architecture after covid

The current coronavirus pandemic may cause us to ponder the nature of the past and future role of architecture at the end of the period of fluid modernity. It would appear that the modus operandi of the contemporary world – in which any and all moral norms are set aside in the pursuit of globalised commerce; in which single-use consumption is still abound; in which wealth grows insatiably, and yet the gap between rich and poor continues to widen; and in which all these central tenets of a “post-capitalist” society still prevail at the start of the third millennium – is simply no longer sustainable. The provisional cessation of our nomadic consumption of experiences, based on the ever-cheaper mobility of the planet’s inhabitants, calls for a reassessment of the conceptual paradigm of the future role of architecture against a backdrop of global population movement, climate change and the emergence of potential future pandemics.

 We are now faced with the need to take specific steps to ensure a sustainable way of life on our blue planet. Does architecture have the potential to become an influential factor in this paradigm shift? Could it indeed help in the formulation of an answer to the most pressing question facing us today: can we find a way to survive on this planet? And will architecture be able to adjust to a role beyond financial gain and the satisfaction of ego-oriented construction fantasies? This then leads us to yet more questions, such as: what will be the future function of architecture? Can it serve as a positive tool to develop new structures and strategies for a safer way of life? Will aesthetics and artistic qualities remain crucial components, or will sustainability principles become the overriding factor? And what might such an architectural mindset mean for humanity, experience of the self, and the building of an open society?

Dan Merta & Filip Šenk