How can architects serve the climate crisis? Presenting a design-led solution to the wicked problem

The climate crisis is deemed as a ‘Wicked Problem’. Wicked Problems are challenging dilemmas that seem impossible to resolve due to the complex nature of the topic at hand (Sun, et al, 2016). Examples of obstacles are varying research results, solutions that only seem to create a plethora of new problems, and a lack of clarity on who should act to solve said problem (Brown et al, 2010). Vision and innovation are two of the tools used to solve such a quandary, both of which architects are highly proficient (Hocking, 2011). The architect’s role has been changing since the likes of Latham and Egan took a stab at reinvention, and even though these reports changed the construction industry significantly, we still find ourselves as relevant as ever on the front line (especially, alas, when something goes wrong). Architects have trained for a long time to gain entry into this profession, and our skills and training are relentlessly thorough. We need to endorse design to solve this wicked problem.