Cell, parasitism, and proliferation – Design framework of self-organization for architecture and urban design

Abstract

In this century of urbanization, cities have become complex systems that face diverse socio-environmental challenges. The task for planners and architects is to find suitable solutions which correspond to these challenges in order to achieve sustainable cities. Significantly, construction is one of the highest carbon-emitting industries, but it is essential for modern life. To date, the mainstream design approach for architecture and urban design has been the rigid and top-down masterplan. This static design approach is implemented for efficiency in this property-led society, and architectural projects see the final moment of the construction as complete. However, the persuade toward sustainable cities led to the requirement for adaptive and flexible architecture and urban design for future dynamic changes. This call for adaptive capacity underlies sustainability and resilience theory.

This study's goal is built on the assumption that the city is an organism and treats architecture and urban design as forms of integration. The Japanese Metabolism propositions are unconscious responses to architectural sustainability and include the feature of self-organization. To correspond to the cross-scale system and organic city assumption, the concept of Japanese Metabolism and self-organization was chosen as the fundament to this research. The goal of the study is to develop a self-organization design structure for urban and architecture design based on a review of theories and cases. Buildings and cities can evolve depending on user lifestyles and needs. The alternative offered by this study aims to respond to the vulnerable environment and space requirements of the future.