Strengthening the views provided by architecture, engineering, design, and art in community and urban planning and construction processes improves the quality and service capability of our living environment. As a result of cooperation between various design fields, new solutions can be found to challenges and opportunities posed by the change-related phenomena that affect the built environment. The potential offered by creative design must be fully utilized in construction and community development. Bold renewal of the industry towards a sustainable built environment must be started without delay.
The built environment appears different to each individual person. In addition to the physical characteristics and external appearance of the living environment, our experience is also affected by the current social climate, general mood and the functionalities offered by the environment. All of these factors are directly connected to people’s the health, welfare and happiness.
To a large extent, the quality of the built environment is determined by how well it meets the needs of users. Since needs vary greatly, the diverse characteristics of the living environment must also be taken into consideration when reviewing the overall quality. In this case, the functionality, ecological sustainability, life-cycle costs, esthetics and the ability to produce positive experiences come under scrutiny. Societal changes and the new needs of the users require constant upgrading of design solutions, as well as innovations.
All the quality factors of the built environment can be affected by the expert work in creative industries, i.e., by architecture, engineering, design and art. Creative design has a significant impact on many levels, from service ability to the success of individual construction projects. The decisions made during town planning and at the beginning of projects determine, for the most part, a location’s constructability and life cycle costs. Furthermore, the productivity of the entire industry can be significantly improved by systematization extending beyond project level as well as service design.
Grade: Architecture and technical engineering are standard parts of construction projects. The use of other areas of creative design has also increased, but they still represent, both economically and in regards to content, a very marginal part of the whole. Much of the potential offered by creative industries remains unexploited, and the industry is not clearly willing to take measures to improve the situation.
