Title: How Does Architecture Impact Society? A High-Level Look | Thought Leadership | HMC Architects
Headings: 
The Importance of Architecture
More Than Just a Building
The Architect’s Role
George Vangelatos// AIA, LEED®AP BD+C, EDAC
Chief Design Officer

Content: A successful project comes from understanding that the spaces and buildings we love most stir up feelings in us that aren’t easy to quantify but are created from the process of collecting and implementing all this knowledge and research. Technology also contributes to the practice of architecture and its impact on society. Our access to global data, research evidence and the ability to communicate instantaneously with anyone anywhere in the world have drastically changed the profession. Architects can take on projects on entirely different continents, and draw from a workforce globally, allowing for a wide range of ideas and cultural backgrounds to influence a project. Technology also has changed the way we design: computer-aided drafting, BIM modeling , and virtual reality, to name a few, have made it much easier to bridge between vision and reality, create unique and complex shapes and convey information in ways that have never been seen before. Looking towards the future of architecture and its impact on society, we anticipate technology to continue to have a large impact but believe that it’s imperative that we continue to understand the human relationships to the built environment. For example, how do we address the growing differentiation between economically diverse communities within cities? Or how do we utilize new technologies to rapidly respond to natural disasters or refugee needs? How do we combat the continuous increase of the world’s population, and make sure that our cities retain our inherent desire to have a connection to the natural environment?