EXPLORING FUNCTION ADAPTABILITY AND FLEXIBILITY IN ARCHITECTURE – CASE STUDY OF A HOUSING VERTICAL

Abstract

Adaptability and flexibility are popular and wide spread terms when discussing architecture, as well as desirable characteristics of a space. When it comes to housing, Modern Movement has particularly theorized, practiced and underlined the essential need of a space to be adaptable and flexible. However, how can we test if a space indeed possesses these qualities internally, and avoid the mistake of assigning these traits without any experimental confirmation? This paper revolves around a case study of a housing building in Novi Sad (Serbia) where seven apartments placed in the same vertical have been explored. The aim is to test whether the primary spatial layout (IMS system grid) had the possibility to evolve over time, having in mind the hypothesis that different dwellings include different users/family structures that have developed diverse habits, lifestyles and needs. The research method was both analysis and synthesis (firstly, analysis of selected units as examples, and then synthesis in form of intercomparison and conclusions). The case study method has been conducted through interviews with the tenants, current state documentation, and ultimately, graphically represented through diagrams. The analysis focused not only on the adaptability and flexibility of the room/function layout, but on the program openness/closedness, change in square footage and corridors (stiffness/fluidity of connecting spaces and door disposition changes). The results conclude that the original structure is adaptable and flexible, since all seven apartments tested differ from each other considerably. This means that through the exploitation, the users have used the flexibility and adaptability assets of the space to further develop the existing housing framework, and that, consequentially, apartment structures correspond to the family structure.