Flexibility as a Device

7/26/2019 Flexibility as a Device

1/9

Flexibility

as a Device

Monique Eleb Vidal

nne M ar ie Chatelet

Thi erry

Mandoul

Now

that the flexible years have passed,

in which

any

discou rse on

housing

had to refer to the

pro

bl em of

flexibility, after the

disappointments

and the

ensuing

harsh

criticisms

, one might have

though that flexi

b ility

had ceased

to

be a topical s

ub

ject.'

The

theory of

flexi-

bility

with

the brico eur occupant, devoted to constantly

tran

sforming

the

in

terior of the

home according

to

his

lastes

and

needs, seemed apparently to

be

a

fragile

bait. Nevertheless, the

dominan

idea

of

flexib

ilit

y is

still

as valid

today

as

in

1977 when

Alan

Colquhoun stress-

ed : "the demands of

modern

life

are

so complex

and

changeable

that

all attempts on the part

of

architects to

ant icipate them resul t in a

building

inadequa

te

for its

function".

In

this sense, and

taking up again

the

work carr

ied out

in recen decades

regarding

the

subject

, today some

projects once again advocate the expediency of examin-

ing

the

concept of

flexibility

in

dep

th

,

in terms of both

the use

of

the

home

and

of

the techniques and process-

es of

prod

uction involved.

This research is not

lim it

ed on

ly to

the simple shi fting

of

partition wall

s

but

also

includ

es

new

technical

solutions

regarding cons tr uc tion . The structures

that

support

bu

i ldings

have been redefin

ed,

as

well

as

traditional

pr

incipies

of

the

dist

r

ibution of

installations.

2

Many

professionals are aware that the new technolo -

gies and

the

media

will have an

increasingly

relevan

ro

l e to

pl ay in everyday

d

omestic life

,

altho

ugh f

ew

have

made

any design proposals on the subject. In fact.

most

architects emphasise the

diff icult

i

es and

the

dangers

involved in

prospecting in

this

field. One

of

the

reasons

for th

is reluctance

to anticipate so luti ons has

much to

do with

the permanence and

pr

e

dominance of

98

a

flexibilitat

coma

dispositiu

Passats els anys f lexib l

es"

en que qualsevo l di scurs sobre

l ' habitatge s'havia

de remetr

e al problema

de

la

flexibi

li

tat.

desprs de les decepcions i de les du res

crtiques

que han

t ingut lloc, s'hauria pogut pensar que la fl exibi litat havia de

deixar

de

ser un tema d 'actua l itat.

La teoria de la f lexibilitat

am b l 'hab ita nt brico eur ded icat a transfo

rma

r constantment

'interior de la seva casa d'acord amb els seus gustos i les seves

necessitats semblava apa rentmen t un esquer fragil.

No

obstant aixb, la

idea

dominant de la

fl exib

i litat encara

continua essent

vigen

t av ui , ta l co m ho indicava A. Colquhoun

l'any 1977: Les

exigencies

de la

vida

moderna sn ta n

complexes

i

canviants

que

tots

els

in t

e

nt

s d' ant

icipar-

les

per

part de l'a rqu ite cte comporten un

edifi

ci inadequat pe r a la seva

funci". En aq uest senti t , i si reprenem els t reball s

desenvo

l

upats

durant els decenn is precedents

sobre

aq uest

tema, av

ui alguns

projectes tornen

a reclamar la

conveniencia

d'aprofundir en el concepte de

flex

ibi li ta t, ta nt en la mateixa

util itzac i de l

'habitat

co m en les tecniques i els processos de

produ cc

i

que im p l ica

aquest

mateix concepte.

Aquesta investigaci no es limita no ms al

simp

l e

despla9ame nt d 'a lguns envans sin que ve acompanyada per

noves so lu

cio

ns tecniques relac ionades amb la mateixa

construcci.

Le s estructures

que

s

up

o

rt

en

els edificis sn

redefinides

aix, de l a mate ixa manera que els principis

tradicionals de d istribuci de les instal lacions.

2

Efectiva ment,

mo

lt professionals sn

conscients

que les noves

tecnologies i els m itjans de comu n icaci tindran un paper m s

destacat

en la vida quot idiana domestica, encara que han estat

pocs

els que

han in t

entat

abordar

fo

rmal

m

en

t

aques

t a

problematica.

La

ma

joria deis

arq

u

ite

ct es subratllen les dificu l

ta t

s i els per

il

ls

de

ter pro

spec

cions

en aquest ambit. Una de les ra ons d'aquest

rebuig a anticipar soluc ions t relaci

amb

la perman encia i


2/9

spatial

layouts of housing

in

relation

to

technologica

l

innovations.

Those

who

have examined th e subject are , in any case,

unan imous in recogn i

sing

the grea t f uture changes in

l

ifestyles which

wi l

l be

caused

by the in

t

roduction

of

new techno logy into the heme. This kind of reasoning

refers

ba ck to th e advent of

the first communication

med ia, suc h as

the

te levision and

the

hi-fi,

which

have

led

toa definite

chan ge

in the conduct of homes.

Thanks to the technological med ia (the te lephone, the

minitel the computer) the heme is rapidly becoming th e

p lace

of work. The development

of wo

rking

at heme ,

through modems

and

educational systems such as

the

open

universit y, poses fundamental questions f

rom

the

points o f view

not

only

of

spa ce and social and pro

fess

ional

areas,

but also

of l

egal

and economic areas,

and forces architects t o redefine the l i

mits

b etween

what is pr vate and what is public in the home .

The issue, therefor

e

is ene

of delimiting

this task wi th a

new,

architectural definiti

on

of the

heme

space.

In this sense, a clear goa l seems to be to re-examine the

usua l pr

inc

ipi es and to

disco

ver i n collec t

ive

hous in g

the qualities

of use found

in the

ind

iv idual heme.

'

In

every case,

the i

dea

of

the apartment

as I

oft,

the

place of all possib il ities ", emerges as the most sol d

basis

for

the project. The

"sma

ll

dimensions of most

of

today's pro jects

would

constitute the main

argument

in an attempt to salve the prob l

em of

the new habita .

Of course,

we

might ex

amine the difficulties

of appro

priation which occupants would encounter in extreme

cases where no partit ion is proposed". The most stri k

ing example of this might be that of the "empty space",

which

emerged

in the

seventies

asan op

timum pro

cess

of appropriat

ion,

allowing the

occupants

to freely create

their h eme interiors. Experience

has

preven that this

concept does not work.

Nevertheless,

a "realis

ti

c

flexibi li

t

y"

could be

proposed

around a number of fi xe d elements, such as the bath

rooms and toilets, the kitchen and the installations .

Concepts such as

"e

q

uippe

d walls",

partition wall

cupboards or the re-grouping of

serv

ice s are far f rom

re

vo l

utionary , but they

do make

it

possib

le to gain

surface

area in

social hous

in

g

and

t o show, thus, that

work on

housin

g involves

re-examining

, w ithout grandi

loquence, the articulation between uses, technics and

dis tribution.

5

am b el pr

edom

ini

de

les

orga

n itzacions espacia ls

de

l 'hab it at

ge

en

relaci amb

l

es in novac

i

ons tec

no l

ogiques.

En tot cas, aq

ue

ll s que

han

abor

dat

el t em a sn unan imes a

l ' hora de recone ixe r les grans t ransfo rm acions

futures

de

les

fo

r

mes

de

vi

da

que

la i

ntro

du cci

de

les noves

tecno log ies

ha

de pr

ovocar

en l' h abitatge .

Aquest

rao nament s la base de les seves preocupacions i remeta

l

'aparici

de is pr i

mers

m

it j ans

de

comun

icac i,

com

la

televisi i

les cadenes

d'a lta fidelitat. que han portat

definitivament els habitatges a una al t ra m ena de

comportament.

Gracies als m

it jans

tec n

ologics

(el te l

eton,

el min ite l ,

l' o rdi nador), el t rebal l se s

itu

a a l

'espai domestic.

El

dese

n

volupame

nt del

tr

eba ll en qest i l te letreba ll o

e l te leensenyament- planteja

qestio

ns fona m enta ls t

ant

des

del punt

de v ista de l 'espa i

com

de is

am b

i

ts

socia l i

prof essional , com tamb ju rdic i financer, i ob li ga el s

arq u itectes a redefin ir els l m

its

ent re els

am

b it s pr iva t i

pb li c en un h

abitatge

A ix ,

do

nes,

es tracta de de l imitar

aquesta t asca comu na

nova de finic i arq ui tect oni ca

de

l'espa i hab it at . En aquest

sentit ,

semb

l a q ue s ' ha im

posat

un obj ecti u evident :

rep lante jar e ls principis h

ab

it uals i t r

oba

r en l' habi t

atge

co l

lec

t iu les qua litats d'

s

que t robem als habitat ges

in di v

idu

al

s.

4

En tots els casos, la idea de l 'apart

am e

nt coma

o t

com

el l

loc

de t ots e ls possib les", es present a

com

la

base ms so lida

del

proj ecte.

Les "redu.ides d i

mensions

de la ma j oria de is projectes

act ua ls"

const

it u ira l'

argu

ment

principal

per in tent ar

so lu ci

onar

el pr

ob

lem a

de

l

no

u hab itat.

Evidentment , ens

podem

pla

ntejar les d if icu ltats

d'apropiac i am b q

ue

es p

odr

ien troba r els hab it ant s en e l

cas

extrem que

"no es p r

opos

i cap pa rt ici".

L'exemple

m s

destacat podria ser, potse r, el de 1

espa i bu i t", aparegut als

anys

seta

nta

com

un p rocs d'aprop iaci op tim

perqu

els

res

i

den

ts/usua ri s

poguess

in

crea

r

ll

iu r

ement

e ls i

nterio

rs

deis seus h

abita

t ges. L

'expe

ri encia va

de

m

os t

rar

que aquest

concepte era un tracas. Pero es podria p lant

eja

r una

fl

exib

i

l i tat

rea li st

a"

ent orn d'alg uns e lem ents fi xos, com

els san ita r is, la cu ina i l

es in

sta l

lacio

ns.

Concep

t

es com

els

de les parets

equ

ipades

",

els "envans-armari" o el

reag

r

upame

nt

deis

serve is

no

comporten

cap

revoluci,

pero permeten

guanya r su

per

f icie en l

'hab

ita t

ge

social i

demostrar d'aquesta

ma

nera que treba ll ar a la casa implica

un rep lante j

ament.

sense

grand

i loqencies, de l

'articulaci

ent re usos, t ecniques i d i

stri

buci .

5


3/9

Technica l Walls and Filte r

New

technology

relatad to structural devel

opments

and

to the field

of

installations

makes

it possible today to

define

the home asan absolutely open space, a horizon

tal plane

formed by

a

floor

of

"alv

eolar

slabs", allowing

the networks to

pass

through, resting on walls

concei

ved as "technical spaces

" ,

in which the

services are

condensed.

8

lndeed, considered as a specifica

lly

technical space, the

wall

is subjected

to particular

treatment.

This

idea

modi

fies the

arrangement

of the "services", which can be re

grouped

lineally on

either the party

walls or

the f a ~ a d e

wa

l ls.

In

this way

the

i nstallations

form

a

"serving"

th ickness a

ong

the

walls and

appear dissociated from

the rooms. lt is thus no longer possible to speak of bath

rooms:

the

toilets and washrooms become lined

up

in

the padding of the

"technical

wa

l

ls".

lt is a question, in fact, of

using

a structu ral element, the

function of

which

is clear,

and en

riching

its meaning.

The party wall and, in

a

more radical way, the f a ~ a d e

exist

of

necessity,

and

as supports for other needs, such

as installations,

become

multi

-functional in terms of

both the constr

uction

of the b uilding

and

the occupants'

use: bearing walls

and

parti t ions are enriched

by a

thickness

of

small cellars which may be penetrated by

light

and ai r

.

What

hitherto

had supported function

t h e

installa

t ion

- becomes

isolated

and

peripheral.

Conseq

uently

,

rooms

no

longar

need

to

be characterised in a concrete

way:

the ir role

may

be

undefined

,

while

the installations

are

regrouped in

an

attachment

unconnected

to the

su

rrounding extension.

The

hom

e is

no longer

fo rmed

from

a set of

rooms: it

is

a space

without functions

and wi thout

partitions,

a

un i

form space

destined,

in its neutrality, for habilitation. lt

is a

"space to

be conquered

.

Thus

, a

strong cont

rast

emerges between

what

is fixed

and

what is mobile, between the st r

uctur

e

and separa

tion by means of partitions. The construction and

the

services form

the

stable,

"i

mmobile

" part of the

dwe

lling, while th

e

partitions

slide

around in what is tempo

rary and movable:

on

the

one

hand,

the

"technical

walls

of specified

duration",

on the other, the "light

partitions

of

limited duration".

7

1

urs tecnics

fayanes

filtre

Les n

oves tecniques

relac

ionade

s am b

els

ave nc;:os

est ructurals i am b el cam p de les in sta l lacions avui

pe rmeten definir l'habitatge com un espai

abso l

ut

a

ment obert

,

un

pla

horitzon

t al

format

per

un

terra

de "l

iases

al

veolars" que permet el pas

de les

xa rxes i es recalza a unes parets concebudes

com

espa is

te

cnics, on es traben

condensats

els serveis

i els cablejats.

6

Si el considerem sota la forma d'un espai

especficament t ecn ic , el m ur

rep aix

un tractament

particular. Aquesta idea

modif ica la disposici deis

"serveis", els qua

ls

poden

est

ar

r

eagrupa

t s

d'una

manera

l ineal recolza

ts

a les parets m i

tgeres

o b a les

de les fac;:anes. D'a

questa manera,

els equipame

nts

fo rm en un

gruix

"se

r

vidor

"

al llarg de

les

parets

i

apareixen

dissociats

de les habitacions. Ja no podem

parlar de sales de bany: els

lavabos

i les

banyeres

s'alinien a

'exterior dei

s "m u rs tecnics".

Es tracta , de fet, d

'uti

litzar un element estructural la

funci

del qual

no presenta

dubtes,

i d ' enriquir-ne el

se

ntit: parets

"p o

rtadores

" i sepa radores s'

en r

ique ixen

amb un

gruix de p

et

its reb

osts

e

nt r

e

els

bu

its deis

quals

poden

penetrar la ll um i l'aire.

A la definici funcional de les

habitacions s'h

i

oposa,

aix,

una "poliva

lencia

de llocs".

El

que

fins

ara

supo rtava la funci l e q u ipament- esdev a'il lat i

periferic.

Per t ant , les

hab

it

acion

s no necessi

ten

ser

caract

er

itza des d'u na

ma

nera

concreta:

el seu pa

per

pot

ser

indefinit, mentre que els equipaments

es

reagrupen

en un afegit de sl l ig at de

tota

l 'extensi que envo

lt

a

L'habitatge ja

no

s

format per

un

conju

nt

d'hab

it acions: s

un

espa i sense

funcions

i sense

envans, un espai uniforme adrec;:at, en la seva

neutral

ita t , a l 'habilitaci . s "un espai

per

ser

conq

uerit ".

D'aq

uesta manera, es

perfi

la

una fo r

ta

oposici en tre

el

que

s fi x i el

que

s mobi l, entr e '

estruct

ura i els

envans. La

const

rucci i els se rve is formen el

quadre

estab

le " immoble"

de

l

'habitatge, mentre que els

envans llisquen a

l'amb

it del moble, del que s

tempora

l i

mobi

l. D' una banda, les

"parets tecn

i

ques

d'una durada

determ i nada ", i

de

l '

altra

, les

"pa rt i

c

ion

s

lleugeres d'una du rada l imitada".'


4/9

o

g

J.F

. Delsal le - J .

B.

Laucourdre:

Projecte de nou h bitat

Competition entry for the new dwel li ng

PA N -1 4

11988

)

A .

Bal

- S . Brunet

Projecte de

nou hab

i t at

;

l

=

=

=

E

t

f.

r

1

1

-

Competi t ion

entry

for the new dwelling

Vivienda y Ciudad . Housing and the City 11990)

101

W. J . Neute

li n

9s

-

M.

d e Koo

ning

of t

a Amberes, 1993

Loft

in Antwerp, 1993

Y. Lion:

Do

mus

De

main

Habitat per el s

egle

XX I

11984)

H

abitat for

the XXI-

century

1984

)

W. J. Neutel ings - A .

Wall

-

X -

de

Geyter - F.

Roodbeen

:

HBbitat tipus per e l concurs

Ha b

i

tatge

i Ciutat 1

1990)

Typical unit for

th e Hou

sing

and the

City competi t i

on

11990

)


5/9

Movable Partitions, Th ick Partitions

The rapid shifting of

mobile

partitions (th e

result of a specif

ic

d

esign by the architect

or of

the wide rang e today offered by in

dustry (above

all

in office distribution)

makes

it

possible

to

extend

and

subdivide

space in operations quic kly carried out, se

ve ra times a

day

and never irreversible.

Th

is flexibil ity must be

extremely simple

in its conception and function. Taking as

an example the potential for

flexibility

al

ready

existing

in

any conventional home,

a

door can

be

opened

,

half

opened

or

closed. Th is idea of " gentle flexibil ity is

sustained in more complex cases involv

ing systems of

panels

of different

heights

-

occasionally of differing j mbs and

even mechanisms

of

revolving cupboards.

Another system developed to adapt the

distribution o f the home to subsequent

long-term transform ations is that of antici

pating systems of evolutionary separation

with partitions

that can be dismantled.

The

new notion

of

cloisons

paisses (th ick

partitions)

, much used

in office

distribu

ti

on,

opens up the possibil ity of manufac

turing part

itions consist ing

of

two

or three

vertical

uprights

about sixty cent

imetre

s

wide. The advantage of this system is that

it salves the most serious problem i n

volved

in evolutiona

ry

separation using

parti t i ons

no i se

an d that

it

creates

suggestive storage space which ca n

be

arranged

without great effort.

The

c/oisons paisses

situated at

stra

tegic points in th e home,

su

bst i tute the

classical separa

ti

ng partitions

and

, instead

of the usual five

or six

centimetres, their

space reinstales

the

notion of " threshold

thickness,

of

passage

between

the rooms.

Provided with sockets and telephone, th ey

have

a

wide

v

ariet

y

of

a

ppli

ca tions:

wo

rk

surfaces, video scree n support s, tele

phone .. They

ma

y be the answer t o new

communication appliances in the home.

The base

module

could be the isoplane

door measuring some 204 x 83

or

63 centi

metres, one of the most economical con

struction

products most widely available

on the market.

9

nvans mobils

envans

espessos

El

d e s p l a ~ m n rapid d'envans mobils

(com

a resultat del disseny especfic

de

l

'arq

uitecte

o

de 'a

mplia gamma

que

avui presenta

la

indstria, sobretot

en la

distribuci

d 'ofici

nes

) permet eixamplar i subdividir

l 'espai en

operacions

efectuades

rapidament,

diverses vegades al dia i mai irreversibles.

Aquesta flexibilitat

ha de ser

extremadament

simple

en la seva concepci i en el seu

funcionament.

Si pren

em com

a

exemple un

potencial de f lexibi litat ja

existent

en

qualsevol habitatge convencional, una

porta

es

pot obr

i r, en

treobrir

o

tancar

. La idea

de

f

lexi bilitat suau se

sost

en casos ms

complexos

sobre sistemes

de

plafons

d a l ~ a r i e

diferents

eve

ntualment de

diversos batents-

i

fins

i

tot sobre

mecanismes d'armaris

giratoris.

Un alt re sistema

desenvolupat

per ada ptar la

distribuci de l' h

abitatge

a

posteriors

transformacions s la

de

pre

veu

re

sistemes

de

separaci

evolutiva

amb

envans

desmuntables.

La

nova

no

ci

de

les cloisons-paisses

(envans espessos) s molt utilitzada en la

distribu

ci

d'of icines i obre la possibi li tat

de

confecc

ionar envans

formats

per dos o tres

muntants ve rticals d '

uns

seixanta

cent

metr

es d

'ampla

ria.

Aquest

sistema

t el

merit de proporcionar

un bon

a"

ll

ame nt

acstc,

com tamb

l'

avantatge de crear

espa is

suggestius

d'emmagatzematge

susceptibles

de ser ordenats sense

grans

e s f o r ~ o s

Les

lo isons-paisses

situades

a

punts

estrategics de

l 'habitatge

substitue ixen el

classic enva

separador

i, en

lloc deis

c

inc

a

sis

centmetres normals,

el seu espai

restitueix la noci de ll indar

de

gruix, de

pas entre les

habitacions.

Dotades d '

endolls

i

de

te

l

eton,

sn capaces

d'admetre

moltes

ap l icacions: plans

de treball,

suports

pera

panta

l les

de

vdeo,

telefon

... Poden ser la

resposta als

nous aparells de comunicaci

de

l'habitatge. El modul de base

podra

ser la

porta isoplana

d'unes mesures de

204 x 83 o

63

centmetres,

un

de

is

producte

s

de

construcc ms econom ics i

un

deis

ms

generalitzats

del

mercat.

9


6/9

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e

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:

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c.

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o

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a.

Steven

Hol l

.

Vivend

s en Fukuoka, 1992 . Envans

conver t ib les pera

una vivenda

t ipu

.

Fukuoka

housing.

1992. Convert

ible partition

system

of a

housing

unit.

Canale 3 .

E

nv

8 m vil

sob

re

un

eix

x intric

pe r a una major variabilitat en planta

Eccentric

plvoting part i t

i on

system for greater

l

oor varlability.

103


7/9

Convertib

le Elem

ents and

Tec

hnical

Networks

In

the

traditional house , i n spite of the rigidity

of co

n

structional

systems, the arrangement of the furn i

ture

of

fers nonetheless sorne possibilities

of

adaptation to the

different

needs

of

its

occupiers.

In the new home, the design or

use

of conve rt ible

ele

ments (objects special ly designad or else indu

st

ria l pro

ducts already

available

on

the

market)

can also allow

for

flexibility in separation

and

a

con

tinua recomposition

of space. These elements can be transformad or can dis

appear in

a continuous game of modification.

Depend

ing on

the

convertibility of the

furniture, the

same pla ce

can become different rooms, provided that the space is

only minimally

divided

up by

partitions.

The

movable

ob jects

play the

same

role

as

convertible panels

or

s liding doors,

except

that

here

they are more versatile

in terms

of

use. Thus, instead

of

a "single-purpose"

space, a

"mult i-purpose"

space

is proposed which

forms

successive

sub

-spaces.

The

introduction of

mass media

into

the

home involves

new

uses

for which the archetypal traditiona l home is

not prepared.

Grouping

different functions in specific

pieces of

transf

ormable furniture

may be

a

reply

to

the

juxtaposition of heterogeneous activities

at

the core of

the family unit.

In any case,

this

intr

o

duction of new

communic

ation

techniques and computers represents a multiplication

of

the

number

of electrica l networks inside the home, in a

dynamic reminiscent of that

of

the

turn of

the

century

when

electric wir

in g

was

introduced into

housing. This

network must be

sufficiently

flexible to allow

adaptation

to the

needs of

the occupants ,

that

is, to allow

for

sub

sequen extensions as well as its

removal

from

one

place to another insid e the

house

.

This mobility

in a uni

form technical space is possible tod

ay

thanks to the

emergence

of solutions

already tried

out

in office

build

ings.

Equipped

surfaces and t

echnical networks

in floors

supplied with

ju n

ct ion boxes allow for the

f lexibility of

the furniture.

1

Electrical, teleph one and

television

ne tworks must

therefore make possible any subsequent distribution

of

the home . A

possible

solution

would

be to place the

network in

f loating

floor slabs, to which several "con

nection

boxes"

could be connected.

Another solution

would be cable lanes

hung from

the

ceiling

and

running

through the whole house in o

rder

to

ensure

an electrical

distribution through ducts (after the surfaces have been

faced,

thus doing away with the

need

for

electrical

supply

channels in the partition

walls , wh ich allows for

a problem-free wiring insta llation

and

modification.

lements convertibles xarxes tecniques

Caracteritzada per la

rigidesa de

is

sistemes constructius, am b

les seves particions rgides, la casa tradicional ja

presenta

, no

obstant aixo,

possibilitats d'adaptaci

a

les

diverses

necessitats

deis

seus

ocupants,

d

'acord

amb

la

disposici

deis mobles.

Al nou habitatge, el

disseny

o la

utilitzac

i

d'eleme

n

ts

convertibles

(objectes projectats especia

lmen

t , o b p r

oductes

industrial

s ja ex iste

nts

en el mercat)

poden perme

t re

tamb

una flexibilitat en la separaci i una recomposici contnua

de

l

'e

spai. Els ob jectes

tec

nics mobils poden desapareixer, es

poden transformar i

participar

en

jocs continus de

modificacions. Segons la convertibilitat deis mobles

de

que es

disposi, un mateix ll oc

pot

ser

diferents

habitacions. Aixo va

lligat

, naturalm ent, a un espai amb prou feines separat per

envans,

com

el

Ioft

els o

bj

ectes

mobils

te

nen el mateix paper

que

els plafons co n

vert

ibles o les

portes

corred isses, pero en

aquesta

ocasi amb

una

versatilitat

d's

ms

gran.

Aix, dones

, en

lloc

d'un espai "u n i

valen t"

, es

pro

posa un espai

"poliva

lent" que co nfo rma successius subespais.

La introducci en massa

de

is mi t ja ns

de

com un icaci a

l' h

abitatge implica

usos

nous

que

l'a

r

quetip de

l' hab i

tatge

tradicional ja no co mpleix. El reagrupament en mob les

transformables

especfics pot ser una resposta a la juxtaposici

d'

activitats

heterogenies al si del grup.

familiar.

En tot

cas, aquesta introd

ucci

de les noves

tecniques

de la

comunicaci i

de

la informatica

representa

una multiplicaci de

la quantitat

de xa

rxes elec

triques

a ' interior

de l 'habitatge,

en

una

dinamica que

reco rda la

que

al comen;:ament

de

segle van

vi ure

els ed

if i

cis

qu

an els cab les del

corrent electrices

va n

in t

roduir a les cases.

Aquesta

xarxa ha de ser

prou

f lexible

com per permetre

l'adaptaci

a les necess i

tats deis residents; sa

dir, per

ter

possible l' extensi del pare d'aquests nous mitja ns, com

tamb

peral despla;:ament

dins l'espa

i

de l'habitatge.

Aquesta

mobil it

at

en un espai

tecnic unifo

rme s

possible

actualment gracies a l'aparici de soluc ions ja experim

entades

als edificis d'oficines. Plans equ ipats i

xa

rxes tecn iq ues aterres

r

egistrab

les permeten

l'e

lastici

tat de

l mobi liar i.

1

Les xarxes

elect

riques,

telefoniques

i

televisives

ha n

de ter

possible , per tant, qualsevo l distribuci ulterior

de

l 'habitatge.

Per

aixo, una dispos

ic

i possible

podria

ser la

collocaci de

la

xarxa en lloses flota nts al t erra, a les quals es poden connectar

diverses "c

aixes

de con nexi".

Una

altra soluci

s la deis

carrils

de cab les pen

jats de

l sastre

que travessen els habitatges i asseguren una distribuci

electrica

per mitja

de

tubs (col locats

desprs de

l'acabat

de

'obra

,

suprimint

les regates als envans), la

qual

cosa permet

te

r

tata

l'estesa

elect

rn ica

de

cables i

modificar-la

sense problemes .

12

1 4


8/9

L

f J ;

3

.... r .

r

f

.

..

Y ?

-

Grupo 22

l . balos

J Herreros

iv

nda

amb nucli

tr nsform ble

Housing

w ith transformable

technical un its .

Habitatge i Ciutat.

Housing

and

the

City

1990

1

(

F.J.

Mejias Vil la toro - J . Alvadol Habitatge amb mob le

central

c

onvert ib le

Hou sing with a convertib le central furniture unit Habitatge i Ciutat.

Housi

ng and the

City

19901

Coop Himme lblau

Cuino

X-Time (1993 1

X-Time kitchen (19931

H.

Smith-Mi l l

e r - L . Ha

wkinson

Apartament mo del per la po l

ica,

No va York

19891

Pol lee model apartment. New York

19891


9/9

1.

This

article is a summary by the e

di t

or

ial

staff of

u

or s of

scvcral chapters from th e book by

M.

ElebVida l, A.

M.

ChAtolet

and Thicrry Mandoul, Penser l llabit, le logemont en q11estion,

Pierre

Mardaga,

Liega, 1988.

2. See chapter

point

6: Fiexibilit ,

op. cit.

pp. 102107.

3.

See chapter

1

point 1: "La place des

nouvelles

tochnologies .. ,

op. cit.

pp. 115120.

4. See the c

hapt

er "Conclusion",

op. cit.

pp. 163184.

5.

The

set

of

compact

elemen ls in otfices, factories or warehouses

made it necessary lo solve design and assembly problems charac

teristic of chain production. The spatial conception of

living

as an

empty

Ioft (a mere

reutilisation

of

industrial

spaces in which ditfer

ent forms of use are placed without any previous forecast) makes

it

possible to open

this

field

for

domestic application. The partitio

ning

of home

spaces is

possible now

thanks to

foldable

,

mobile,

immobile and transferrable panels (10, 20, 30 and up to 150 cm in

width and

up

to

16 m in

hei

ght), which otfer excellent sol ut ions of

sound insulation and fi

r

resistence

6. See chapter 11 point6:4:

Fiexibilit",

op. cit. pp. 105106.

7. See chapter point

2:

Des blocs et refends

techniques

..

op.

cit . pp

. 121-123

8

Available on the market are

sliding

pan

els with

an

embeddable

preframe of the same width as the masonry wall or the plaster

pa rtition . Th e options ranga derives from th e dimensions of th e

custom-mad e door

s

accord ing

lo

UNE, ISO and DIN standards.

9. The ring shaped

spatial

distributions -w h ich include wall sec

tions,

floors

and ceilings- form a

versatile

Ira

me

for any technical

or energetic

dev

ices. Normally all the components (partitions ,

doors, windows , cupboards, etc) are

standarised

according to re

ferential sizes (600900

mms

between axes, heights between 400

and 2050 mms), providing all kinds of possible combinations. The

materi

als

used -h igh pressure laminates,

ABS, PVC ,

aluminium

and glass-, though

ligh

t, are resistan and stabl

e.

See chapter

point

6: "Fiex

ibilit" ,

. cit.

pp . 108 11 0.

10. lnstallation ducts: Raised floors, double ceilings, tracks, float

ing wall sections constitute an integrated system o communica

tion networks and energy supply which require a

foreseeable

spa ce. The surface of either ti les (600x600 mm with thicknesses

between 30 and 40 m m)

or

plaques (high

density

wo oden board

support, l inoleum, cork, metal ,

vinyl

, etc ) is raised to between 20

and 60 cm to permit the wiring to be connected at any point.

11 . The systems of sanitary i nstallatio ns out of the

wall

(between

15 and 25 cms) avoid the disadvantages of usual methods (such as

the

lost of

bearing

capacity o r the noises by

placing

the water

ducts inside the masonry w all sl guaranteeing in turn an

optimal

hygiene

and

maintenan

ce level.

12. See chapter

point

2: Des blocs et refends techniques ..

op. cit.

pp. 130134.

(Notes 5 8 9, 10 and 11 by lgnasi Prez

Arnal)

1.

Aquest article

s una

versi

resu mida, efectuada

per Ouad

rn

d'a lgun

l

caplto

ls del

llibre de

M.

Eleb

-Vida l, A. M.

Chltelet

i T.

Mandoul, Pensar

/ habit: le logement en question, ed. Pierre

Mardaga,

Lieja, 1988.

2.

Vegeu

el capltoll l, punt 6: "Fixibilt" , op . cit.,

pag

. 102-107.

3. Vegeu el

capltoll l l, punt 1:

"La

place des

nouvelles

te

c

hnologie

s ..

,

op

.

cit., pag. 115 120.

4

Vegeu el

capital

"Co

nclusion ", op.

c

it .

, pag. 163-164.

5. El

conjunt

de nuclis creats pera l' activitat productiva (oficinas, fabriques

o magatzems)

ha

ob li

gat

a

resoldre problemas de disseny

i

muntatge propis

de la

producci

en cadena.

La concepci

espacial de l'habitatge

coma

Ioft

buit

(un

a

simple reutilitzaci deis

espais industrials on se

situen diferents

usos sense que hagi existit cap possible prev isi inicial ) permet

abrir

aquest

campen la seva ap licaci domestica. La compartimentaci de l 'espai de

l'habitatge

s ara

possible

mitjan

Documents

Flexibility as a Device