Juhee Porwal- Prompt 2

How do you build a practice that is adaptable to change?

Adaptability in architecture can mean a variety of things. Professionals relate it to changing climate, changing needs of people, re-usability of materials, adaptable to functions and users, adaptable to time and much more.

To understand and implement all these complex stances is way beyond me, at this point but I do think I can raise some questions which might just help me clarify my understanding in the future.

1. Is responding to the changing needs of the users through time is essential to our ethics in the profession? Should we be held responsible to come to our designed spaces in designated amounts to time to observe and comprehend how it's changed, in response to user needs, climate, technology etc?

This approach might help us while designing other projects and recognising the changes from the very start of the design process. At the same time, Architecture future-proofing is a very utopian idea. Take for example a Charleston single house that has been converted to a restaurant or small cafe. At the time of conceiving the house, the designers would not have been assumed that the house can be commercialized completely.

On the other hand as a critique to architecture future-proofing is that, "Good buildings remain useful through the ages, even though those uses may change "- Jay White.

2. Is our intervention after a few years, an intrusion to the adaptability of the building? Should it be allowed to grow and age naturally?

I don't have much of an experience in the profession to be able to form an opinion on this issue, at present. It's interesting to notice that my mentor has a unique opinion on this. He believes that

adaptability requires self-awareness, self-evaluation, and self-correction. without those abilities, no amount of external input will ever improve a designer.

Lastly, I found these articles interesting on how other designers are approaching adaptability.

1. https://www.archdaily.com/546890/adaptable-house-henning-larsen-architects-gxn

2. https://www.archdaily.com/793054/aa-school-of-architecture-designs-adaptable-structural-plastic-3d-printing-method