Multi-award winning and multi-talented young architect Nick Elias proposes it is more sustainable to design infrastructure for an emotional state; he questions the raw matter of what humans want:

'In designing for emotion, happiness, it has been possible to test the purpose of architecture in a changing world.
Designing from 'elements' of (spatial) happiness, extracted from empirical research on 'the people', may allow the discourse to become a people's project; a comprehensive, non-elite, spatial system that responds to people's well-being needs alongside familiar amenities.'

'Architects & Designers are increasingly learning methods of applying knowledge rather than relying on transient technical knowledge to prepare us for change. These methods are transferable from project to project and often start to tackle design from a more personal scale, an anthropological scale.'

Nick has recently been awarded the RIBA Silver Presidents Medal for his masters work completed at The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL in 2014. Through his time at UCL he has also been awarded the RIBA Donaldson Medal and the Sir Banister Fletcher Medal and was awarded a RIBA Bronze Medal nomination.

Nick has worked at Foster and Partners, tutored at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London and has lead drawing workshops at UCL, and currently works at Haptic Architects. He has worked on many freelance visualisation commissions reaching international press and exhibitions such as the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition.

Alongside visualisation work, Nick has worked on design and architectural projects such as The Queen's Jubilee Barge, Thames Estuary Airport, Apple Headquarters CA, West Kowloon Cultural District and Istanbul New Airport.


This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx