Transportable Environments 3

The latest volume in this popular series of books examining the international range of research and practical activity in the field of portable architecture and its context, in particular, the character and manifestation of the transportable environment whether a building, a landscape, or an interior space, brought into existence in a specific location for a limited or specified period of time. It consists of a series of original, illustrated, essays that explore contemporary research, design projects, buildings and cultural contexts that respond to evolving technological, social, economic and cultural conditions. Because of the way in which the world is changing flexible, transformable and transportable design is as important now as it was when, in past millennia, nomadic ways of life were dominant across the planet.
This range of original thematic papers and projects presents new research, knowledge and the experience of national and international experts with first hand information on theoretical, educational, technological and design issues in a global and cross-disciplinary context. Theoretical and historical research, the design work of cutting edge architects, and the search for new approaches in terms of structure, materiality, and production are all explored in detail. The book brings together a diverse range of viewpoints on many of the different manifestations this form of architecture takes. The study for transportable environments is a search for new interpretations of existing and innovative building technologies to fulfill requirements that cannot be met by the use of existing built forms.

Robert Kronenburg PhD RIBA is an architect and holds the Chair of Architecture at the University of Liverpool, School of Architecture, United Kingdom. His books include Houses in  Motion: The Genesis, History and Development of the Portable Building, Portable Architecture, Spirit of the Machine and he is editor of Transportable Environments. Professor Kronenburg is a past Fulbright fellow and in 1998 received a visiting fellowship at St. Johns College, Oxford University. His research has received support from the Building Centre Trust, London, the Graham Foundation and the Leverhulme Trust. He curated the major exhibition Portable Architecture held at the Royal Institute of British Architects, London, the touring exhibition Spontaneous Construction and he was curatorial advisor on the Vitra Design Museum's exhibition Living in Motion.

Filiz Klasen, Associate Professor, Ryerson University holds a Master of Architecture degree in Architectural Design from McGill University (1990) and a Bachelor of Architecture with honors from Middle East Techinical University (1987). She has given presentations at conferences internationally in Singapore, London and New York and been guest lecturer at Delft and Ankara. Her articles were published most recently in Transportable Environments II and have also been published in academic and professional journals such as the International Journal of Art and Design and On Site Architecture Magazine. She is also an independent curator. Her most recent curation, Home: Mobile, Modular and Light, was on display as part of Digifest at Design Exchange Museum, May 2004.