About Design Futures Council
Design Futures Council is a membership organization founded in 1993.
We are an interdisciplinary network of leaders and educators from the Built Environment industry who are dedicated to the advancement of the industry through founded foresight and applied insight. Design Futures Council comprises organizations whose leaders convene several times a year to delve deeply into the non-negotiable themes and topics that matter most: technology and applied innovation, education and talent, social and environmental responsibility, and all things business.
We augment these in-person engagements with interactive digital publications, podcasts and global webcasts. We are dedicated to advancing the industry by identifying, exploring, and addressing the multiple challenges and opportunities ahead.
engagement opportunities
The Design Futures Council in-person forums, and interactive webcasts are focused on themes that are highly relevant to the Built Environment today: technology and applied innovation, environmental, social and economic responsibilities through design, digital + data + AI, the future of design talent, essentials of design business resilience, navigating risk, geopolitics and global practice, the investor mindset, use of language in the Built Environment, the future of design pedagogy, and much more.
We invite you to join our network of proactive leaders who are discussing, debating, and co-creating solutions to today’s challenges.
Technology & Applied Innovation
The convergence of technologies with the Built Environment professions generates new insights and a dynamic workforce that deeply challenge the status quo. The integration of data-powered digital transformation into existing business provides tremendous opportunity to rethink and redefine both our near and longer-term future.
Future of Talent
The collision of educational chaos, professional expectations, societal demands and personal fulfillment is generating newer professional paths. From early career to later career, the Built Environment professions are either leading the best of this or seriously lagging behind.
Environmental, Social, and Economic Responsibility
Having neglected responsibility for far too long, we are now in the crucible of disruption and destruction. Environmental, social, and economic responsibility are at the core of a well-balanced design ethos. How we think about and design for energy transition towards carbon zero targets, societal diversity and inclusiveness, and economic equity has critical consequences.
The Business of Design
Leadership in the Built Environment must successfully navigate an increasingly complex world. Geo-political disruption, rapidly fluctuating economic trends, and the massive wave of emerging technologies requires leaders to be current with well-articulated business strategies.