Supports for high tech : permanence and change in building system design

Abstract

The obsolescence of our constantly changing built environment is leading architects, now more than ever, towards designing for unknown future requirements. This condition has become manifest in the design of "High Tech" Buildings (HTBs), where providing an adequate response to building growth and change has become a major design requirement. Moreover, the importance of HTBs in the future will require them not only to provide for flexibility and variability but also for permanent and meaningful physical configurations. The failure of today's Architects and Engineers to respond in a systematic way to these requirements has produced a situation where HTBs are becoming obsolete faster due to their rigidity. The Support-Infill Approach to building design is hereto considered as a design philosophy intended for the provision of change while concurrently establishing meaningful permanent configurations in built environments. Consequently, in this context the term "Support" refers to the permanent framework intended to give general order and meaning to a building as well as allowing for the flexible and adaptable "Infill" The main purpose of this thesis is then to explore and develop design strategies within this approach that will respond to the specific conditions of HTBs. The research is structured in five parts. First, general information is presented regarding the notion of buildings as systems. The second pan describes the nature and main characteristics of HTBs including the evolution of the concept and its relation to the problem of obsolescence. Thirdly, the problem of change and growth in buildings is depicted and design strategies for flexibility are explained. In Pan Four an exposition of the importance of permanence in the built environment is attempted and pertinent design strategies are presented in light of the work of contemporary architects. Finally the Support Infill approach is described as a framework for the implementation of design strategies intended for the achievement of more permanent and flexible environments. In addition, an appendix is provided which includes an adaptation of the S.A.R. methodology for Support design to the case of HTBs.