digital technologies drive optimization, boost efficiency, cut costs and environmental impact. As the advanced economies are racing to embrace the new industrial revolution, also known as the “Industry 4.0", construction remains one of the least digitized sectors.
It was the early 19th century when the global human population reached a billion for the first time. Then, in just a couple of centuries, this figure grew more than sevenfold. The world population currently stands at around 7.6 billion. As the globe prepares to be the home of almost 10 billion inhabitants by 2050, members of each generation leave a unique mark in history.
Since the ancient civilizations started to build cities, urban landscapes evolved parallel to the gender roles, associating public spaces with men, and the private sphere with women. However, in the late 20th century, as the global urban population continued to boom, spatial researchers began to emphasize the importance of a gender-sensitive approach to urban planning.
Construction is notoriously a conservative domain. It's among the least digitized sectors, but also one of the most wasteful, generating 35 percent of the global landfill mass. Yet, with the rise of urbanization and population around the world, the need for new buildings, hence, construction, is direr than ever.