6 trends have set the stage for those who wish to design a built environment for creativity
TREND 1: PUBLIC ART
1970s to present—Art installations— from sculptures to murals to paintings —become ubiquitous in public spaces.
TREND 2: DESIGN THINKING
2007—Innovation and design thinking emerge as highly desirable, outcomeoriented creative frameworks for corporations and organizations who want to position themselves for growth by opening up new markets and expanding market share. The number of internal marketing agencies grows from 16% in 2008 to 58% in 2013[6]. Traditional advertising agencies find themselves competing for top talent with their own clients, and begin evolving into more specialized service firms such as technology, service design, and web development.
TREND 3: INTERACTIVE LEARNING
1980s – present—New science centers worldwide grow tenfold to more than 3,000, based on a growing demand for exposure to science, technology, engineering, and math at all ages. Studies show that interactivity enhances learning. According to Professor Per-Edvin Persson, these science centers are visited by more than 300 million people each year. [7]
2010 to present—Libraries continue to break with conventions, expanding from booklending facilities to technologyfriendly, inclusive environments where diverse, multigenerational visitors are invited to engage in interactive learning experiences, open-ended play, and creativity. Previously unheard-of, features such as maker spaces, teen spaces, and even climbing walls are becoming part of these new libraries of the future. Millennials in particular embrace the new libraries, and families look to libraries as recreational spaces to reconnect with each other, free of corporate influence and political agendas.
TREND 4: SENSORY DESIGN
2009 to present—The maturation of cloud technology along with a transition to knowledge work makes working remotely a practical option for many, blurring the boundaries between work and not-work.
Companies find they are no longer competing with other companies for top talent; rather, they are competing with their own employees’ homes during business hours. As a result, corporations embrace a trend to transform themselves into community-oriented places that feel like home, only better, with gourmet chef’s kitchens, catering, interactive gaming rooms, high-end ping pong tables, and espresso machines. 2013—Mindfulness, yoga, and health/fitness trends normalize mindbody awareness. Features like sitting/standing desks and balance chairs become widely adopted. 2015—Awareness of diversity in sensory needs leads to the rapid growth of private autism centers. 2016—A massive body of research shows that the environment can literally change our biology at a molecular level. This research begins to influence architects and designers
TREND 5: GAMIFICATION
2017—Video games become exponentially popular. 65% of all households worldwide now have a device used for playing video games. The most frequent players use games as a social outlet—a chance to connect with friends or spend time with family. [8]
TREND 6: INTERACTIVE ART
2017 and beyond—Growing numbers of site developers seek to incorporate interactive art installations into their spaces to enhance the quality of social interactions and to build community. Tactile, interactive art installations incorporate many of the elements that have already been adopted, from public art, to design thinking, to sensory awareness, to gamification. Everbright is one example of a specialty installation. Other solutions are expected to emerge to meet the need for greater interactivity and creativity in the built environment.