Architecture Commons^™

Reducing Food Scarcity: The Benefits Of Urban Farming, S.A. Claudell, Emilio Mejia

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Urban farming can enhance the lives of communities and help reduce food scarcity. This paper presents a conceptual prototype of an efficient urban farming community that can be scaled for a single apartment building or an entire community across all global geoeconomics regions, including densely populated cities and rural, developing towns and communities. When deployed in coordination with smart crop choices, local farm support, and efficient transportation then the result isn’t just sustainability, but also increasing fresh produce accessibility, optimizing nutritional value, eliminating the use of ‘forever chemicals’, reducing transportation costs, and fostering global environmental benefits.

Imagine Doris, who is …

Nature As Material, Time As Tool, Chuchu Chen

Masters Theses

No building stands forever. Over time, the natural environment acts upon the outer surface of the building, leading to the failure of materials and the final dissolution of the structure itself, leading to ruin. In order to prevent this or retard its occurrence, we constantly maintain and renew the things we build. Nature seems to stand in opposition to architecture. The passage of time is constantly subtracting from the building. However, what differentiates nature from architecture? This thesis questions whether these two are not opposed, but on a continuous spectrum. Approaching the building as part of the overall environment that …

Reintroducing Hemp (Rongony) In The Material Palette Of Madagascar: A Study On The Potential Of Hemp Clay Components And Its Impact On Social And Ecological Communities., Henintsoa Thierry Andrianambinina

Masters Theses

When mentioning the word hemp, especially in the local language of Madagascar, the literal translation does not set it apart from marijuana, as they are both called “rongony” - creating the stigma around hemp as the negative stereotype of marijuana. However, the material has been used by the ancestors of Madagascar, as well as across cultures, in its fibrous form to produce fabrication like textile goods and packaging. During colonization, the prohibition of hemp intensified, and since then, any activity related to either of these plants is prohibited and will end in severe punitive measures. This thesis explores the strengths …

Quantifying The Carbon Stored And Sequestered By The Trees On Pomona College’S Campus, Paola A. Giron-Carson

Scripps Senior Theses

We are experiencing a climate crisis that must be confronted with strategic mitigation. Pomona College contributes to the climate crisis through its emissions for which there is a baseline record. However there is no baseline record of the climate mitigation currently performed by the trees on Pomona’s campus through carbon storage. This study seeks to determine a current baseline quantity of carbon stored and sequestrated by Pomona’s trees as well as possible courses of climate mitigation for Pomona College to take. Initial information gathering was conducted through interviews with several stakeholders. This study was conducted using data collected prior to …

Landscapes Are Cornerstones Of Sustainability Programs, Don Spence

Sustainability Conference

Typical American landscapes are not sustainable in an economic or biological framework. The essence of the idea of sustainable growth and development are centered on the idea that those activities are not degrading natural resources or that they are outstrip budgets. A significant piece of any sustainable management plan is tied to how we manage our landscapes, how we use plants; specifically, how much grass there is, and how many native plants there are. Sustainable landscapes should require less chemical and financial inputs, which in the end, saves money and increases the biological value of the land and creates a …

Mp765: Creating The Orono Bog Boardwalk: A Facility For Education, Research, And Recreation, Ronald B. Davis

Miscellaneous Publications

A memoir by Dr. Ronald Davis detailing the creation of the Orono Bog Boardwalk. The Orono Bog Boardwalk is a premier destination in the Bangor/Orono area for persons wishing to experience the beauty and fascinating plants and animals of a Maine bog. The 1-mile boardwalk loop trail begins at the forested wetland edge in the Bangor City Forest, and after 800 feet crosses the Orono town line into the portion of the Orono Bog owned by the University of Maine. Along the way the boardwalk passes through a wide range of changing vegetation and environments on its way to the …

It Takes A Muscle: Wholes, Holes, And Other Voids, Saar Shemesh

Theses and Dissertations

IT TAKES A MUSCLE¹

In the BELLY of the BEAST, the HUMAN

in the deep end of a SWIMMING POOL

in a GRAVE, looking up/out from within

at the base of a CRATER, ABYSS, PIT

the room as a CRADLE, INCUBATOR

architecture as MOTHER MOULD.²

____________________________

¹ Title is borrowed and abbreviated: Spectral Display, “It Takes A Muscle To Fall In Love,” 1982.

² For what American-English delineates as ‘mold,’ British-English uses ‘mould’ and is more specific in its technicality. The former doesn’t distinguish in spelling between mold (fungus) and mold (mould). I’m not particularly a fan of …

Regenerating Agroecosystems By Overcoming Human Exceptionalism In Designing For Increased Equity Of Benefits From Ecoservices, Ali Loker, Charles A. Francis

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Our commentary explores three critical issues related to ecosystem services. First is how ecoservices are currently designed and implemented primarily for human benefit without concern for how these impact other species. We conclude that awareness of this imbalance is the first step toward meaningful change. Second we observe that human exceptionalism guides most decisions, and ask whether we can overcome this mind-set to embrace ecoregeneration and design of resilient and mutually beneficial agroecosystems. Our attitude toward the challenge and moving toward greater humility about human roles that guide management decisions in the ecosystem is a requisite for change. Third we …

Some (Im)Material Girls, Living In (Im)Material Worlds, With Seeds, Stars, And Shit, Matthew Weiderspon

Theses and Dissertations

This writing situates material and gestural vocabularies cultivated in my artwork in relation to my lived experience; primarily my rural upbringing in Colorado. Scattered floor dispersals, calling sounds, and bodily movements desire reconsiderations of hope in precarity through a disorientation of place, association, scale, and language.

Conserving Water Through Modular Planting Design: Water-Wise Templates For Ogden's Residential Front Yard Landscapes, Jessica Clements

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Due to the arid climate of the Wasatch front and the projected population growth in the next thirty years, water conservation is essential. Consequently, because the landscape consumes 60% of Utah residences’ purified drinking water, water-wise landscaping needs to be a priority. This thesis creates water-wise landscape templates that can be applied to the front yards of Ogden rental properties using a modular planting method. This study determines best practices by researching topics such as water-wise plants for Northern Utah, templates utilized in other areas, modular planting, and existing organizations with similar goals. This results in a user-friendly guide that …

B10: Controlling Saltwater Intrusion: Aiding The Recovery Of Freshwater Ecosystems, Willem Maniago, Stefanie Whitmire, Dan Hitchcock

Annual Research Symposium

As sea levels rise, it is imperative to understand the effects of saltwater intrusion on freshwater ecosystems. This is especially true in the coastal wetlands of the SE US, where freshwater forests are dying from exposure to salinity. One management strategy that could prevent salinity intrusion in surface waters are water control structures (WCS). The Great Reserve, located outside of Georgetown, SC, represents a biodiverse freshwater forested wetland affected by saltwater intrusion from the adjacent tidal Black River. Several years ago, scientists and landowners observed the degradation of the ecosystem. The owners of the property installed a WCS at the …

Green Stormwater Infrastructure For The Town Of Maynard, Ma, Angie J. Gregory

Sustainability Science Working Papers

Green Infrastructure refers to ecosystem service solutions that provide human benefit. In the context of Stormwater Management, GI benefits address regulatory compliance measures related to stormwater runoff pollutant capture and flood mitigation on site, while providing co-benefits. Inherently distributive, non-exclusive, and non-rival in nature, Green Infrastructure as publicly owned infrastructure can provide restoration while generating capacity for community resilience. Comprehensive public and private investments will equitably advance public health and safety through this method. This paper will present the use of GI for satisfying compliance for MS4 permits for municipalities and implementation at residential and commercial scale with comprehensive review …

Evapotranspiration Of Urban Landscape Trees And Turfgrass In An Arid Environment: Potential Trade-Offs In The Landscape, Tamara Wynne, Dale Devitt

Life Sciences Faculty Research

Irrigation in arid urban landscapes can use significant amounts of water. Water conservation must be based on plant species and the ability to meet plant water requirements while minimizing overirrigation. However, actual evapotranspiration (ET) estimates for landscape trees and turfgrass in arid environments are poorly documented, especially direct comparisons to assess potential trade-offs. We conducted research to quantify ET of 10 common landscape tree species grown in southern Nevada and compared these values with the ET of both a warm season and cool season turfgrass species. The trees were grown in a plot with a high-density planting (256 trees/ha). A …

Photosynthesizing The Workplace: A Study In Healthy And Holistic Production Spaces, Kaeli Howard

Masters Theses

Throughout time nature has been a prescribed healer of stress on the human condition. Its vital integration into our daily lives has been proven by scientific evidence. The majority of Americans spend approximately 1/3 of their life working, whatever that job may entail. Therefore, it makes sense that the environments that we spend so much of our life in for work at extremely important to our physical and mental health, however, current workplace models are not acknowledging that. Redefining the workplace to integrate nature would start to change work life in this country and how work itself is viewed.

This …

Vincent Van Gogh's Wheatfields And Piet Oudolf's Meadows: Color, Contrast And Change In The Landscape, Erin A. Cox

Landscape Architecture Undergraduate Honors Theses

This capstone investigates the unique relationship between Vincent Van Gogh and planting designer Piet Oudolf's vibrant use of color and contrast in their work as it relates to their perception of the landscape. The project is mainly a comparison of the two artists, exploring Van Gogh's use of complementary colors and brushstroke techniques to create vivid contrast in his renderings of agrarian landscapes, and Oudolf's parallel approach to creating painterly meadows and prairie gardens. The project focuses on Van Gogh’s study of wheat field landscapes, which are essentially the same in structure and composition but can be used to compare …

Primitive Palms: A Density Study On The Impacts Of Harvesting Natural Materials For Construction Purposes On Sumak Allpa Of The Amazon Rainforest, Zachary Bull

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In an effort to better understand how rural construction techniques affect a surrounding environment, this study combines a density test of the natural building materials used in the construction of a school on Sumak Allpa island of the Orellana Province in the Amazon basin of Ecuador. The focus of the study measures the density of the bamboo species Guadua angustifolia and the Panama hat plant Carludovica palmata on the island while noting a comprehensive compilation of the techniques and materials used in the building process. Using a mix of plots and transects, a comparison of harvested material to remaining material …

Radical Social Ecology As Deep Pragmatism: A Call To The Abolition Of Systemic Dissonance And The Minimization Of Entropic Chaos, Arielle Brender

Student Theses 2015-Present

This paper aims to shed light on the dissonance caused by the superimposition of Dominant Human Systems on Natural Systems. I highlight the synthetic nature of Dominant Human Systems as egoic and linguistic phenomenon manufactured by a mere portion of the human population, which renders them inherently oppressive unto peoples and landscapes whose wisdom were barred from the design process. In pursuing a radical pragmatic approach to mending the simultaneous oppression and destruction of the human being and the earth, I highlight the necessity of minimizing entropic chaos caused by excess energy expenditure, an essential feature of systems that aim …

A Framework For Assessing Alternative Agro-Ecosystems: Finding Multi-Functional Solutions For Sustainable Urban Landscapes., Thais H. Thiesen Ms.

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Creating sustainable urban landscapes in light of growing population pressures requires interdisciplinary multi-functional solutions. Alternative agro-ecosystems described as food forests, permaculture gardens, and/or edible landscapes among others could offer potential ways to address the social, economic and ecological goals of various stakeholders simultaneously. The present research used a unique rubric, the Permaculture and Agro-ecosystems Sustainability Scorecard (PASS) that combines existing agricultural and landscape sustainability indicators in order to assess alternative agro-ecosystems. The rubric evaluates provisioning, regulating, supporting and cultural ecosystem services such as pollinator presence, biodiversity, pesticides and fertilizer use, carbon sequestration and human interactions. The PASS was used to …

Mala Lā’Au Lapa’Au: Preserving The Hawaiian ‘Āina And Mo’Omehue, Sandra Fogg

Senior Honors Projects

The study of medicinal plants in the western world tends to focus on the isolation and elucidation of natural products that have bioactive characteristics and potential for pharmaceutical formulation. However, the utilization of medicinal plants in cultures that still practice ancient medicine, such as Hawai’i and other Pacific Island nations, involves the use of whole plant parts in conjunction with spiritual rituals to heal illnesses and ailments. In order to gather a different perspective of the use of plants in medicine, a diverse investigation of “Lā’au Lapa’au,” or the Hawaiian art of healing through the use of plants and spiritual …

Capillary Wick Irrigation For A Pot From A Reservoir, David A. Bainbridge

David A Bainbridge

Capillary wicks are very effective for watering container plants. Ideal for water wise gardens, landscaping and interior plants capes.

Upgrade A Hanging Basket With A Capillary Wick Irrigation System, David A. Bainbridge

David A Bainbridge

Capillary wicks can improve health and performance of container plants. Plants in hanging baskets benefit from steady and very efficient water supply from a reservoir.

The History Of Trial Gardens, Hallie Schmidt

Horticulture and Crop Science

Essay explores the history of home gardening and seed industry in America and the conditions that led to the development of the All-America Selections.

Evaluating Satellite Products For Precipitation Estimation In Mountain Regions: A Case Study For Nepal, Nir Y. Krakauer, Soni M. Pradhanang, Tarendra Lakhankar, Ajay K. Jha

Publications and Research

Precipitation in mountain regions is often highly variable and poorly observed, limiting abilities to manage water resource challenges. Here, we evaluate remote sensing and ground station-based gridded precipitation products over Nepal against weather station precipitation observations on a monthly timescale. We find that the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) 3B-43 precipitation product exhibits little mean bias and reasonable skill in giving precipitation over Nepal. Compared to station observations, the TRMM precipitation product showed an overall Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency of 0.49, which is similar to the skill of the gridded station-based product Asian Precipitation-Highly Resolved Observational Data Integration Towards Evaluation of Water …

Survey Of Suitable Plants For Cal Poly's Green Wall, Katrina Burritt

Horticulture and Crop Science

Green wall technology is a growing industry in the United States and has been very successful for a several years throughout Europe. The objective of this survey was to study the success of several different species of plants on a vertical wall facing south at Cal Poly’s Horticultural Department Unit. At first the focus was aimed at using California native species, because it was thought that natives would be better acclimated to the exposure in this specific location. It became apparent that plants should not be selected for the wall based just on the fact that they are California natives. …

Planting Desert Sites, David A. Bainbridge

David A Bainbridge

Desert planting requires great care in preparing plants, handling plants and planting. With proper consideration of soil, climate and water availability plants can be established despite severe conditions of high temperatures, high winds, herbivory and lack of water.

Container Plants For Desert Restoration, David A. Bainbridge

David A Bainbridge

Container planting is essential for most desert restoration work because direct seeding is rarely successful. The containers best suited for desert planting are often taller (deeper) to facilitate root development. Fertilizer management, inoculation, irrigation and pruning can be used to maximize root growth with minimal shoot development.

Experiments To Measure The Effects Of Timber Harvesting Equipment On Surface Lithic Scatters, Douglas J. Baughman

All Master's Theses

The importance of cultural resource preservation cannot be overstated; however local economies are at least as important. Due to conservative archaeological site protection practices in Region 5 of the United States Forest Service, the economy of Northeastern California is being adversely affected. In an attempt to help the Forest Service make more informed management decisions and improve the Northeastern California economy, I undertook experiments on the effects of timber harvesting on lithic scatters on Modoc National Forest. The experiments involved placement of 225 glass tiles (proxy lithics) in each of three plots subject to vehicle traffic and log dragging by …

La Serreta Endokarst (Se Spain): A Sustainable Value?, Antonia D. Asencio, Teodoro Espinosa

International Journal of Speleology

La Serreta endokarst (SE Spain), which UNESCO declared a World Heritage Site in 1998, was considered a sanctuary with cave art and one of the most important archaeological sites in the Mediterranean region for both the remains it hosts and the spectacular karstic landscape at the site.

To coincide with the 40th anniversary of its discovery, the La Serreta cave-chasm was adapted for public use with the intention of showing visitors the remains, which date back to prehistoric times. The solution included attempts to minimize contact with the valuables in the cave in order to alter the existing remains as …

Super Efficient Irrigation With Buried Clay Pots, David A. Bainbridge

David A Bainbridge

Buried clay pot irrigation was first described in an agricultural extension bulletin in China more than 2000 years ago. The clay pot provides demand responsive irrigation at very high efficiency. Clay pot irrigation can be 5-10 times more efficient than conventional irrigation. It is being used more widely in Asia, Africa, Latin American and the US.

The Philadelphia Award For 1960: Allston Jenkins, James Gross

James Gross

This biography of Allson Jenkins is part of a collective work for recipients of the Philadelphia Award. Allston Jenkins won the award in 1960 for his efforts in environmental conservation and preservation. He helped preserve the Tinicum Marsh, renamed the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, located in Philadelphia, PA and Delaware County.