I'd like to tell you a story
about death and architecture.
A hundred years ago, we tended to die
of infectious diseases like pneumonia,
that, if they took hold,
would take us away quite quickly.
We tended to die at home,
in our own beds, looked after by family,
although that was the default option
because a lot of people
lacked access to medical care.
And then in the 20th century
a lot of things changed.
We developed new medicines like penicillin
so we could treat
those infectious diseases.
New medical technologies
like x-ray machines were invented.
And because they were
so big and expensive,
we needed large, centralized
buildings to keep them in,
and they became our modern hospitals.
After the Second World War,
a lot of countries set up
universal healthcare systems
so that everyone who needed
treatment could get it.
The result was that lifespans extended
from about 45 at the start of the century
to almost double that today.
The 20th century was this time of huge
optimism about what science could offer,
but with all of the focus on life,
death was forgotten,
even as our approach to death
changed dramatically.