The way we live, work, and play is very different today than it was just a few decades ago, thanks in large part to a network of connectivity that now encompasses most people on the planet. In a similar way, today we are at the beginning of a new technological revolution: the Internet is entering the physical space – the traditional domain of architecture and design – becoming an “Internet of Things” or IoT. As such, it is opening the door to a variety of applications that – in a similar way to what happened with the first wave of the Internet – can encompass many domains: from production to citizen participation, from energy to mobility to public hygiene, all of which requiring new insights due to the changes brought forth by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Carlo Ratti will address these issues from a critical point of view through projects by the Senseable City Laboratory, the research initiative he directs at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and by the design office Carlo Ratti Associati.

Carlo Ratti is a founding partner of international design and innovation office Carlo Ratti Associati. Ratti is also professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he directs the Senseable City Lab.