At this moment, we are at the confluence of a healthy economy and the growing existential crisis of the architectural profession considering its relationship to automation. The pattern that has taken hold during the last several economic cycles has become increasingly clear. When the economy is healthy, venture capital is unlocked for startups to solve specific problems in industry, and architecture firms begin to invest in research and development, loosening the requirement that all explorations be specifically project driven. The result of this loosening is the creation of an environment in which Superusers who seek to automate our industry create the tools and processes which push us forward.
Many who read this book will be scared by the description of the Superuser. Superusers understand the reality that much of what we do in architectural practice can and should be automated, but they work in a profession which has its roots in an artistic tradition spanning hundreds of years. This tradition assumes, I would argue erroneously, that the act of “design” is irreducibly human. What Superusers have identified is that, in an environment of ever-shrinking fees, the only path to our salvation is through automation. And any discussion of automation implies the reduction of the human workforce. The Superuser will be seen by some as a direct challenge to their livelihood. This natural response, which is historically shortsighted, would come as a surprise to a Superuser. Because Superusers don’t often self-identify. From their perspective, they’re just having fun solving challenges and saving people time.
The Superuser is therefore a heroic character as she fights the often backwards and inept processes by which buildings are designed and constructed, doing so from within, but also a melancholy character in that she works in an environment which is often unable to fully perceive her value or compensate her commensurate with her contribution both to the firm and to the profession. She hears stories every day of how the world around her is being transformed by technologies like machine learning, and sees startups leveraging millions of dollars in venture capital to automate everything from the parsing of building codes to the construction of modular housing. With each passing economic cycle the amplitude of investment in startups in our industry increases, causing our Superuser to consider, “should I seek greener pastures?”
This book comes at a critical moment. It enumerates the characteristics of the Superuser, so that we can identify these individuals in our own environment before they seek those greener pastures. It postulates how we might reward and accelerate the developments of the Superusers so that they understand how critically important what they are doing is for our practice. And it begins to imagine an environment in which Superusers run the show. What will our profession look like when the best among us, those who are asking fundamental questions about the place of technology in architecture, are the leaders?
In this book, Randy has identified a class of people who are the harbingers of a new era of building. In reading Randy’s description of how these Superusers are often underutilized, and in suggesting ways that we can more fully incorporate these individuals into current practice, I’d argue Randy hasn’t gone far enough. Perhaps the flow of Superusers out of the profession to startups which more fully appreciate their skills, is the natural process of renewal by which our profession will be broken down and built up again.
Perhaps instead of identifying ways that we can retain Superusers, given the means that we have traditionally applied for retaining employees – more money, more status, etc. – we should be identifying ways that we can accelerate their exodus. In their current roles they will always be swimming against the tide. It is, paradoxically, in the nature of Superusers to never be satisfied, so attempts to placate Superusers with the means the industry currently has, will only forestall the inevitable exodus of these users to startups which don’t suffer from the existential crisis in trying to define their industries, and exist purely to provide tools which create a step change of technological progress.
If we don’t accept this vision of our industry being disrupted from outside, then we need to use this guide to identify the Superuser, and we need to let them lead us. Speaking from some experience, I can say that the future they are envisioning is very different from the one our industry has currently set for itself. For this reason, the path will be rocky. But there’s no such thing as a gentle disruption.
by Ian Keough, Father of Dynamo, CEO of HYPAR