ARC423 Advanced Building Systems

LECTURE: OPEN vs CLOSED SYSTEMS

 Link to ARC423 index page.

left-arrow.gif (166 bytes)Return to course lecture page.
blackdot.gif (799 bytes)
OPEN CLOSED
Assembly possiblities Many Few
Ability to improvise High Low
Ability to transform High Low
Character General Specific
Loose fit Tight fit
Image Symbol Inherent
blackdot.gif (799 bytes)
Examples
Ford, Chevrolet Ferrari, Lamborghini
. Roman brick construction Medieval stone construction
blackdot.gif (799 bytes)
Notes
  • Terms are relative. They only apply in the context of a comparison.
  • Terms are not universally understood or used
  • Whether more open or more closed is not a necessarily a matter of intention.Systems can, and often are, specifically designed to be more opened or more closed but one need not ask the intention of the designer in order to make the determination.
  • Discussing a system in terms of openness or closedness has nothing to do with interchangibility. Interchangability is an automatic byproduct of mass production.
blackdot.gif (799 bytes)
PROCESS, pass through
Openness can be exploited within the design phase only
or
Passed through to the construction phase
or
Passed through to the user.
When driven in reverse:
  • A building that has a high degree of openness provided for the user will automatically have a high degree of openness at the construction phase and the design stage.
  • A building that has a strong degree of closedness for the user may still be relatively open during the construction phase. If openness is found at the construction phase then it is automatically present in the design phase.
Pass through matrix
Design phase Open Open Open Closed
Construction phase Open Open Closed Closed
Use phase Open Closed Closed Closed
blackdot.gif (799 bytes)
Link to Syracuse University home page http://soa.syr.edu/faculty/bcoleman/ARC423/Lectures/423.lecture07.open-closed.html Send email to: webmaster@soa.syr.edu
Last update: April 09, 2003. Copyright © 2003 Bruce M. Coleman
No text, images or content on this page may be copied or linked to without the author's express written permission.