System

AIR is exploring a lightweight architectural system intended to sit freestanding within existing structures.

A light structural frame is visually 'suspended' from the inner skin of the existing building, remaining structurally independent from the ruin wherever possible. This frame supports new floors, walls, and services while minimising intervention in the original fabric.

The system is enclosed using CLT panels and glazing, allowing for precision off-site fabrication, rapid installation, and reduced site disruption.

Because the prototype systme is:

• Lightweight

• Demountable

• Reversible

…it can adapt to different building types, conditions, and futures.

Rather than imposing a fixed architectural language, the system acts as a quiet support, allowing the existing structure to remain present. It is a method of making its unique qualities of light, proportion, and aging inhabitable.