Why the buildings of the future will be shaped by ... you | Marc Kushner 

Let me summarize this video after watching all 18 minutes of it Architecture nowdays gets feedback from social media.

This approach fosters architecture into becoming a flat image, turning it into a consumerist product. The idea of "inventing" for the shake of innovation and originality is not new in fact. It is the motto of the modern era, which is still present. As a result of that pressure for innovation we have architects, including this guy, that think architectural innovation is the generation of new forms. But architecture is only in part related to form. If I understand correctly the message that he wants to convey is that the media enables people to publicly express their feelings about a building and exchange views. This is fantastic, but the danger in general in this media dominated world and that unbounded democratization of architecture is that common people don't understand the reasoning behind buildings. As a result, the focus can be easily lost and as it is commonly observed oriented towards form. We cannot blame people, but architects should be more responsible when giving public speeches!

As a former architect myself I can say this based on my own reflection and observations over the years: an architect's perspective on what is a "good" architecture can be just as narrow as anyone else's. Sometimes a "good architecture" to an architect is about landing on the cover page of certain magazines - or gathering likes on social media nowadays. The role of architects have been devolving into mostly playing with forms and shapes and often with a severe lack of understanding of the economics and operations of buildings and cities.

He's so engaging!! It's hard to speak about architecture and keep an audience of people who haven't neccessarily studied architecture engaged

I love that library in Seattle. My university had a library where the walls were made of windows. It let in more natural sunlight. Our human brains work better in natural sunlight. Sunlight wakes us up in the wild. It's why seasonal affective disorder is a real thing and why they try to increase sunlight for those people. So if your library is made out of windows, that is a place where I want to be. You can't even compare an artificially lit room to a room with the sun beaming in. Please tell me I'm not the only one.

"So how is it possible that in the same year, in the same country, two buildins both called libraries look so completly diffrent and the answer is..." ----------> Money

When he began the talk with his house, my thought was "Whoa. He lives in such an expensive beautiful house.", and then he said that he hated it. Good design comes from personal experience, not brief observation.

I felt like i watched a talk by Ted Mosby

I was almost with him when he said it's about visceral emotion. But zoning is super important. When zoning a city, you don't want a 1 purpose building taking up an entire block. You want more walkability. You want people who can walk from point A to point B, with plenty in between. If you want a Walmart or supermarket in the middle of town, they should be on the second floor, while smaller storefronts take up street level. When people have to drive, it creates a disconnect. Now, when it comes to the actual architecture, people don't want wildly unique buildings, but they also don't want bland sameness. They want the buildings to have a degree of uniformity, with subtle yet distinct variations. For example, Amsterdam is full of tall, slim rowhouses. They share a pattern, but are bright, cheerful, and the roof slope and design varies between buildings.

I'm a simple Cambodian. I see Angkor Wat, I upvote.

Tbh, I'd choose the Livingston Library over the Seattle one any day. A library is meant to be a small, warm and a cozy place without crowds. it's supposed to be a personal experience. The Seattle library resembles more an airport or a metro station to me, kinda symbolising a state of hurry and the urge to depart in order to go somewhere else. instead of feeling warm and comfortable, I'd feel exposed, cold and vulnerable.

Is it just me, or does it seems like there's a lot of negativity towards historical architecture? It makes me sad that we "aren't allowed" to appreciate anything old. I believe that it's completely possible to innovate while still appreciating styles of the past.

When the sunlight structs the Bilbao building it hurts the eyes of the people living within the area

TED learned how to clickbait.....

I think this talk inadvertently just made the strongest case for a return to traditional architecture that has ever been made. I cannot think of a worse way to design our streets and city centers than to turn it over the frenetic, fickle, faddish, fever dreams of social media. No city would ever be rooted again. Just constant churn and novelty for the sake of it. What a horror show.

I'm not an architect but I do love the subject....I actually like those concrete 'ugly' buildings of the 70s maybe it is tied in with nostalgia as I was a child in that era but I think that is what architecture is...it means something to you personally just like Art...different people see different things and it is the way you interpret it in your own mind...I like buildings that are not only dynamic on the outside, but how their dimensions fascinate me, how they function, what is inside them, what can they be used for etc. It is a naive view of architecture I know, but I really liked this gentleman's talk. You can see his love for creation and it was intoxicating to me as I feel the same and know exactly what he is talking about!..x

This was a good talk, but did anyone else think that the building the speaker's firm designed was kinda ugly?

Some of these buildings look very hard to clean....

What an amazing TED Talk. Marc couldn't have delivered his message any better! Incredible speaker! And I completely agree with him on the association people have with architectural symbols and their unwillingness to venture outside their comfort zone when it comes to modern architectural designs. Most architects don't get their name on their first building until their late 40s or 50s, having been repressed in their ability to express their individual creativity the entire time leading up to it by: their clients; their projects' financial limitations; their support from the community; and their supervisors and firm partners with a different vision along the way. So by the time they are able get a design brought to fruition their designs have likely been muted and tamed and their likelyhood to venture outside the comfort zone has proven to be a mute point much of the time. Bringing the design to the people of the community it's going to serve prior to showing it to the client allows the community to voice their emotions regarding the design eliminates the fear of the possibility of negative public perception, which is most likely exaggerated, skewed, or otherwise not true to the actual public perception of the design. This process still may not help when dealing with some clients, but there are so many instances I can think of where this process, previously unheard of, can truely tip the scales in the approval process of a design.

shet, i was thinking the dude gonna show us some fancy 3d printed buildings, and i ended up watching how people gonna google for images before they ask architect to come in. sad T_T

did you know we spend 99% of our lives in the solarsystem? no wonder we are shaped by the distance from the sun to jupiter

One of the better TED talks I've seen in a while.

Not sure why there are dislikes, the talk was great. He's showing buildings that are computer simulated to be structural sound, ergonomic, multifunctional and look distinct enough to be accepted into the community and have it's own identity. Also that buildings can now be built with better techniques, can be made green and recyclable as well.

It was really fun and very thought provoking to watch your talk. I wish to work with passionate people as you in the future. Thank you for inspiring me.

A picture is shown to an engineer. "What do you see?" "A dead architect." Another picture: "An architect about o die." etc.

This talk was very interesting but damn, it felt like it was 40+ minutes long.

my university is brutalistic... makes me cry every time i have to look at it...

One of those rare few ted talks that are really, really worth listening and watching... Again and again.

the parthenon in greece was build like a 3d puzzle and embeded in the architecture was the "fi" ratio.Ancient greeks found about "fi" by measuring the ratios of relations within the human body the building was not a symbol of power but a symbol of humanity ! Maybe we need to build buildings with more sense and we need to implement nature and human characteristics in the method of building it not only in the finished design.

That weird library in Seattle and the Guggenheim in Bilbao look funky from the outside, but they create dead space on the outside - there is very little interaction with the streets and pavements, in the form of doors, shops, cafes, etc. There is also a lot of dead space between the randomly spaced shells and the actual usable space inside.

I really like how passionately he speaks about this. I feel like he could teach more than this and I feel inspired by his energy in this TED-talk even though I'm normally not in architecture or design.

I started in the '70s, with graph paper on the kitchen table and now I'm a dedicated SketchUp designer. I've also built a dozen houses, starting as a laborer/carpenter. What I see occasionally now is in-experienced designers creating frivolous, redundant or excessive shapes and volumes because it's easy, not because it's a good idea. One example is when they 'kick out' the hipped roof design to cover a Bow or Bay window in the Exterior wall underneath. There is no advantage to that, simply widening the overhang covers it, and is a good idea anyway. In fact it creates additional elements into the roof right where you don't want them. That area is prone to leaking, and it often is part of a kitchen or dining area, where water supplies and drains, and vents further complicate things. Some software programs draw that automatically from the floor plan and that's the only reason it's there. Another mistake is the way windows and doors are installed by the software. Usually with 0 tolerance, which isn't reflective of the real world, so when the carpenter gets to it, it's never exactly the same as the plans. I use R.0.'s and F.F. sizes. Rough Opening should be a minimum of 1/2" larger than the Finished Frame size all around, but rarely is. Every architect should build a cottage or something to understand what things weigh, how they're handled, what's unnecessary work, etc., but few do.

what's the cost difference between those two libraries?

my thoughts after 1 minute and 44 seconds: Why did you not just put on your clothes in the bathroom after taking a shower like every other person does?

wow its been a while since I skeptically started watching a video and completely was agreeing 100% with this guys vision of how architecture is formed and why.

excellent representation of an optimistic world of today's architecture. loved it!!

they're so happy about all these buildings and how "we love them" but they all look so bad _so so _*_so bad_*

This guy sounds like a South Park character.

Great presentation. His style is unique and you don't want to finish it. The examples presented are authentic and the dissertation covers important points about how architecture affects our lives.

I got tears in my eyes at the Spanish place spontaneously. So raw. So beautiful😞.

1:47 Holy crap, America, go play outside!

POV: Your teacher gave you a architecture project and this is the video you have to watch :)

It worked. The reactions he got from the community are real. Media plays a big role in our civilization, admit it or not. It's an observation. He tested and got some results. It's not entirely true, but there are some truth to it. Pick up what you can get and throw the crap out of the window. That's how simple it works.

Inspiring!! Perspective is EVERYTHING!!

Some good points but I still was annoyed by a) his way of talking and b) his just complete disregard for the value of traditional architecture and the value it still has in today's building. Modern and contemporary forms aren't automatically superior. Super condescending when he was talking about "historical pastiche" and "we're finally ready for this".

He's a very good public speaker, and shows a lot of passion about what he does.

Wow, I’m 21 and got into a really nice architecture school as a transfer. I’ve been doing more in-depth research these past two months, and I’m thinking of pursuing this career after watching videos like this.

One of the Best Architectural Talk I have ever heard/seen.

Give me Frank Loyd Wright over that Frank Gehry gaudiness any day.

I want buildings that require minimal rudimentary air conditioning, relying mainly on natural air flow to keep a comfortable temperature all day long. Hopefully, a scientist can get together with an architect and an engineer to bring this to reality.

Key element. A feedback loop. What an outstanding presentation. Genius.

Just get the building code out of the way and see what we can create.

perhaps people wouldn't hate architects so much if they considered function in their design

Brilliant talk

It's the most informative and interesting TED Talk I've ever watched

One of my best Tedtalks.

the buildings of the future will be made from mud and straw

Every decade you hear about how much different the homes of the future will look. This has been going on since the 30's and we're still mostly staying in small cookie cutters.

I didn't know this channel ( i'm in Italy...) until a few days ago. (i'm in Italy) It is really interesting and pleasant to follow. 👍👍👍

Perfect presentation of what 21st century Architecture is all about

The Bilbao Museum looks nice, but it melts parts of houses and cars parked near it, Again proving the modern architecture just doesn´t care about its surrounding

It's also about damn money not innovation.

I learned something today that should have always been so obvious to me before. Thank you.

Speech conveyed brilliantly and quite engaging. Thanks for your perspective

Very enjoyable however, I disagree with Mr Kushner's slating of Brutalism. Preston Bus Station (in the presentation) has recently been saved by a long heartfelt campaign by the people of Preston, also Le Corbusier is admired by many non-architects. True, it is a divisive style, but such is art.

lmao I love how everyone is the comments section pretends to understand architecture

I completely agree. The look and design of a building GREATLY affects my mood and feelings.

Great stuff. Changed my view of architecture.

Amazing talk. Accessible, funny and insightful. Loved it!

i wonder if i should share this with my mom and my older sister... they are both studying arcitecture

My small town has been doing this with parks and everyone here loves it!

I can't imagine the scope of such an amazing gift. Wow! You guys are awesome. :)

It doesn't seem to me that this speaker is realistic. Big flashy building cost money and architects tend to burn a hole through our pockets. I feel a sense of arrogance in his tone. Something is off with this presentation.

That was a really cool presentation.

It takes a while to think properly about a building too mate. I spend countless of hours gaining feedback from anyone who has a slight interest in what I have to say about a project I would be working on. It takes months to properly design and think about all the details. The building part is the easy part especially in today's era. And buildings have always been shaped by the masses. If we only appealed to ourselves, I doubt anyone would consider hiring us. Architecture responds to the environment physically or intangibly (through client needs, wants, programming, target audience, personal values, advertising, globalisation etc.) whether you like it or not. Although I agree that we are now in an age where we are forced to keep up with technology and therefore should embrace it to make the lives of all better in all aspects. Not just aesthetics and form. A responsible architect observes beyond the paycheck and the personal need to mindlessly create and tackles something far more complicated than producing a building that works. That is why I can't respect Frank Ghery who draws inspiration from a piece of rubbish or Zaha with her rigid form finding and lack of programming and people understanding. We should be using our position to educate the public about what a truly good standard of living is, one that is not detrimental to ourselves and the environment. Ethics over aesthetics. A building that follows this can only bring out good emotions and good vibes.

Single-handedly one of the most important presentations about architecture of the first half of the 21st Century.

Just proves an inadequate education has convoluted an unstructured mind. My opinion.

So, digital media is the GREATEST REVOLUTION in architecture since the invention of concrete and steel? That is laughable. A building's narrative comes from your experience of using it, often repetitively; not spoon-fed by some digital renderings, often accompanied by beautiful people in swimsuit. The only way to speed up the feed-back system of architecture is to speed up design and construction. And it's always a gamble. Digital rendering helps. But given the budget constraints (big buildings are very costly), once construction starts it's hard to change the design if people don't like the rendering. Also, the fact that people now take photos of buildings with their cell phone does not mean buildings should be "disembodied" from the site (9:58). That is just wrong. Too bad he cannot look beyond the building itself and pay attention to other factors(budget, environment, neighborhood, social and cultural context, etc.) I bet his next big talk will be how VIRTUAL REALITY is the greatest revolution in architecture.

Best Ted Talk I've seen in quite a long time.

Looking forward to see more enjoyable buildings!

Very well composed! A great story telling !

Maybe if there was something like...I dunno, polished brutalism? Like with some bigger open windows mainly up top, and inside its nice and modern. Kinda like a mix of brutalism and that 2nd Library he showed? That seems cool to me

Whatever form a building takes, the function has to be there, including efficient use of water and energy resources. The engineered part relating to function should not be part of public opinion. Each person decides what makes a bridge beautiful, which is immaterial to the purpose carrying a load so people and can move over water quickly.

I think that library looked amazing!

I see this movement potentially becoming another phase in architecture like the ones he referenced in his talk. The truth is every architect throughout time has believed that their present time has equipped them with the tools necessary for the "right" way to do architecture. Denying the significants of historical architecture is denying the significants of today's architecture. I do believe the media has, and will continue to have, a positive impact on architecture. However, embracing the modern world and the benefits of media does not mean we have to build strictly "modern" buildings. As seen in the discussions this form of media has already initiated, many people enjoy historical buildings.

Most of this is nonsense, all those buildings with broken forms and strange shapes already proven to be failure designs, all presented economic issues and the houses are empty or people sells them constantly. There's a reason why the footprint of succesfull buildings is a squared shape and not a triangle shape. Form defines energy, But modern architecture is like John Snow, they no nothing.

Great Analysis - Bravo, dear Marc!

Props to this guy for his enthusiasm!

Modern Architecture should be called Artitecture... And like in every other art form there are always certain style periods. In 50 years every flashy thing of today everybody awed to will be old and disgusting. But for some reason most people still can relay to the ancient Roman and Greek (and all the other ancient cultures) buildings: They're in many ways "classics".

what he wants to say : PLEASE GIVE US "ARCHITECTS" JOBS TO DO ! WE ARE STARVING TO BE USEFUL AND PRESENT IN YOUR EVERYDAY LIVES ! ..... I am an Architect and I know !

This is by the most interesting TED talk of yet this year.. I like Architecture..

1:51 That's why I want to be an interior designer when I grow up :)) wish me luck!

He uses a lot of us and them statements. It is kind of off putting to listen, too.

The general population is in no position to comment on the value of a building. I suppose if some proper anthropological studies were done of how people react to buildings... then maybe. But Kushner is, as far as this talk goes, making an argument from popularity, which is a well-known fallacy. The real problem with architecture is that, on the whole, it considers itself more of an art than a design discipline. An architect ought to design what people need, not what they want, through the application of rationality. This doesn't exclude incorporating emotional impact, but it does require addressing the interactions that give rise to those emotions clinically and rationally. Instead, too many architects still use highly subjective, unjustifiable, and ultimately irrational ways to come up with their designs.

What a fantastic way to introduce the topic.

I think the “No one client anymore” point made at 16:00 is huge. That in itself is also industry changing.

every structural engineer's nightmare/headache.

Frank Lloyd Wright was our first "Star-chitect."

Looking to build a creative theater and getting ideas. I found this very informative and inspirational. Should have kept it about architecture and not throw in the other stuff.

essa não foi somente uma palestra boa,foi uma palestra linda