New technology is being constantly integrated into all of our jobs and making tremendous strides in our productivity levels.
The design profession is no different; technology is changing how designers actually design. Instead of having to do everything by hand, there are so many computer technologies that can help designers visualize the spaces without needing to meticulously craft every detail by hand. Some of these technologies are specific to designing like Lumion, Sketchup, AutoCAD, Revit, Rhino, and VectorWorks; but place-based technologies like the ArcGIS Suite are aiding in cutting-edge design along with these design technologies. For years the ArcGIS Suite was only used for mapping, but recently there’s been a resurgence of it becoming part of the design process.
There is undoubtedly a link between maps and site planning; you must know what the site looks like, what is situated around it, and how it functions with the surrounding environment. ArcGIS can show zoning codes, current master plans, future master plans, and land-use, among others. These are extremely significant factors in designing places that work for the people and for the environment.
Using the information that ArcGIS provides us with, designers can understand the way in which the land works and how a municipality plans on using that land in the future. This can also help designers understand the lay of the land and how the land currently functions. Designers can study ArcGIS to figure out how an area has been historically designed, in the event that they want to continue this design or if they want to stray from the norm and drastically change the space.
Design is formed through a process of creativity and exploration. This is where ArcGIS and other place-based technologies come in, they can integrate the science with the design.
One major example of these place-based technologies aiding in cutting-edge design is through making extinction-proof environments. These can be developed by using the geospatial data about populations and masterplans to perform geodesign; which is designing a space to have no negative impacts on the environment and strengthening it for the future.
Another major example is to rethink design for our future communities; as it is, communities are going to continuously grow with increased population, which means our design needs will change. Design needs changing calls for a major revamp of the entire design profession, but if we think about it logically using our geospatial data and place-based technologies, we can design more resilient spaces without having to reform all we know. These spaces will not only work for now, but they will work for future generations. It also means that we can create places that can sustain themselves with the resources we have and those that we will have left in the future.
So, not only do place-based technologies allow us to map out areas and the future of areas, but they allow us to accommodate for the needs of our future. Making the future more sustainable and helping to provide truly cutting-edge design for all.