Architecture Commons^™

Additive Manufacturing Applications: From Personal Protective Equipment To Sustainable High-Performance Construction Systems, Nicholas Van Son

EURēCA: Exhibition of Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement

Additive Manufacturing (AM) (3D-printing) is still an emerging technology, and many of its applications have yet to be explored; all the while, we still use age-old industry methods in a variety of fields. This research investigates the potential for AM to serve as a solution to the problems presented in these methods. With the support of UTK’s Office of Research, the following research focuses on two main objectives: improving the ergonomics, effectiveness, and production of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and improving the sustainability and structural performance of large-scale construction systems.

The first objective came as a response to the COVID-19 …

Boolean Architecture, Amber Michaela Stanfill, Tyler S. Sanford

EURēCA: Exhibition of Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement

The Grande Boolean Concert Hall uses architectural features to draw in the passerby and creates a pull for those considering Knoxville as a destination. The design infuses natural curves into the downtown area creating architectural intrigue and seats just over 1800 patrons for concerts or events. Boolean logic informed the programmatic flow and overall form celebrating the three Boolean operations: difference, intersection and union. The geometries informing circulation, enclosure and organization were the cone, sphere, and ellipse. These geometries were operated upon to create a plaza, entrance, and roof geometry directly relating to acoustic performance. A detailed acoustic simulation allowed …

Transecting The Heart: An Atrium Investigation, Aubrey Sofia Bader, Sandra Ghabrial

EURēCA: Exhibition of Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement

An oxbow in a river creates a peninsula with a unique environment, distant from the surrounding land. Similarly, the oxbow-shaped Federal Center South Building 1202 contains a peninsula, an enclosed atrium, with an environment unlike the flowing current of offices that surround it. The cool modern offices are contrasted with the warmth of the central timber structure. The exposed timber beams and columns consist of wood reclaimed from a warehouse that previously stood on the site. In conversation with the modern oxbow of offices, the timber is reinforced by steel beams, giving it new life.

During our initial research phase, …

Membrane Dissection: The Bechtler Museum, Mike Lidwin, Rachel List

EURēCA: Exhibition of Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement

A windowless façade becomes the inspiration for an experimentation of materials. Through the use of terracotta cladding, Mario Botta crafts a local landmark and structural masterpiece in his design of the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art. The Bechtler Museum is located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and appears as a giant terracotta-red cube in the downtown cityscape. Instead of including several exterior windows, Botta focuses on the materiality of terracotta to function as an attractive facade and as an effective enclosure system.

This research project analyzes structural and enclosure elements of Mario Botta’s Bechtler Museum. Through diagramming the building in section, …