Architecture Commons^™

Cal Poly's Old Powerhouse Analysis Assessing Stakeholder Preferences, Marissa D. Burns

Construction Management

This research paper delves into the historical and cultural relevance of Cal Poly’s Old Powerhouse, the college’s oldest architectural landmark, which has remained in a state of disuse since the 1990s. Employing meticulous survey methodology; perspectives from faculty, staff, alumni, students, and community members are gathered to illustrate the significance of the Old Powerhouse within the various stakeholders. The study refrains from imposing interpretation but rather seeks to capture the sentiments expressed by stakeholders, providing valuable insights into the building’s perceived value. By centering on the community opinions, the research will underscore the building’s potential and expand on the collected …

Rebuilding California History: Research, Conceptual Design, And Code Analysis For The Reconstruction Of The Swanton Pacific Railroad On Swanton Ranch, David J. Choy

City and Regional Planning

The purpose of this report is to provide code research, code analysis, and conceptual design work for the Swanton Pacific Railroad. This work will provide a basis that decisions makers can use to review potential actions for the future of the Swanton Pacific Railroad. Based on the research, several issues have been identified that will need to be addressed if rebuilding is to succeed.

• The parcel that the railroad is located on is Split Zoned, which will need to be resolved.
• A decision needs to be made if this project is: Only rebuilding what was existing beforehand, rebuilding in part …

The Literary Controversies Of Michelangelo's Sistine Ceiling, Victoria Duehring

The Forum: Journal of History

This literary review will focus on Michelangelo’s most significant work of color: the Sistine ceiling. Michelangelo’s work has spawned a plethora of literature, but this paper will focus on three main controversial topics: assistants (or lack thereof), the ignudi’s purpose, and restoration. I will also apply a psycho-historical approach to these controversies and identify potential avenues for future research.

Residential Seismic Retrofit Cost For Home Located In Tustin, California, Sara Clark

Construction Management

Seismically retrofitting a residential home not only protects the homeowner, but also helps them prepare for the future. Needless to say, many older homes are not up to the 2018 International Residential Code. As a result, many owners are uninformed about how much it will cost to retrofit their home and what changes will have to be made. The solution for this is determining a cost per square foot ratio that will help homeowners calculate an estimate for the retrofit of their home. Additionally, it is important to break this cost down into what specific changes need to be made. …

Poly Canyon Entryway Redesign, Antonio Emiliano Baldazo

Architectural Engineering

Persistence of Vision investigates the relationship between past, present, and future perceptions of place in the Poly Canyon area. Persistence of Vision takes up the Cal Poly mantra of “learn by doing,” and explores its pedagogical value by engaging with theory, design, engineering and implementation. This project is manifest in the form of a series of signs in the so-called “architectural graveyard” area; with an eye towards changing the name, perceptions, and narratives about this place. This project hopes to create a recognition within the minds of students that this place is, and was intended to be, a place for …

Old Town Newark, California: Design Strategy On Thornton Avenue, Gabriel Ward

City and Regional Planning

No abstract provided.

A Model For Sustainable Living In Guanajuato, Mexico, Melina Smith

City and Regional Planning

No abstract provided.

The Atascadero Printery, Kaylee Efstathiu, Jami Hahn, Tyler Pizarro, Elizabeth Townsend, Mark Luzi

Architectural Engineering

No abstract provided.

Modular House Revival, Kevin Chiang, Spencer Dilley, Sarah Dowthwaite, Trevor Houghton, Ryan Lefebvre, Michele Leung, Cameron Lober, Chris Martinez, Katie Mayer

Architectural Engineering

The Modular House, located in Poly Canyon, has seen extensive damage since the last caretaker left nearly ten years ago. To prevent further damage and improve the safety and appeal of the structure, we are proposing a renovation of the existing building that removes the existing cladding and partitions. By the end of Spring Quarter 2017, the Modular House will have a guardrail system replacing the wood paneling on the walls and a new steel composite deck to replace the current flooring system. The structural steel framing system will remain as is.

Kihefo Vocational Center: Kabale, Uganda, Jason Matthew Angerer

Construction Management

Journeyman International (JI) is a non-profit organization which acts as a platform for bringing together volunteer Architects, Designers, Engineers, and Construction Managers with humanitarian projects around the world. Kigezi Healthcare Foundation (KIHEFO) a non-profit NGO located in Kabale, Uganda is a client seeking to build a vocational center to educate the workforce of Uganda. The center will include multi-purpose class rooms, a dining hall, rabbit farm, carpentry shop, and living complex. The Architect on the project was Courtney Wedel from Cal Poly. As the Construction Manager on the project my responsibilities include; Design Assist, Feasibility Analysis, Scheduling, Estimating, and Managing …

Water Reduction In Single-Family California Homes, Jaclyn B. Hawkins

Construction Management

Many Californian families do not realize how much water they use per day. Since California frequently experiences periods of drought, it is important for the public to understand how they can reduce their water use. This research paper explains ways that Californian families can easily reduce water consumption within their homes. The paper explains how much water is used per fixture, and how much water can be saved making modifications of updates to existing fixtures.

Peering In: Improving Existing Buildings With Colorful Increments, Daire Heneghan

Master's Theses

Existing office buildings’ embodied energy, history and culture offer something a newly constructed building cannot. On the other hand, new office buildings’ adoption of new technologies and building philosophies offer a range of sustainable efficiencies previously unavailable. Combining these efficiencies with elements that embrace human diversity and well- being offer the opportunity to not only mend our existing buildings’ deteriorating physical bodies but aid in creating workplaces that promote good physical and mental health.

This project provides recommendation on how an existing high-rise commercial building can incorporate a number of incremental improvements that continually evolve to meet rapidly changing market …

Greta Place As A Historic District, William Riggs

City and Regional Planning

This report, forwarded to the City of San Luis Obispo's Cultural Heritage Commission proposes Greta Place as a mid-century modern historic district. Greta is a small street located centrally in San Luis Obispo, CA (See Figure 1). It has a unique and distinct mid-century presence that is both a well-preserved and concentrated example of a collection of Mid-century single-family homes produced in San Luis Obispo as the City began to expand in the 1950s. It specifically called out in the City’s Historic Context Statement when it describes the street as “a cohesive collection of one-story Mid-century Modern houses along Greta …

Mapping And Analyzing Historical Sanborn Maps Of San Luis Obispo From 1905 And 1950, Troy A. Lawson

Social Sciences

This project was conducted to map, analyze, and determine historical changes in the city of San Luis Obispo, California. Sanborn maps from 1905 and 1950 were drawn showing streets, parcels, creeks, and buildings of the city. These publications had limited use because they were in a physical format without any geographic reference. Here, these maps were digitized into a GIS format to analyze building trends and identify cultural and historical buildings not on the City’s list of Historic and Culturally Contributing Buildings, as well as published online on the City of San Luis Obispo’s website and on ArcGIS Online. Additionally, …

City Of Los Angeles Arts District Form-Based Code, Ryan Jupiter Banuelos

Master's Theses

Los Angeles is experiencing a loss of inventory with Industrial land due to adaptive reuse and property conversion. The primary factors behind the conversions are

inconsistent land use regulations and a strong market

demand for residential property. In an effort to streamline land use regulation,

the city will create a new zoning code. In conjunction with the zoning update,

the purpose of this project will be to develop a form-based code for the Los

Angeles Arts District. The new land use regulation will explore methods to

preserve job producing industrial space and accommodate the growing

residential market in the area. …

Latino Rhythms In Downtown Los Angeles: A Case Study Of The Social, Physical, And Economic Environment Of "La Broadway", Ulises Antonio Gonzalez

Master's Theses

In an attempt to practice inclusive planning, this research project explores whether Broadway Avenue functions as an ethnic commercial strip and identifies social, physical, and economic components that contribute to the Latino neighborhood/ barrio. Using pilot studies Loukaitou-Sideris (2000), Loukaitou-Sideris (2002), Rojas (1993), Manzumdar et al. (2000), Main (2007), and Fernando (2007) as a foundation, this research uses a single case study in addition to several research methods: 42 random surveys, literature review and analysis, site observations/pictures, and land use survey.

Various scholars write that barrios have unique physical, social, economic, and political attributes. A new aesthetic, art, symbols, …

Structural Engineering Students For Haiti: A Student-Run, Student-Initiated Organization For The Benefit Of The Haitian People, Andrew Jimenez, Alex Daddow

Architectural Engineering

On August 2nd 2012, a group of 10 students from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo traveled to Léogâne, Haiti to construct a bell tower for the Saint Rose de Lima Parish. The trip consisted of four days of construction, and three days of touring. The seven days in Haiti were a result of three months of planning by a student-run, student-initiated group called Structural Engineering Students for Haiti, or SESH. The following report documents the planning, execution and lessons learned from this trip. The planning included everything from fund raising to disease prevention. The trip was successful because the bell …

3d Digital Modeling For Urban Design + Planning, Emmanuel Velazco

City and Regional Planning

Cities throughout the country face a number of challenges in dealing with the changing development needs of the 21st century. In urban planning, the fusion of social, environmental, political, economic, and functional considerations are required. Today, local, state, and federal governments are experiencing an economic downturn, making resources scarce to plan for smarter development, attain greater public interest, and economic revival.

The primary objective of this project is to provide innovative solutions in city and regional planning using software applications, such as Google SketchUp, that enable assessment of various urban design projects. A second objective was to create a 3D …

A Case Of Reclaming Ruin: Beyond The Hype & Hyperbole Of New York's High Line, Bryan D. Eck

Master's Theses

As a result of economic, social, and cultural changes, cities across the country are looking to outdated and abandoned infrastructure for use as public space. The primary objective of this study is to comprehensively examine one such project, the High Line in New York City, to contribute to the body of literature related to urban transformation, reuse, and analogous projects. In this thesis, the High Line was analyzed as a case study and examined in-depth, through an array of data gathering methods. A historical study of the site was conducted through archival research. A typology, and subsequent description, of the …

Go Farm, Goleta: Urban Agriculture Protection For Eastern Goleta Valley, Eli M. Krispi

Master's Theses

This paper explores two potential land use planning strategies that can be used to preserve and enhance the economic viability of agricultural operations surrounded by suburban development in Santa Barbara County’s Eastern Goleta Valley: buffers between agriculture and other land uses, and agritourism. In the case of buffers, academic literature is examined to determine how effective buffers are at various tasks (filtering runoff, mitigating dust and wind, providing habitat, etc.) and how to construct buffers to maximize their effectiveness. Land use plans and codes from several California jurisdictions are studied to see how buffers are put to use. Academic literature …

Glorious Constructions: The Struggle To Preserve Salvation-Themed Visionary Art Environments, Molly Elaine Sheehan

Master's Theses

Salvation-themed art environments are a roadside rarity, built out of a strong visionary dedication to God, but the sites are disappearing simply because the work is misunderstood. The historiography on the subject is sparse, trending more toward coffee table books with big glossy pictures than real scholarly endeavors, but the consensus among all has been clear. The sites are a valuable part of the recent American cultural landscape, crossing several scholarly fields - art, architecture, and history - and uniting them into a cohesive preservation movement. On a series of trips to visit, see, and experience five of these sites, …

Piedras Blancas Motel Feasibility Study And Redevelopment Alternatives, Gordon Douglas Anderson

Master's Theses

The Piedras Blancas Motel is a 1950’s era roadside motel comprised of 11 lodging units, plus a cafe, laundry room, manager’s apartment, and adjacent storage area. It is located seven miles north of San Simeon and nine miles south of the San Luis Obispo/Monterey County line. In 2005, the property was purchased using State, Federal, and private funds, and then transferred to the California Department of Parks and Recreation (State Parks). Although it has been closed to the public since 2005, the Site offers day-use parking and convenient beach access.

This professional project, under contract with the California Coastal Conservancy, …

Enhancement Plan For Downtown Cayucos, Ca, Rachelle Sarai Sneh Lopez

Master's Theses

An area can be torn by the competition between the preservation of its character and the desire for new development. Cayucos’ downtown area is recognized by both residents and visitors as a special place with a strong, small, coastal town feel. However, issues such as accessibility, public amenities, parking, maintenance, and general development needs have to be dealt with. This thesis deals with the issue of how to plan for change while maintaining the character of Cayucos, and presents an enhancement plan proposal for its downtown. The development of this plan was based on a research-based design methodology, which included …