The analysis of a new profession in the world of construction

The process of engineering design clearly defined by M. Asimov in the sixties has today undergone radical changes or is indeed in crisis. Although still conceptually valid, engineering design has been affected by the development of an enormous amount of tools. While created for completely different reasons not strickly linked to production, these tools are now looking for a reason to justify their existence. As a result, the fantasies of utopic innovators – always present in the field of architecture but relegated to the role of dreamers – are no longer discarded, but deveoped and produced by organisations capable of experimentation and innovation, exploiting the enormous potential of these new tools. This increasingly common situation requires a new, very specific class of designer and not merely occasional, improvised inventors of ideas. The profile of this type of designer should be established in order to be able to programme the necessary training courses. The courses should take into account the successful, innovative designs present in the field of architecture. This study examines novel constructions to assess their qualitative improvements and their innovation vis-à-vis consolidated building forms. It also considers how they can best be used and disseminated. The study illustrates the designer’s creative contribution separately compared to the engineering process. This approach is based on the theory that innovation should not be determined only through critical evaluation (it’s counterproductive to choose between the countless proposals by creatives; for instance, only 20% of the designs by a minimalist architect like Alvaro Siza have actually been built), but through positive proposals from this new class of designers who should be aware they create new problems, but also trained to implement a scientific approach to construction. This position is substantiated by the aforementioned process defined by Asimov in which there is a law on material achievability: for the designer, this law involves important, scientifically analysed feasibility studies. We believe that this is a period of transition, similar to the one that took place a long time ago in physics: physicists who did everything were replaced by theoretical physicists. They decide what studies should be carried out and experimental physicists then solve the problem. The in-depth knowledge of a creative construction designer has to equal the knowledge of those who will develop his proposals. The paper presents the definition of a training program for creative designers that is scientifically valid for the specialists working in the field of construction.