Project Gungner : A proactive architectural proposal for navigating and guiding a shifting professional landscape

Sammanfattning

Over the last five years, we have witnessed the exponentially accelerating development and implementation of artificial intelligence. With capitalism and privatization at the core of this agenda, it is now more important than ever to consider how the majority of society will be affected by the new reality. As a subsequent result of the adoption of this technology comes the increasingly pressing issue of professional displacement. Many industries are undergoing fundamental transformations, streamlining and restructuring operations to remove what are perceived as outdated components. Unfortunately, more and more often, the element identified as expendable is the human one. While this evolution may appear ominous, it also presents opportunities. Western societies are projected to see a net increase in job availability over the coming decade, largely driven by fields associated with AI and Big Data. The paradox we now face, however, is the widespread lack of relevant education and experience within the existing workforce. This thesis explores how architecture can function as a tool to bridge the gap between technological acceleration and societal adaptation. The adjacent design proposal investigates a modular building system with a hybrid program—merging a data center with a re- and upskilling center—as a potential starting point for shifting the discourse. By reimagining the data center as a civic typology, the design seeks to humanize an otherwise pragmatic and capital-driven architecture, and in doing so, open new pathways through which we might collectively embrace the future.