Visualising a better future

Being aware of future trends not only enables businesses, including those in the building and construction industry, to stay relevant but also empowers them to improve the community in a dynamic and sustainable way.

To predict future trends, one has to consider present situations and challenges first, says Jerry Ong, senior vice-president of architecture of the healthcare division at CPG Consultants in Singapore.

“Most of the issues we face today will not be resolved in the immediate term but in an ongoing process that we pursue to come up with the best solutions for the future. It’s about thinking ahead to design something now that lasts,” says Ong, who is involved in the design of sustainable healthcare facilities. Ong will be speaking at the Future Forward Forum organised by Rehda Youth and Nippon Paint Malaysia on Sept 29.

He cites Southeast Asia’s growing and increasingly aging population as a new reality that is already influencing architects.

“How do we design and cater for the future old today? If we don’t start facing these realities now, it will be too late to do so in the future,” he adds.

Exposure to design projects overseas, learning from them and contextualising ideas to local settings are ways to learn about future trends, he offers.

“Keep an open mind to learn from different players across different industries. We should not follow trends blindly, but we need to be aware of what they are,” he says.

Another speaker at the upcoming forum will be leading Malaysian conservation architect, Arkitek LLA Sdn Bhd director Laurence Loh. He believes that being an architect, one is by default operating in the business of forecasting the future.

“It involves being immersed constantly in R&D about all aspects of the built environment and its evolutionary process. We have to be current, explore and question the scenarios — and impact — of possible futures in a holistic fashion. It’s about future-proofing ideation and implementation,” says Loh.

Also to be featured at the Future Forward Forum will be Ee Soon Wei, CEO of Art Printing Works Sdn Bhd and managing partner of Uppercase Sdn Bhd.

Ee is known for his work in transforming an old printing factory in Bangsar, KL, into an innovative and creative space. For Ee, predicting future trends involves “listening to both people and to the space around us, and to collectively find a voice for it all”.

Future trends such as technological shifts are able to promote a different user experience, which leads to new, dynamic environments, he adds.

“Mobile technology will continue to be a game changer. I see a shift in ownership as well, where security in items like cars and homes are being reevaluated, due to the changing nature of work and travel, as well as smaller family units,” Ee notes.

The Future Forward Forum on Sept 29 is organised by Rehda Youth and Nippon Paint Malaysia.
TheEdgeProperty.com is the media partner. The forum will feature keynote sessions and panel discussions exploring future trends that could sustain, propel or disrupt the property development industry.

Other speakers include Tange Associates president Paul Tange, TA Global Bhd CEO Tiah Joo Kim and Sansiri Public Company Ltd vice-president of business development and new business (high-rise) Varangkana Artkarasatapon.

This story first appeared in TheEdgeProperty.com pullout on Sept 2, 2016, which comes with The Edge Financial Daily every Friday. Download TheEdgeProperty.com pullout here for free.