JK
James Kirkpatrick
Nimble Architecture

Utilizing advances in technology as a generative tool for design, this thesis investigates how the infusion of new technology can create a building morphology that brings typical building convention under scrutiny.  Researching breakthroughs in small wind power generators, I propose that the convention of using the building skin as an aggressive deterrence against wind loads can be transformed into a generative envelope for power that informs not only the tracery of the exterior, but also the overall  form of the building. Beyond the sustainable advantages of a generative envelope, the implementation of new technology has influences over the outward identity, as well as the qualitative space within a building. The thesis poses to construct a methodology with which to evaluate potential of the wind power technology through its implementation in architectural design. Ideally, this methodology can then be applied to other technologies, which can advance the pursuit of an adaptive and nimble architecture for a perpetually evolving environment.