RESILIENT MODULES Adaptable housing and modular timber construction

Abstract

Architecture and the building industry play major roles in our pursuit of a more sustainable future. With the built environment generating 39% of the annual global CO2 emissions, the impact on ecological sustainability is unquestioned. But architecture also has a direct impact on social sustainability, with how design can promote health, well-being and equality. New alternatives to established methods and strategies need to be evaluated in search for a way forward. This thesis investigates the combination of two fields, commonly labeled and suggested as practical responses to the call for sustainability within architecture and the built environment; - Adaptable housing strategies, in terms of socially sustainable layouts capable of responding to changing needs and demands. What we design today is typically focusing on highly specific contemporary programs and preferences. But with this strategy in a world of continuous change, we are leaving out future users. Adaptable housing strategies can respond to changes in needs for an individual household, as it grows and shrinks over time, but also accommodate needs of different types of households and be resilient to our inevitable social, cultural and demographic developments over time. - Prefabricated timber modules, as an environmentally sustainable construction method, in terms of a renewable material combined with energy-efficient prefabrication in a controlled environment off-site. Fewer hours spent on building site and better control of processes leading to less material waste and reduced energy consumption. The thesis investigates and highlights dynamics, possibilities and limitations in a merge of these two fields. Increasing knowledge on potential alternatives for sustainable residential architecture. The aim is a design proposal of adaptable apartments, built with a system of a prefabricated, volumetric timber modules, and combined into a multi-storey residential building.