Underwater cities, offices with playgrounds for adults, public spaces that are 100% ecofriendly… the future of construction is not about creating fancier buildings but about inventing solutions that improve the quality of life without putting too much strain on the planet. Welcome home.

“The construction industry has already started to experiment with building materials that are 100% natural. The vision is to create entire buildings made from bacteria and fungi – the safe kind that wouldn’t affect human health.”

The days when construction was an exercise in social status management are quickly fading away. We are no longer interested in building castles for others to admire. On the contrary, the construction sector’s future mission is to take a hard look at all the wild ideas out there about what the ideal setting for home and work life would be – and turn those ideas into something concrete (without necessarily using concrete). 

Firstly, the old debate about urban development versus the need to protect the environment – a topic that Mauritius is all too familiar with – might be less of an issue in the future. The reason is that the construction industry has already started to experiment with building materials that are 100% natural. The vision is to create entire buildings made from bacteria and fungi – the safe kind that wouldn’t affect human health – that would not have a negative environmental impact. Although we are still stuck in the era of cement, the new materials are expected to hit the market quite rapidly. 

With more eco-friendly building materials on the way, the issues left to solve are those of the space available for construction projects – something which is always limited. When it comes to space, the overall global trend is taller buildings, according to a report by Samsung entitled SmartThings – Future of Living. According to the report, we will no longer talk about skyscrapers in the future but about earth scrapers, which gives an indication of just how tall buildings are expected to become as the space available for residential projects decreases and the construction material gets sturdier and more sustainable. In fact, certain overseas promoters have already begun making plans for building so-called earth scrapers. 

But constructing taller buildings is nothing compared to the wilder projections in the future of living report by Samsung. Remember the underwater buildings that Dubai has been experimenting with to give tourists an unusual travel experience? In the future, those buildings might be less on an exception and more of a rule. Our great grandkids’ own great grandkids are likely to live in ecofriendly underwater cities, according to Samsung. The aquatic communities that Samsung says will see the light 100 years from now when it is technically possible to build them – providing that somebody wants to – will be self-sufficient, courtesy of solar and wave energy. 

Long before we start using solar energy to run out underwater cities, however, we will use it for a long list of other purposes. The trend is for solar energy solutions to be included, in some form, in modern construction projects. 

Although it’s unlikely that Mauritius will be a global pioneer in the construction sector, the willingness to innovate in terms of better building materials and cutting-edge projects is there among the local players, explained Jean Leonard Roussety, managing director of JLR Engineering. “We have to fight to innovate,” he said. Unfortunately, the high cost often stands in the way of innovation. A solution, he said, could be to explore working the low-cost yet sturdy materials that are available in Asia, for instance. 

The bright side is that although we are not witnessing a revolution, we do see progress. The high-quality residential projects in Mauritius today are more advanced than the projects that saw the light of day here in the past, explained Benoit Hardy, CEO of Cogir Ltd. “We have to keep it up,” he said. The impression that the local construction industry has started to pick up again, after having gone through a somewhat sombre period, is a positive sign for those who yearn for innovation. According to both Hardy and Vikash Nuckcheddy, commercial director of Building & Civil Engineering Co Ltd (BCE), it is clear that the Mauritian construction sector is faring better this year than in 2016. “There hasn’t been a boom but the sector is picking up,” he said. 

A better work life 

Office buildings are likely to be a different challenge to construction companies in the future, since companies are expected to be more demanding in terms of what types of environment they request for their employees. Companies that can afford it don’t just go for the simplistic solution consisting of an open office landscape, some private offices, restrooms and a canteen. They don’t even stop after having added a gym to the equation. 

At LinkedIn’s headquarters in California, for instance, the builders were asked to make provisions for a soundproof music room, where employees can go wild on the drums, guitars and keyboards to boost their creativity instead of going for ordinary coffee breaks. Apple went one step further by asking for indoor gardens for relaxation as well as a 1000-person theatre. Outdoors, the company wants a forest and a running path to give employees the opportunity to clear their minds and/or get rid of their frustration without slapping their bosses in the face. Granted, few companies have the financial possibilities that Apple has to build something extraordinary. 

However, the solutions that they are asking for are not always costly. At Deloitte in Amsterdam, for instance, the management team simply asked for additional space so that one room per office floor would be empty. The employees are allowed to use the space whichever way they would like. Lego, on the other hand, which has an entire department called new ways of working, have shaped their offices so that employees can move around more. Rather than just providing each person with a standard desk, Lego offers a variety of settings including a quiet library, office corners with sofas, small desk for solo work and bigger desks that employees can share when they wish. Then, of course, there is the ultimate pioneer when it comes to office space – Google. The company designed its headquarters as an experiment aiming to improve productivity, filling it with gourmet restaurants, courtyards, car valets and playgrounds for adults. 

While it is unclear what kind of demands Mauritian companies will have on the construction sector in the future, what is clear is that more and more office blocks are being built around the island. “There is a demand for office blocks,” confirmed Nuckcheddy. 

It is clear that what companies, property developers and homeowners will want from the construction sector from now on is something more than in the past. We don’t want it to merely construct buildings. We want it to construct dreams.

Why dream small, when we can create big? Here are some cutting-edge construction projects around the globe to seek inspiration from.

The Dubai Water Canal 

When the Emiratis dream, they dream big. The idea was actually simple, sprang from the realisation that water adds a certain atmosphere to a place (think dinners in restaurants facing the Seine, people!) But what do you do if there is no river, beach or lake in the region where you would like to construct your mini-city? It’s simple – you build a massive artificial canal. Around it, you build a large shopping centre, hotels, hundreds of restaurants, luxury houses, walkways, cycle paths, a trade centre and a marina. All done! The Dubai Water Canal, which took three years to build, was inaugurated in November 2016.

The Interlace 

One can easily get the impression that some top architects never truly grew up – and we thank our lucky stars for those brave souls. Had they not been around, we would never have seen original creations like The Interlace in Singapore. The project is a massive apartment complex that looks like building blocks randomly placed on top of each other. Points for originality!

The National museum in Szczecin 

It’s not the kind of place that makes us activate the camera function on our smartphones, but there is a valid reason why the National Museum in Szczecin, Poland, was awarded World Building of the Year at the World Architecture Festival. The building is considered such an asset to the community that it can be seen as a poster child for development, according to experts. Its main asset is the huge multi-purpose public space on the roof, which was made possible even though it was designed to have a sunken form to prevent it from blocking the view of near-by buildings.

The Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital 

In the near future, gone will be the days when any building could be used for any cause. One of the trends out there in the wide wild world of construction is that buildings are becoming more adapted to the purpose which they are meant to serve. The team behind the Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital in Australia recognised that kids who are forced to be hospitalised often find health facilities scary. That is why this particular facility does not look like a hospital at all, but like something straight out of a wonderful fairytale. The building, which looks like a green Lego creation on the outside, has plenty of gardens. Indoors, the bright colours and decoration make the hospital feel like a giant playground.

“Although officially recognised as buildings, the two Bosco Verticale skyscrapers are more like a vertical botanical garden. They are the proud home of nearly one thousand trees – which is about the same number of trees that would fit in a hectare of forest.”

The Jungle House 

Not all cutting-edge building projects are found in cities. The Jungle House by Studio MK27 is tucked away in the Brazilian rainforest, far from the beaten track. The construction team had to make a clearing in the dense vegetation in order to make the project happen. Although it still looks as if the Jungle House is one with nature, it is in no way a simple accommodation. On the contrary, the infinity pool on the rooftop is enough to make most luxury hotel directors green with envy.

The Bosco Verticale Skyscrapers 

Who said that cities had to be grey? Is there a universal law stipulating that only those who live in the countryside or near a park are allowed to enjoy nature? No way, decided the creators of the Bosco Verticale skyscrapers in Milano, Italy. Although officially recognised as buildings, the two skyscrapers are more like a vertical botanical garden. They are the proud home of nearly one thousand trees – which is about the same number of trees that would fit in a hectare of forest.

The bookstore of the 21st century 

Is this the future of retail? The best architects aspire not only to upgrade our surroundings, but also improve the way we live. The massive Bookstore of the 21 Century in São Paulo was not just built to act as a bookstore, but as a large-scale social meeting place as well. That is why it has seemingly never-ending open spaces that include a vast Amphitheatre-like unit, a conference centre and a garden. The architecture aims to inspire shoppers to stay behind after their shopping to read, discuss and debate the books they have chosen.