When the world is changing at whiplash speed, how do you take stock? Azure’s 40th anniversary offers us an occasion to pause and evaluate the major moments that have brought us here. Our 40th anniversary journal, updated since our last celebrated milestone (year 35), now includes the tumultuous years since the beginning of the decade. Globally, we faced a daunting challenge as the COVID-19 pandemic upended our lives and cities; we weathered that era only to arrive at a new nexus of uncertainty.

Along the way, architects, designers, urbanists, artists, activists, and the myriad other creative professionals that we have featured in this magazine since its inception in 1985 have come up with ingenious ways to persevere and push forward. We celebrate you, and we urge you to continue working closely with communities (especially the marginalized groups that are increasingly under attack) to advance progressive change.

The big tech theme of this issue tackles change in the profession itself. Artificial intelligence is here, it’s gaining sophistication, and — depending on your philosophical bent — is either a tool that enhances a designer’s work or a usurper of opportunity. We explore both perspectives with help from practitioners applying the technology to their newly optimized workflows. We also spend time in Toronto’s home of A.I. — the Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus at the University of Toronto — and find it adhering to enduring principles of good design, with an emphasis on longevity.

You might have noticed that Azure has also evolved. We’ve redesigned the magazine with a cover refresh — the full-bleed treatment is back to break us out of the box — and more flexible story templates. We’ve also introduced a new font that helps you get a better read on us. We hope that you embrace our changes as we navigate yours.

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

Levelling up the Task Chair

Herman Miller tweaks its seats for a new market of gamers.

Neo-Gothic Style

A student residence by David Kohn Architects carves its Oxford site into a trio of intimate plazas.

Many Happy Returns

Holloway Li converts a buttoned-up London bank into a beautiful hotel.