Thesis Initiative
Conflated Fabrication,
………………. as pertaining to volatility
The constant oscillation of global tourism, political association and public attraction within the urban narrative demands an adaptable design solution to establish a perpetuating place identity. Historically, buildings accommodated strictly articulated programmatic conditions negating any regard for future adaptation. I propose to develop an architectural solution to respond to client needs by constantly evaluating rates of change and development throughout design, fabrication and the post-occupancy phases. Through adaptive reuse, I will develop a constantly recycling architectural philosophy based on research, testing and evaluation during project development. The emergent typology will address constant shifting due to evolving programmatic, elemental and material conditions to generate architecture that will remain both formal and functional for 100 or more years. The proposal will develop architectural solutions that learn and adapt to shifting conditions, e.g. programmable partitioning, evolving lighting conditions and customizable facades.
Current architectural practices do not sufficiently accommodate evolving environmental conditions. The trajectory of my proposal is to facilitate influential responses to urban forces that act upon the building and space it occupies (i.e. facades only give the illusion of dwelling, retail space, or office space). Constant measuring and adjusting will take place before, during and after construction and will have considerable impact on research and design development. My proposal will test and incorporate ancient architecture and urban strategies for water mitigation, circulation, heating and cooling management and efficient construction practices to produce urban place identity factoring in the synthesis of resident and tourist to build heightened cultural significance. A plan for deconstruction will further allow the architecture to respond to its changing needs. The goal of the project is to establish a formal and functional response to the uncertainty of buildings within their behavioral, cultural, and programmatic environments through adaptive reuse and conditioning.