Choreography of Change: Unfolding Architectural Potentials of Weakness

Environmental forces and processes (entropy) are inevitably and substantially affecting the built environment. In most cases, these changes are unintentional and are visible as weathering of surfaces, structural disintegration, etc. In an age in which architecture is increasingly image-based, the ideal state of a building is often conceived as immediately after being built and still appears as it was drawn. Considerable resources are then used on counteracting wear and tear to keep the buildings in this fixed ideal state, working against the forces. Opposing the idea of architecture as a strong and rigid entity, this paper discusses how weakness can act as a response to environmental influences - working with the forces and processes.

Three specific examples - a circuit breaker, a galvanic anode, and traditional Venetian construction techniques – are discussed and collocated in this paper, unfolding diverse perspectives of time (cyclical – linear), reaction (instant – gradual), tectonic qualities, and spatial layouts. From this outset, proposals of speculative architectural scenarios and perspectives emerge.