Design will be to XXI century what rock was to XX century.  

Starchitects and designers as rock stars...blech!
I hope that sentence is wrong wrong wrong...we need smarter designs that solve real problems and don't create more crap in the landfills!

Perhaps...
we are misinterpreting the meaning of rock here.
Maybe the phrase means rock as in flag stone--the hard stuff from the ground. 🙂
I think without a coherent philosophy, 21st Century design is in a lot more danger of becoming ossified than of becoming the next rock and roll.
However, the possibility of either eventuality seems remote and laughable.

OK
Every word (and even more very sentence) means different things for different people. And that's why asked.
DCWilson, But what do you identify that rock and roll archived and design will be in "danger of becoming ossified"? and "However, the possibility of either eventuality seems remote and laughable."?
Exactly what?

The poblem with architecture ...
The poblem with architecture and design is that well lets face it, it's all about the money!
Other professions, Doctoring or Lawyering allways get nailed for being mercenary but they have very entrenched codes of ethics which we, besides safety standards, completely lack.
A doctor will say 'no I will not give a 17 years old plastic surgery' . Much easier to find esigner a designer who will say 'yes certainly I'll design you something completely idiotic and wasteful and it will cost you 2 thousand dollars!"
If design is the new rock we're listening to Motley Crue.