A hypothetical digital tool by KPF and Connected Places Catapult
Cobus Bothma at the London Festival of Architecture event.
KPF partnered with Connected Places Catapult (formerly Future Cities Catapult) to look at how emerging data-focussed technologies could deliver masterplans for the 21st Century city. The result of their collaboration is the design of a hypothetical digital tool, which they recently presented at a London Festival of Architecture event.
Connected Places Catapult and KPF are looking at what the future holds for masterplanning; how emerging data-driven technologies will positively disrupt traditional practice to make better places, improve user experiences and help us deliver faster, more agile, future-proofed masterplans to meet the needs of the 21st Century City.
Their hypothetical digital tool has three major innovations: aggregate data needed to understand site context by drawing from public and private sector organisations; using third party algorithms to undertake analysis and test impact; and a live data-rich precedent library.
These innovations would radically change the amount of time spent gathering and analysing data, allowing designers to quickly iterate and test design options. The result wouldn’t be a finished masterplan, but a robust understanding of the impact that different development scenarios would have, allowing architects, developers and local authorities to be better informed about the changing relationship between their proposals and the local neighbourhood.
The event was moderated by Euan Mills, Urban Futures Team Lead at Connected Places Catapult, with panellists Cobus Bothma, Director of Applied Research at KPF; Kat Hanna, Masterplan Strategist at Lendlease; Lara Kinneir, Director at New London Architecture; and Roberto Bottazzi, Lecturer in Architecture at The Bartlett.
Now in its 12th edition, the London Festival of Architecture has become the world’s biggest annual architecture festival. KPF are proud to be patrons of this month-long festival and are participating in multiple events across June. Find out more here.