INSTITUTIONS OF TRANSFORMATION

The multiple stages of a building’s lifespan must have a voice in any future adaptive reuse endeavor.

In order to envision the future, we must examine not only the past but also the unintentional ‘ghost spaces’ associated with the loss of the original function. The ‘ghost spaces’ provide insight into the transformational nature of a changing program.

The path of a future architectural trajectory must evolve simultaneously with the study of the past in order to create architecture that is appropriate for the present. Only by recognizing critical events in both the past and present timeline can we root the building in the present in an ethical manner. The peaks and valleys along a buildings timeline represent epochs in the transformative motion-like nature of the built environment. These epochs represent significant nodes on the timeline of a buildings overall effectiveness.

Establishing guidelines for design that take future program into account is key to creating adaptable buildings that can survive once their original program has ceased to exist.