Adaptive Efficiencies: Responding to Change through Anticipatory Prefabricated Design

This study offers an architectural system that adapts to a building’s differing physical and programmatic requirements through the use of prefabricated, deconstructable panels, or Fins. The proposed Fin System is devised with material efficiency and disassembly in mind so that a building may adapt to a new program use each time the demand changes. The design study demonstrated an application of the prefabricated Fin System and its construction methodology through the adaptive reuse of an office space in Crystal City, VA. It illustrates the benefit of adaptive reuse over demolition to satisfy the need for residential space in Crystal City. The achieved outcome of the research and design of the Fin System when combined with various passive strategies created a material-, water- and energy-efficient building.

keywords: Prefabrication, Adaptive Reuse, Deconstruction, Efficient, Fin System