Architecture in Motion: Framing Spaces That Live and Breathe

"Architectural space has long been framed by permanence: rooms for fixed functions, facades that clearly define where exterior ends and interior begins. Yet contemporary life is defined by overlap and transition: between work and living, interior and exterior, privacy and community. Spatial needs evolve continually, demanding architecture that can respond, adapt, and remain relevant over time. In this context, adaptability has emerged not only as a design ambition but as a sustainable necessity."

"This shift has led architects to explore sliding walls, vanishing corners, and unfolding facades, where boundaries are no longer fixed but are instead deliberate design decisions made with glass. Spaces can expand, contract, or merge according to the life within them. Minimal window systems, such as those developed by Vitrocsa, exemplify this approach: sliding, pivoting, or disappearing, they allow facades and interiors to respond in motion to atmosphere, light, and use. Transparency and continuity become instruments of adaptability, mediating both interior-exterior and room-to-room relationships."

Architectural permanence historically defined rooms for fixed functions and clear boundaries between exterior and interior. Contemporary life blurs work and living, interior and exterior, and privacy and community, creating continual evolution in spatial needs. Adaptability in architecture enables buildings to adjust to shifting uses, evolving climates, and new living forms, extending lifespan and reducing demolition or major retrofits. Movable elements such as sliding walls, vanishing corners, and unfolding façades allow spaces to expand, contract, or merge. Minimal window systems that slide, pivot, or disappear permit façades and interiors to respond to atmosphere, light, and use, using transparency and continuity to mediate spatial relationships. Modernist precedents also conceived flexible interiors aligned with human needs.

Read at ArchDaily