Transformable architecture: An alternative for human communication in a post-pandemic world

Abstract

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic, people's lifestyles have been significantly changed. In a post-epidemic era, some of the existing social problems are magnified by the changes in lifestyle. Temporary isolation at home becomes commonplace and continuously makes people think more carefully and deeply about their houses' functionality, safety, and comfort. In addition, the emotional impact of the epidemic has also forced people to get more security and happiness from the outside environment. By summarizing the problems of the existing buildings during the epidemic, this paper collects and studies different types and characteristics of movable architecture to conclude how these transformable designs can help people deal with the problems exposed in functional space and mental needs arising from the epidemic era. The results of different transformable architecture techniques on spatial boundaries are summarized from transformable or movable buildings. The combination and penetration of transformable architecture with different scales of space are used as the entry point to propose that movable architecture can promote communication and exchange between people. The core value of movable architecture is to break the inherent boundary of architectural space and make more connections between the inside and outside space. Thus, it lays the foundation for having more face-to-face communication between people.