Timed Design: Temporal Architecture & The Space Elevator

How can architecture today prepare for the future? Timed Design considers the lifespan of architecture collectively, and evolves in response to forthcoming social, economic, and environmental climates, while concurrently meeting the needs of the present. Through observing and manipulating a subject’s interaction with its context, this series of experiments uncovered patterns of architectural endurance through increased sensitivity to the temporal environment. The core principle of these studies was the idea that time, space, and experience are deeply intertwined through motion.

The Space Elevator is a system that exists in a variety of extremely temporal environments, exemplifying the principles of Timed Design in an amplified circumstance. With frequent access to space, Earth can launch into a new, more liberated, Space Age. Over time, the elevator becomes more accessible to the public, and the supporting infrastructure must grow to accommodate the increased usage. The Space Elevator’s dual ports balance each other out over time. As the Space Port grows, the upward force (due to increased centrifugal force) on the Earth Port increases. This force is countered by creating a suspended web of anchoring program, hung from the tether at the Earth Port. Tiers of production allow the ports of the Space Elevator to evolve and re-calibrate according to the changing needs imposed on it. At its peak, the Space Elevator serves primarily as a transport station with amenities for training people to live in space and support facilities for fixing broken spacecraft. Currently, specific mechanisms and programmatic modules are being developed to stabilize the entire system and support architectural evolution.