Get Out Of Your Comfort Zone: Externalization in Architecture to Increase Social and Environmental Connectivity
As global warming accelerates, buildings currently account for 39% of energy-related carbon dioxide emissions annually (UN Environment Programme 2018). Despite this fact, architecture is increasingly designed to be fully internalized, requiring increased conditioning, which in turn further contributes to the greenhouse gas emissions warming up our planet. Technology has evolved where we can now disassociate ourselves from the natural environment and isolate our spaces completely. This has also created spaces where people begin to disassociate from their community, and live within boxes both physically and socially. Though current research addresses many environmental and human health concerns that arise from internalized architecture, it does not address the social disconnection nor is there any specific terminology and research that focus on externalizing programming as a strategy. To fill this gap, this synthesis establishes important terminology and research to support ‘externalization’, and explores the environmental and social impacts of externalizing programs through both design evaluation and morphology by reimaging what a boundary would mean within architecture.
This synthesis first establish key terminology, literature review, case studies and research to highlight the importance and impacts of externalization both in terms of social and environmental connectivity. Then an externalization taxonomy is introduced to support designers in two ways – first as a design evaluation tool that can aid in evaluating architectural design through its environmental and social connectivity, and second as a design support for building morphology and evaluation that would better demonstrate how externalization can create integrated designs that provide layers of environmental, social, and health benefits while reducing the total building energy demands. This morphology process is conducted on the Environmental Charter School in Garfield through the support of four externalization taxonomy strategies to demonstrate the impact of externalization on architectural design while also displaying how externalization could be integrated into architectural design practice. A synthesized design demonstrates the potential of externalization with the support of the taxonomy strategies, and highlights the qualitative and performative benefits of externalization for students and staff compared to the existing baseline. Lastly this synthesis will discuss the potential role of externalization in terms of the pandemic (COVID-19) and social inequity within architecture.
This synthesis will provide foundational research and frameworks in regards to building program externalization, and provide preliminary research and example of how to evaluate architecture based on externalization criteria and how to integrate it into architectural design. The synthesis provides the necessary groundwork to allow externalization to be researched further, and provide architects and designers with convincing arguments to adopt this approach into their own design work.
History
Date
2020-12-01Degree Type
- Master's Thesis
Department
- Architecture
Degree Name
- Master of Science in Sustainable Design (MSSD)