“Makeable”Architecture

Proposal of a Design Process for “Short-Duration Architecture” through Workshops with Elementary School Students

Abstract

This study questions the prevailing assumption in contemporary architecture that buildings should be “long-lasting, strong, and rigid,” and asks whether all architecture must exist in a long-term and homogeneous manner. In response, it proposes a design process for “makeable” architecture that can coexist with this paradigm and be created by anyone.Using a short-duration material—starch glue that disappears over time—workshops were conducted with elementary school students as an experimental practice of “making” such architecture. By focusing not on the completed object but on the act of making and modes of participation, this study demonstrates the potential of “makeable” architecture beyond the realm of professionals.