Why is flexibility important?
A question that deals with two opposites and tries to unite them. On the one hand, we have properties and buildings themselves, which tend to be inert and rigid in their constitution. On the other hand, living space is a living space that is subject to constant change and adapts to the respective life situation of its residents and users.
Flexibility is different.
The manifest image of a flat as a standardised type and home for a small family is no longer up to date. Instead, there is now a variety of different family and household forms. Shared flats, single flats, patchwork families, forms of housing for senior citizens and the interlinking of living and working are changing the demands on living spaces. Flexibility is needed to be able to respond to these demands.
Flexibility is more.
The familiar idea associated with flexibility in architecture centres on the installation of flexible wall or sliding elements that allow floor plans to be changed with little structural effort. However, restructuring the traditional use of space into private, semi-public and public zones can also bring flexibility within a residential unit, although this can also extend beyond the individual flat into the communal areas of the house.
Moving away from the division into living room, bedroom and children's room, which is also reflected in the size of the rooms, living space must increasingly be designed in such a way that it allows multifunctional use of rooms. When it comes to architecture and the creation of living space, the focus should therefore not just be on individual functional uses such as sleeping, eating or staying.
Due to the current situation with the Covid 19 pandemic, but also because of increased digitalisation in the home, new forms of home office and teleworking are emerging. More and more people are doing at least part of their work from home, whether by necessity or by choice. Appropriate spatial conditions are therefore needed to manage the balancing act between living and working in one place.
Flexibility is the future.
Today's world is characterised by changing space requirements due to new or rapidly changing lifestyles and designs. Flexibility is therefore also the basis for sustainability and future security, because a home or living space can only be used sustainably and retain its value if the architecture is flexible enough to adapt to changing living conditions and the needs of the residents.
