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Baumschlager & Eberle's design works can be characterized as typological, regional, tectonic and highly crafted, using both modern and traditional technology. Their work provides a reference for study, the findings of which may bridge the gap between Open Building research and theory on one hand, and the skillful architectural practice on the other. This paper analyzes their conceptual and methodological approaches. It concludes that the quality of architectural work relies on the interpretation of the particular social, cultural and technological conditions of the specific place in which a building is situated. They generated an open plan typology and operable façade systems to deal with changing needs of the users and even any uncertainty in the design and construction process. They conceptually and technically divided a building into five separate systems according to different life spans of materials, to accommodate a diversity and change of needs, and at same time maintain the long lasting and sustainable structure including the façade. The buildings they designed are the product of their unique design management, which aimed at motivating all the people involved in the building process, without undermining the role of the architectural profession.

Each person in Hong Kong produces three times more waste than that of Singapore. This is because a large portion of the waste in Hong Kong is from the construction sector. Re-decoration work carried out by dwellers in Hong Kong is one of the major sources of the construction and demolition waste. Development of flexible reusable infill systems with high recycling potential is significant. A number of these systems are currently used, mainly in public and commercial buildings. They may have potential to be applied in residential buildings in the future.

This paper starts with an introduction to the infill systems applied in open building history. It then points out the need to investigate the development of infill processes by integrating infill products available in the market. The paper further introduces current open building studies on reusability of infill systems and addresses the problem that there is a lack of quantitative information on embodied energy and other environmental impacts of infill systems.

In the methodology section the paper describes five types of partition walls selected, ranging from low flexibility to high flexibility. Applying an evaluation model for environmental impact, the paper analyzes embodied energy intensity, and environmental impacts of each partition systems in two simulated situations. One is in a two room unit of a public housing prototype and the other is in private apartment. It concludes that partition walls with higher flexibility are highly intensive in their embodied energy. In other environmental impacts, especially recycling potential, flexible partition wall panels exceed that of conventional block-work partitions. The study will enable more complete information to be obtained concerning the environmental impact of infill components and will assist architects and other building professional wisely apply open building design concepts.

Decision Making for Flexibility in Housing

Habraken points out that the architectural studio failed to bring students to basic questions in the architecture of everyday environments. Till criticizes that in a studio, it is only the professional value represented by the teachers that prevails. To investigate the reasons of the allegation, this paper introduces a learning model defined by David A. Kolb, in which a learning process consists of two dimensional movements: i.e., prehension (concrete experiences vs. abstract conceptualization) and transformation (reflection and experiment). The paper then inquires into Schön's observation in the studio learning mode characterized as reflection-in-action. It is found that this studio is mainly dealing with the transformation dimension, and prehension dimension is either suppressed or represented by the teacher's experiences and conceptions. The paper discovers that the cause of problems raised by Habraken and Till is the inherent lack of substance in the prehension dimension.

The paper assesses a studio programme in which the basic questions of built environment were systematically introduced. It analyzes the students' reactions and performance in line with students' learning styles found using Kolb's Learning Style Inventory (LSI). It suggests that the students' learning activities are more diversified than what Schön could perceive. There is a possibility to adapt students' personal experience and abstract conceptualization which may play into the studio. By enhancing diversity of learning styles rather than letting one's learning style (reflection-in-action) prevail, the studio may become a platform in which students may learn from each other.

Although an important facet of modernist architecture in which function plays a prominent role, building flexibility is not entirely a new concept. Its relevance transcends generations, allowing space and structure to evolve through time. This paper investigates the relationship among main building structures, infill elements, and space by studying examples in ancient Chinese architecture. It reveals the role of building owners, users, and craftsmen from a survey of historical documentation. In studying these examples, it is concluded that craftsmen in ancient China were involved not only during the construction phase but throughout the period of use as well. Thus, in select cases, the relationship between craftsmen and owners or users had been preserved for generations. Finally, this paper suggests potential strategies for the building industry and technology in the move towards sustainable development.

The paper tries to compare the qualitative difference between professional and pragmatic design solutions in self-built houses. Self-built houses are defined here as permanently constructed houses in urban context, generally used as the primary shelter of the users belonging to middle income group, and most likely to be constructed under own informal management and own investment. The study starts with the question why pragmatic solutions seem to be more effective than professional decisions in self-built houses, even though state regulations try to engage architects in housing decisions. This study adopts ethnographic method to find the implicit reasons behind pragmatic decisions during initial as well as different stages of transformations in the houses, and suggests how professional decisions might become more effective when it is molded with the subjective values of users. It also suggests that knowing these values can be one basic way to bring architects closer to these users, and let architects play social as well as professional role in a field which has not been explored much by architectural practitioners throughout architectural history.

Halfway through the first decade of the 21st century, expectation of the future and historical nostalgia co-exist. This tacit uncertainty is compounded by the painfully explicit fact that, in both architectural practice and education, theory and experimental application are awash in confusion.

CLIMATE CHANGE ETHICS – navigating the Perfect moral Storm

CLIMATE CHANGE ETHICS – navigating the Perfect moral Storm

Unlike the building forms, technology, and materials of today, the traditional Korean architecture represents an example of flexible building forms in history. Investigating and studying this type of architecture not only can contribute to the reform of architectural history by understanding how ordinary buildings change over time and how they interact with people but also may suggest the possibility of, and methodology for developing long-lasting and sustainable mass housing in Korea and in Asian cities. The first part of the paper demonstrates the structural, spatial, and functional flexibilities of traditional Korean architecture. The second part investigates the construction system, including the organization of builders and the regulations governing the relationship with the residents. Its systematic construction approach is associated with the specialization of construction and standardization and prefabrication of elements, facilitating the easy replacement and reuse of building materials. The paper is based on a research methodology of integrating historical archives and case studies. The main argument posited here is that knowledge and skill of traditional construction of flexibility suggest conceptual strategies to improve current housing design and construction in order to obtain a sustainable future.