Dobromir Georgiev          2020          Kirkwall

Adaptation as Holistic Housing

This thesis explores possible future adaptation designs of the existing building in 50 years’ time as a housing units. It will focus on 2 opposite scenarios depending on the future of the city:

Scenario 1

Kirkwall continues its development with small stable population growth and to accommodate the growing population a project for Social Housing is initiated

Scenario 2

The city has drastically grown in economy, possibly due to becoming tax heaven outlining itself as major world trading point, attracting residents with higher financial capabilities

 The benchmark for comparing the rate of success between the two cases would be by placing them on common ground basing them on the holistic ideology, expressed mainly through the interior and planning. Holistic design is a study that takes one step further the design process towards supporting the mental and physical well-being of the user. According to “Holistic housing” by H. Drexler and S. Khouli there are 5 qualities that the field of study aims to improve/achieve - Emotional (users can connect with the space), Functional (low planning complexity), Social prestige, user oriented (Adaptive), Preotection (clear definition of public and private zones)