Adaptability is defined as having the capacity to be modified for a new use or purpose; the quality of being able to adjust to new conditions.
Adaptability in a space can have many venues and effects depending on the intent of its flexibility. This thesis will explore several methods of adaptability in design in context with a Makerspace, a community space which functions to provide the facilities and work environment for a variety of creators to use.
In a building typology, a Makerspace with a large variety of users, the ability for the spaces to be informed by and reactive to each individual user is imperative to its objective. The approach to exploring adaptable design solutions is in analyzing the potential makers occupying the space, what their specific needs are and how can architectural designs become flexible in a way that allows the Makers to craft their own work environments.
The primary objectives of this thesis are to:
1. Explore some of the various definitions of adaptability and how those meanings can be incorporated into design solutions
2. Identify spaces in the project that can be adapted for their specific purpose
3. Determine the methods of adaptability suited to the building typology and its users
4. Discuss adaptable design in terms of fixed and kinetic characteristics
5. Design spaces that are responsive to the site, the project's purpose and the unique needs of each user.
The site of the project is located on the 500 block of South Broadway Street, Baltimore MD in the upper Fells Point district. Site dimensions are roughly 55' by 200' of infill space between surrounding retail and residential properties. This site was chosen to accommodate a Makerspace as it is central to Baltimore city's three major arts districts (Bromo, Highlandtown, and Station North Arts Districts) and could be considered a hub where local makers convene and establish a work space for a period of time that has the specific equipment and environment they require. / Master of Architecture / Adaptability is defined as having the capacity to be modified for a new use or purpose; the quality of being able to adjust to new conditions. This thesis explores ways in which architectural design can be adaptable. To have the quality of being able to adjust to new conditions, in this case the people that will use the space and the purpose of the spaces.
Baltimore city is home to a large variety of local artists and creators working on their craft. The three major arts districts in the city, Bromo, Highlandtown, and Station North cultivate a community of people that create and consume artistic and innovative projects. In order to most successfully create, an artist should have access to a work environment that is not a hindrance but an asset to their process. The arts community of Baltimore could greatly benefit from a place that offers suitable work environments to a community which does not typically have a designated place.
This thesis uses the building type: Makerspace which is a facility used as a tool for creators or "makers" to enter with an idea and facilitate a project. A makerspace can provide access to communal equipment that would otherwise be expensive for the individual maker to own, private and/or public work spaces to use for the maker's individual needs and a sense of community.
The Makerspace was chosen as the vessel for exploration into adaptable design because of the nature of the building's purpose. The people that will inhabit and use the spaces will have a variety of specific needs in a work space. I wanted to explore how the designs of spaces could become flexible to accommodate those specific needs.
The primary objectives of this thesis are to:
1. Explore some of the various definitions of adaptability and how those meanings can be incorporated into design solutions
2. Identify spaces in the project that can be adapted for their specific purpose
3. Determine the methods of adaptability suited to the building typology and its users
4. Discuss adaptable design in terms of fixed and kinetic characteristics
5. Design spaces that are responsive to the site, the project's purpose and the unique needs of each user.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/103638 |
| Date | 02 June 2021 |
| Creators | Rapavi, Paulina E. |
| Contributors | Architecture, Jones, James R., Galloway, William U., Regan, Deidre |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | ETD, application/pdf |
| Rights | In Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
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