S+M=L

Abstract

Order in design, whether in music or a building comes from bringing together parts to make a whole. These parts can have an autonomous existence separately and combine to formulate a different event collectively.

This thesis is a study of how a building accommodates to the changing needs of a diverse community. It does this by investigating to what end two neighboring apartments, one small and one medium-sized could combine to develop into one large apartment, and revert back again to two apartments when the needs of the inhabitants change. This concept could be paralleled to Jazz, where the musicians find means of altering the sound of the music through improvisation between the notes of the song. The structure of the building like the notes of the melody provides the stationary component and forms the rhythmic beat between the apartments. The pauses or gaps between the structure provide the opportunity for flexibility and improvisation. The melody of the construction comes from the integration of the repetitious permanent structural elements, semipermanent conditions and spontaneously alterable parts. The orchestration of these components allows the building to transform and experience an altering production of its own.