Understanding housing design in urban areas through adaptability and flexibility assessment

ABSTRACT

Housing adaptability and flexibility are constant themes in scientific literature. Technological advancements and shrinking urban spaces have led to new design proposals in architecture. However, evaluating housing solutions and contributing to projects can be challenging. The main objective of this study is to develop a framework for evaluating housing adaptability and flexibility. The framework is based on Adaptability and Flexibility Indexes and is performed using BIM and Dynamo plugin. The indexes are calculated using Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Adaptability and flexibility are mainly related to dimensions, hierarchy, and circulation of housing design. Additionally, the use of multi-criteria methods in architecture can aid in understanding the subject. It is important to note adaptability and flexibility must be worked together to achieve the maximum potential of housing.

KEYWORDS:

• Adaptability; flexibility
• transformation
• housing
• dynamo

Acknowledgments

We thank the Center for Studies in Architecture and Urbanism (CEAU) and the research group Architecture and Modes of Inhabiting (AMH) for all their support.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - Brasil (CAPES).