FLEXIBLE HOUSING - BASED ON
ADAPTABILITY, TRANSFORMIBILITY
AND EXTENDED BUILDING APPROCH
“NOTHING IS PERMENENT. EVERYTHING IS IN
CONSTANT FLUX & CHANGE THROUGH THE
WHOLE LIFE, LIFE FLOWS IN A TIMELESS
CYCLE.” - ZUK & CLARK(1970)
Abstract - As time changes peoples requirement also
changed, because of it people shifted one place to
another. Article shows how people can changed their
house according to their requirement by using different
approaches of flexibility in the proposed plan. And stay
at one place for a long time.
Keywords – flexibility, adaptability, convertibility, extended
building .
INTRODUCTION
Humans are the most unpredictable for taking their
decisions. Humans never stick to any activity .The way
requirements are increase some people go vertically, some
changed their house, some reconstruct, so the flexible
housing give a opportunity to use one place in a multiple
ways by using temporary or permanent flexible approaches.
Aim is to provide a proper housing with proper plotting &
all requirement what they need now and what they supposed
to need in future. To maintain the hairaki of façade and
avoid the overheating and give a provision for the proper
light & ventilation. Accept the need for longer term thinking,
which reflects the uncertainty of future occupation &
housing demand.
It restrict height and façade design. it improved
indoor life & living standard. Series of studies carried out
threw process . observing the activities in surrounding
context and get the topic. And give a proposal for
adaptability, convertibility and extended building approach
only. Proposal will guide the people to implement all the
studies in their life.
“Flexible housing is housing that can adapt the
changing as per users.” Flexibility has a potential to use a
one space in a multiple ways, in different time span.
Flexibility has a potential to modify according to people’s
requirement.
ASPECTS OF STUDY
Flexible housing allow to construct different spaces
according to the requirement by using temporary or
permanent partition in the house. To take awareness in
public & inspire them to do flexible housing.
Aishwarya Sukhadia
1
AISHWARYA SUKHADIA
(B.Arch-V, Sem-IX)
VIDYAMANDIR COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE
AND INTERIOR DESIGN
Aishwarya.sukhadia98@gmail.com
PROCESS AND ANALYSIS
I. Approaches
Different author has different views about flexibility. There
are two major approaches: Open Building (OB) and
Extended Building (EB) design. EC approach is also
classified into “add-in and add-on” strategies. Open building
approach was first articulated by Habraken (1972).
II. Here we talked about types, case study and site analysis:
Flexibility can be defined within three broad types.
1. Adaptability: Adaptability has a capacity to support
multiple functions without altering the architecture
itself. In simple terms, the function of the building
changes but the building does not.
2. Transformability: Transformability allows for the
interior or exterior space to be changed in response to
certain motivation without the need for new
construction. Changes can be both permanent and
temporary. There are two sub-sets of transformability:
i. Movability: Moveable structure can be
repositioned within the environment without being
changed or altered in any major way. Examples
might include moveable fabric structure, temporary
accommodation such as site huts, portable toilets
and so on.
ii. Responsiveness: Responsive structures are able to
react to external affected things such as weather
condition. The changes are often temporary, but
may be resource-intensive.
3. Convertibility: This involves changing the function of
building through a certain amount of construction work.
• Case study: Case study done on open building (miniso
maxico office) and convertibility (Ne_on apartment).
We learn from case study is , how we can implement
clients requirement in design with the some minimal
changes and done some construction work in existing
structure & applying the convertibility approach. In
open building spaces define with the different types of
furniture and different furniture according to the staff
requirement.
B.Arch. - V, Sem- IX
 HOUSE 2:
• Site analysis: in the society most off the houses
reconstruct according to the peoples requirements and
few are left from the old construction.

“FIGURE 1
IMAGE SHOWS HOW THE DIFFERENT HEIGHT IMPACT ON
OTHER HOUSES. BECAUSE OF IT SOME HOUSE DIDN’T GET
PROPER LIGHT IN THE HOUSE AND SOME ARE OVER HEATED.

TABLE I
SHOWS THE REASON OF CHANGING CONSTRUCTION

Plot No Owner Name No of people Reason FIGURE 3

SHOWS THE GROUND FLOOR, FIRST FLOOR AND SECOND FLOOR PLAN
B/8 Anish Sukhadia 10 SHIFTING FROM OLD
CITY Transformability: Remove the LEGENDS
B/6 Deepika Mehta 3 INCREASE INCOME exiting staircase from inside and
put it outside for easy accessibility Adaptability
B/6 Dipak shah 4 GIVEN FOR THE RENT
and done permanent changes.
Convertibility
B/3 Sanjay Patel 10 INCREASE INCOME Convertibility: Two different families
leave on the each floor. In plan we can Extended building
see the same plan on the both
Transformability
floor but as per their requirement they
change the size of balcony by just moving one wall.
Extended building (add-on): Adding the two new floor as
Here we done analysis on 3 different houses and per their requirement.
see which approach they adopt from flexibility. Adaptability: At the ground floor kitchen achieve the
adaptability by using in the different ways like to store a
House 1: different things and put the other stuff on the platform.

Extended building: achieve House 3:

add-in and add-on criteria by
adding pooja room in house and
extended structure .
Adaptability: adaptability
achieved by creating a dinning
area by using the furniture.

LEGENDS

Adaptability

Convertibility

Extended building
Transformability

FIGURE 2 FIGURE 4
SHOWS THE PLAN OF HOUSE 1 SHOWS THE GROUND FLOOR AND FIRST FLOOR PLAN

Aishwarya Sukhadia B.Arch. - V, Sem- IX

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Adaptability: At the first floor kitchen achieve the
adaptability by using it in the different ways like to store a
different things and so on.
Transformability: With the help of small temporary
changed they created a dinning area in the corner of the
house.
Percentage of flexibility in all three houses
needs as the time changes. By flexibility people’s live
better life together.
Here we see one plan and show how different approaches
applicable on one plan according to the different
requirement.
In proposal make a one plan which covered all
the basic needs and garden. We see how it works and
applied different approaches and fulfil the requirements.

1. Adaptability: Adaptability achieve in plan by

17% 21%
support multiple functions without altering the
architecture itself. Different spaces use according to
1st house the need by add or remove some furniture.
2nd house
62%
3rd house

FIGURE 5
SHOWS THE PERCENTAGE OF FLEXIBILITY IN ALL THREE HOUSE

INFERENCES
As we see three different house which cover different
criteria. in image 6 we see the percentage of usage.
according to chart we can say that if we give a “Extended
building , Adaptability and Transformability ” options in
the housing or society so the people can fulfil their
requirement as per their need on temporary or permanent
bases.
FIGURE 7
SHOWS THE GROUND FLOOR AND FIRST FLOOR PLAN

Most usable Approch

LEGENDS
Adaptability Extended building Transformability
13%
25%
Extended building At the ground floor one room, which can use as a
25%
Adaptability store room or pooja room. Under staircase there is a open
37% space which can use a dinning area or with the help of
Transformability partition users can create a pooja room or storage space as
convertibility per their requirement.

FIGURE 6
SHOWS THE MOST USABLE APPROACH IN ALL THREE HOUSE
2. Transformability:

• Proposal: Housing society where different types of
people come to live and as the time change their
requirement also changed. If we give a flexibility in
planning so people do some changes according to their
needs and fulfil their requirement. Creating the one plan
which allow Adaptability, Transformability & Extended
building(add-in & add-on) approaches to fulfil their
Transformability achieve by space to be changed
in response to certain motivation without the need for new
construction. Minor requirements are fulfil with
transformability. Use the room on temporary or permanent
bases by using the partition wall or sliding door.
client can add one more bedroom as a guest bedroom
or a parents room also. It depends on their requirement, and
create a store room by adding a one wall or partition.

Aishwarya Sukhadia B.Arch. - V, Sem- IX

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 extended building add-on approach and it consume more
time also.
In this plan, house can achieve extended plan with
both the add-in and add-on approaches. After extending the
plan client can achieve more flexibility as per requirement.
Increase the area of the plan. So it increase the usage and it
cover adaptability and irreformability also.

CONCLUSION
Flexible housing give opportunity to the people to
done changes according their requirement in existing plan.
There are some services which are more flexible & other are
not. May be flexibility can’t be achieved as 100% but at
some point it achieved. May be in the future 100% flexibility
can be achieved.
FIGURE 8 People move to the other property when their
SHOWS THE GROUND FLOOR AND FIRST FLOOR PLAN personal circumstances changes. The house are most
important assets for people. Peoples are not concerned about
LEGENDS neighborhood but only about themselves. Flexibility done
by different approaches. Approaches are depends on the
Adaptability Extended building Transformability needs of people, which is temporary or permanent.
Flexibility give a easy life and it can help in economical
3. Extended building (add-in & add-on) aspects also.
Peoples are more concerned about the
economic situation rather than anything else. If the flexible
housing will come into the wider picture then peoples will
be always ready to access it, may be more number of people
accept it than expected.

REFERENCES

[1] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/262002345_FLEXIBLE_
ARCHITECTURAL_DESIGN_AND_USER_PARTICIPATION
[2] https://issuu.com/susanpaulthm/docs/building_flexibility_final
[3] https://www.healthcaredesignmagazine.com/trends/architecture/roa
d-flexibility-adaptability-transformability-and-
convertibility/#:~:text=All%20three%20types%20of%20flexibility,
usability%20of%20the%20built%20environment.

FIGURE 9
SHOWS THE GROUND FLOOR AND FIRST FLOOR

LEGENDS

Adaptability Extended building Transformability

As per time changes peoples requirement also

change so this the main factor to use is extended building
approach. Extended building effect on the economical
aspects also. Infect economical aspect is most important in

Aishwarya Sukhadia B.Arch. - V, Sem- IX

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