Fall 2023 - Flipbook - Page 15
“I think the underlying issues and drivers are
things that our county deals with all the time –
climate change and sea-level rise,” he said.
“What will our community look like in 50 years?
What scenarios are probable and possible, and
how do we adapt over time? To have this
visualization strikes me as something very, very
valuable. I want to learn more.”
The Convention kicked off with a keynote
address from Alex McDowell, creative director
and co-founder of Experimental, the Los Angeles–
based company developing the Future World
Vision immersive experience. McDowell, with
more than 30 years of experience doing
Alex McDowell gave the Convention keynote address, introducing attendees to
production design for major motion pictures,
the methodology and exciting possibilities behind Future World Vision.
brings a unique blend of data-driven research
PHOTO: Jason Dixson Photography
and storytelling.
The idea isn’t necessarily to accurately predict the future as much as fundamentally reshape the way civil engineers
approach potential challenges. And as a scenario-planning tool, Future World Vision’s appeal transcends
engineering.
“From a non-engineering perspective but as a real-world citizen, it inspired me,” said David Clark, a program
manager in the office of the chief financial officer for Washington, D.C., at the ASCE Convention to give a
presentation about his team’s asset management program.
“I’m not sure we’re all going to live in shipping containers in the future, but I’m not sure we’re not either. In our
profession, we’re more tacticians than strategists. So if someone can give us some direction and some inspiration like
this, I think it’s easy to get on the bandwagon. With a vision in mind like this, it’s a lot easier to get where somebody
wants to go.”
The Floating City is still in the proof-of-concept phase, and the Experimental team conducted two workshops at the
Convention to gather input and ideas from attendees for continued enhancements.
Some of the ideas sounded outlandish. Some sounded brilliant. Some probably are a bit of both. What’s clear,
though, is the passion civil engineers feel for this kind of big-picture, long-range leadership.
“I’m a millennial, and I think most of the millennial or Gen-Z engineers that I talk to have these ideas as a major
focus,” Wilhelm said. “I don’t know if everyone I talk to has an idea of how they want to deal with it, but it’s
something that’s ever present. Like we know we’re going to have to deal with these rising sea levels. We know we
have to cut back on carbon emissions. We’re all looking for these solutions.”
Find out where you can experience the Future World Vision Floating City for yourself at upcoming ASCE events.
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