There's an ongoing debate about the optimal balance between large, centralised energy systems (like national grids and large nuclear plants) and more distributed, localised power generation and storage (such as car batteries or smaller modular reactors).

In this new world, she says, the architects will “truly become empowered architects, when you actually put real things in their hands…”.Johnston, an architect himself, is keen to reclaim the role.

He feels these new tools will help architects improve designs, outcomes and generally “achieve better things for clients.”.In other words, it’s the combination of productisation and technology that becomes the truly enabling factor..Currently, Marks says, “we're letting people design with things that aren't real, and we're letting them make them less real by stretching them, or only looking at geometric shapes.

You actually need discrete data, you need the connection with the maker as the architect.In order to set the right parameters you need generative design, you need multi-dimensional CAD like Revit, you need those things in order to make the right decisions.”.

So, what advice does Amy Marks have for moving the industry forward?.

“Everybody right now, if you're an architect or a builder, you should be working on your foundational skills with the baseline, anchor, portfolio products,” she says.. It’s then what she calls the “connective tissue” technology, the tech which forms between those products to connect them to other products, which will be the key to getting from “conceptualisation, design, to make, to operate,” she says.. Productization: building a raft in the ocean of construction.This is the dream of new nuclear, where the aim is that smaller multiple units will deliver both a time and cost improvement..

The conclusion for me is that scale absolutely matters and it needs to be carefully and thoroughly considered.and modelled not just for one product but for the unpredictable portfolio of products that will come.

the reality is that.b. illions of dollars and pounds of cash will be lost..