Building modelling in historical perspective

The fluid futures of multi-layered histories: many lives of North Brother Island, New York City

“…One of them is the physical outcome of the systems and components of the structures that reads itself as the wear out of the materials, whereas the other corresponds to the alwayschanging perceptions of values and needs. 3 Buildings age because the needs that constructed the reasons behind a structure disappear while providing room for a different approach. After an initial period during which the structure properly fulfills its designed functions, its progressive deterioration starts.…”

“…In this high-speed and sometimes unpredicted and inevitable change in environmental, social, moral, and technical influencers of the built environment, the erstwhile dominant and divergent structures of an era become one of the many other buildings in the urban tissue. 4 Even with the proper treatment, the loss of a building's compatibility in functions along with the deterioration of its structure becomes inevitable by the forces of various humanitarian, natural and ecological crisis. The word 'timelessness' for these powerhouse structures transforms into empty shells with no significant meaning.…”