Developing adaptable retrofit kit-of-part systems for climate resiliency

Thermal Tectonics is a collaborative research project alongside a two-week studio that explores one of the most fundamental architectural questions: how can buildings mediate between interior comfort and a rapidly warming, humid climate in dense urban environments? In Tainan, inside and outside are not separated by walls alone. Through decades of bottom-up adaptations, these thresholds have become thermal, social, and cultural interfaces. As heat and energy pressures intensify, everyday spaces like balconies, façades, and informal additions emerge as key arenas for innovation.

The workshop first studied how residents adapted their homes through informal enclosures and microclimate modifications. It challenged students to design and prototype modular, adaptable, and thermally efficient retrofit systems—defined as a "kit of parts"—that could fit diverse housing typologies. Through on-site surveying, hands-on making, and design research, students examined how materials, building envelopes, and everyday lifestyles intersected. This inquiry was especially timely in southern Taiwan, where the rapid expansion of the semiconductor industry was reshaping urban growth patterns and energy consumption—introducing new demands and risks across housing, infrastructure, and climate resilience.