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Time in architecture : constancy and change as a means of investigating resource conservation in buildings

University of British Columbia

Very little work is currently being undertaken that discusses the place of environmental information within the broader context of decision-making in architectural design. In practice, environmental concerns and strategies will be placed alongside others within the arena of decision making, and simple questions such as which is 'the best environmental option' quickly become relatively meaningless amongst the multiple concerns involved in architectural design. One particular difficulty related to the decision making process for a better environmental solution is the prediction of overall benefits within a short and long term perspective. This thesis presents the process and the results of a design based research which investigates and defines a set of most significant design strategies leading to a resource conservation in buildings over time. Potential environmental strategies for resource conservation are selected in relationship to issues and consequences of time on a building. The thesis is developed around the two concepts of constancy and change as the main focus of the research. Issues of constant site-specific characteristics over time, of changing context, changing users' needs and changing buildings' requirements are investigated as potential environmental options, and are discussed regarding their contribution to a resource conservation in buildings. The design of a 5000 m2 mixed-use retail/office/residential building within an urban setting is used to contextualize and investigate these potential environmental options, accounting for their relationships with other significant design considerations. The results of the research are presented in terms of both design decisions prioritized in direct relationship with the project, and a series of design strategies which are generalizable to other projects developed \ within a similar context of mixed-use program and urban setting. By considering the points at which environmental information is applied in design, the paper identifies a more realistic basis for prioritization of information and, more significantly, begins to fill the currently missing, but essential, feed-back loop from practice to research.

Thesis/Dissertation

application/pdf

2009-03-06

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http://hdl.handle.net/2429/5702

Architecture

University of British Columbia

UBCV

DSpace