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Dynamic building program: A new method to produce buildingprograms with the implementation of time relevant factors

Ouggrinis Konstantinos-Alketas, Kokkaliaris Spyridon

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Summary

Typical building programs rest on assigning a certain amount of square footage per function orspace type. Years of architectural research have concluded to some general attributes andcharacteristics that provide the groundwork for such an approach. Architects have been practicing thismethod, creating in many cases their own ‘interpretation’. While the aesthetics of their buildings differsignificantly, every solution is closely related to the surface distribution and the design principlesdirected by the seminal work of Ernst Neufert.This paper introduces the concept of the "Dynamic Building Program" as a tool to address theaforementioned issues and moreover to include time as a factor that can greatly affect the spatialrequirements of any building program. This new method regards human activity as a basiccomponent, based on the fact that it has scarcely been noted to present an 'average'. Since thesurface and volume requirements within a structure are changing over time, the qualities a buildingmust uphold could not be secured through a single value as time passes by (day or season).Manifested through a digital application, the presented process is controlled by the designers andallows them to identify the critical parameters for their scheme, to follow them in time and to create avisual representation of how the building program requirements change over time. The applicationincorporates all the parameters that affect a building both quantitatively and qualitatively and simulatestheir fluctuations based on the designer’s observations and input.The capabilities provided by contemporary software development tools removed quite a bit ofthe complexity involved in the study of diverse spatial characteristics and relationships, and provided afertile ground for including parameters such as "People’s presence,""Type of activity" and "Relatedactivity spaces." Each parameter can be given a range of values that affect the overall requirementsand change the representation accordingly. An increase in the number of people that perform anintensive task, for example, requires more surface for functional reasons and either a larger volume orbigger openings to facilitate ventilation. The proposed application was designed in such a way so thatafter inserting the proper input, it produces an animation that reveals to the designers the spatial andtemporal fluctuations and especially the critical deviations that highlight the necessity for atransformable building. The Dynamic Building Program is an enhancement of the traditional methodand while useful for every architect it is essential for the design of an adaptable structure which canactively and successfully address the time-related issues.

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