Framing the uncertain: infraestructure as a design logic in collective housing
This master’s thesis explores the concept of infrastructural architecture as a logical design tool capable of responding to the indeterminate events that buildings experience throughout their lifespan. In today’s society, characterized by constant change and unpredictability due to technological adv...
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| Format: | master thesis |
| Publication Date: | 2024 |
| Country: | España |
| Institution: | Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) |
| Repository: | UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC |
| Language: | English |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/426668 |
| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/2117/426668 |
| Access Level: | Open access |
| Keyword: | Public housing -- Spain -- Barcelona Housing, Cooperative -- Spain -- Barcelona Domestic space -- Spain -- Barcelona Infraestructure Open architecture Flexibility Indeterminacy Frame Habitatge públic -- Catalunya -- Barcelona Cooperatives d'habitatges -- Catalunya -- Barcelona Espai domèstic -- Catalunya -- Barcelona Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Arquitectura::Tipologies d'edificis::Habitatges |
| Summary: | This master’s thesis explores the concept of infrastructural architecture as a logical design tool capable of responding to the indeterminate events that buildings experience throughout their lifespan. In today’s society, characterized by constant change and unpredictability due to technological advancements, population growth, and diminishing habitable spaces, a building’s longevity is closely tied to its ability to adapt to unforeseen circumstances. The variable of time has been the subject of many studies and investigations over the last decades. From space ergonomics to flexible partitions, most approaches have been made from a deterministic point of view, establishing a set of conditions to address change based on a predefined framework. However, when the human variable is incorporated—allowing inhabitants the freedom to modify space at will—the spectrum of future possibilities becomes incalculable. Designing for indeterminacy implies accepting the existence of unpredictable events. Architects face the impossible task of predicting how housing will be used in the distant future. Therefore, this thesis adopts a position focused on studying the determined elements—those that are known—as a platform that does not aim to predict change, but rather to accept and facilitate it. By examining various theoretical approaches, particularly those developed by CIAM, Team X, and SAR in the late 20th century, and building on Bernard Leupen’s decomposition method for analyzing architectural changeability in his book The Frame and the Generic Space, this research studies the role of infrastructure in creating flexible, adaptable spaces. Focusing on a selection of contemporary social housing projects in Barcelona, the analysis investigates how infrastructural design strategies dictate the conditions for the spaces to adapt over time while empowering inhabitants to modify them according to their individual needs. |
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