The Importance Of Adaptation In Architecture

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2.1 Introduction
As new demands for comfort emerged in buildings during the 1970's, adaptation concepts became more prevalent. The term adaptation is mentioned in architecture to describe the process performed by systems in which specific properties of a building are changed within a specific time frame in order to manage changing environmental conditions or occupant's demands. The environment is in a constant flux over time and space, thus there is a need to accommodate and manage the environmental changes for the occupant's satisfaction. For example, "an ideal cladding system would have quite different thermal and optical properties at different times of the day and night, at different outdoor temperature conditions, and in summer and winter" [Gregory 1986].
Three categories can be defined for the performance level of adaptation based on the dimension of change and the functional features of each category, as illustrated in Figure 2.1: (a) flexible adaptation - 2D change of surface orientation; (b) transformable adaptation - 3D change of spatial configuration; and (c) responsive adaptation - 4D change of time and space. The proposed classification aims to reduce the overlap of adaptation definitions found in literature (e.g. Lelieveld 2007), as well as it emphasizes the importance of the dimension of changes to define each adaptation category.
Brief elaborations on the adaptation categories are presented in Table 2.1. The table presents variables, attributes, and featuring elements of each category; it also classifies exemplary and representative projects in literature based on the proposed classification. Further details on some of the representative projects are specified in section 2.6.

Flexible
2D change: referring t...

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...ft: Mangrove habitat, Dominican Republic. Right: the deposition of salt in the form of crystals on older leaves close to falling.
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2.5.2. Morphological
Morphological adaptation is a structural feature that enhances the adjustment of organisims to their particular environment and enables better performance for survival purposes. Various structural features influence living systems adaptation, among which are size, form, colour and pattern. The special form of stem, sma and thin leaves, and extensive root system, are a good example for morphological adaptation among desert plants (Figure 2.5). Such stems allow for water storage and self-shading ability, small leaves reduce water loss while the extensive root system

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