A Classification of Elements Associated with the Concept of Adaptability Based on Functional Scales

The transfer of any concept from the sciences to engineering needs a comprehensive understanding and an ability to connect the two. Thanks to their evolution and passing of the test of time, the use of biological features has always been of particular importance. Adaptability is one of the main characteristics of living organisms, which let them survive in changing environments and ultimately results in their evolution. It can involve a number of aspects in architecture: functional, structural, formal, cultural, and commercial. On this basis, it is essential to pay attention to scale in any concept transfer from the sciences to architecture. The present research studies the scale in the original science and tries to define corresponding scales in architecture. Determining corresponding scales facilitates the use of a given scientific concept in architecture. The research starts with a study of the concept of adaptability in biological sciences based on their characteristics and scales; and then seeks ways to transfer them into architecture using a solution-centred approach. The research method is deductive starting from macro- and then moving on to micro-levels of the sciences. Finally, adaptability is studied in various built-environment scales with its associate elements classified. The connection between the two areas is made, first through the introduction of analytic units as datum points, and then the establishment of corresponding levels. This approach prevents possible misconceptions caused by incompatible scales in the two realms.