Systems Thinking & Architecture
by Mark Miller, FAIA | LEED AP | CEO
Systems-thinking is a relatively simple premise: to approach solving a problem by considering all the inputs as part of a connected whole. But systems-thinking meets with a very complicated reality when you need to actually accept and execute that premise.
Most fifth graders know the natural world is an ecosystem, the economy is a financial system, and getting from A to B across any distance requires an effective transportation systems.
But as decision-makers, we often function differently. Perhaps it is easier to isolate, to channel analytic methods on specific factors or inputs, to focus on one part in a way that excludes the mess of variables and complexity of a system as a whole. This approach has defined much of modern problem solving. Companies organize their functions into departments, education divides curriculum into separate subjects, politicians thrive on single-issue, talking-point policy, and engineers are trained to be technical specialists. In all of our institutions, we are directed to operate upon parts, not systems.
Facing a technology-driven world of exploration and rapid change, these institutions are beginning to change. Leading educators are shifting to inquiry-based learning approaches. Business leaders are exploring design-thinking to break-down operational silos. Environmental preservationists are embracing multi-dimensional analytics to enable sustainability. There is a resurgence in urban living because cities are better equipped to support the complexities of modern life.
The reality of the built environment needs to adapt in order to accommodate this change. It needs to mend the disconnect between the traditional approach to architecture and dynamic social and technological systems. Architecture should shift from the goal of rigid object creation. The ROI of buildings should be seen in a larger context, rather than be treated as singular managed assets. Systems thinking presents a lens to recognize and see how our built world exists within social, environmental and business realities, which are changing at a rate that traditional architecture can no longer support.
Problem-solvers guided by measurable results, we at MKThink subscribe to systems-thinking as the essential method in solving for intelligent places. Perhaps a pretentious and hyperbolic position, I like to think that it is the only way for a creative problem-solving OR solution-seeking company to operate.
