what those trends really saying

BY: ASTRID HARYATI

It is not too late to say something about the trend we should watch for in 2018. 

It is of course exciting to anticipate how those trends people say for this year really inform our lives, and how we plan, design, and activate our places. Some argued that we need to look to innovation driven by consumer trends instead of simply articulating variation of design aesthetic.

Trendwatching highlights consumer trends in 2018 that are:

1. A-COMMERCE; automated commerce, comes after e-commerce and m-commerce, facilitated people who embrace outsourcing certain retail experiences to algorithms and smart devices by automating hunting, negotiating, purchasing, delivery arrangements and more.
2. ASSISTED DEVELOPMENT; changing social attitudes, converging economic pressures and endless choices have altered traditional marker of adult life where now people are seeking help to leverage their already digital thinking minded, sharing economy awareness, co-working  effectiveness, and on-demand lifestyle to also craft the narratives of adulthood that suit them.
3. VIRTUAL COMPANIONS; shifting digital assistants to companions highlights how AI transforms the way we think and act.
4. FORGIVING BY DESIGN; crafting an experience that lets consumers travel back in time, advantageously changing decisions long after they have made them.
5. GLASS BOX WRECKING BALLS; forging transparency to be front and center highlighting the seismic shift that has shine the light to the wronged and expose the offenders in public view.

As we advance our placemaking, how do these influenced the way we envision and deliver people places?

BRING THEM TO THE STREET
Integrating technology into urban environments to improve transportation, social services, health and welfare means that more investment in innovation that greatly influence how we Iive, work and commute could have a better chance in positively impacting our lives. Tech-focused businesses that change neighbourhoods and urban conditions can partner with planners and designers to create deeper immersion and modular expansion in the process of visioning through to implementation and activation that can speed up pilot initiatives into a full scale production. Expect to see hybrid gaming experiences to assist with our gatherings in public places. 

CHANGE YOUR CANVAS
If driverless vehicles and drones will truly start to occupy our everyday and capture our interest to outsource mundane tasks, then the cone of visions and the size of our canvas would need to be adjusted to accommodate new landscape of indoor and outdoor rooms. Spaces for 'release and contract', rest areas, un-plugged will be deconstructed to welcome silent collaboration where we all meet in virtual spaces while enjoying urban wildlife that benefit from freed up spaces typically used for one-on-one interaction.

SHARE MY BENCH, PLEASE
Space and amenity sharing have not meaningfully reached urban and public places. Rental bikes has only begun showing up in global cities, forging almost the only scalable sharing economy investment in recent times. Balancing private and public domain in such scale is an interesting challenge that begs for unique innovation. Expect to see how the sharing economy can be translated into our plazas, markets, parks, or even corner benches and children's play lot.

I WANT TO SEE IT TOO
Augmented reality and virtual reality are being used in architectural design and real estate with increased frequency. VR optimise communication between stakeholders and speed up the design process. Immersive solution can be reached with the help of these technologies where planning and design teams can jump into their simulated spaces to quickly find flaws and fix it before causing higher production cost.

THIS MAKES A WHOLE LOT OF SENSE
Educational institutions begin to produce market-driven professionals with entrepreneurship program and real estate development be a part of architecture schools. Creative entrepreneurship and business accelerator program, to bring ideas into reality, making critical leap from project to startup. With architecture students getting familiar with pitching to outside investors and industry partners, it is expected that they could bring people places a lot more meaningful and interconnected experiences.

RE/NEW MATERIALS
Material innovation is expected to rise along with technology and AI hybrid formations. The use of renewable materials that environmentally outperform concrete and steel even produced London's first wooden skyscraper. Fabrics that can harvest energy from solar and kinetic sources could also bring new uses and layer of experience to our public places.