"Architecture is not about math or zoning — it's about visceral emotions," says Marc Kushner. In a sweeping — often funny — talk, he zooms through the past thirty years of architecture to show how the public, once disconnected, have become an essential part of the design process. With the help of social media, feedback reaches architects years before a building is even created. The result? Architecture that will do more for us than ever before.Marc Kushner is a practicing architect who splits his time between designing buildings atHWKN, the architecture firm he cofounded, and amassing the world’s architecture on the website he runs, Architizer.com. Both have the same mission: to reconnect the public with architecture. Kushner’s core belief is that architecture touches everyone -- and everyone is a fan of architecture, even if they don’t know it yet. New forms of media empower people to shape the built environment, and that means better buildings, which make better cities, which make a better world. To that end he wrote the TED Book The Future of Architecture in 100 Buildings, published in March 2015, to challenge the public to help shape tomorrow's designs.What others say“[Marc’s aim] is to push his insular profession toward the mainstream and inspire more people, not just Fortune 500 executives, to seek out its services.” — New York Times, November 4, 2010Can cellphones influence architecture? Architect Marc Kushner, author of a new book, “The Future of Architecture in 100 Buildings” (Simon & Schuster/TED; $16.99) thinks so—especially as more people look to take selfies with interesting backgrounds. His book showcases 100 buildings that capture what he sees as the future of architecture. He thinks structures will be increasingly tailored to their locales, using new technology and materials. “When people go to Seattle, they want Seattle to look different than New York,” he says. “That opens the door for architects to start experimenting and pushing the envelope. So instead of historically having one style after the other, now we’re starting to experiment wildly in different places simultaneously.”

A rendering of the proposed Sky City One. Via chinadefence.com

It may sound outlandish, but Zhang sees it as a logical projection of the environmentally sound modular design his firm has already developed. When asked what the odds were of such a gargantuan structure coming to fruition he replied with gusto:

"One hundred percent! Some say that it's sensationalism to construct such a tall building. That's not so. Land shortages are already a grave problem. There's also the very serious transportation issue. We must bring cities together and stretch for the sky in order to save cities and save the Earth. We must eliminate most traffic, traffic that has no value! And we must reduce our dependency on roads and transportation."

Motivational speakers often tell us to “reach for the sky,” but it appears that BSB is aiming much higher than that. Keep an eye on China for fast-paced developments in the near future…Yours speedily,The Angry Architect

Why you should listen"As a society we’ve never needed design thinking more,” says Alastair Parvin, but most people -- particularly those in cities of growing density and poverty -- can’t afford it. Parvin, who was trained in architecture but chooses to make a career looking for ideas beyond its conventional framework, wants to change that.He is one of a team behind WikiHouse, an open-source construction set that allows anyone to freely share model files for structures, which can then be downloaded, "printed" via CNC cutting machine and easily assembled. Parvin calls WikiHouse a very early experiment, the seed of what he sees as design’s great project in the 21st century: the democratization of production.

What others say“Sounds promising? It is. This is a revolutionary way of producing architecture.” — Neil Chambers, Metropolis POV Blog

Alastair Parvin believes in making architecture accessible to 100 percent of the population.

Alastair Parvin is an architectural and strategic designer working with innovative London design firm 00 ('zero zero'). Although he trained in architecture, his work looks beyond the conventional framework for architecture, looking at the economic, social, political and technological operating systems behind it.He is co-founder of WikiHouse, an open source construction set, whose aim is to use digital manufacturing to make it possible for anyone to cheaply design, download, 'print' and assemble structures without the need for conventional construction skills and tools. The project is now being developed by a small community around the world, including a project in the favelas of Rio, which was awarded a TED City 2.0 prize in 2012. The WikiHouse project pursues the idea of a 21st century urban development model, where citizen and user-led production can shape sustainable cities. He has written for numberous journals and publications around the world, and co-edits 'Makeshift', an open fanzine about Architecture, Society, Economics, Technology and Design

2006 TED Prize winner Cameron Sinclair is co-founder of Architecture for Humanity, a nonprofit that seeks architecture solutions to global crises — and acts as a conduit between the design community and the world's humanitarian needs.Why you should listenAfter training as an architect, Cameron Sinclair (then age 24) joined Kate Stohr to foundArchitecture for Humanity, a nonprofit that helps architects apply their skills to humanitarian efforts. Starting with just $700 and a simple web site in 1999, AFH has grown into an international hub for humanitarian design, offering innovative solutions to housing problems in all corners of the globe.

Whether rebuilding earthquake-ravaged Bam in Iran, designing a soccer field doubling as an HIV/AIDS clinic in Africa, housing refugees on the Afghan border, or helping Katrina victims rebuild, Architecture for Humanity works by Sinclair's mantra: "Design like you give a damn." (Sinclair and Stohr cowrote a book by the same name, released in 2006.)

A regular contributor to the sustainability blog Worldchanging.com, Sinclair is now working on the Open Architecture Network, born from the wish he made when he accepted the 2006 TED Prize: to build a global, open-source network where architects, governments and NGOs can share and implement design plans to house the world.

What others say“Cameron Sinclair is doing his best to save the world, one emergency shelter and mobile AIDS clinic at a time.” — Washington Post

Founder of the influential studio Morphosis, and co-founder of the Southern California Institute of Architecture, Pritzker Prize-winning architect Thom Mayne marries conceptual ideas with form, challenging the way we perceive structure, building and the environment

Why you should listenWidely regarded as one of the world's most provocative architects, Thom Mayne is only interested in exploring the new, the present and the now. For him, architecture is not a matter of producing a readily imaginable building, but is instead a starting point for a larger discussion. The output of his Santa Monica-based studio, Morphosis, shows the results of the negotiations between concept and reality.As Mayne describes things, the only constant in his professional career has been people telling him something can't be done. But he and his studio continue to produce astonishing work for clients worldwide, including government offices, hospitals, restaurants, residences and schools. Redefining how buildings work both within themselves and within their environment, Mayne and Morphosis are forging dramatic new landscapes for a startlingly modern world.

What others say“Thom Mayne has never been a shy architect. His designs mix technological bravura with the kind of urban grit that you associate with [LA]'s sprawling freeways and giant billboards. Yet underneath the tough veneer lies a strong current of social optimism.” — New York Times