Construction is an industry with big impact on the environment and on society. To reduce environmental impact of construction industry, as well as to improve its social value, buildings should have an improved whole life value, be adaptable and attractive along time. Buildings adaptability depends on both the design of the building, and the supply chain that deliver and maintain over time the building itself. The choices in design might limit the ability of the supply chain in adapting the building over time: for instance, the choice of a certain material might reduce the number of available suppliers, thus hindering the building adaptability. Literature is scarcely discussing how to define and measure building adaptability from different perspective (e.g. the actual user, the future users, the construction supply chain, the environment, the society as a whole). Moreover, how to balance design choices and supply chain choices to assure building adaptability is still an open issue. The aim of the thesis is to explore the concept of buildings adaptability, to propose a definition along with possibly indicators to measure the concept from various perspectives. Moreover, the trade-offs involved with designing, delivering and maintaining an adaptable building will be discussed and modelled using a system dynamics approach. To this aim, first a literature review and then case studies on specific types of buildings, with reference to specific parts of the buildings will be conducted.

The work will be developed in collaboration with the Cardiff University (UK).