Environmental Adaptability : From the Extreme to the Everyday

Abstract

The environment in which we live is always changing. It can change slightly throughout one day, moderately from season to season, or even more intensely in times of severe environmental occurrences. The thesis project will explore an architecture that is able to adapt and respond to the range of variations in the environment. These changing environmental conditions could include (but are not limited to) changes in site, climate, weather, temperature, wind, humidity, and precipitation. Architecture such as this should be able to shelter the inhabitants on a daily basis while at the same time compelling them to become aware of and to appreciate the shift in the environment that is going on around them. In times of severe external conditions, architecture should be able to protect the occupants, yet help them understand and safely experience what is going on around them. The relative level of permanence should also be considered in extreme instances such as these. By thoroughly understanding a sit and the different conditions that affect it, designers can work with the changing conditions instead of against them to create an architecture that is more in tune with its surroundings. Being adaptable, flexible, and variable are important in this type of architecture since as the external conditions change the architecture should be able to adjust in kind.