The long view: Architectural Education on Open Building 1

Abstract

At stake in architectural education are the issues of individualization and change through space and time. On the one hand, to ensure that a building will remain viable for as long as the physical structure stands, it has to be flexible and adaptable enough to accommodate changes of uses, circumstances, and as many as unforeseeable matters as possible, arising from the building’s service period. On the other hand, if pluralism is the word characterizing the diversity of human conceptions and behaviors, then buildings are completed through human interactions and everyday use. Indeed, people collectively and individually look for opportunities to change and adapt to their environment. In other words, architects design settlements to meet user needs, which vary by user and through time. Consequently, in order to serve present and future occupants, and to meet sustainability requirements, a building must be designed to accommodate change.