Temporary Architecture as System: A Life Cycle Assessment of Reusable Reciprocal Frame Systems

Description:
Temporary architectural structures are typically designed as single-use artifacts, prioritizing speed of construction and formal experimentation over long-term material impact. Temporary Architecture as System reframes reciprocal frame structures as reusable architectural assemblies whose environmental performance emerges across multiple cycles of deployment. Building on prior research in robotically fabricated, doubly curved reciprocal frames, the paper applies Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to evaluate the embodied environmental impacts of repeated assembly, disassembly, transport, and reconfiguration. By comparing reusable reciprocal frame systems to conventional single-use temporary structures, the study demonstrates how design decisions related to member geometry, connection strategies, and fabrication workflows influence lifecycle performance over time. The research positions temporary architecture not as an expendable object, but as a systemic material strategy capable of supporting circular construction practices through re-use.













Client: Government of Ontario
Funding: Ministry of Infrastructure
Location: 955 Lake Shore Blvd W, Toronto, ON M6K 3B9 and 1 Spadina Crescent, Toronto, ON M5S 2J5 Canada
Lead Collaborators: Nicholas Hoban, Rahul Sehijpaul, Paul Kozak
Student Collaborators: Alex Gaskin, Sadi Wali, Philip Copp, Mucteba Core, Nicole Quesnelle, Shannon Dacanay, Ala Mohammadi, Sophia de Uria, Caroline Guirguis, Aaron Di Giacomo, Ivan Makhno, Liam Cassano
Photographs: Rémi Carreiro Photography

Recommended citation: J. Nguyen, N. Hoban, R. Sehijpaul, S. Lamb, P. Kozak, "Temporary Architecture as System: A Life Cycle Assessment of Reusable Reciprocal Frame Systems", currently writing for publication