Role of a self-referential architect

As told, Architect is undoubtedly a self-referential, self contained profession. Within these few hundred years the profession of architecture discuss about the referential objects, which is an invention rather than a creation.

Unlike accountant, lawyer or doctor, one could be say that architect is the most redundant profession. It can be redundant when the economic crisis are happened.
Is it also related to the reason of self-reference?

With too much reference to the architectural history in 100 years, and discussions of some contributions to the field of architecture done by famous architect, can we just have a millisecond to think of the future of this profession within the next 5 or 10 years? Comparing with the rapid technological development during these 10 to 20 years, the professional of architecture seems to be stopped at a point where cannot go further. Apart from the intelligent use of the computer-aided design software, which greatly reduced the cost of corporate-oriented architectural firms, only in the point of view of business administration, totally unrelated to the contribution related to the profession of architecture. We cannot just blindly appreciate the remarkably great things in the past and just contented about the present situation. But think of something new and challenge to the existing present to make a breakthrough. We should expand our own mind to the outside of the self-referential boundary.

The Self-referential role is challenged by the rapid development of the advanced technology. It is inevitably true that once the building is completed, it is already outdated. Even though some projects could be run by the most advanced technologies of that time, as it takes a considerable of time to build from scratch to a whole, like at least 3 years for a mid-size scale project, once it is finished some even more advanced technologies is replaced by the hardly old one.

The only way of breaking the self-referential boundary is to accept the reality of the virtual. The virtual reality could potentially become the real reality of the future, since human has closer and closer contact to the virtual internet world. We rely more on this world, where many different kind of activities can be carrying on.

But would it be realized within these foreseeable years?