Abstract:
In the United States the average life span of a building program is considerably lower than the possible life span of the structure in which it is housed. Buildings are generally designed and built for single occupants who inevitably desert the structure for a variety of reasons. It is possible for buildings to be constructed in a way that renders them virtually everlasting. However since the life span of most building programs is relatively short, buildings are constructed in a way that is forgiving and lacks durability. As a result, cities across America are plagued with abandoned deteriorating buildings. Eventually these buildings are demolished and replaced with new structures, materials are disregarded and the cycle begins again. This thesis seeks to sensibly react to this condition by creating more responsive and adaptable architecture. The goal of this investigation is to put an end to the cycle of construction, demolition and new construction by establishing and exploring methods of flexibility in architecture. Achieving this goal requires the examination and design of crucial connections as well as the exploration of unique material usage. The techniques developed should allow for structures to be either reconfigured or completely dismantled so the pieces could be used in new applications. These forms of adaptability would allow for designs to have the ability to respond to the changing day to day needs of a single client as well as the unanticipated, radical changes in programming of future clients, creating architecture that is everlasting in the sense that it is able to anticipate its own evolution.
