INCREMENTALITY IN ARCHITECTURE
A strategy for resilient design
Introduction:
According to the Resilient Design Institute, “Resilience is the capacity to adapt to changing conditions and to maintain or regain functionality and vitality in the face of stress or disturbance. It is the capacity to bounce back after a disturbance or interruption. Resilient design is the intentional design of buildings, landscapes, communities, and regions in response to these vulnerabilities.” While one cannot always anticipate such events, designers can take some specific steps to minimise the effects that these calamities can have on built environments. There are many strategies today one can keep in mind while designing- using natural resources, designing for stormwater flow on-site, using vernacular design features, creating community facilities, locating projects outside hazardous areas, and using incrementality as a growth option. Here we discuss incrementality in architecture as a strategy for resilient design.
Incrementality in Architecture:
The business of architecture always needs control till the last stage. Architects want to regulate their design power on the buildings. They tend to design on their own and not think for the end user’s experience and wants. Architectural projects are a product of UX. People (the user) inhabit the space. Be it short, in the case of a public institution, or long, in the case of private housing. The spaces designed essentially develop over time once the user starts to live in them. This development can be spatially, or physically through increment. But when the design is done with the strategy of incrementality, the structural skeleton is not altered. The building does not lose its integrity, whatsoever.
Incrementality gives flexibility to the building. The fundamental configuration of the design and the building remains the same. In other words, the central core is static, and other elements can change. The important ideas of flexibility and change are brought in through incrementality. Also, incrementation should be left up to the user. Human interaction gives the design its meaning. He should provide for addition according to his usage. Hence, Charles Correa provided different sizes of plots in the Belapur Housing. Plot sizes of 30, 40, 50, and 60 square metres were provided for the clients, and the increment was done as per their usage by themselves in future. This idea is important because, after 30–40 years of the building’s life, when the users change and new users come in, their usage will be different.
But, if the space for addition or subtraction is not provided, then the building can be broken down. As seen in the case of Kingdome, Seattle (1976–2000), Deutsche Bank Building, New York (1974–2011), or the Yankee Stadium, New York (1923–2009), where they were taken down totally. And a recent example in the Indian architecture scene is the destruction of the Hall of Nations complex. The complex was considered a pioneer of architecture in India but was ultimately demolished because it failed to provide any further. The Indian government quoted, “The Hall of Nations and the Hall of Industries have been demolished to make way for a modern complex which would add immensely to the profile of the capital city. The buildings were not categorised as heritage by the Heritage Conservation of Committee (HCC) as those are only 45 years old.” Thus, evolving strategies are continuously required in today’s changing times.
Elemental Studio’s “Half-Finished Housing Typology” shows success in all kinds of circumstances. Alejandro Aravena developed the first of these typologies in the Quinta Monroy project in Chile in 2004. The studio began as an academic initiative to improve the quality of life of poor people and has now become a professional practice offering services that cover the entire range of urban development. The studio was founded in 2001 to eliminate social deprivation. They started with building public facilities and public housing and later developed new approaches for the limited resources available. The idea of incrementality was first seen in the Quinta Monroy project, and later in the Monterrey Housing project in Mexico and Villa Verde Housing project.
The typology was designed as a way of dealing with extremely low budgets, allowing governments to provide housing to citizens at extremely low prices, and to create homes that would provide for the needs of its residents and even gain value over time. Houses are provided as a very basic “core,” incorporating the minimum needed for shelter, cooking and bathing. These core units, though, are designed and planned to allow their occupants to easily extend the dwelling, without compromising the house’s structural stability. They designed such typologies because according to reports, by 2030, almost two billion people will be living below the poverty line and without homes. Hence, such low-cost housing is needed.
The following five design conditions were identified as the ABC of Incremental Housing:
1. Good Location — Dense enough projects can pay for expensive well-located sites. As these projects have a high number of houses to be built, the expensive sites could be paid off, because these projects are bought off fast if they are built-in good locations.
2. Harmonious growth in a time — The first half of the house should be built strategically (partition structural and firewalls, bathroom, kitchen, stairs, roof) so that expansion can happen, thanks to the design, and not despite it. Thus, customization of these houses could be achieved instead of deterioration of the neighbourhood.
3. Urban layout — Introduce in between private space (lot) and public space (street), the collective space, not bigger than 25 families, so that social agreements can be maintained.
4. Provide structure for the final scenario of growth (middle class) and not just for the initial one — This means that while designing at the initial stage, master planning should be done as to what would be the possible scenario of the houses when the increment will be done, and not just when the basic structure is provided. This results in a better-prepared neighbourhood.
5. Middle-class DNA — A plan for at least 72 square metres or 4 bedrooms (3 x 3 metres) with space for a closet or double bed, bathrooms (they may include a bathtub) and a possibility of parking place for a car should be made. This is done so the users have an idea of what kind of increment can be done by them.
Conclusion:
In other words, there is a balance between low-rise high density, without overcrowding, with the possibility of expansion (from social housing to middle-class dwelling). Incremental architecture achieves what it achieves by placing human activities at its centre. There is a scope of an addition, or to remain static, according to one’s need. The structure remains the same. This usage comes through the user’s experience.
The projects were of clear examples that how design can be incorporated with future thought, processed right at the inception of the project. The initial stage of design development needs utmost care in terms of correct thinking so that its future is safe. Each strategy incrementally increased the ability of future growth. The earlier a strategy is identified and incorporated, the greater impact is achieved and the easier the construction process will be. Incrementality, thus, answers many questions like — will the project look the same, will it live in the same way, will it be inhabited in the same manner, will it serve the same functions as it does now, will it affect the neighbourhood the same way or will the changing neighbourhood affect it in any sort?
Bibliography:
1. https://www.archdaily.com/280082/elemental-incremental-housing-and-participatory-design-manual
3. http://www.elementalchile.cl/en/projects/abc-of-incremental-housing/
