The Social Contexts of Resilient Architecture

Abstract

In architecture, the term resilience tends to be used narrowly describe a building’s structural and environmental performance in quantitative terms—but can a building be called resilient if it fails to make inspiring spaces for people, promote well-being, or improve people’s experience? The chapter begins by exploring how the term is currently evaluated in and around buildings, through discussion of related concepts such as sustainability, passive survivability, and performance gaps. The chapter traces the emergence of a new generation of building evaluation metrics and certification systems that are focused not solely on environmental performance but also consider synergies between people’s experience and our natural resources, such as Active House. The work of GXN and 3XN in Denmark are discussed, in relation to how their research explores resilience and sustainability by focusing on the social aspects of how buildings make people feel. Examples from the multifunctional, process-based strategies used in a series of new climate adaptation renovations in Copenhagen, Denmark, are discussed as exemplary resilient design projects that address neighborhood flooding by simultaneously improving the qualities of public spaces and better connecting people to nature. The chapter concludes with a discussion of how locally specific and socially focused designs can support more resilient environments for people.