The Journal of Architecture

Adapting to change in theory and practice | Deljana Iossifova & Doreen Bernath

Architecture plays a critical role in accommodating the rapidly changing patterns of everyday life, especially in the face of uncertain social, economic, environmental, and technological shifts. For instance, fluid notions of what constitutes a home necessitate not only re-evaluation of learned norms and standards concerning room layouts and sizes but also re-invention of ways of living and environmental adaptations. Additionally, as climate change drives up temperatures, architects reconsider the principles of ‘vernacular’ architecture and the matrix of performative assessment. Our sense of togetherness from the personal to the planetary is so rapidly transitioning that, borrowing Félix Guattari’s terms, adaptation and sense of responsibility in mental and social ecologies are required. These factors collectively shape how people choose to live under increasingly uncertain conditions, ultimately influencing the design rationales and choices made by architects and builders. In turn, it becomes necessary to challenge and adjust the assumed criteria and modes of evaluation at play in the specific frameworks that determine our physical environment at large. CONTINUE READING