Without Circulation

This chapter posits that the inflexibility and over-integration of circulation may restrict a building&s;s capacity for change or reuse. It advances the notion of circulation as a system that could help facilitate transformation, reutilization, and responsiveness to dynamic needs. This chapter highlights the versatile character of the big-box typology and its potential role in future space-making, particularly in circulation spaces. The adaptive reuse of a former Walmart into a local McAllen Public Library in Texas offers insight into this possibility. Conversely, the Beijing City Library is presented as a work of new construction in which the circulation appears as an independent surface, distinct from its massive roof structure. Through these examples, the chapter establishes the potential for circulation to be decoupled from the more static or rigid systems of a building, reflecting broader trends such as design for disassembly and circular construction, and highlighting impermanence as an inherent strength.