Centro de Território, Ambiente e Construção
Escola de Engenharia da Universidade do Minho
Campus de Azurém
4800-058 Guimarães, Portugal
Phone: + 351 253 510 200 (517 206)
Fax: + 351 253 510 217
Email: geral@ctac.uminho.pt
@JournalArticle {2974, title = {Assessing buildings{\textquoteright} adaptability at early design stages}, journal = {IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science}, volume = {225}, year = {2019}, month = {2019-02-05 00:00:00}, pages = {14}, publisher = {IOP Publishing}, address = {Brussels, Belgium}, abstract = {Buildings should be able to change and be adaptable according to newer requirements; otherwise, premature demolition can occur. The adaptability or lack of it in buildings affects the environment, society, and economy. If existing buildings are better-taken care of and re-used, their life expectancy extends, and fewer resources are used. Flexible and adaptable buildings enable not just recycling and reusing existing buildings, they allow upcycle of these buildings into urban regeneration projects. Additionally, buildings{\textquoteright} early design phases are critical for their sustainability. If adequate measures are taken at these stages, sustainability concerns are overcome in a much easier, faster, economical, and efficient way. This paper
}, keywords = {adaptability, Buildings, early design, Flexibility, Sustainability}, issn = {1755-1307}, doi = { https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/225/1/012012}, url = {https://www.bamb2020.eu/post/summary-bamb-final-event/}, author = {Andrade, J. B. and Bragan{\c c}a, L.} }
describes the importance of addressing sustainable criteria during early design, with special attention to adaptability criteria. Based on the concept of open building and aiming to promote ease of dismantling and adjustability, the evaluation proposed comprises two sub-indicators: flexibility provision and (ii) adaptability capacity. The first accounts for design strategies to accommodate change, through the transformation capacity. The second aims to quantify the availability of space to be changed and adapted according to the occupiers{\textquoteright} needs, following the open building concept by accounting the built area available to be transformed. By considering these aspects at the early design, it is possible to obtain buildings that live longer with lower environmental impact. Higher transformation ability means buildings can easier accommodate new requirements; greater disassembly potential can be achieved enabling replacement, reuse or recycling for the buildings{\textquoteright} materials and components, thus promoting buildings{\textquoteright} sustainability and resilience.
The Centre for Territory, Environment and Construction (CTAC) is a research unit of the School of Engineering of University of Minho (UMinho), recognised by the “FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia” (Foundation for Science and Technology), associated to the Department of Civil Engineering (DEC), with whom it shares resources and namely human resources.
Currently CTAC aggregates 24 researchers holding a PhD of which 20 are faculty professors of the Civil Engineering Department. Read more
Centro de Território, Ambiente e Construção
Escola de Engenharia da Universidade do Minho
Campus de Azurém
4800-058 Guimarães, Portugal
Phone: + 351 253 510 200 (517 206)
Fax: + 351 253 510 217
Email: geral@ctac.uminho.pt