Residential Architecture as Infrastructure: Open Building in Practice

This edited collection provides an up-to-date account, by a group of well-informed and globally positioned authors, of recently implemented projects, public policies and business activities in Open Building around the world. Countless residential Open Building projects have been built in a number of countries, some without knowledge of the original theory and methods. These projects differ in architectural style, building industry methods, economic system and social aims. National building standards and guidelines have been promulgated in several countries (Finland, China, Japan, Korea), providing incentives and guidance to Open Building implementation. Businesses in several countries have begun to deliver advanced FIT-OUT systems both for new construction and for retrofitting existing buildings, demonstrating the economic advantages of ‘the responsive, independent dwelling.’ This book also argues that the ‘open building’ approach is essential for the reactivation of the existing building stock for long-term value, because in the end it costs less. The book discusses these developments in residential architecture from the perspective of an infrastructure model of built environment. This model enables decision-makers to manage risk and uncertainty, while avoiding a number of problems often associated with large, fast-moving projects, such as separation and distribution of design tasks (and responsibility) and the ensuing boundary frictions. Residential Architecture as Infrastructure adds to the Routledge Open Building Series, and will appeal to architects, urban designers, researchers and policy-makers interested in this international review of current projects, policies and business activities focused on Open Building implementation.

Table of Contents:
PART 1: RESIDENTIAL OPEN BUILDING PROJECTS IN A NUMBER OF COUNTRIES 1. Basic Principles of an Infrastructure Model of the Building Stock Stephen Kendall 2. Open Building’s recent developments in the Netherlands Caroline Kruit 3. Open Building in Finland Carolin Franke 4. Quality Control by Levels – Steering the Design Process using BEA’s Project Book Jia Beisi 5. Open Building in Russia Nadezhda Koreneva 6. Open Building in the Global South Amira Osman PART 2: THE POLICY ENVIRONMENT FOR RESIDENTIAL OPEN BUILDING 7. The Future of Open Building resides in the Existing Stock Frank Bijdendijk 8. Japan’s Act Concerning the Promotion of Long-Life Quality Housing Kazunobu Minami 9. China’s 100-year housing law: It past and future Liu Dongwei and Wu Zhichao 10. Korea’s 100-year housing program Soo-am Kim and Hyeonjeong Yang PART 3: DEVELOPMENTS TOWARD A FIT-OUT INDUSTRY: THE KEY TO RESIDENTIAL OPEN BUILDING 11. Infill Systems: A New Industry John Habraken 12. How housing renovation is meeting the challenge of oversupply of dwelling units in Japan Yoshiro Morita and Yongsun Kim 13. Dualities of Interior Decoration Companies in China Li ShanShan 14. Developments Toward A RESIDENTIAL FIT-OUT Industry: The Key to a Sustainable Housing Stock Stephen Kendall Postscript: A Personal Note Stephen Kendall Glossary of Open Building Terms Index