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What is meant by adaptability in buildings?
Abstract
Purpose
Despite being a common term in the literature, there is little agreement about what the word “adaptability” means in the context of the built environment and very little evidence regarding practitioners’ understanding of adaptability. This paper aims to examine what practitioners in the building industry mean when they talk about “adaptability”.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopted a qualitative approach, involving 82 unstructured face-to-face interviews with practitioners from a range of professional disciplines in the construction industry, including architects, engineers, facilities managers, property agents and planners. The interview transcripts were coded inductively to identify themes in the qualitative data.
Findings
The interview data revealed a wide range of perspectives on adaptability, particularly regarding terminology, the meanings practitioners associate with adaptability and the way in which these meanings are communicated to others in the industry. The applied meaning of adaptability varied depending on context.
Practical implications
Conflicting language, and different interpretations of adaptability, is a potential barrier to the development of adaptable buildings. A clearer articulation of the meaning of adaptability (particularly by clients) during briefing and design could give rise to a more appropriate level of adaptability in the built environment.
Originality/value
This study has addressed a gap in the existing literature by foregrounding the voices of industry practitioners and exploring their (sometimes very different) interpretations of adaptability in buildings.
... Different definitions for adaptability were formulated. Pinder et al. (2017) indicated that the majority of adaptability definitions are context-specific and influenced by the aim of delivering a qualitye.g. changeability or meeting future demands. ...
... Flexibility/adjustability. Flexibilityalso called adjustabilityis the most common determinant of building adaptability (Geraedts et al., 2017). It refers to the possibility to adjust the spatial configuration of the building through minor interventions (Douglas, 2006;Eguchi et al., 2011), and potentially by users within a short period of time (Arge, 2005;Pinder et al., 2017). For instance, the provision of adjustable and movable building products is an example of flexibility (Alhefnawi, 2018;Heidrich et al., 2017;Pizzi et al., 2012;Scuderi, 2019). ...
... Movability/relocate-ability. Movabilityalso called relocate-abilityrelates to the possibility to easily change the location of building assets (Heidrich et al., 2017;Pinder et al., 2017), or displace the building components (Alhefnawi, 2018;Beadle et al., 2008). Movability can be embedded by using demountable and independent products (Eguchi et al., 2011), or relocatable systems (Kyr€ o et al., 2019). ...
Purpose-Adaptability is an inherent quality in building circularity, as adaptability can physically facilitate the reversibility of materials in a closed-reversible chain, also called "loops". Nevertheless, positioning adaptability in circularity-oriented models could overlook some of the contextual considerations that contribute to the utility for the built environment. This paper reconceptualises building adaptability to incorporate circularity, in order to facilitate for the resource loops whilst preserving the long-lasting functionality in buildings.
Design/methodology/approach-An integrative literature review on adaptability and circularity of buildings was conducted using systematic search approach. From the initial database of 4631 publications, 104 publications were included for the final analysis. A comparative analysis of definitions and determinants of both concepts was conducted to reconceptualise circular building adaptability.
Findings-The findings of the literature study show that incorporating circularity and adaptability is possible through 10 design and operation determinants, namely configuration flexibility, product dismantlability, asset multi-usability, design regularity, functional convertibility, material reversibility, building maintainability, resource recovery, volume scalability, and asset refit-ability. The study concludes that considering the defined determinants in a holistic manner could simultaneously facilitate: building resilience to contextual changes, creation of asset value, and elimination of waste generation.
Originality/value-This paper expands the relevant bodies of literature by providing a novel way of perceiving building adaptability, incorporating circularity. The practical value of this paper lies in the discussion of potential strategies that can be proactively or reactively employed to operationalise circular building adaptability.
... In the scope of the built environment, there is a lack of consensus on the exact meaning of the term "adaptability" as it has been used differently according to a particular context [25] where a certain level of adaptation applies [12]. Habraken [26] confirms this idea in the architectural discourse, he affirms "Words like 'adaptability', 'flexibility', and 'polyvalence' have multiple and often overlapping meanings that make it virtually impossible to come up with a vocabulary acceptable to everybody" [26] (p. ...
... This is probably because users frequently tend to adapt the usability of their spaces to match their needs by their own, through conducting simple modifications (e.g., changes in furniture). In this respect, several studies perceive adaptability as a person-centric action triggered by user attitude to accommodate change, for example, by changing the use of one space [25,36]. Still, other changes in uses or functions may call for professional intervention in order to perform larger or more complex alterations, particularly when changing to another function (e.g., from office building to housing). ...
... Nevertheless, some studies made distinctions between adaptability types as in Schmidt et al. [30] that is considered by some scholars as the most comprehensive [25]. Schmidt et al. [30] articulate the physical capacity of adaptable buildings in six types: availability, extendibility, flexibility, refitability, movability, and recyclability. ...
Our ever-evolving built environment is continuously facing emerging needs for housing, work, health, and mobility, among others. Yet, buildings are usually designed and set up as finished permanent objects, reflecting the one constant scenario in mind of defined form, function, and performance. Since change is increasingly inevitable in our life, enlarging buildings’ adaptive capacities in response to arising variables and changing conditions over their lifecycle becomes a necessity in seeking global sustainability demands. The concept of building adaptability has been a notable subject in this respect, increasingly stimulating and proposing regenerative alternatives to today’s often obsolete buildings. This paper critically reviews the existing body of knowledge on the concept of adaptability in building research. The main focus is made on the evolution of the concept interpretations and related paradigms, and on the development of its applications and strategies in the light of promoting models and trends. Drawing on the literature as a source of evidence, the paper analyzes and classifies the content of existing studies published in scientific journals and gray literature, focusing on a timeframe from 2015 up-to-date. Moreover, the paper aims to build a constructive discussion to identify potential gaps between the actual state of the art and emerging needs, which should be addressed by further research.
... As part of the sustainability debate in architecture, the longevity of buildings has come under scrutiny again (e.g. Gething, 2013;Schmidt and Austin, 2016;Krokfors, 2017;Pinder et al., 2017;Heidrich et al., 2017;De Paris and Lopes, 2018;Braide, 2019). While generally the construction industry has been slow to respond to climate change, and scarce resource availability, there is an increasing focus on the circular economy, and future-proofing buildings to a changing climate (Densley Tingley, 2012;Gething, 2013). ...
... Social and societal issues lead to the need to accommodate a diversity of users over a building's lifespan, and this creates the need for spatial adaptability (see Figure 32.1). Even though much has been written about spatial adaptability in architecture, it has not yet filtered through into mainstream housing design (Pinder et al., 2017), though it is more common in schools and offices. Generally, spatial adaptability holds the idea of architecture accommodating change in and over time, but more accurately it is a versatile, and vast concept that functions as an umbrella for various topics. ...
The notion of ecology has become central to contemporary design discourse. This reflects contemporary concerns for our planet and a new understanding of the primary entanglement of the human species with the rest of the world.
The use of the term ‘ecology’ with design tends to refer to how to integrate ecologies into design and cities and be understood in a biologically-scientific and technical sense. In practice, this scientific-technical knowledge tends to be only loosely employed. The notion of ecology is also often used metaphorically in relation to the social use of space and cities. This book argues that what it calls the ‘biological’ and ‘social’ senses of ecology are both important and require distinctly different types of knowledge and practice. It proposes that science needs to be taken much more seriously in ‘biological ecologies’, and that ‘social ecologies’ can now be understood non-metaphorically as assemblages. Furthermore, this book argues that design practice itself can be understood much more rigorously, productively and relevantly if understood ecologically. The plural term ‘ecologies design’ refers to these three types of ecological design. This book is unique in bringing these three perspectives on ecological design together in one place. It is significant in proposing that a strong sense of ecologies design practice will only follow from the interconnection of these three types of practice.
Ecologies Design brings together leading international experts and relevant case studies in the form of edited research essays, case studies and project work. It provides an overarching critique of current ecologically-oriented approaches and offers evidence and exploration of emerging and effective methods, techniques and concepts. It will be of great interest to academics, professionals and students in the built environment disciplines.
... Adaptability, as a characteristic of buildings, is a key factor in managing the consequences of climate change, promote sustainability by prolonging the useful life of buildings and minimizing resource use, and as a practical solution to addressing the problem of building redundancy [5][6][7]17]. Adaptability or adaptive capacity is also linked to resilience (a key theme in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) [18]); Circular Economy principles [19]; and the Open Building concept, a design approach that focuses on designing for change [20]. ...
... The initial focus on the functional aspects of buildings (e.g., how to convert spaces) appears to be moving towards architectural tectonics, the integration of building systems, and more user-centered approaches [6,14,24]. However, change continues to be at the heart of building adaptability [17], both in terms of the nature of building use and the extent to which the building and its components can be modified to accommodate such changes. ...
The adaptability of buildings addresses the responses of buildings to the changing needs of owners/users and the demands of external factors, over their lifecycle. An understanding of these changes is therefore key to the creation of adaptable buildings. This paper reports research which was aimed at modelling building changes to better understand the challenges for their adaptability. An in-depth study of the changes in selected case studies was conducted to understand the nature, characteristics, and implications of these changes for buildings and their ability to adapt. The findings from these case studies were analyzed against theoretical models reported in the literature on change and adaptability. As a result, a model was developed that identified and categorized a wide spectrum of changes to the building fabric within the broad remit of adaptability that are triggered by many factors, which are sometimes external to the building or organization. In the cases investigated, it was found that the factors that lead to actual changes to buildings were not necessarily due to the ease of making those changes, but rather the organizational will and means to make the changes. Similarly, changes were made not because the building systems were obsolete, but because of non-building factors. The timings of changes therefore did not correspond to the assumed lifespan models of different building layers, suggesting that a new way of predicting and/or categorizing building changes is needed. Furthermore, the interrelationships and nature of the triggers for change suggest that the adaptability of buildings is not just about building systems, but also about non-building factors. Thus, the further exploration of non-building triggers and enablers for change using the developed model presented here, will further enhance the creation of more adaptable buildings.
... As part of the sustainability debate in architecture, the longevity of buildings has come under scrutiny again (e.g. Gething, 2013;Schmidt and Austin, 2016;Krokfors, 2017;Pinder et al., 2017;Heidrich et al., 2017;De Paris and Lopes, 2018;Braide, 2019). While generally the construction industry has been slow to respond to climate change, and scarce resource availability, there is an increasing focus on the circular economy, and future-proofing buildings to a changing climate (Densley Tingley, 2012;Gething, 2013). ...
... Social and societal issues lead to the need to accommodate a diversity of users over a building's lifespan, and this creates the need for spatial adaptability (see Figure 32.1). Even though much has been written about spatial adaptability in architecture, it has not yet filtered through into mainstream housing design (Pinder et al., 2017), though it is more common in schools and offices. Generally, spatial adaptability holds the idea of architecture accommodating change in and over time, but more accurately it is a versatile, and vast concept that functions as an umbrella for various topics. ...
... As part of the sustainability debate in architecture, the longevity of buildings has come under scrutiny again (e.g. Gething, 2013;Schmidt and Austin, 2016;Krokfors, 2017;Pinder et al., 2017;Heidrich et al., 2017;De Paris and Lopes, 2018;Braide, 2019). While generally the construction industry has been slow to respond to climate change, and scarce resource availability, there is an increasing focus on the circular economy, and future-proofing buildings to a changing climate (Densley Tingley, 2012;Gething, 2013). ...
... Social and societal issues lead to the need to accommodate a diversity of users over a building's lifespan, and this creates the need for spatial adaptability (see Figure 32.1). Even though much has been written about spatial adaptability in architecture, it has not yet filtered through into mainstream housing design (Pinder et al., 2017), though it is more common in schools and offices. Generally, spatial adaptability holds the idea of architecture accommodating change in and over time, but more accurately it is a versatile, and vast concept that functions as an umbrella for various topics. ...
... As part of the sustainability debate in architecture, the longevity of buildings has come under scrutiny again (e.g. Gething, 2013;Schmidt and Austin, 2016;Krokfors, 2017;Pinder et al., 2017;Heidrich et al., 2017;De Paris and Lopes, 2018;Braide, 2019). While generally the construction industry has been slow to respond to climate change, and scarce resource availability, there is an increasing focus on the circular economy, and future-proofing buildings to a changing climate (Densley Tingley, 2012;Gething, 2013). ...
... Social and societal issues lead to the need to accommodate a diversity of users over a building's lifespan, and this creates the need for spatial adaptability (see Figure 32.1). Even though much has been written about spatial adaptability in architecture, it has not yet filtered through into mainstream housing design (Pinder et al., 2017), though it is more common in schools and offices. Generally, spatial adaptability holds the idea of architecture accommodating change in and over time, but more accurately it is a versatile, and vast concept that functions as an umbrella for various topics. ...
... Most authors do agree that the limiting factor when dealing with the adaptability of a building is the design of the structural frame. Pinder (2017) identifies the need to educate practitioners and clients with an understanding of the effectiveness of adaptability technologies. This will reduce the occurrence of unnecessary overdesign which contributes to a waste of resources. ...
... Adaptable structural design strategies can be utilised to reduce structural obsolescence (Bullen, 2017). The lack of coherence in the literature concerning the terminology and technology of adaptability creates industry misinterpretations (Pinder, 2017) and (Israelsson, 2009). Remøy et al. (2011) and Ross et al. (2016) identify key adaptable design enablers. ...
The built environment appears to have followed the trend in the
current consumerist economy. The culture of fast food, fast fashion
and fast tech has now spread to the construction industry.
Prefabricated construction and functionally precise design has
created (intentionally or unintentionally) the obsolescence of
buildings. This gives an expiry date to buildings less than what we
would expect of a structure’s design life, thus increasing the
economic, environmental and social impact of a building’s lifecycle.
Adaptable design is to provision for changes in the composition or
function of a structure, thus reducing the likelihood that a building
becomes obsolete. Beyond adaptability some authors have
theorized towards a concept of designing for growth. This may take
lessons from structures in nature (trees, shells, coral reefs, etc.)
called biomimetic design.
The study evaluates the relative sustainability of optimum and
growth structural models, over a whole-life-cycle, during varied
rates of dwelling density. The results of this study suggests that
structures designed for adaptable growth can prove more
economically, environmentally and socially sustainable than
optimally designed structures at the end of design life, when special
demands rise.
... The exploration of adaptability which includes ideas and findings intertwined with aspects of the Open Building paradigm. The relationship between the Open Building movement and the findings regarding adaptability would be examined and the industry shifting towards a more sustainable and timebased approach to design (Gibb et al, 2010). Following the research strategy undertaken by Schmidt et al (2010), this research also will critically review literature on: (i) adaptability, (ii) Space design, (iii) waste minimization, (iv) Demolition rate. ...
... The relationship between the Open Building movement and the findings regarding adaptability would be examined and the industry shifting towards a more sustainable and timebased approach to design (Gibb et al, 2010). Following the research strategy undertaken by Schmidt et al (2010), this research also will critically review literature on: (i) adaptability, (ii) Space design, (iii) waste minimization, (iv) Demolition rate. The links between the above four focus areas could provide insight into improving the design of adaptable housing; hence enhance sustainable performance of the building by understanding what parameters are critical and how changes to them can be captured. ...
... Adaptation includes any work to a building that can be considered 'over and above' standard maintenance; such work is undertaken to change the building's capacity, function, or performance (Douglas, 2006). Even though no definition of the term has been universally agreed upon (Pinder et al., 2017;Schmidt III et al., 2010), "adaptability" can be defined as "the capacity of a building to accommodate effectively the evolving demands of its context, thus maximising value through its life" (Schmidt III et al., 2010, p. 235). The definition highlights four key characteristics involved, namely, the capacity for change, the ability of the building to remain fit for purpose, value, and the speed of change (Kamara et al., 2020;Schmidt III et al., 2010). ...
Academic laboratory buildings face unique challenges due to the dynamic nature of laboratory tasks, technological advancements, and the utmost importance of maintaining safety. While flexible design strategies are recommended for laboratory facilities, there is a need to explore the empirical evidence of building adaptations and their impact on safety in real-world cases. This study employs a case study approach to investigate how academic laboratory buildings have been adapted to changing requirements and the resulting implications for laboratory safety. Four high-rise academic laboratories on a university campus were selected as case studies, and data were collected through as-built and updated architectural drawings, on-site walk-through surveys, and laboratory safety inspection reports. The findings reveal that adaptable design strategies, specifically those related to "long life" and "loose fit," have been implemented and are commonly used. However, building adaptations often occur independently, and without a proper understanding of the original design strategies, leading to laboratory safety problems caused by inappropriate adaptations. The proposed conceptual model aims to elaborate on the relationship between building adaptations and laboratory safety concerns. Further research should focus on investigating the patterns of adaptations of building layers using a time-series approach, and developing facility management strategies to effectively address dynamic safety conditions.
... Modularising and standardising the building design are effective strategies for facilitating configuration flexibility (Arge, 2005), product dismantlability (Heidrich et al., 2017;Webb et al., 1997), design regularity (Eberhardt et al., 2022;Tserng et al., 2021) and functional convertibility (Beadle et al., 2008). Additionally, using dismountable building products is effective in promoting configuration flexibility (Eguchi et al., 2011), product dismantlability, material reversibility (Geldermans, 2016;Ness and Xing, 2017) and asset refit-ability (Pinder et al., 2017). Providing multi-purpose or sharable spaces aligns with asset multi-usability (Acharya et al., 2018;Foster, 2020;Kyrö et al., 2019), and functional convertibility (Arge, 2005). ...
Purpose-The application of circular building adaptability (CBA) in adaptive reuse becomes an effective action for resource efficiency, long-lasting usability of the built environment and the sped-up transition to a circular economy (CE). This paper aims to explore to which extent CBA-related strategies are applied in adaptive reuse projects, considering enablers and obstacles.
Design/methodology/approach-A stepwise theory-practice-oriented approach was followed. Multiple-case studies of five circular adaptive reuse projects in The Netherlands were investigated, using archival research and in-depth interviews. A cross-case analysis of the findings was deductively conducted, to find and replicate common patterns.
Findings-The study revealed that configuration flexibility, product dismantlability and material reversibility were applied across the case studies, whereas functional convertibility and building maintainability were less applied. Low cost of material reuse, collaboration among team members and organisational motivation were frequently observed enabling factors. Lack of information, technical complexities, lack of circularity expertise and infeasibility of innovative circular solutions were frequently observed obstacles to applying CBA.
Practical implications-This paper provides practitioners with a set of CBA strategies that have been applied in the real world, facilitating the application of CBA in future adaptive reuse projects. Moreover, this set of strategies provides policymakers with tools for developing supportive regulations or amending existing regulations for facilitating CE through adaptive reuse.
Originality/value-This study provides empirical evidence on the application of CBA in different real-life contexts. It provides scholars and practitioners with a starting point for further developing guiding or decision-making tools for CBA in adaptive reuse.
... Adaptasi menjadi refleksi guna prospek pengembangan jangka panjang. Kemampuan adaptasi merupakan karakteristik untuk membangun lingkungan (Pinder et al., 2017). ...
Praktik profesi Psikologi Industri dan Organisasi seperti seleksi, potential review, dan promosi membutuhkan Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) agar dipercaya, meminimalisir tindakan berbahaya, dan terhindar dari gugatan klien secara hukum. PAPI Kostick sering digunakan psikolog sebagai tes kepribadian untuk memprediksi kinerja. Adaptabilitas adalah salah satu bentuk dari kinerja yaitu contextual performance. Ironisnya belum ada penelitian tentang kemampuan prediktif PAPI Kostick terhadap adaptabilitas karyawan. Penelitian ini bertujuan memberikan bukti empiris kemampuan PAPI Kostick dalam memprediksi adaptabilitas karyawan. Metode penelitiannya adalah metode dokumentasi dengan menggunakan skor alat tes PAPI Kostick dan Penilaian Adaptabilitas dalam rentang waktu berbeda. Subjek penelitiannya adalah 158 orang karyawan tenaga non-kependidikan di Fakultas Ekonomika dan Bisnis Universitas Gadjah Mada. Analisis data menggunakan regresi linear berganda. Hasilnya adalah PAPI Kostick mampu memprediksi adaptabilitas karyawan sebesar 16% yaitu pada aspek peran pekerja keras (G) dan kebutuhan mengontrol orang lain (P). Kesimpulannya adalah PAPI Kostick mampu memprediksi Adaptabilitas Karyawan.
... The concept of adaptability has significant attention in the research literature. In addition, adaptability refers to the characteristics of building an environment to the atmosphere in the workplace (Pinder, et al., 2017). ...
Changes in the increasingly complex and competitive business environment require companies to be more responsive to survive and continue to grow. In supporting these changes, personal changes must be related to adaptability, extraversion personality, self-efficacy, and employee performance. As an employee, adaptability is needed to survive in industrial competition. Being able to adapt means responding to changes quickly and being responsible for a job. Having an extrovert personality can also create social interaction. Moreover, having confidence in one's abilities plays an important role in determining the goals. In addition, the abilities possessed by the employees can be correlated with the performance that they want to be achieved.
... The better the adaptability of the trainer, the better the management of karate exercise during the COVID-19 pandemic will be. Adaptability refers to the characteristics of building the environment (Pinder et al., 2017). Adaptive individuals will anticipate problems and develop alternative solutions for various possibilities in assessing and responding to a changing environment (Boylan & Turner, 2017). ...
This study aims to find out (1) How to training management is performed by karate trainers during the pandemic. (2) How was the degree of adaptability of karate trainers during the pandemic. (3) There is any connection between adaptability and karate training management during the Covid-19 pandemic. (4) What obstacles did the trainer face in the exercise during the pandemic. This type of research is quantitative descriptive research with a survey method. Research sites in Dojo/Clubs/Forki across Indonesia. The timing of this study was carried out from late February 2021 to March 2022. The population of this study is all karate martial sports trainers who belong to FORKI spread throughout Indonesia. Sample research incidental sampling was taken, and 108 respondents were obtained. Data collection techniques used questionnaires in the form of Google Forms. Validity of the instrument is performed through expert judgment, and reliability using Alpha Cronbach's. Data analysis is performed descriptively quantitatively, using SPSS.
... While resilience explicitly refers to capacities that persist against disruptions, changeability is expressed via an abundance of change-type 'ilities', such as flexibility, maintainability, agility, upgradability, modularity, adaptability, replaceability, reusability, operability, expandability, convertibility, generality, elasticity, etc. Not only do these jargons have different meanings in different contexts (Saleh et al., 2009) but also evidence shows that they are used interchangeably, both in research and practice, with little differentiation Karlsson et al., 2019;Pinder et al., 2017). Describing a framework of general changeability (i.e. one that is applicable for any context) seems to be unlikely as changeability concepts need to be matched to specific contexts , and even for each particular project due to context-specific requirements (Masood et al., 2016b). ...
... While resilience explicitly refers to capacities that persist against disruptions, changeability is expressed via an abundance of change-type 'ilities', such as flexibility, agility, modularity, adaptability, expandability, convertibility, generality, elasticity, etc. Not only do these jargons have different meanings in different contexts (Saleh, Mark, & Jordan, 2009), but evidence shows that they are used interchangeably, both in research and practice, with little differentiation (e.g., Carthey et al., 2011;Karlsson et al., 2019;Pinder, Schmidt, Austin, Gibb, & Saker, 2017). Describing a framework of general changeability (i.e., one that is applicable for any context) seems to be unlikely as changeability concepts need to be matched to specific contexts , and even for each particular project due to context-specific requirements (Masood et al., 2016b). ...
Due to constantly changing requirements, future proofing is increasingly seen as an urgent need in hospital building design. However, as knowledge on future proofing hospital building design is yet to be consolidated, this study reviews the literature to clarify understanding of the concept in hospital building contexts. A scoping review methodology was considered appropriate to elucidate concepts in the literature. As future proofing has been developed in multiple industries, an interdisciplinary approach is taken to investigate the concept across three contexts: design (in general), the built environment and hospital buildings. Findings reveal that most studies adopted a crisis-driven approach to conceptualize future proofing – largely limited to consideration of adaptability and resilience. By synthesizing the data, the research provides a comprehensive definition of future proofing by answering the WHY, WHAT and HOW of its application to hospital building design. A future proofing model is proposed that is composed of passive–active and reactive–proactive dichotomies that identify four future proofing objectives. These objectives are addressed via six future proofing capabilities: maintainability, resilience, changeability, mitigation, improvement and transition. The study clarifies future proofing objectives in hospital building design and informs directions for further research and dialogue in policy, research, education and practice.
... Adaptability has been defined as "the ease with which a building can be physically modified, deconstructed, refurbished, reconfigured, repurposed and/or expanded" [7]. Similar definitions are discussed in the works by Pinder et al. [8] and Heidrich et al. [9]. Design for adaptability (DfA) is the intentional design of buildings so that they may be easily altered to support future needs [10]. ...
Building adaptation and re-use can contribute to a circular and sustainable built environment, as existing buildings are adapted and the need for new construction materials is reduced. The “adaptability” of buildings has been widely studied; however, few of these studies are quantitative. This paper uses Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) and Logistic Regression (LR) models to explore relationships between the physical features of buildings and their demolition or adaptation outcomes. Source data were taken from 59 buildings that were either demolished or adapted in the Netherlands. After the models were created and validated, a series of sensitivity studies were conducted to evaluate relationships between physical parameters and building outcomes. The physical parameter with the strongest relationship to adaptation outcomes was demountability (ease of removal) of building service elements. The quantitative results were then compared to results from an adjacent qualitative study. The relationships observed from the quantitative sensitivity studies align well with the qualitative observations.
... 1 The lack of consistency in the literature related to adaptability terminology and technology creates misinterpretations of the industry (Pinder, 2017) and (Israelsson, 2009). Remøy et al. (2011) and Manewa et al. (2016) identify the key factors for adaptable design: Utilitas firmitas and venustas (Vitruvius) are indivisible components. 2 Among the 17 Goals signed by the governments of 193 member countries of the United Nations, the Agenda -Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs (25/09/2015) -to be achieved in the environmental, economic, social and institutional spheres by 2030. ...
The paper presents Axis Strutture, patented by the authors, awarded with V:alere funds (VAnvitelli pER la ricErca 2020) for the establishment of an innovative start-up, now academic spin-off. It is based on the assemble of iron and wood with 'pins' (in Latin 'axis') threaded to ensure an economic profit in line with the Sustainable Development Goals, reviewing ancient technologies in the light of advanced research. The focus is on the structural connections of a construction system that clamps the steel frame elements with the wooden infill, allowing to assemble modular, prefabricated and flexible components customized on the design phase’s request. It provides effective emergency shelters assembled or dismantled as quickly as tents but more stable, healthier and comfortable. With a single star key, the steel uprights can be attested with wooden and similar tampons avoiding nails and screws which allows the total reuse of the components. The patented connections implement a new construction method promoting the self-construction of garden houses, leisure environments, bungalows, garages and quality housing modules, since they are resilient, resistant and with a controllable impact on the environment. The case study provides an opportunity to verify actions aimed at the implementation of Design for Adaptability strategies promoting virtuous life cycles that involves the entire community in sustainable models from an economic, environmental and social point of view.
... (2) increase simplicity in systems and materials; (3) design the core structure to be partition-able; (4) give specifications for connections, structures and installations; (5) reduce inter-system and intra-system interactions; (6) use modular coordinate systems; (7) use prefabricated components; (8) design over capacity; (9) improve flow through system layout; (10) optimize use of interior space for optimal resource application. Compare with Slaughter (2001), Manewa et al. (2016), Gosling et al. (2013), Ross et al. (2016), Heidrich et al. (2017) and Pinder et al. (2017). 11. ...
Recent work on ‘anti-adaptive’ neighbourhoods has highlighted a number of common features, including scale of design, number of designers, mono-functionality, percentage of public space, planning rules and system of ownership. This article aims to provide a more general conceptual analysis of adaptability and anti-adaptability in terms of degrees of individual choice, where an individual’s choice set is understood as a combination of individual freedoms, both physical and normative, and of individual normative powers. Individual choice is constitutive of adaptability, and its ‘non-specific’ value helps to explain why adaptability is itself seen in a positive light. Thus, the article points to a potentially unifying explanatory factor that can help us to better understand the various common features of anti-adaptive neighbourhoods highlighted in the recent literature. The final part of the article discusses some of the implications of this reasoning for policy and design.
... Este trabajo se aborda a partir de una serie de adaptabilidad partiendo desde el concepto general en relación con el objeto arquitectónico (Pinder, 2017) hasta llegar a un análisis que parte de la biología (Brand, 1994) para explicar el fenómeno relevancia futura para permitir su transición a lo largo del tiempo. ...
El presente trabajo se realizó con la finalidad de profundizar en el entendimiento del proceso de adaptabilidad que ha experimentado el elemento arquitectónico del torreón y cómo ha evolucionado su interpretación históricamente, Por consiguiente, se pretende otorgar la oportunidad de proponer soluciones que ofrezcan nuevas propuestas de apreciación a partir de la importancia y el interés resultante de la investigación. Fue necesario conocer el nivel de reconocimiento de los elementos emblemáticos de la ciudad, analizando el nivel de conciencia e identificación de la transformación del elemento y su revalorización social a partir de sondeos de opinión y cuestionamientos basados en la foto provocación. Los resultados obtenidos abonan a la inserción del concepto de adaptabilidad en el análisis de objetos urbanos con una fuerte carga simbólica para su población.
... Hospital design is often presented with the words 'flexibility', 'adaptability', 'agility', 'robustness', 'resilience', 'transformability' and 'convertibility' [amongst others] and they hover around many practice showcases without detailed definition. The result is a usage which consists substantially of abstract terms (Carthey et al, 2011;Glanville & Nedin, 2009;Pinder et al, 2017). Researchers also mix definition and in some cases meanings conflict. ...
... The architect explained that one of the hotel operators had very strict thermal requirements, which were well above Building Regulations and BREEAM requirements so the insulation of the building did not need any adjustment to meet the credits. Finally, an adaptability study was needed, which is a document that studies the spatial, structural, and service strategies of the building and analyzes the malleability of it in response to changing operational parameters over time [44]. The study proved that the hotel will be able to change its use if needed, mainly because it is built in lightweight partitions and blade columns. ...
This original research paper analyses the actual and important topic of the implications of BREEAM sustainability assessment on the design of hotels and it is a personal response to “The Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development” and its influence on the Tourism and Hospitality Industry. The paper aims to examine the influence of the sustainable assessment method BREEAM on the design of hotels by using seven case studies and studying the changes that were implemented in order to achieve their targets. Qualitative data were obtained by conducting in-depth interviews and analyzing the supplied documentation. The authors notice that the results revealed that a BREEAM approach might limit the design of the hotels but, including the right measures at the early design stage of the project, the target can be easily achieved.
... The terms "flexibility" and "adaptability" have been used interchangeably throughout literature, which has caused confusion in understanding how changes can be accommodated in a facility and have been shown to be an obstacle to design (Cardin et al., 2015;Pinder et al., 2017;Kyr€ o et al., 2019). For this reason, we explicitly draw a distinction between flexibility and adaptability. ...
Purpose
This article addresses the lack of formal design guidance that supports flexibility within the architectural and engineered systems of manufacturing facilities through the development of a taxonomy and associated terminology.
Design/methodology/approach
This research performed a comparative analysis of 15 manufacturing facilities located both within the United States (73 percent of cases) and internationally (27 percent of cases). These case studies provided details on how and where flexibility was incorporated into the design of a manufacturing facility. Specific consideration was given to the primary design features that enabled a decoupling of the facility from the manufacturing process. These design features were then clustered to identify main design strategies that enable flexibility.
Findings
By grouping the design features together and creating a common vocabulary, three coherent design approaches for flexible facilities were identified, each having a different potential for responding to short-term and long-term changes. These include general purpose, scalable, and dedicated facilities.
Research limitations/implications
By delineating three high-level strategies for early flexible facility design, this research synthesizes a conceptual understanding of flexibility with practical and implementable designs. This synthesis provides an incremental advance to a complex challenge for researchers. It also provides decision support to design teams by aiding in project definition, when flexibility is desirable. This research is primarily limited by the number of cases reviewed. With more cases, additional facility design strategies may be identified.
Practical implications
The findings in this research allow for a basic understanding of how a flexible facility can be designed with only limited or vague information about the product and manufacturing processes contained within. The development of terminology associated with each facility design strategy provides standardization for the discussion and implementation of flexibility early in the design process. In doing so, flexible designs become easier to create and more efficient to implement.
Originality/value
This research provides the first synthesized approach for considering flexible facility design strategies within the manufacturing sector.
In this study, the production and optical characterization of ZnO films were carried out using ultrasonic chemical techniques. ZnO films were produced on glass substrates using three different solution sources. The effect of the solution source on the optical properties of the produced films was investigated. Some optical parameters such as optical band gap, Urbach energy, refractive index, and dielectric constants of ZnO films were calculated using different methods. The effects of both the methods used and the solution sources used on the optical parameters of ZnO films were investigated. It has been determined that different solution sources cause significant changes in the band structure, optical band gap, reflection, and transmittance values of the films. In addition, by examining the photoluminescence properties of ZnO films, some defects in the structure of the films and the transitions between these defects were determined. As a result, the optical analysis results of the use of different solution sources for the properties desired to be imparted to ZnO films according to the usage area are discussed.
This research was conducted with the aim of knowing the effect of work motivation and adaptability on the work productivity of employees of PT albasi Priangan Lestari. The method used in this study is the census method using data obtained directly through questionnaires distributed to 60 respondents who are employees of the barecore division of PT. Albasi Priangan Lestari. The technique used in this research is multiple linear regression. Based on the research results, it can be seen that work motivation and adaptability simultaneously have a significant effect on the work productivity of PT. Albasi Priangan Lestari. Partially Work Motivation has a significant effect on the work productivity of employees of PT. Albasi Priangan Lestari. Partial Adaptability has a significant effect on the work productivity of employees of PT. Albasi Priangan Lestari.
The ‘sites and services’ approach was conceived during the 1970s as a possible solution to tackle the issue of precarious housing in the global south. After providing land, infrastructures and services, the urban poor were allowed to incrementally build their dwellings. Despite initial criticism, the effectiveness of this approach has eventually been reconsidered. This paper aims to contribute to the long-lasting discussion on ‘sites and services’ projects by exploring their relationship with urban adaptability. Following the identification of the enabling conditions for adaptability at the neighbourhood scale, a fieldwork analysis has been conducted in the Indian neighbourhood of Charkop, located in the outskirts of Mumbai and first developed within a ‘sites and services’ programme. The results have shown that legal tenure, a hierarchical spatial plan aligned with the socioeconomic context, and a soft regulatory framework influenced by residents' associations and informal processes played a decisive role in the long-term project's success.
The healthcare sector has to face changes happening fast and often in an unpredictable way, such as epidemiological trends, the advancements of medical technology and processes or evolving social and economic needs. This results in a frequent need for infrastructures' retrofitting, with an increasing focus on the environmental impact of buildings, which have one of the highest embodied carbon footprints per square meter in the construction sector. As result, interest in healthcare buildings' adaptability is growing among researchers and practitioners. After an introduction on the research topic, a focus on the definition of adaptability and the existing assessment models is provided to address the following research question: to what extent are adaptability models effective to evaluate and orient the design of healthcare buildings? A quite varied use of the term adaptability has been found in the literature, as well as a new research trend aiming to establish a link with circularity. Moreover, most of the assessment models do not have a focus and have never been tested on the healthcare sector. An approach to circular and adaptable design is presented through the case study of the Joseph Bracops Hospital (Belgium), which has been submitted for evaluation by the Reversible Building Design protocol developed by Dr. Durmisevic. The evaluation highlights some of the current barriers in the design of adaptable healthcare facilities. Insights for future research are provided to encourage data-collection about the service life of healthcare buildings, so to understand if the adaptability of these infrastructures should be mainly monofuntional or transfunctional.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are synthetic chemicals used in the manufacture of many products such as food packaging, household cleaners and non-stick cookware, and are of great concern due to their high persistence and bioaccumulation properties. Studies show that PFAS spreads rapidly to environments such as water, soil and air. In addition, certain types of PFAS, such as perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluoro octane sulfonate (PFOS), do not degrade and accumulate in the environment or the human body.
In this study, the negative effects of PFAS in terms of environment and health and the treatment methods used in the literature to remove it from environments such as water and soil were investigated. In the light of available data, PFOA and PFOS removal rates by Sorption method are 48-90% and 89-98%, respectively; PFOA removal rate is more than 90% and PFOS removal rate is between 93%-99% by the Reverse Osmosis (RO) method. PFOA and PFOS removal rates by the Ion Exchange method are between 51%-90%, respectively. Accordingly, it is possible to say that PFOA is more resistant to treatment methods than PFAS. Due to the negative effects of PFASs on human and environmental health and the difficulties in their treatment, it is necessary to reduce them at the source and to apply appropriate treatment methods for their treatment.
Keywords: Bioaccumulation, Environmental effects, PFAS, PFOA, PFOS, Treatment mechanism.
The ecodesign methodologies in the design stage enable buildings to be adapted to the needs of users and deconstructed at the end-of-life. Although ecodesign methods incorporate circular economy (CE) principles, they are little explored in projects and constructions. This study analyses how the construction sector approaches ecodesign methods to achieve buildings' deconstruction. Through an integrative literature review, 288 articles were threefold analyzed: i) bibliometric, ii) conceptually about ecodesign methods, and iii) categorically. The results showed a lack of understanding about the ecodesign concepts, and an integrated methodology was proposed. The most inclusive and sustainable ecodesign method for buildings deconstruction was Design for Adaptability and Disassembly (DfAD). The review shows the concentration of the studies in three categories and a framework was created relating DfAD strategies. The sector needs more information on ecodesign methods, deconstruction strategies, reusing of materials, and in the life cycle tools as decision support to make sustainable buildings.
Adaptive reuse of building is among the practices that started to take place in Saudi Arabia, as well as in different places around the world, since the 20th century. Such practice provides sustainable outcomes to communities, due to its potential to fulfill environmental, social and economic benefits. On the other hand, this practice undergoes different kinds of challenges that could face the project stakeholders, including legal, functional, financial, cultural and technical challenges. Thus, previous studies focused on developing decisionmaking tools, to improve the judgment on the feasibility and potential of the adaptive reuse. The review of the relevant literature indicated that there is a gap on the integrated knowledge and applicable guidelines within the context of adaptive reuse life-cycle. Accordingly, this research aimed to develop a life-cycle-oriented framework for the
effective implementation of adaptive reuse projects in Saudi Arabia. Three objectives were formulated and followed in order to achieve this goal, namely (1) “to identify and evaluate the factors affecting the implementation of adaptive reuse of buildings throughout the
project life-cycle”, (2) “to develop a framework of the process of adaptive reuse of buildings throughout the project life-cycle”, and (3) “to validate the developed framework through conducting interviews with a selected sample of design professionals, contractors
and facilities managers in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia”.
To achieve the first objective, a literature review and pilot study were conducted to identify the factors. Thirty-eight factors were identified and categorized in a life-cycle oriented classification as follows: factors related to the ‘conceptual planning and feasibility studies’,
‘design and engineering’, ‘construction’, and ‘operation and maintenance (O&M)’ phases. Three questionnaire surveys were developed and conducted on thirty architects /engineers (A/E), thirty contractors and thirty facilities managers. The questionnaire surveys aimed to reveal the local practice of building adaptive reuse, and assess its influential factors. Findings indicated that the top-five influential factors on the life-cycle of adaptive reuse projects are: ‘structural integrity of the building’, ‘municipal approval for the land use
change’, ‘enforcement and management of safety procedures at the project site’, ‘compliance with health and safety (H&S) measures’, and ‘accuracy and completeness of the contract documents’.
Regarding the second objective, a life-cycle-oriented framework model was developed based on the knowledge obtained from the literature review, as well as findings of the three questionnaire surveys. The developed framework consists of twenty-two sequential functions listed under four sequential processes, namely: “assess the feasibility of the adaptive reuse project”, “design the adaptive reuse project”, “construct the adaptive reuse project”, and “operate and maintain the adaptive reuse project”. Integration Definition for Function Modeling (IDEF0) methodology was employed for a schematic representation of
the developed framework.
The third objective was fulfilled through conducting face-to-face validation questionnaire survey on one-third of the respondents’ sample of the first three questionnaire surveys. Therefore, ten A/Es, ten contractors and ten facilities managers were interviewed, to assess the importance and the implementation of the function included in the framework. Overall, findings of the validation questionnaire survey indicated that the framework functions received high importance rates, with acceptable frequencies of implementation. Feedbacks obtained from the interviewees indicated that adopting the developed framework has the potential to enhance the practice of building adaptive reuse in Saudi Arabia.
The concept of a circular economy has been proposed as a key component of a solution for the finiteness of earth’s resources. As one path, the research on the direct reuse of construction components focusses on strategies for designing buildings for disassembly in the end-of-life stage. This is of particular importance because it can reduce the environmental impact of the construction industry. The recently published ISO 20887 also advocates to design buildings for disassembly and to use standard-sized components. However, to the authors’ knowledge the role of standardisation in this process remains unexplored. Therefore, in this paper the evolution of standardisation is studied in order to identify the drivers for standardisation and currently available standards that aid and support the claims of the ISO 20887. This study concludes that most standards are introduced from an economic, rather than an environmental point of view. Also, ISO 20887 seems to be the first actual standard addressing the idea of reusing building components. Through an integrative discussion of the available types of construction standards, the problem areas obstructing the required further standardisation are identified: protectionism of contractors whom perceive standardisation as a threat, protectionism of manufacturers whom are reluctant to change the organisation structure, and designers whom seem least aware of the need to implement the circular economy in the construction sector. Finally, a corresponding trajectory is proposed for future standardisation to tackle these problem areas and to actually perform its role as an essential enabler for circular Reuse in the construction sector.
This proposal is about the design and prototyping of a Living Wall System (LIWAS) as a test bed for integrating concepts from biology into architectural design. The Living Wall is a new way of interpreting a wall system that we use in architecture and building. We try to integrate characteristics of living organisms into the wall design to harness some of the intriguing qualities of life into our built surroundings. Living Walls may include flows of water; they may move, adapt geometry, and change appearance; they may be inhabited by algae, plants and other organisms and in general be “alive.” The framework of the proposal is the overlap between architectural design and biological research, using biomimicry as a methodology for information transfer between the fields.
Purpose
The fast advancement of medical technology and processes poses challenges to hospital construction and management. The purpose of this paper is to provide a structured approach to advancing adaptability in hospital retrofits, proposing the preferable timing and scope of different adaptability strategies.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative research approach was chosen, with 28 semi-structured interviews designers, project managers, clients and healthcare professionals as the primary research data.
Findings
This paper presents a model for planning for the future in hospital retrofits. The model includes 11 different adaptability strategies, categorized based on the level of adaptability. Furthermore, each strategy is linked to an open building system level, indicating the appropriate timing. Based on the findings, generality strategies in the tertiary building system level are the most effective forms of adaptability, as they are easy to implement and answer to non-specific changes in hospital operations.
Research limitations/implications
The findings contribute to existing knowledge on adaptability in buildings, and provide practical guidance particularly for designers. A new type of service offering, an adaptability roadmap detailing the scope and timing of adaptability, is suggested.
Originality/value
The paper contributes to the existing research by detailing different approaches and knowledge related to adaptability and its strategies in hospital retrofits. More specifically, the three-fold categorization of adaptability is linked to both timing and intrusiveness in a novel way.
Purpose
When dwellings fail to respond to residents’ needs, housing will suffer from segregation and buildings will possibly be demolished ahead of their time. This paper focuses on the lack of variation in the sizes of dwellings as a factor in residential segregation. It examines this issue in the context of Finnish mass housing built in the 1960s and 1970s. The purpose of the paper is to review how mass housing layouts can be adapted to produce the currently absent flat sizes.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper operates at the intersection of human geography, building stock research and adaptability research. First, statistical data are utilized to investigate how dwellings and households of different sizes are distributed over the Finnish housing stock. Second, the building layouts of mass housing are examined in detail. Third, the potential that flats in mass housing have for size modification is reviewed.
Findings
There is a disparity of available dwelling sizes between different housing types, and statistics show that the proportion of large households has decreased significantly in blocks of flats over the last decades. The lack of large dwellings in mass housing may contribute as one factor to the segregation of the neighborhoods built in the 1960s and 1970s. The findings show how the variation of apartment sizes can be increased in mass housing.
Originality/value
The housing stock is rarely examined in detail in segregation research, even though it is a major determinant for a city’s social structure. This paper argues that to address segregation sustainably, it is necessary to understand the housing stock better and to view it as an adaptable asset.
Post-war industrialized housing between 1955 and 1985 in Belgrade and its special form of integrated prefabrication has been analyzed with a strong interest in transformation capacity of industrialized building model (IBM) on different technical levels. Research field is massive housing up to 23 floors, 400 dwellings per building and different housing layouts- to be evaluated for potential retrofitting at the dwelling level. IBM for massive housing built with IMS construction technology represents an integration of systems' components into hierarchy assemblies by simple joints. IMS Building Technology by IMS Institute is the system for high-rise structures with prefabricated elements of the skeleton. In order to assess the current situation regarding the selection and implementation of energy savings measures and the role of industrialized technology in supporting the rehabilitation of post-war housing in Belgrade-building configuration model and IMS construction technology has been analyzed, providing in-depth information on the way building components and systems are put together into IBM. In which way retrofit may be approached? IBM is represented with graph model (GM) diagram to describe a number of value-added processes according to independent systems/components and flexible connections. This paper highlights the technological aspects of "open" prefabrication industry and building with the systems that should be assessed in the future retrofitting of massive housing based on industrialization and energy efficiency. The paper proposes an IBM that provides concrete description of massive housing buildings, the requirements for information to be provided to approving refurbishment processes. The research also addresses both: challenges as well as opportunities for advancing Building Information Modeling (BIM) standards in off-site re-construction of massive housing with new "infill" industry.
This chapter explores the connections between the circular economy and the reduction of embodied carbon. Circular economic approaches focus on maintaining the value of materials for as long as possible. A circular economy seeks to keep materials in circulation, removing the concept of waste from the system and the need for material extraction from primary sources. In a completely circular economy, all ‘waste’ outputs would equal system inputs. If the built environment is thought about in this way, as a system, then the inputs are construction materials, and these materials accumulate in buildings, which can also be thought of as the stock. Demolition waste is the output flow of materials in this system. This concept can also be extended to embodied carbon. Construction materials are input flows of embodied carbon. These emissions are new to the system. The adoption of circular economic design approaches that facilitate longer building lifetimes, greater component and material reuse can reduce the input flow of embodied emissions and ensure already expended embodied carbon remains in stock. This chapter commences with a review of the key literature on the circular economy in construction in general terms and provides an overview of four related design strategies: building reuse, material reuse, design for deconstruction and design for adaptability. A series of ‘good practice’ case studies illustrate the respective strategies across a range of structural types. Each case study is used to provide practical insights on project processes, drivers, enabling conditions and the perceived benefits and challenges of adopting circular economic approaches. These insights are drawn from semi-structured interviews with members of each design team, supplemented by supporting literature. The chapter concludes by drawing out common lessons of how circular economic approaches can contribute to the delivery of a low carbon built environment.
Purpose
This paper provides a critical review of developments in the adaptability of buildings. The purpose of this paper is to determine the current “state-of-the-art”, describe current thinking and trends in research and practice, and identify issues and gaps that further research can address. It provides a basis for a scientific and practical understanding of the interdependencies across different design criterion. This paper increases the awareness of architects, engineers, clients and users on the importance of adaptability and its role in lowering impacts over the lifecycle of buildings as part of the infrastructure system.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper draws mainly from the literature as its source of evidence. These were identified from established databases and search engines (e.g. Scopus, ISI Web of Knowledge and Google Scholar) using keywords such as adaptability, adaptable, adaptation, and flexibility. Over 80 sources including books, journal papers, conference proceedings, research reports and doctoral theses covering the period 1990 to 2017 were reviewed and categorised. An inductive approach was used to critically review and categorise these publications and develop a framework for analysis.
Findings
The concept of adaptability includes many dimensions which can broadly fall into two categories: changes to buildings and user adaptations to buildings. However, previous research has mostly focussed on the former, with many attempts to identify building attributes that facilitate adaptability, and some considerations for its assessment. Key areas that have not been adequately addressed and which require further research include: user/occupant adaptations, cost, benefits and implications of various adaptability measures, and the development of a standardised assessment methodology that could aid in decision making in the design stage of buildings.
Research limitations/implications
The adaptability strategies considered in this review focussed mainly on building components and systems, and did not include the contribution of intelligent and smart/biological systems. The coverage is further limited in scope due to the period considered (1990-2017) and the exclusion of terms such as “retrofit” and “refurbishment” from the review. However, the findings provide a solid basis for further research in the areas identified above. It identifies research issues and gaps in knowledge between the defined needs and current state-of-the-art on adaptive building for both research and practice.
Originality/value
This paper is a review of research into a highly topical subject, given the acknowledged need to adapt buildings over their lifecycle to environmental, economic or social changes. It provides further insights on the dimensions of adaptability and identifies areas for further research that will contribute to the development of robust tools for the assessment of building adaptability, which will enhance the decision-making process of building design and the development of a more sustainable built environment.
The potential for converting empty offices into housing depends upon demands for converted space, the ability to finance conversions and attitudes of owners of empty buildings, together with flexibility in planning and ability to overcome technical constraints. This article explains the reasons for the large stock of redundant office buildings in the UK and questions whether some of these can be converted to provide much needed affordable housing. Technical constraints on their own are rarely insurmountable but the cost of making necessary changes may often be higher than other options of demolition and new building. Case studies of converted buildings show that it is necessary for project managers to deal with a range of issues from planning, location and finance to the accurate assessment of technical criteria in order for successful outcomes. It has often been difficult to find sites where all the necessary variables coincide in a positive manner and for this reason, the conversion of offices into flats has limited potential. It cannot therefore be seen as a panacea for housing shortages or for the reuse of redundant office buildings. Lessons from the experience of the UK property and construction industries illustrate the need to incorporate greater flexibility to meet unforeseen changes in use in the future.
A study of qualitative researchers who have submitted and/or published their research in top-tier North American organizational and management journals reveals the evaluative criteria-in-use at these journals. Specifically, when asked to take the perspective of an (a) author, (b) evaluator (reviewer or editor), and (c) judge of the comparisons between qualitative and quantitative research, three publication tensions were evident. The author offers the metaphor of ``fitting a round peg into an oval hole'' as a means of capturing these tensions and as a vehicle for organizing the various ways these tensions can be managed.
Flexible housing can be defined as housing that is designed for choice at the design stage, both in terms of social use and construction, or designed for change over its lifetime. This paper argues that flexibility is an important consideration in the design of housing if it is to be socially, economically and environmentally viable. The degree of flexibility is determined in two ways. First the in-built opportunity for adaptability, defined as ‘capable of different social uses’, and second the opportunity for flexibility, defined as ‘capable of different physical arrangements’. This principle of enabling social and physical change in housing might appear selfevidently sensible. However, despite numerous attempts from a policy as well as a user side to embrace the principles, flexibility in housing design has never been fully accepted. The tendency to design buildings that only correspond to a specific type of household at a specific point in time reflects a way of thinking that is predicated on short term economics. This paper argues that one should instead accept the need for longer term thinking,
which reflects the uncertainty of future occupation and housing demand. While it has been argued that flexibility costs money, Henz states that if any upfront additional investment is needed (which we would argue is not always the case) it can be set off against long-term economic calculations such as a higher appreciation of the dwelling on the part of the user, less occupant fluctuation, and the ability to react quickly to changing needs or wants of the existing or potential inhabitants and the market. This ability is of particular importance for the social housing sector, where the opportunity to change the use or configuration provides a level of choice, for both tenants and their public sector landlords, which is otherwise non-existent in this sector.
Design processes that involve user participation concern issues of representation in the early stages of design, when users’ needs and expectations are being expressed. A participatory approach is used to investigate the nature of design discussion during the early stages of design. It is shown that the ideology of inclusive design is similar to the ideology of participatory design. The ability of language-use to reveal user preference is explored through the analysis of architect–user conversations. Investigating architect and user interaction revealed that tacit knowledge can be made explicit and the difficulty of generalising user-needs from user statements.
This thesis, “A Strategic Approach to adaptability in office buildings”, is the result of a doktor ingeniør-project financed by a NBI project called “Buildings in a life cycle perspective”. The work was carried out at the Department of Building Technology, Faculty of Architecture, Planning and Fine Arts at NTNU in the period 1997 - 2001.
The main objective of this work is to develop and present knowledge about adaptability in office buildings and how this knowledge can be enhanced. Adaptability is thought to be important in order to reduce mismatches between buildings and their user organisations. Mismatches will occur in the Building – User Relationship over a period of time. The level of mismatch will vary, but at one point the mismatch exceeds the acceptable mismatch level, and major adaptations in the building, in the use of the building, or in how the user organisation finances and procures real estate, are needed. The acceptable mismatch level will vary from situation to situation, but there will always be some level of mismatch in the Building – User Relationship, and minor adaptations must be carried out continuously.
As opposed to many of the earlier works that have dealt with these issues, this work is mainly focused on adaptability, not only on flexibility. Adaptability is here defined as “the ability to change, responding to internal or external changes”, and it is seen as something that approaches the problem “from the top”. Flexibility, on the other hand, is seen as more solution-oriented, giving possibilities for change within a limited set of alternatives. Flexibility is still seen as important, but as one of several ways to achieve physical adaptability, together with partitionability, multifunctionality, and extendability. This work is also more based on a social-constructivist approach to the problem, and on the socio-technical relationships between buildings and users, rather than on technical solutions.
The main reason to engage oneself in the study of adaptability in office buildings is that we have seen the changes that have taken place in offices during the last 100 years, and that we expect these changes to accelerate. During the history of office buildings there has been a large variety in office layouts and workplace design. The use of the building and the workplace ideals may change, but the actual building is more durable. Thus, most buildings will meet a change in requirements during their lifetime, to which they have to be adapted. Some existing buildings adapt readily to change, others are more difficult to alter. The building will be adapted if the value of adapting the building into new or future use is thought to be greater than the value of the alternatives and the cost of adaptations. This value can be both financial value and value of use.
The value of use is most clearly seen in the Building – User Relationship (BUR). This is a dialectic relationship between buildings and users, where the two sides are believed to mutually affect each other. When the organisation changes, the building must be adapted in response to a new situation. On the other hand, the organisation will adapt itself to the possibilities and constraints in the building. The BUR is not necessarily only concerned with one user. It can also be seen as the relationship between the building and several users or between the user and several buildings. Major and continuous changes and adaptations will happen in both cases, and the same approach, with some adaptations, can be used.
Because the BUR is thought to be constantly changing, there is always a mismatch between supply (what the building can offer) and demand (what the organisation needs). This mismatch must be managed in order to create the best possible fit between the building and the user organisation.
To manage the mismatches, one has to consider planning and decision-making under uncertainty. An understanding of the direction and the future on the demand side (the user organisation), as well as a strategy for developing the supply side (the building) must be developed. The interface between the two has to be managed in a long-term perspective. In order to deal with this, a strategic way of managing the mismatch is chosen, and the Strategic Approach to adaptability is based on a strategic iterative decision-making process. The metaphor of design has been used to explore and explain the iterative decision-making process, which is based on interaction between the phases of awareness, analysis, and action.
The main ingredients in the Strategic Approach are:
1. A “mindset”, which is a way of thinking about changes in the Building – User Relationship. This mindset includes knowledge about organisations and buildings and how they change and affect each other.
2. Strategic, iterative decision-making based on a process of awareness, analysis, and action. This decision-making process can be applied in different situations. Two situations of special relevance to the Building – User Relationship have been described in this work: The management of BUR mismatches, which is the continuous process of adapting buildings and user organisations to each other, and the Strategic Approach used in the building’s life cycle, from initiative concept, programming, design, and construction, to use and operation.
3. Some tools can be applied within the strategic decision-making process to aid decision-making. For ex. assess uncertainty, for financial analysis, to anticipate the future, to evaluate buildings, to structure planning processes, for visualising, or for problem solving. In this work, two tools have been described in detail: scenarios and layering.
4. Measures are actual solutions that can be applied (a) to the building, (b) to the use of buildings, or (c) in finance and contracts, to enhance adaptability. Actual measures are outside the scope of this work, where the main focus is on strategic decision-making and the Building – User Relationship. They are, however, mentioned when appropriate, i.e. in the description of design strategies and of layering.
This study is mostly explorative, and an interpretative research approach has been used. This means that concepts and theories have been developed during the enquiry. An iterative research process with empirical and theoretical studies was used. The research instruments were interviews, workshops, and case studies, as well as a final example case, which is used to demonstrate the Strategic Approach in practice.
4 cases are presented: Dagbladet, a major retrofit process of a building complex with several buildings of different ages, which focused on a layered and phased retrofit process. Gjensidige, a new corporate headquarters for a large insurance company, which in its new building focused on strategic decisions and end-user involvement.
Office XX, an experimental building with technical solutions that encourages flexibility and give possibilities for easy assembly and disassembly of the building or parts of it. And finally K-bank’s new headquarters, Colosseum Park, which was developed as a commercial multi-purpose office building.
The Strategic Approach is finally applied to an example, in order to show how it could have been used in practice. A description of the real sequence of events is compared to an idealised version of the example; a simulation of the Strategic Approach used in the Consultants Inc. project”. The study shows that Consultants Inc. might have benefited from using the approach. The next step will, however, be to test the Strategic Approach in a pilot case and monitor the long-term effects on adaptability and BUR mismatches.
The main results from this work have been:
- That a Strategic Approach based on an understanding of the dynamics in the Building-User Relationship, and a strategic decision-making process has been developed, as well as some tools and methods which can be applied within a Strategic Approach. Some of this is developed in this project. Other issues are based on previous works, but used within the framework, the Strategic Approach developed in this project.
- That a Strategic Approach has been shown to be important and necessary to improve adaptability in office buildings.
Despite longstanding interest in the issue of adaptability, there has been very little research into the motives and obstacles to constructing more adaptable buildings, particularly from the perspective of the stakeholders involved in the building development process. The purpose of this study was to explore the reasons why more buildings are not constructed to be more adaptable, first through a review of the literature and then through interviews with industry stakeholders in the UK, including architects, developers, engineers, property agents and local authority planners. The literature review and stakeholder interviews revealed a wide range of motives for constructing for adaptability, such as a desire to reduce life cycle costs, to produce ‘future-proof’ buildings, and to ensure that buildings are easier to sell and let. However, the literature and interviews also revealed many obstacles to creating more adaptable buildings, including an assumption that adaptability always costs more, a lack of life cycle costing, uncertainty about the benefits of adaptability, fragmentation between industry stakeholders and short-term development models. The research highlighted the need to develop a better understanding of the costs and benefits of developing more adaptable buildings so that industry stakeholders can make more informed decisions about their buildings under conditions of uncertainty.
In 1991, a group of eight companies, four from the UK and four Scandinavian, formed a working agreement to explore the workplace needs of user organizations and find integrated commonsense solutions to meet these evolving needs. So the Learning Building Group (LBG) was formed. Towards the end of 1991 the LBG commissioned research with the following objectives: to establish new workplace development processes and solutions which meet current and changing business needs; and to establish the feasibility, costs and benefits of processes and solutions. This review identified that new concepts were required for the procurement and production of buildings, as well as for the buildings' design. Discusses some of the proposals which emanated from "The Workplace Design Priorities" study led by Wes McGregor, of Cochrane McGregor. This study was one of three parallel studies commissioned by the LBG ‐ the others being "Technical Priorities" and "Cost Benefits" ? the conclusions of which lead to the realization that there is a future, and it is called the learning building.
Explores the richness of meaning that has grown up around the service concept in the management literature. Examines the subtleties which arise when "service" is used to denote industries, outcomes and processes, and explores more specific service concepts, such as the quality of service encounters and service experiences. Concludes that many of the concept's ambiguities relate to the use of the word "service" and shifts of meaning which result. Indicates that there are clear dichotomies between providers' and customers' views of "service". Parallel dichotomies can be found between the delivery and consumption of "core services" and the emotional/hedonic dimensions of service performance. Discusses the importance of these and suggests ideas for the marketing and management of services. In addition, develops a broad structural framework with which these ideas can be linked and identifies a number of new avenues of research.
Purpose
The importance of adaptability in office buildings has increased during the past years, mostly due to factors like rapid change, both in private and public organisations, new and innovative work place design and growing environmental concerns about building redundancy.
Design/methodology/approach
The research design of the study presented here is a comparative case study, where recently built office buildings by 11. Norwegian real estate developers are assessed with regard to 16 different adaptability measures.
Findings
The study shows that office buildings built by owner‐occupiers are more adaptable than office buildings built by the group who develop property for renting and management, and considerably more than the office buildings built by the group who develop property for sale to investors. A short‐term perspective on property investment, i.e. that of the group who develop property for sale to investors, does not favour adaptability concerns. A long‐term perspective as well as a use‐value perspective on property investment, i.e. that of the owner‐occupier stakeholder group, on the other hand, do favour adaptability in office buildings.
Research limitations/implications
Whether this research can help making buildings more adaptable, depends on whether the real estate customers, i.e. the users, they who pay for using the office building, understand the value of adaptability and are willing to pay the extra cost of adaptability. The building professions, including the real estate developers, claim that they know how to make office buildings adaptable.
Originality/value
The value of this paper may lie in demonstrating that this knowledge is not used in practice.
A new hospital building represents a rare opportunity to align the physical environment of healthcare with contemporary healthcare needs and models of healthcare delivery to help ensure optimal health outcomes. The effectiveness of interaction between project stakeholders from the hospital and design teams during the briefing process of any hospital project is critical in ensuring this alignment occurs. Therefore it is important to explore the process of knowledge sharing during this project briefing stage. Using thematic content analysis to explore communication exchanges between these project stakeholders, we show that knowledge exchanged during the briefing process is acquired not only explicitly but implicitly through social processes whereby participants attempt to socially construct a common understanding of the project. In particular, the importance of constructive conflict in driving this process is critical. This has implications for health planners, project managers, facilities managers and health professions engaged in the briefing process of hospital projects. In particular, it highlights the importance of providing the correct environment and enough time for culturally conducive social interaction and knowledge sharing to occur between the many stakeholders involved.
Drawing on a literature review and an explorative case study of the interaction between parties during the production phase, this paper traces the potential of design brief documents to act as information carriers during the design and production phases in construction. Background and driving forces, as well as observations during project meetings are examined. Focus is on the decision-making process and the formulation of requirements that led to the brief, which then is compared with the client’s satisfaction with the outcome of the building process. It is concluded that expectations of the parties about how a brief document should be formulated to encourage innovation and change are significant aspects in the development of design briefs.
Case studies are frequently used in industrial network research. In this article, we discuss the difficulties and opportunities characterizing the case study approach. In particular, we deal with single case research aiming at theory development. For this purpose, we suggest an approach based on ‘systematic combining’ grounded in an ‘abductive’ logic.
The goal was to identify practical, cost-effective, design-related strategies for "future-proofing" the buildings of a major Australian health department.
Many health buildings become obsolete before the end of their effective physical lives, requiring extensive reconfiguration or replacement. This study sought to move beyond the oft-used buzzword flexibility to seek effective strategies to accommodate future change (future-proofing) that could be further explored in Australia and other developed countries.
A systematic literature review compiled definitions of flexibility and adaptability from a range of sources. Nineteen case studies were identified that illustrated various future-proofing strategies. A matrix was developed to classify different approaches to flexibility and then used to assess the case studies.
Analysis was hampered by inconsistent use of terminology and limited availability of quantifiable methods for assessing the long-term success of approaches to future-proofing. Several key strategies were identified, classified, and discussed in terms of their relevance and application.
More rigorous definitions of flexibility, adaptability, and related terms are needed to enable more useful comparisons of the strategies implemented to future-proof health projects. Local conditions often affect both the strategies adopted and the degree to which they can be considered successful. Many of the case studies analyzed in this research were not operational long enough to enable assessment of their claims of being future-proofed. Therefore, review of lifetime facility costs, including the service life periods of major facility components, should be considered, and some older projects should be evaluated in terms of these criteria.
This paper analyzes the dynamics relating to flexibility in a hospital project context. Three research questions are addressed: (1) When is flexibility used in the life cycle of a project? (2) What are the stakeholders' perspectives on project flexibility? And (3) What is the nature of the interaction between flexibility in the process of a project and flexibility in terms of the characteristics of a building?
Flexibility is discussed from both a project management point of view and from a hospital architecture perspective. Flexibility in project life cycle and from a stakeholder perspective is examined, and the interaction between flexibility in scope lock-in and building flexibility is investigated.
The results are based on case studies of four Norwegian hospital projects. Information relating to the projects has been obtained from evaluation reports, other relevant documents, and interviews. Observations were codified and analyzed based on selected parameters that represent different aspects of flexibility.
One of the cases illustrates how late changes can have a significant negative impact on the project itself, contributing to delays and cost overruns. Another case illustrates that late scope lock-in on a limited part of the project, in this case related to medical equipment, can be done in a controlled manner. Project owners and users appear to have given flexibility high priority. Project management teams are less likely to embrace changes and late scope lock-in. Architects and consultants are important for translating program requirements into physical design. A highly flexible building did not stop some stakeholders from pushing for significant changes and extensions during construction.
The design, construction, and occupation of a sustainable built environment have been the focus of much research over recent years. Most notably, the focus has been on the modelling and prediction of energy use and carbon production during the design process together with the monitoring of carbon emissions during occupation. A second focus has highlighted the influence of occupant behaviour on carbon emissions. However, this overlooks the complex social interactions which together produce the built environment. There is room for seeking to unpack the social production of (un)sustainable buildings from design through construction to commissioning. These buildings significantly set the agenda for the behaviour of occupants whatever their level of carbon consciousness. In this paper we use the practices and role of property agents in the commercial property market as a window on the social production of (un)sustainable buildings.
Purpose
– This paper seeks to set out a series of criteria through which the sustainability of commercial property can be assessed. It is part of a wider research project that addresses sustainability as a set of investment risks and is seeking to specify these risks and incorporate them within commercial property investment appraisals.
Design/methodology/approach
– The paper draws on existing literature to establish a series of sustainability criteria and then uses focus groups and interviews with industry operators to establish the relevance and potential significance of each criteria to property investment worth.
Findings
– The research is focused on the investment performance of commercial property. The findings in the paper are thus driven by a strong economic imperative and the criteria focus on factors within the control of the investor‐owner. The research also reflects the views of a small group of industry operators. However, it sets out a practical set of sustainability criteria, reviewed by industry experts, against which the performance of any commercial property can be assessed.
Originality/value
– The paper provides a set of sustainability criteria that are relevant to the performance of property as an operational asset and an investment asset. This will enable market operators to begin to address sustainability within the commercial property stock from a market‐based perspective reflecting the economic imperative that drives the industry. The focus on the investment sector differentiates the work from studies that look at sustainability more broadly as a qualitative issue.
Construction projects attract interest from various stakeholders who express needs and expectations about the project. These are often in conflict with each other and it is unlikely that all of them can be fulfilled. The stakeholder management process involves evaluating the needs and expectations of stakeholders in relation to the main objectives of the project. An important basis for this evaluation is stakeholder analysis. The approach is based upon established theory, knowledge of stakeholder management and empirical data. The analysis consists of a stakeholder impact index to determine the nature and impact of stakeholder influence, the probability of stakeholders exercising their influence and each stakeholder's position in relation to the project—are they proponents or opponents? The analysis of the stakeholder impact index can help project managers to formalize a stakeholder management process.
An understanding of the importance of language as a symbolic artefact, particularly with reference to metaphor, has been little addressed within the nursing literature. Consequently, the potential richness of people's accounts may be missed. Data from a study which explored the nature of hospice work and nurses' experiences of professional and personal bereavements are used to illustrate the different understanding which an exploration of metaphor can bring to research. Meanings of metaphor and its role in language are initially presented before drawing on data concerned with the emotional aspects of hospice work. Root metaphors of emotion are identified and examples from nurses' accounts indicate how nurses draw on these metaphors to articulate their experiences. The strategies nurses employ to continue working within the hospice culture are identified both practically in their work and metaphorically in the language they use.
Flexibility: beyond the buzzword-practical findings from a systematic literature review