The Metamorphic Model: A Test in Post-Millennial Living

Author

Andrew MesaFollow

Date of Submission

Spring 5-3-2019

Degree Type

Undergraduate Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Architecture

Department

Architecture

Committee Chair/First Advisor

Ameen Farooq

Secondary Advisor

Peter Pittman

Abstract

The Metamorphic Model is a look into future Millennial Urban living through an experiment to create a building prototype per the needs and wants for future architecture. It focuses on creating a building infrastructure which creates social environments for the residents and the community alike through a modular system of units supported by building infrastructure which lifts and moves the units into the desired slot. The goal is to oppose to typical buildings format which takes time to modify and adapt to changing conditions and highlight the trends moving into the future. The idea of the project is to take the changing values of newer generations and the larger collective of society and create a test for how we might live in the next 10, 25, or 50 years. The building is composed of a steel outer structure which supports both the units themselves and the mechanism which lifts and moves them into place. The entire structure and environment are meant to be adaptable and change depending on the conditions which are needed by the residents and by the building itself. The focus is to show what a potential “metabolist” building of the future can do to adapt to the changing conditions of a more fast-paced life, this has occurred in many different industries and life in general. As we look into the past for examples of architectural innovation, movements like the Le Corbusier, Japanese Metabolist, and Archigram look at what is changing in technology and society as imagine what a future architecture might become. The Metabolist Model is ultimately an idea of what a potential modular living model will be in the future in the context of our current generation defined by new concepts, values, and technologies who ultimately are looking for a living environment which supports the change and values of the future.