I'm an architect and project manager who has spent over 25 years designing and delivering major international airports.
Along the way, I've come to believe that some of the most consequential decisions we make about buildings happen before design even begins. Technology is changing what buildings need to do, how they operate, and sometimes whether we need to build them at all.
It's led me to question some of the conventional ways we think about architecture—and to develop a different point of view.
Start from possibility, not precedent.
The future belongs to architects who think technology before design.
I call this approach Tech-First Thinking. It starts with the outcomes we want to achieve, explores what technology makes possible, challenges inherited assumptions, and only then determines what we should design and build.
It's not about adding more technology to architecture. It's about creating buildings that remain relevant, resilient, and valuable in a world that won't stand still.
A DIFFERENT WAY TO THINK ABOUT DESIGN
Tech-first thinking begins by asking different questions.
01. What are we really trying to achieve?
Start with the outcomes that matter, rather than assuming the proposed building or program is the right solution.
02. What has technology made possible?
Explore how digital technologies, networks, and new capabilities might change what's needed—or make entirely new solutions possible.
03. What should we actually build?
Challenge inherited assumptions and design the physical response around the best available possibilities.