Modular Ecotechnological Architecture: A Response to The Demands of the 21st Century

Abstract

Constant change in current market and social conditions has triggered the demand for a more adaptable building stock. The capacity to assume and accommodate change has thus become a new requirement for buildings. At the same time, there is a growing demand for more environmentally conscious buildings. New protocols, building codes, and certification systems are becoming stricter regarding buildings’ CO2 emissions, energy efficiency, and other environmental aspects. The current building industry fails to satisfy these two demands; conventional buildings rarely enable change, unless undergoing complex renovations, and rarely consider environmental features beyond mandatory legislation. In this context, this paper proposes Modular Ecotechnological Architecture as a response to both demands. The basis is an integrated design that looks at energy, water, and materials’ efficiency altogether, combined with a modular industrialized building system. The system allows buildings to grow or reduce in size according to their needs, with little impact for their inhabitants, enabling versatility for a variety of uses within the same space and over time. This paper presents the concept of this new building system together with the technical, building code-related, and economic challenges encountered throughout recent experimental projects.

Design for change for a more sustainable resource usage in construction

“…The separation of two levels, large woodwork, and small woodwork allows Chinese traditional buildings to be changeable and flexible. x ...those with less structural elements in plan provide the maximum adaptability to different user-activities... a clear plan with few master partitions enables versatility for a variety of uses... Belausteguigoitia et al, 2011 x ...off-site industrialized systems... allows buildings to grow or reduce in size according to their needs, with little impact for their inhabitants. Belausteguigoitia et al, 2011 x These [open building] systems are... able to be collocated in different types of buildings... and in different contexts; usually make use of pretentiously universal joints, delimited modular ranges... Belausteguigoitia et al, 2011 x…”

“…The choice of modules only consisting of the minimum number of pillars is the cornerstone to provide an adaptable space. Belausteguigoitia et al, 2011 x ...bathrooms... poses a certain design limitation, as, once built, these elements prevail throughout the different plan distributions. Brand, 1994 x Brand, 1994 ...[it] is kept adaptable... by its modest lot size... [when] property remains in many hands... many people make many different decisions, thereby ensuring variety in the resulting environment.…”

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