The Importance of Unbuilt Architecture

Unbuilt projects allow architects to explore innovative and experimental ideas without real-world constraints. This architectural design exploration is a testing ground for new design concepts, materials, and technologies and an opportunity to dream big. A design project can facilitate creative exploration, educate client organizations, promote resilience and adaptability, and provide a springboard for important cultural and social conversations.

Airports are reinventing the customer journey with seamless experiences, advanced technology integration, and strategies to stand out in a crowded industry. As part of ongoing research with Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, the team at Muller2, now a part of GFT, provided concepts to imagine the gate lounge of the future. Following an extensive research project conducted with the airport’s executive leadership, including the innovation, customer experience, and operations teams, as well as airline stakeholders, an innovative concept was developed that demonstrated how traditional seating, static information displays, and other conventional elements could be replaced with interactive digital features to redefine the passenger experience. 

“Airports are uniquely complex, serving not only as gateways for travel but also as workplaces, hubs of commerce, places for recreation, and cultural landmarks. Their ability to adapt is essential, incorporating growth potential, versatile functionality, and cutting-edge technologies to keep pace with shifting demands and expectations,” said Mark Stromberg, AIA, architectural leader of the Central and Western U.S. 

The forward-thinking design approach transforms the gate area by blurring the lines between the traditional hold room – the designated passenger waiting area – and the rest of the terminal. By breaking down physical barriers and incorporating visual cues such as dynamic lighting, the environment sets the stage. It eases passenger anxiety while offering amenities better suited to meet a variety of passenger needs. It seamlessly combines experiential elements and concessions opportunities with familiar amenities, providing travelers with a more immersive and convenient experience. 

For Architectural Practice Manager Steven Knaub, AIA, LEED AP, the hypothetical Subarctic Training and Research Center in Alaska’s Denali National Park & Preserve is a perfect example of unbuilt architecture furthering design exploration. He revisits and refines unexecuted projects periodically, adjusting them based on experience, new standards, and innovations.

This design solution considers the center’s remoteness and imagines unique forms of dedicated transportation, such as electric-assist mountain bikes, to reach nearby observation sites on the mountaintop location. The project would also require unique design and construction techniques to prevent sinking or differential settlement caused by building heat melting the permafrost. Climate change presents challenges where passive measures may become insufficient, adding special materials and technology, such as refrigerated foundations, to the thought process. Finally, harnessing wind for electricity and solar for passive heating helps avoid emissions that change atmospheric chemistry.

“The research happening at facilities like this one, in Earth’s extreme environments, serves as proverbial canaries in coal mines. They are at the heart of understanding the delicate balances and thresholds important to environmental health and species preservation. Unbuilt projects like this training and research center design can serve as a platform for architects to envision and propose sustainable, resilient, and adaptable designs that address the challenges of carefully building in unique geographies,” explained Knaub.

“One of my favorite unbuilt designs was inspired by my master’s thesis during my studies at Boston Architectural College. Mixed-use development is an important element of community building— allowing people to live, work, and play while enhancing their neighborhoods through a sustainable and diverse economic base. Architects can influence mixed-use, transit-oriented development designs to promote physical health, mental health, and sustainability, generate density, and balance privacy and proximity,” shared Isra Banks, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C, a senior project architect.

This Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority-centric concept centered around developing guidelines for connectivity and creating a walkable environment. Diverse environments offered a range of dwelling units while providing transitions and safe havens between public and private spaces. At the same time, in-depth studies focused on building envelope and integrating natural light, solar heat, and natural ventilation.

As the largest statewide transit agency in the U.S. and a valued partner for more than four decades, NJ TRANSIT sought innovative design concepts to move public transit patrons between Secaucus Junction, MetLife Stadium, and the American Dream entertainment and retail center. Our company partnered with more than 15 firms to propose a mobility-as-a-service solution, reimagining the customer journey by new and old forms of transportation, including ferries, gondolas, people movers, and electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.

“In an ever-changing world, architects, planners, and designers must adapt to evolving technological advancements and changes in the communities’ transportation needs. These crucial conversations need to be held as part of the early stages of planning and design,” said Ashwini Karanth, AIA, LEED AP, ENV SP, urban designer/planner. A staggering number of people visit these facilities, and the transportation experience is important. As a multidisciplinary designer, I appreciated the opportunity to collaborate on this design concept as we reimagined what the future will look like.”

As organizations look to share resources, consolidate assets, and increase operational efficiencies, conceptual designs help lay the groundwork between what is and what could be. As one state agency client looked to centralize more than 2,000 personnel, they called upon our team.

“In this process, we analyzed the needs of key stakeholders, end users, and the facility’s functional requirements. We established architectural concepts for the building’s interior and exterior, including space and adjacency requirements; equipment and technical facets; and exterior considerations like materials, style, and access,” said Stephen Lis, AIA, CID, architecture operations manager.

While the project did not progress, the feasibility study and conceptual design were critical in the client’s evaluation and decision-making.

On April 15, 2019, a massive fire severely damaged one of the most beloved landmarks in Paris, the Notre Dame Cathedral. Michael Snyder, AIA, a senior project architect, teamed up with a former Penn State University classmate, Jennifer Cole, to enter an international design competition to propose a new spire for the historic structure.

“Following the Notre Dame cathedral fire, our architectural conceptualization of Notre Dame de Paris infused religious symbolism with traditional forms, modern materials, and construction techniques to provide an accessible and sensitive design to the existing architecture and spirituality the cathedral represents,” said Snyder. The duo landed second in the contest.