ETHICS
The challenges we face are considerable and we must tackle them together.
To set out a path, we created a Manifesto called ETHICS. It outlines what we think are the prevalent issues across Education, Technology, Healthcare, Infrastructure, Culture and Sustainability. We don’t have all the answers but can ask the big questions – to offer urgency and a platform – to present insights from fellow thinkers, doers and communities.
We are optimistic that we can make a difference. In our own business, we have gone from slide rules to robotic construction, with artificial intelligence and smart dust all in the here and now. Progressing creatively is only one way. We must also aim economically and politically to challenge Governments, legislation, and the decisions they make that drive all aspects of our lives today.
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Looking ahead to the next 25 years we need a paradigm shift that allows us to focus on what is genuinely better rather than simply less bad.
Director, Elliott Wood
Our six Manifesto themes
As a society, how do we make education relevant for the 4th industrial revolution?
Education needs to be relevant and accessible to all. Too much of our education today is focused on misplaced ideologies. It is out of date. Our creative industries contribute enormously to the economy, yet the system often cuts back on subjects such as the arts.
As a society, can we keep up with the pace of technology and are we using it correctly?
For most of human history the world changed slowly during a lifetime. Now, all aspects of our lives are accelerating. Technology moves quickly, fuelled by the demands of our information-hungry society. We need to anticipate how this will impact on our resources as well as our spaces, homes and transport systems.
As a society, can we prevent through lifestyle and well-being, rather than just a cure?
Of all deaths worldwide, 70% are caused by cardiovascular and respiratory disease, diabetes and cancer — with alcohol, diet and a lack of exercise the catalyst. Of course, these are largely Western and preventable afflictions. Our consumer lifestyle of convenience and entropy is destroying our physical and mental health.
Are we investing in the right infrastructure to benefit today and the future?
Infrastructure is the physical and organisational framework needed for the operation of society. In the UK, our roads, railways, airports, public buildings and housing are old and failing. The investment needed to maintain, fund and construct robust systems is short-term and often blighted by political meddling.
As a society, how can we overcome apathy and division in order to truly engage with each other?
Celebrating culture, creating more inclusive, diverse places breaks down the segregation that can lead to deprivation and poverty. The 21st Century approach is to administer prescribed solutions, bolt-on initiatives often reliant on funding from the National Lottery. But there remains a disconnect – especially when many people still struggle through their daily lives.
As a society, will being sustainable be enough?
Sustainability is a word that has come to define a generation. It has changed society to such an extent that it has quickly become as standard. But as our planet hurtles into dramatic environmental change we are quickly realising that a circular existence is the only option to slow its pace. Whatever we make only adds to the speed at which it will arrive.
Ten reasons to act
What ETHICS did
Our original Manifesto started over five years ago and prompted a wide range of discussions from use of Timber in buildings to how we might design schools in the future. But beyond the debate, ETHICS engaged our teams to act together for the greater good. It’s why we’ve also been able to develop our initiatives such as the Structural Carbon Tool or our guides to circular reuse.
• Read our ETHICS Manifesto here