Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Week Two - Flexible

The strategy 'Flexible Architectecture' brings to mind a vast array of questions, ideas and theories as to what can even be classified as "Flexible" and where are the boundaries are drawn.

As a group some initial questions were asked about the origins of the word:What does flexible mean?
  • Is it elastic? Is it able to flex?
  • Can it bend?
  • When things are flexible, how would that work in architecture into to a physical form?

The lecture last week seemed to convey the idea that acapital could possibly adapt to the needs of the user, where the buildibng shifts and changes in its size, space and even function.

We spoke about "Flexible' also being a term whcih meant the architecture "must be able to alter to the needs of the future users whilst still providing for the current users."

"Flexible architecture should be flexible at different levels of scale; in terms of the buildings internal furniture, to the building itself and its exterior."

These are the four key aspects of flexible architecture that our group agreed upon:

  • Adaptation – responding to different needs
  • Transformation – changes in appearance
  • Movability – changing the buildings form or internal features
  • These all appear to tie into interaction from the users.

A classic example of a building being sustainably flexible is the CH2 Building. This design is known for it's ability to utilize a flexible skin for climate response and night purge insures flexible services.

CH2 is a sustainable icon – via its design it represents a step forward and a new identity in flexible architecture – architecture that responds to the user’s needs, the current climate and future requirements. The design of the TOD’s will use ‘sustainable branding’ to indicate to the people of local, national and international scales its presence within today’s society.

Flexible features contributing to the buildings climatic response include:

  • Shower towers for evaporative cooling
  • chilled beams through ceilings
  • displacement air conditioning
  • vertical planting
  • wind turbines
  • photovoltaic cells for energy generation.






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