ABSTRACT
Affordances of Architectural Typology is a research project and publication that investigates architectural affordances—understood here as the inherent possibilities for use, adaptation, and interaction that a building’s design supports—for building transformation and adaptive reuse in two key dimensions. First, it explores how the concept of affordances can deepen and extend architectural typology. Through case studies it illustrates that typological clarity enhances architectural quality and fosters flexibility for future adaptations. Beyond fulfilling immediate functional needs, this typal quality leads to a second objective: rethinking resilience in architectural design by revisiting post-functionalist critiques. Here, ‘type’ is re-framed as an epistemology within architecture, emphasizing the timely renewal, reuse, and recycling of knowledge and materials in the built environment. These two key aspects further a ‘designerly’ response to the climate emergency and global carbon reduction goals, as adaptive reuse has gained traction as a sustainable alternative to demolition and new construction. Our research and its resulting publication demonstrate and visualize how adaptive reuse practices benefit from engaging with typology and affordances, featuring insights from practitioners, educators, and researchers and aiming to inform architectural studios and academic curricula, and underscoring the need for critical reflection and dialogue in design education.
