Strategic Speculative Futures Framework in Architecture and Sustainable Development

Puteri Mayang Bahjah Zaharin; Maria Concepcion Perez Gutierrez

doi:10.21834/e-bpj.v10i32.6691

Authors

Puteri Mayang Bahjah Zaharin Studies of Architecture, School of Architecture and Interior Architecture, College of Built Environment, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Puncak Alam Campus, Malaysia
Maria Concepcion Perez Gutierrez Department of Architecture and Design, Institute of Technology, San Pablo CEU (CEU Universities), Spain

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21834/e-bpj.v10i32.6691

Keywords:

Strategic Speculative Futures Framework (SSFF), Futures Thinking, Sustainable Development, Systems Thinking

Abstract

Architectural discourse must evolve to address environmental challenges, technological disruptions, and societal shifts through future-oriented thinking. Existing methodologies often lack structured approaches to long-term uncertainties. This paper introduces the Strategic Speculative Futures Framework (SSFF), which integrates systems thinking, strategic foresight, and speculative design for architecture and sustainable development. SSFF explores multiple future scenarios, identifying gaps in architectural discourse and proposing adaptive strategies. This study synthesises insights from systems thinking and futures studies using a qualitative, conceptual approach. While still theoretical, SSFF offers a structured pathway to rethink sustainability, advocating for architects, educators, and researchers to engage in future-oriented design.

Author Biographies

Puteri Mayang Bahjah Zaharin, Studies of Architecture, School of Architecture and Interior Architecture, College of Built Environment, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Puncak Alam Campus, Malaysia

Ar. Puteri Mayang Bahjah Zaharin has a diverse career background in both academic and professional practice, with more than 17 years of experience in the architectural and construction fields. She is currently serving as a Senior Lecturer at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Puncak Alam Campus, Malaysia, where she teaches the high-rise architecture studio and planning principles and practices. She has also served as the Course Coordinator for the Bachelor of Science (Hons) Architecture program at UiTM.

Ar. Puteri Mayang Bahjah Zaharin has also actively been involved in architectural practice, serving as the former Director of an established architecture firm in Kuala Lumpur. During her practising years, she monitored and carried out design development activities, contract documentation, and project implementation and management. In addition to her professional and academic duties, Ar. Puteri Mayang Bahjah Zaharin has contributed to various collaborative works in her field and received the Best Paper Award at an International Conference held in 2020. She is a member of the International Scientific Committee and Editorial Team for the Environment-Behaviour Proceedings Journal (E-BPJ).

Ar. Puteri Mayang Bahjah Zaharin holds a Master of Arts in International Development and Planning from the University of Sheffield, where she completed her dissertation on sustainable development. She also holds a Certificate in Adjudication from the Kuala Lumpur Regional Centre for Arbitration. She is a member of the Board of Architects Malaysia and the Malaysian Institute of Architects. She obtained her Bachelor of Architecture degree from the Universiti Sains Malaysia.

Maria Concepcion Perez Gutierrez , Department of Architecture and Design, Institute of Technology, San Pablo CEU (CEU Universities), Spain

Doctor of Architecture, professor in the area of Building Structures since the 1999-2000 academic year. Linked to teaching building structures since before finishing her degree with an FPU scholarship whose functions included helping with publications and in the classroom.

Since the 1999/00 academic year he began teaching Building Structures at the CEU de Arquitectura and then at the Escuela Politécnica Superior de la Universidad CEU San Pablo (EPS USP CEU), where he continues to this day. His ties to the UPM, where he completed his Architecture studies in 1998, continued until March 2010, when he presented his doctoral thesis, Evolution of the Structural Type of Tower in Spain. Madrid, Barcelona, Benidorm, directed by Ricardo Aroca Hernández-Ros, which was awarded the grade of Outstanding cum laude. The conferences, publications and congresses he has attended are mostly related to the structure of tall buildings.

Since 1999, she has combined her teaching activity with that of a Structure Consultant. In addition to working for two years in a Quality Control company, she designs and calculates structures for architects such as Campo Baeza (Blas House, Guerrero House, for example); or Fernández Elorza (Genetics Building for the University of Alcalá de Henares, cultural centre in San Esteban, Ávila) among others. In January 2007 she was appointed Academic Secretary of the EPS of USP CEU, a position she will hold until March 2023. This position has allowed her to be in permanent contact with students, their problems and needs. Since 2008 she is also a member of the Validation Committee of USP CEU in the field of Architecture and Technical Architecture. This position allows her to learn about the study plans of other universities, both Spanish and foreign.

Since 2009, he has been a member of the USP CEU Final Degree Architecture Board. He evaluates between 100 and 150 Final Degree Projects per year. This position allows him to know the level of integration of the technical disciplines (structures, installations, construction and sustainability) that the students achieve in their last academic work; which qualifies them for the profession of Architect.

Particularly interested in teaching innovation, she has participated in related seminars and conferences. In this field, from 2007 to the present, together with the group of building structures professors at USP CEU, she has organized structural element resistance competitions for students, integrated into the different subjects in the area of structures. These activities have also been linked to Science Week and the European Researchers' Night.

Since the 2018-2019 academic year and up to the present, he co-directs the Own Degree in Universal Accessibility Consultant, taught at the CEU San Pablo University to students with cognitive disabilities, participates in conferences related to the subject and annually organizes two inclusive COIL (online training courses) with the University of Monterrey, one of them on Universal Accessibility and another on Sustainability and Energy for all.

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