Chicago is a city, whose contribution to industry, architecture and urban planning was an inspiration for many growing cities around the world. In contrast, it is referred to as “Shrinking City”, where the rate of population is declining faster than the natality rate. The population demographics for Chicago are varied that majorly comprises of small nuclear families, single parent or non-family persons. It relies on its industrial manufacturing and services for its economy and is shaped by its industrial activities since ages.
Goose Island is a by-product of changes and transformation that has occurred in the past, and had influenced the urban planning in the neighborhood in 100 years; where a shift from separating cities and industrial districts to combining industry in cities have occured. It has witnessed a time-period of profitable lumber district to an abandonment town. Life on the island has always been in motion, with changes in physical activities that happen and influence the people living on the island. It has contributed to increasing living in and around the island, which has made a shift to mixed-land use.
In response to changing trends and in order to accommodate shifting functions,where rich historical architecture has lost their function, this thesis proposes a new understanding of flexibility in architecture. It investigates spatial transformation in the buildings, to interpret flexibility in terms of restoring their legacy from the past and giving new functions for the future. The richness of architecture style in Chicago in the 19th century is investigated in order to restore the legacy, and adapt to new functions. The process of adaptive reuse can be sparked with the industrial past and imagining the future of the legacy. The project is based on transforming the linear life cycle of the building to cyclic, with creating a variety of spaces, expressions and scales which affects the behaviour and experience of the users. It influences on a path on providing a program that can change over time, with interpreting space and it’s culture.