Expanding on Architecture: A New School of Architecture Planning and Preservation, UMCP

Abstract

This thesis explores the limits of the architectural design process by proposing continuous and evolving vision of space and form as a dynamic and adaptive response to changes in context. The document defines a restructured framework of architecture in time. The theory prescribes a dynamic architecture, able to evolve and transform over the course of its life for the good of ecological and functional sustainability. The result demonstrates the benefits and challenges of a dynamic design process applied to the future expansion of the University of Maryland School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation.

This thesis evaluates the current condition of the school, identifies the opportunities and issues, and designs the architectural interventions and additions necessary to satisfy the current and future needs of the school. The result addresses any identified programmatic issues in a series of sequential architectural propositions over the next 8 years. The effort focuses on the following question: How can architecture be designed to better adapt to contextual changes over time to create more efficient, more functional, and more beautiful architecture and that avoids obsolescence and environmental degradation?