Places.
Optimising a beautiful ancient treasure in Oxford
An exercise in 21st-century healthcare provision
Exploring joined-up hospitality solutions with capital results
People.
Kieran Valentine talks diversity, equity, inclusion and meaningful change
Destiny is an illusion; the future isn’t written yet
The tireless air quality activist on making the invisible visible
Possibilities.
Water neutrality: the next net zero carbon
Leeds’ new outpost supporting women, in collaboration with DIY SOS and Children in Need
Beds that complement meds
The future belongs to the curious
“Be like the ancient elements in thinking. Like earth, build upon a foundation of facts. Like air, be willing to change your ideas if the winds of evidence require it. Like fire, be unquenched in a desire for learning more. Like water, both our ideas and the tides can be unstoppable.”
C.A.A. Savastano
FOREWORD
Evolving the built environment puts us at a unique intersection. We span technology, economics, local and global regulation, environmentalism, and the health and wellbeing of society. We craft the stage where lives – billions of them – play out every day.
The privilege, magnitude, complexity, and responsibility of this role can sometimes feel daunting. With every innovation, every development in how we work, and each impactful project, the need for more, better, newer seems to follow. The world feels fast, vast, and often out of control. Despite the pioneering developments they may feature, when projects take years to come to fruition, it can feel as though there’s always more that could be done.
So how do we combat that overwhelming feeling? How do we even begin to make changes that keep pace?
We explore.
In this issue we invite careful thought on the influence that we in the built environment can have on the fundamentals – from the air we breathe to the water we drink, in addition to the earth on which we construct our worlds. We discuss the worth of H2O and how we can make water neutrality a reality; the pressing air pollution pandemic and the need for clear, evidence-based information in tackling it; plus the surprising power in admitting when we don’t have all the answers.
We remain active in pursuit of fundamental transformation.
This transformation must also embrace diversity, equity and inclusion, which means being bold in facing uncomfortable truths so that change, improvement and success are possible for everyone. Given that we need to achieve all this while giant global forces including technology, climate change and demography quickly and dramatically reshape the world around us, it’s more crucial than ever that we take time and space to rethink the status quo and route-map the future.
The journey starts here...
Cover photo by James Cheadle Photo above features aerial drone view of Llwyn-On Reservoir during a UK drought
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