Why we need Temporary Achitecture By Ipek Topalkara
Almost every object, structure and in general any creature around us is located within a cycle of life and existence that begins, continues, and ends. This also applies to the buildings that we see around our setting. Some have a very permanent and long-lasting life cycle that in some cases reach up to thousands of years, some are a few hundred years old, some decades and some just a few years. However, as we keep on exhausting our planet with increasing demands of land, energy and construction materials there has been a search for a new alternative, a rather different perspective on permanent structures. Why bother going to all of these lengths to dig up the soil for a foundation, carry tons of concrete and steel to the construction site for it to only be used for a very short amount of time, regardless of how amazing it appears to be. This description might seem eerily familiar to an awfully specific type of construction that has cost countries their economic stability in hopes of a few weeklong use and short-lived prestige. Yes, the Olympics and any other short term event such as the World Cups.
Though these may seem to be worth the hassle, there are times when the whole process is not worth the outcome. Some buildings, because of their exceptionally long and profitable life cycle and utility, rather deserve all the effort that goes into their construction. Imagine a university campus, a hospital or anything else that becomes a landmark or has a collective sentimental value. Though these may seem to be worth the hassle, there are times when the whole process is
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not worth the outcome. If a building is very urgently needed such as in the case of a fire, natural disaster, renovation, temporary expansion, the more fitting option is to opt for a temporary modular option which provides flexibility in construction and eliminates the necessity for an extensive foundation which requires long groundworks. Temporary and modular structures allow the building parts to be assembled in a factory thus minimizing the discomfort to the environment surrounding the site. The demonstrability of such temporary structures enables everything to be measured and decided within a factory. This enables the re-use of the components that have been included in the process by minimizing the damage that they have undergone. As the idea of sustainable design becomes increasingly important, the concept of architecture and construction is also very heavily criticized currently for the added stress on the environment. These all call for the question of “will we need this building in any way in two years?�. Such a mistake as to not ask this question was done in Greece for the 2004 Olympics. As a result of this, they ended up with countless, now abandoned, structures that are utilized only as refugee camps or have become ghost towns. Luckily enough United Kingdom had learned from this mistake so they made sure to go with temporary and demountable alternatives instead of permanent structures. Demountable structures and their sustainability have another layer that enables ease of transport of the necessary materials and components to the site thus minimizing both the cost and carbon footprint attached to the building in question. Instead of having to wait for certain parts to arrive on the site, each module can be created quite easily with the parts, which are readily available and specifically manufactured in a factory setting.. The search for such solutions has also created a new area of expertise and problem solving in architecture. This brings forward a new horizon and enables us to question the design and
