DEEP CUSTOMIZATION

Rethinking High-Rise Living Through Collective Authorship | Research Project

As buildings grow taller, opportunities for individual customization tend to diminish. High-rise architecture is largely defined by standardized structures, repetitive floor plans, fixed ceiling heights, and rigid building systems, leaving the building envelope as one of the few remaining areas for architectural expression.

Deep Customization challenges this conventional approach by proposing a new model of high-rise living—one that shifts customization beyond the façade and into the building itself.

Rather than treating a high-rise as a singular architectural object designed by one author, the project explores a collaborative framework in which multiple architects and occupants contribute to the design of individual dwelling units.

The proposal establishes a shared structural and service infrastructure while minimizing fixed architectural elements. Within this framework, diverse residential typologies, spatial configurations, and architectural expressions can coexist in a single building.

The result is a vision for vertical living that embraces individuality, diversity, and collective authorship—transforming the high-rise from a standardized product into an evolving architectural framework.