The Adaptable House

A master blueprint for flexible housing from a pioneer in the field. Award-winning author Avi Friedman believes that the homes in which we live should not be regarded - or designed - as single purpose, unchangeable physical environments incapable of adapting to the occupant's evolving needs. A home, he contends, should be constructed as a life cycle house where changes such as children being born or leaving the nest, elderly relatives moving in, or the need for home office space are all easily accommodated. This powerful, eloquent resource provides a clear, systematic guide to the conception and construction of adaptable homes that can be quickly, easily, and inexpensively altered to reflect the new needs of owners. Packed with floor plans, drawings, photos, and charts to fully illustrate the author's suggestions, "The Adaptable House" is more than a persuasive argument for designing and building flexible structures - it is an innovative blueprint for putting principles into practice. 'A conflict exists between the dynamic nature of occupants' lives and the homes in which they choose to reside. The argument this book puts forward is that a fit between the evolving space needs of occupants and their homes needs to be simpler than it is at present' - From the Preface. America's rapidly changing demographics - people living longer, an increasing number working from home, fewer having children - demand a greater flexibility, creativity, and awareness in home design and construction. Clearly, the era of unchangeable homes, capable of accommodating just one life-style is drawing to a close, and there exists a clear need for new, imaginative strategies, tasks, and products."The Adaptable House" provides specific design approaches and techniques that facilitate flexible design - both on the inside and out. These principles make it simple to alter a dwelling's layout, demolish partitions or build new ones, upgrade heating systems, and change the locations of staircases. "The Adaptable House" is divided into three sections: the first sets the stage for adaptability, the second outlines relevant design principles, and the last shows their actual application in a variety of projects with detailed coverage of: interior layouts and room configurations; exterior elements such as roofs and facades; new building materials and methods; easy add-ons and remodels; and single-family and multiple dwelling houses. This groundbreaking reference outlines both a vision and process that together will alter our concept of the structure we call home.

ISBN 0071377468   Pages 271 ISBN13 9780071377461 (What's this?)   Volumes 1 Publisher McGraw-Hill Education - Europe   Weight (grammes) 812 Imprint McGraw-Hill Professional   Published in London Format Hardback   Height (mm) 240 Publication date 01 Jul 2002   Width (mm) 194 Library of Congress NA7125.F84   Spine width (mm) 25 DEWEY 728   Academic level Professional / Scholarly DEWEY edition DC21

		Preface
		Acknowledgments
1		What Is Adaptability?		1
2		Roots and Evolution		19
3		Constructing for Change		49
4		Volume, Envelope, and Systems		67
5		Interior Space and Utilities		123
6		Projects		187
		Bibliography		259
		Illustration Credits		263
		Project Credits		265
		Index		267
		About the Author		271

Dr. Avi Friedman, author of The Adaptable House: Designing Homes for Change, says North America's rapidly changing demograhics -- people living longer, more people working from home, fewer having children, adult children returning home -- demand greater flexibility, creativity, and awareness in home design and construction. Dr. Friedman is Director of the Affordable Homes Program at McGill University's School of Architecture. "It seems," says Dr. Friedman, "that the era of unchangeable homes that accommodate just one lifestyle is drawing to a close, and there exists a clear need for new strategies and products." His book argues that achieving a close fit between the evolving space needs of occupants and their homes ought to be simpler than it is at present. Residences can be designed and constructed to become life-cycle houses where changes can be made as needed. The Adaptable House, which is packed with floor plans, photos and charts, is available at Canadian bookstores. Transition 20030409 How do we make even the smallest of homes--strike that, especially the smallest homes--more space-efficient? There are few as qualified as architect Avi Friedman to respond to that dilemma. Avi's groundbreaking work on flexible housing design includes the concept of the life cycle home -- one that evolves as our lives evolve. His ideology is both creative and humanistic, founded on a desire to build better homes and communities. His is an artistic approach that makes the renovations that are a part of family life seamless. This brand of revolutionary thinking is spelled out in Avi's book The Adaptable House (Mcgraw-Hill, 2002). He has earned a United Nations World Habitat Award and a place on Wallpaper magazine's list of 10 people who'll change the way we live. As a professor at the McGill University school of architecture in Montreal, Avi is educating a new generation of designers about the virtues of thinking outside the box. We asked him for a lesson on living big in small spaces. S@H: You've masterminded the life cycle home -- a house that can be modified for changing living needs. What kinds of lifestyle changes radically affect housing? AF: Conflict exists between the dynamic nature of people's lives and the homes in which they reside. We buy a house considering our immediate needs. We fail to recognize our future needs. My argument is that it should be much simpler for a house to evolve to meet the needs of its occupants. We have children and need more bedrooms. People are living longer, so we need homes that can be adapted to the elderly. More and more people are choosing to work from home and need home offices. Environmental concerns mean we need to update houses to become more eco-friendly. These sorts of influences are constant, and it would be better for most people if their homes could be easily adapted, saving them from the stress of moving. S@H: I think most people consider renovating stressful. Is there a stress-free way to create what you call "the adaptable house"? AF: There's a scale of stress, and currently, renovating a house is extremely high on that scale. But if you design the house so that adding or subdividing spaces later is a much nicer experience, people won't dread renovating and they won'd need to move -- consider the effect that would have on communities. The technology exists to build life cycle homes. We know how to make clip-on/clip-off walls, for example. They're demountable wall systems that make adapting and changing a room a snap. And in the past few years, we've introduced technology that allows builders to install all the plumbing and wiring for a house right in the mouldings and baseboards, rather than inside the walls. When the time comes to reshape the house, the mouldings pop off and the wires and pipes are easily and inexpensively moved. S@H: Is that adaptability achievable in small homes? AF: Even the tiniest houses can be effici

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