Advisor: Prof. Salim Al-Faqih
Co-advisor: Dr. Abdel-Elah Abdeen

Abstract:
The concept of flexibility in architectural design plays an important role in architecture, especially when we talk about the vast changes that occur in our modem life which influence our built environment. It is known that what we design to meet our present needs may become unsuitable for our future needs. In addition, flexibility will play as a balance factor between changes in needs and the built environment, that allows modification and redesign in the built environment, to adapt with any changes in buildings' uses, and our life, such as: technology, social, cultural and economical changes.

This research focuses on constructing a model for flexibility that enables the architect to incorporate the changing flexibility factor in his architectural design. In our trial to build the proposal flexibility model, we should introduce the following two concepts:

First: the concepts of flexibility, which includes:
a) Definition of flexibility.
b) Types of flexibility, and its importance.
c) Characteristics of proposal flexibility model.

Second: the concepts of systematic approach for studying, analyzing, and the design of an architectural works.

I construct the proposal flexibility model through applying the mentioned concepts above in addition; there are the concepts of supports and infill, or supplementary and primary objects. I should also introduce in the thesis the concepts of domain and system theory, which with the help of the explained ideas above can describe any architectural object. In each system I determined the supports and infill elements, the supports considered as the framework in which the infill work as the machine of flexibility. Though flexibility will depend on supports and the relation between them. The proposal model seems to be comprehensive, accurate, workable, and could applied on any building design without any conflict to the users, architects, and teamwork needs. To be sure of the applicability of the proposed flexibility model, I have made on application on hospital buildings, which showed a successful experiment.

Finally, I have reached to the conclusions and recommendations, which concentrates mainly on the importance of applying the proposed model on architectural design, and the need to more future research in this field, also we should find the ways to develop practical design and research in regard to flexibility.