Architecture Commons^™

Attainable And Sustainable Home Building Solutions, Katrina Matthews

Construction Management

Sustainability has fortunately been a recent concern in the construction industry as climate change continues to impose potentially insurmountable threats to the global environment. Although many new methods have been adopted in efforts to lessen the adverse environmental effects of construction-related activities, as a society, we still have much room for growth as the built environment accounts for almost 50% of global emissions. Many changes and standards must be adopted to make these solutions efficiently beneficial. To set industry standards, we must start with the most basic form of construction- residential building. This report covers two attainable framing solutions for …

3d Printing Of Earthen Materials: Toward The Carbon-Zero Construction, Shiva Bhusal

Civil Engineering ETDs

In recent years, digital manufacturing techniques in the architecture and construction industry have rapidly gained attention, especially with 3D printing, also called additive manufacturing. The use of cement has been common in modern construction and is now being explored for 3D printing. However, due to cement's contribution to approximately 7 percent of global carbon emissions and its high cost, research on sustainable and greener materials has gained attention. Previous studies on alternative construction have examined the mechanical and rheological properties of soil mixes, but not much attention has been given to printability evaluation, shrinkage, and cracking, which can affect the …

The Dwelling And The Shed: Redefining The Homestead, Ryan Mattox

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

The homestead is the frontier of exploration. It is the place that shows people can take care of themselves through self-sufficient means. This place also looks at making a more sustainable population. That is partly due to the individual needing to take care of the environment around themselves so that the environment can provide for them.

My thesis project will look to create a technological and sustainable residential module that can be replicated and modified to create community based on self-sufficiency by means of sustainability. To achieve this goal, my thesis will look at combining the architectural elements of the …

Slo Botanical Garden Deck, Noah E. Demer

Architectural Engineering

This project consists of the design and construction of an outdoor-use deck. This deck is to be located in the NE corner of the Sage Meadow at the San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden at 3450 Dairy Creek Rd, San Luis Obispo, CA 93405. This deck’s intended use is as a gathering area for people to congregate. Originally, the ideal deck area was proposed as 700+ square feet, but with further site and project limitations the final design was ~480 square feet. This deck has not been constructed.

Subterraneans: A Regional Earth Dwelling For Comfort And Beauty, Isaak Benchoff

Architecture Undergraduate Honors Theses

Subterraneans is a study of an affordable, self-sufficient, sustainable, and dignified housing prototype for the region of Northwest Arkansas. It is a design process investigation based on the ideas of turning a local, sustainable material into affordable homes that can be built within a community of people sharing land and resources. The homes would utilize as many natural materials as possible to minimize the impact on the Earth and the cost to the owners.

Research looked at many different vernacular building precedents as well as the work done by contemporary design firms in the area of economical, low-impact, and passively …

Precious Plastics - Plastic Brick Machine Fabrication, Timothy Ukaobasi Kanu, Evi Paraskevi Troulis

Architectural Engineering

The goal of this research is to determine the structural parameters of the recycled plastic polypropylene when molded into bricks resembling CMU blocks. To accomplish this, three mechanisms had to be assembled: the shredder, the injector, and the 1x1 mold. A tensile and compression test were to be performed on the plastic brick, and the values would be used to compare the tensile and compressive strength of PP plastic bricks, as well as their modulus of elasticity and stress vs. Strain performance. These values would be analyzed to determine whether it would be feasible to build an entire plastic wall. …

Construction Of High-Bay Lab Reaction Frame Foundations, David R. Bowen, Henry E. Miller, Blaize Twisselman

Construction Management

This paper details the construction process of two concrete modular foundations designed to meet specific design standards for various testing methods. The project, positioned within the California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly) High Bay Lab, will provide the Architectural Engineering (ARCE) and Construction Management (CM) departments with valuable insight into industry structural elements. The project required extensive forethought and thoroughness due to the complex designs, including 200 all-thread coupler attachments and a cumbersome rebar cage. This paper outlines the primary phases of construction, including material procurement and quality control, and discusses how the final product was obtained. …

Energy Performance Of Double Skin Façade For High-Rise Residential Building In Abu Dhabi, Narmeen Tariq Abu Hilal

Theses

The hot climate of the UAE generates unique challenges for architects and building engineers looking for energy efficiency in high-rise residential buildings. The use of glass building facades has been increased; this type of façade usually comes with a high air-conditioning cost due to the higher heat gain. To design energy-efficient buildings, it is essential to adapt the principles of sustainability and innovative transparent glass façade design into practice as the building facade is a major element in determining the amount of energy used in buildings. Construction details, methods, and materials of the residential building facade play an important role …

On The Balcony, Beyond “Balconearing”; Perception Of Cairene Women, Behind The Curtains., Rowida Magdy Al-Gebeily

Theses and Dissertations

This study sheds light on the significance and role of threshold spaces as means of accomplishing sociocultural needs, restoration and wellbeing in the residential environment. Understanding the function and uses of these spaces allows us to appreciate their benefits that are often neglected. The research particularly focuses on the social dimension of one fundamental threshold space; the Cairene balcony. It is an integral space that provides a valuable connection to the outside, and its importance in the development of urban living is widely recognized. If carefully designed to meet the residents’ needs and demands, they can promote a better quality …

Aula Multifuncional De Integración Territorial Yavarí. Armonía Entre El Diseño Y La Naturaleza, Natalia Muñoz Cifuentes

Arquitectura

El proyecto arquitectónico está situado en la Isla Fluvial de Santa Rosa de Yavarí, Perú, isla perteneciente a la triple frontera amazónica, la cual cuenta con una población de niños y jóvenes marginados por diferentes aspectos poblacionales. Debido a esta situación surge la necesidad de responder a la siguiente pregunta: ¿Cómo a través del diseño arquitectónico de un equipamiento multinacional en la isla de Santa Rosa de Yavarí se logra generar una simbiosis entre lo social y natural, dando como resultado la correcta transformación?, armonía y apropiación del territorio? El desarrollo y resultado final de esta pregunta, responde a un …

La Casa Del Alma. Pabellón Memorial Funerario, Ana Sofía Melo Linares, Santiago Iván Torres Orjuela

Arquitectura

El presente documento es una muestra del diseño arquitectónico de un equipamiento cultural de carácter fúnebre, ubicado en la localidad de Los Mártires, en el barrio Santa Fe, sobre la pieza urbana enmarcada en el PEMP del cementerio central, para el diseño del mismo se inició un proceso investigativo relacionado con el estudio del sector dentro del cual se tomó en cuenta la vocación del espacio y el impacto histórico y urbano que tiene dentro de la ciudad de Bogotá, adicionalmente se buscó que el proyecto se integre con los diferentes planes parciales de renovación y revitalización urbana como “estación …

De Insurgente Armado A Campesino Productivo: La Vivienda Dúctil En Territorios Rurales Para La Reincorporación Efectiva., Nicolás Campos Gaona, Julián Camilo Morales Huertas

Arquitectura

La población reincorporada de la AETCR de Pondores está en presencia de un asentamiento el cual tiene diversidad de carencias, entre ellas las necesidades básicas para poder llevar a cabo su vida con dignidad, aspecto que se pactó y se firmó en los acuerdos de paz del 2016. En esta búsqueda de un asentamiento propicio de condiciones para la reincorporación efectiva, ellos están en disposición de una relocalización del asentamiento. Para lograr dicha relocalización se deben dar ciertos aspectos esenciales, los cuales rotarán a partir de la construcción del concepto de vivienda dúctil, la cual será la herramienta para el …

Energy Efficiency Retrofit And Decarbonization Of Old And Historic Buildings In California, Daria Nikolaeva

Master's Projects and Capstones

Buildings are responsible for almost 40% of total global greenhouse gas emissions and the retrofitting of existing buildings is an essential part of solving the problem. About 75% of buildings in Californian were constructed before the first energy-efficiency building code was adopted in 1978. Old buildings are inefficient, responsible for large carbon footprints and must be retrofitted to stay on track with the state's climate targets. However, current policies do not require substantial changes and tend to favor historic preservation over energy efficiency, missing improvement opportunities. Recognizing the significance of carbon intensity, the 2019 California Energy Efficiency Action Plan shifted …

Reciprocal Frames: The Flat Beam Grillage, Cesar Noe Jimenez Ramirez, Nicholas Sowatzke

Architectural Engineering

This report follows the pursuit of attaining information and researching academic resources regarding the elusive reciprocal frame structures throughout history, in particular the flat beam grillage. In the following pages, the reader should expect to learn about reciprocal frames in a historical context throughout the globe, as well as, gain insight on how to potentially analyze these frames when they span two-dimensionally. As seen in Figure 1 (Pugnale 2011) and Figure 2 (Godthelp 2019), reciprocal frame structures consist of multiple groups of three or more members that are mutually supported. Along the perimeter of the structure, the members are supported …

Use Of Precious Plastic Method Of Bricks For The Construction Of Tiny Homes, Haylie E. Tallon

Architectural Engineering

Precious Plastics, a Netherlands based company, created an open source project that can be used to create different objects from recycled plastics. The San Luis Obispo area has a large amount of recyclable plastic that is being treated as trash, adding to the pollution of the ocean and the air. This project is to determine the necessary steps to create plastic building blocks, using the Precious Plastic process, as a construction material for low-income, temporary housing. This report covers the process that was used to build two of the machines that will be used to create the bricks. This requires …

Analysis Of The Relationship Between Ieq And Energy Consumption In Uae University Building: Impact Of Thermal And Lighting Comfort On Energy Usage, Salama Abdulla Al Ghaithi

Theses

The Indoor Environment Quality (IEQ) of buildings becomes increasingly critical as people spend more than 90% of their time inside buildings based on the National Human Activity Pattern Survey (NHAPS) (Klepeis et al., 2001). The quality of the indoor environment in a building has been shown to have a significant impact on users' productivity and energy consumption. Further, if tenants are working in a comfortable indoor environment, absenteeism rates and incidental expenses, such as medical expenses, will be reduced. For instance, a comfortable workplace increases productivity by 10-15% and reduces absenteeism by 2.5% (Leyten & Boerstra, 2003). According to the …

Timber Buckling Restrained Brace, Faith Sharp, Armando Castaneda Jr

Architectural Engineering

The timber buckling-restrained brace (TBRB) experiment at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly), began in 2018 with the goal of finding whether timber may provide proper restraint against buckling of a steel brace. The TBRB was motivated by the limited lateral force resisting systems (LFRS) available for low-to-mid-rise, type V construction; this system would provide strength and ductility at a scale and level of cost appropriate to timber construction.

Early research consisted of uniaxial component testing, where researchers played with the balance between the core brace design and utilization of timber casings for buckling restraint, with minimal …

Design, Integration, And Evaluation Of Iot-Based Electrochromic Building Envelopes For Visual Comfort And Energy Efficiency, Qingqing Sun

All Dissertations

Electrochromic glazing has been identified as the next-generation high-performance glazing material for building envelopes due to its dynamic properties, which allow the buildings to respond to various climate conditions. IoT technologies have improved the sensing, communication, and interactions of building environmental data. Few studies have been done to synthesize the advancements in EC materials and building IoT technologies for better building performance. The challenge remains in the lack of compatible design and simulation tools, limited understanding of integration, and a paucity of evaluation measures to support the convergence between the EC building envelopes and IoT technologies. This research first explores …

Creating A Development Framework: A Generic Lens For Public Markets’ Analysis And Development In Integration With Their Zone Of Influence Revitalization, Nourhan Ahmed

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis discusses how the development of public markets through a structured framework can be a catalyst for revitalizing its zone of influence. Public markets have always been marked by their rich experience, and their central role in towns, cities, and villages, as they have been vital engines for urban growth and cities formation since their prevalence. Needless to mention their role in entrepreneurship and their significance for the social development of neighborhoods. Nowadays, local governments are rediscovering the central role of public markets and are putting them under focus to catalyze the urban growth and neighborhoods revitalization by their …

An Empirical Investigation Into Current And Future Overheating Frequency In Nzeb And Passivhaus Dwellings In Ireland, Evan Finegan

Theses

The European Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) 2011, ensures that all new Irish dwellings designed after 01st November 2019 are nearly zero energy (nZEB) dwellings. The Passive House (PH) standard has been the most commonly applied energy standard across the globe in recent decades, while overheating is identified as a growing issue in nZEB and PH dwellings. The EPBD requires all dwellings to be designed to reduce energy consumption, while considering general indoor climate conditions to avoid the negative effects of overheating. Overheating frequency simulations are not mandatory for dwellings under Irish legislation. Anticipated climate change trends will result in …

Sage Garden Pavilion Shade Structure, Anthony Razouk Karroum, Manuel Bermudez, Matthew Kilbride, Sarah Holt, Marisa Martineau

Architectural Engineering

Form finding, testing, and construction of funicular double-layered shells in an interdisciplinary format with a focus on designing a shade structure for the San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden Children’s Pavilion. In the process, challenges such as connection design, materiality, storage, and more are explored and refined in relation to shell structures.

Guidelines For The Eeri Seismic Design Competition, Kate Robinson

Architectural Engineering

The Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) has been dedicated to exposing undergraduate students to the wide range of interdisciplinary subjects related to earthquake engineering through the Seismic Design Competition. In 2022, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly) sent 14 students to Salt Lake City, Utah for the competition – to compete with 31 other teams who all tackled the competition problem statement uniquely. The 2022 team was tasked with the research, design, analysis, and construction of a new structure to be built in downtown Salt Lake City, with the goal of replicating the design sequence of real-world …

Structural Design Of A New Reaction Frame For High Bay Laboratory, Cassidy A. Sutton, Adelaide Albro

Architectural Engineering

The Cal Poly High Bay Testing Lab recently acquired hydraulic actuators for structural testing. The actuators are used for performing force and displacement tests on structural specimens designed and built by students and faculty. The existing frame that the old actuators mount to did not have enough capacity to accommodate the amount of force that the new actuators are capable of. New reaction frames were needed to be designed and constructed so the new actuators could be used to their full potential. The following report explores two different options for possible reaction frames in the lab. Both options have a …

Center For Centering: Analysis Of A Modular Timber Dome, Lucas J. Brown

Architectural Engineering

Analysis of a modular timber dome with focus on inductive, sensory, social, and environmental aspects.

Same Polytechnic College Tanzania Build 2022, Paulina Robles, Anna Yamauchi, Surina Marwaha, Tia Kelly, Dillon Schneider, Audrey Hoang, Connor Gilligan, Jennifer Viveros, Jenna Beutelschies, Robert Hardwick

Architectural Engineering

In collaboration with The Mbesese Initiative for Sustainable Design, the Cal Poly senior project team has designed, engineered, and prepared construction documents for a new vocational training college in Same, Tanzania, a rural area in the Mt. Kilimanjaro region. Upon its completion, the college will offer quality and practical educational opportunities for up to 1,200 students; in the interim, individual structures will be occupied immediately, adding value to the community throughout the construction process. The campus will house continuing educational programs, sports and agriculture fields, as well as hotels and other community-facing structures.

Caed Hasslein Student Competition, Greta R. Stout

Construction Management

This paper outlines the development of the first CAED Hasslein Student Competition at Cal Poly, SLO. The College of Architecture and Environmental Design at Cal Poly, SLO has not yet been successful in creating a platform to engage students of all five majors to collaborate in an educational atmosphere. This project aims to challenge students to work in teams made up of all five disciplines in a Request for Proposal-style competition. This paper focuses on how the idea of this competition came to be and the steps that were taken to successfully write the competition problem statement. These steps included …

U.S. Army Medical Command’S Medical Treatment Facilities’ Response To Sars-Cov-2 (Covid-19), Seyedmohammad Ahmadshahi

All Theses

Starting in December 2019 to the current time in May 2022, COVID-19 was a devastating pandemic with approximately 440 million cases and 6 million deaths worldwide (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2021). The United States (US) with roughly 90 million cases and 1 million deaths (CDC, 2021) was one of the epicenters of the outbreak since the beginning. The pandemic has significantly impacted the health systems across the US with unpredictable surges of highly infectious patients with uncertain symptomology and acuity levels, requiring isolation and critical level of care (Brambilla et al., 2021).

Based on the findings from …

Evaluation Of The Proliferation Of Electromagnetic Radiation In Smart Indoor Environment And Subsequent Absorption On Human Head By Simulation And Factorial Analysis, Reshna Raveendran

Dissertations

Smart buildings using 5G and Internet of Things (IoT) acknowledge themselves as one of the undeniable byproducts occasioned from the fifth Industrial Revolution and are seen as the best solution adopted by the built environment. Smart buildings are publicized to carry a spectrum of benefits for building occupants ranging from actively saving electricity, ensuring operational efficiency to facilitating health support, wellness and productivity. Conversely, the negative aspects associated with smart buildings are often marginalized, and the limited research produced so far makes them seemingly non-existent. Literature review informs us that a smart building being subjected to external and artificial radiation …

Exploring The Use Of Re-Forming Concrete, Moritz Meditz

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

This thesis takes a closer look at concrete construction in the modern area and, more specifically, the use of formwork to shape the built environment.

Traditional rigid concrete formwork has been optimized for buildability while serving structural needs. This mentality means simple prismatic elements that are entirely overbuilt for the task, stacked on top or next to one another. The idea that these elements are the peak of efficiency in concrete production has informed virtually all modern concrete construction. Any shapes that vary from the simple prismatic volumes are seen as challenging to build and expensive. For the most part, …

Optimization Of Advanced Building Integrated Photovoltaic And Thermal System With Dual Working Fluid, Barilelo E. Nghana

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

A direct exchange building integrated photovoltaic and thermal (BIPV/T) heat pump system is proposed where the heat extracted from the BIPV is used to drive the heat pump. To ensure a more stable diurnal system performance, especially at low solar conditions, air flow is instituted in the cavity between BIPV façade and the insulated inner wall. The airflow is directed from the heated or cooled space into the air channel and can be exhausted or returned to the space depending on the building operating conditions. The flow and geometrical parameters of the BIPV/T façade are optimized such that more than …