October 11th Ephemerality/Impermanency & Longevity and Flexibility.

Today in class we were introduced to ephemerality or impermanency, which are defined as the quality or state of lasting for a short time however; longevity (another theme we were introduced to) is the state of lasting a long time. This links to architecture, as designers we often believe our creations will last forever, but buildings and interiors change through time, they become unrecognisable and go through numerous uses which shows how flexibility is needed to adapt Interior architecture is not just about being inside it is about changing what exists. ‘The secret lives of buildings’ the idea of buildings being passed down from generation to generation is compared to a folktales, which exist not because they are preserved but because they are altered by time. One of the stories from this book is the purple room, describes a space that changes over the span of generations, a clear image of the space is conjured in our minds which was interesting to me as I often believe the best way to construct a space is to draw it yet, here it was done through writing.

Books I read to further understand Ephemerality/Impermanency & Longevity and Flexibility.

I then read ‘How Buildings Learn: What happens after they’re built’ where the author describes how Frank Duffy identified four layers in a building, “Shell, Services, Scenery and Set.” Shell is the structure, which will last the lifetime of the building; services are the cables, plumbing, lifts etc. They will be replaced every 15 years or so. Scenery is the layout, which changes every 5 or 7 years and set is the shifting furniture, which is constantly changing. (Bran, 1997 p.12) I found this analogy extremely interesting as it showed how “a building properly conceived is several layers of longevity of built components” (Bran, 1997 p.12) I began to think about what these ideas mean, how do I see myself in them and how do they relate to body and space? Buildings are like my human body, a circulating system that work in unity to constantly change, adapt and grow. In this sense we can feel these ideas even though they are not tangible.

Diagrams from 'How Buildings Learn: What happens after they're built'

References:

Brand, S. (1997). How Buildings Learn: what happens after they’re built, Phoenix.