ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the problem of cultural, social, economic, environmental, aesthetic, and technical change for buildings and how the Parmenidean-Heraclitean dialectic influences what we build. It provides evidence that the concept of spatial flexibility did not originate in the 1960s, as conventionally thought. The chapter shares the findings of the author's longitudinal research on the School Construction Systems Development (SCSD). It provides further context for the continued evolution of spatial flexibility after the SCSD project. The first step in creating protean systems is to consider the full range of the cultural, social, economic, environmental, technical, and aesthetic forces of change. Within the confines of education, the individual is represented by the biological characteristics and abilities of the individual student. The microsystem includes immediate family members, peers, and instructors. The macrosystem is composed of state and national level agencies, which fall under international systems.
