Architecture Commons^™

The Death And Life Of Urban Design: Jane Jacobs,The Rockefeller Foundation And The New Research In Urbanism, 1955–1965, Peter Laurence

Peter L. Laurence

Between 1955 and 1965, the Rockefeller Foundation responded to the urban crises created by the pre- and post-war housing shortage and heavy-handed urban renewa lstrategies by sponsoring urban design research projects by Kevin Lynch, Jane Jacobs, E. A.Gutkind, Ian McHarg, Christopher Tunnard, Ian Nairn, Edmund Bacon, Christopher Alexander and others. Drawing on documents from the Rockefeller Foundation Archives,this paper considers the state of urban design theory after World War II and outlines the major sponsored research projects. The work of Jane Jacobs, who was closely involved with the Foundation’s urban design research programme, is examined in greater detail, while the …

How Much Information Disclosure Of Building Energy Performance Is Necessary?, David Hsu

David Hsu

Many different governments have begun to require disclosure of building energy performance, in order to allow owners and prospective buyers to incorporate this information into their investment decisions. These policies, known as disclosure or information policies, require owners to benchmark their buildings and sometimes conduct engineering audits. However, given substantial variation in the cost to disclose different types of information, it is natural to ask: how much and what kind of information about building energy performance should be disclosed, and for what purposes? To answer this question, this paper assembles and cleans a comprehensive panel dataset of New York City …

Uno Team Plots Lots As Land Use Debate Unfurls In Treme, Derreck Blake Deason

Derreck Blake Deason

Advocates for rejuvenating the Treme now have a blueprint to work from. A team with the University of New Orleans mapped out almost every parcel in the historic neighborhood to show which blocks are flourishing and which could use some extra TLC. The report, released Monday, lays out the groundwork for the Historic Faubourg Treme Association to point to as it pushes back against city-sanctioned demolitions of decaying houses or should it advocate for the removal of Interstate 10 above Claiborne Avenue. "We can use this data to help make our community a better place for residents and property owners, …

Improving Energy Benchmarking With Self-Reported Data, David Hsu

David Hsu

Energy benchmarking for buildings has become increasingly important in government policy and industry practice for energy efficiency. The questions of how energy benchmarking is currently conducted, and how it might be improved using rapidly growing quantities of self-reported data, are examined. A case study of commercial office buildings in New York City demonstrates how the rapid growth in self-reported data presents both new opportunities and challenges for energy benchmarking for buildings. A critique is presented for the scoring methodology and data sources for Energy Star, one of the largest and most successful benchmarking certification schemes. Findings from recent studies are …

Art, Public Spaces And Private Property Along The Streets In New Orleans, Renia Ehrenfeucht

Renia Ehrenfeucht

In this article, I investigate how and why a street art controversy that emerged in post- Katrina New Orleans was transformed from a dispute over property transgressions to a broader struggle over the meanings of art amidst the city’s devastated condition. The controversy began when a street art initiative by the New Orleans artist Rex Dingler invoked a backlash of anti-graffiti activism. In response, local artists began painting on the walls. When the locals were joined by artists from different cities, the discussion intensified about the merits of street art as well as commentary on and reflection of a city …

Rethinking Atlanta's Regional Resilience In An Age Of Uncertainty: Still The Economic Engine Of The New South?, Jennifer Clark

Jennifer Clark

Assessing Occupant Comfort In An Iconic Sustainable Education Building, Rick Best, Brian Purdey

Rick Best

The building that houses the Mirvac School of Sustainable Development at Bond University is the first educational building to achieve a six Green Star rating from the Green Building Council of Australia. It has won numerous awards since opening in August 2008 including being judged the RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) Sustainable Building of 2009. After more than two years in use a post-occupancy evaluation study was carried out to assess the performance of the building from the viewpoint of the users; both resident staff and transient students. Results for factors such as lighting, thermal comfort, noise and air …

Divergence: Creating A Closed-Loop Mobile Seaworthy Civilization, Marcus Lafond

Marcus Lafond

Today there are more cities localized on our coastlines than ever before. Unfortunately, this fact poses an immediate danger due to the rising tides of our oceans. Together with the increase in global population and coastal erosion, the world will increasingly become a more difficult place to live. With our overcrowding cities, mercurial changes in weather and over three quarters of the earth's surface being uninhabited oceans; we need cities that are mobile, seaworthy and capable of avoiding natural disasters. Thus, by creating these types of cities, architects will lead the way to ensure the safety of the public and …

Social Architecture And The Law: Law, Through The Lens Of Religion, Lorin Geitner

Lorin C. Geitner

How can we account for the differing popular images of attorney in variouscountries? One way of doing so may be to bring a paradigm developed in religious studies toexamine the most publically accessible and prototypical venue for attorneys, the courtroom.Specifically, applying the model of critical spatial studies developed by Lefebvre and Soja inorder to examine religious ritual space to bear on a different kind of ritual space, the courtroom,its structure, organization, and use may illuminate both societal understandings of how the lawrelates to the citizen, but also inform the differing perception and status of lawyers in the United States, Britain, …

Mira/Look Exhibition, Joseph Krupczynski, Inga Anger, Zachary Smith, Fleur Downey, Tobias Bernecker, Karen Rose, Christopher Velardi, Matthew Emond, Taejun James Kim, Arcangel Santiago

Tobias Bernecker

This exhibition produced for the Wistariahurst Museum in Holyoke and displayed in September and October of 2008, highlights community planning and design initiatives that promote cultural expression and community visions for Holyoke. The designs were created by Professor Joseph Krupczynski and students from the Architecture + Design program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Building Capability For Disaster Resilience, Lynn Crawford, Craig Langston, Bhishna Bajracharya

Bhishna Bajracharya

All levels of government recognise the widespread devastation of communities by natural or other disasters. They have responded with emergency management arrangements and policies to enhance government and community capacity to anticipate, withstand and recover from disastrous events. Although the construction industry has a significant role to play, particularly in recovery and reconstruction, it has not generally been considered as a key stakeholder in building capability for disaster resilience. One barrier to more active involvement of the construction industry in disaster response and management is that traditional methods of construction project management have been criticised as too time consuming and …

Planning And Design Of Master-Planned Communities For Healthy Living, Bhishna Bajracharya, Linda Too

Bhishna Bajracharya

Due to growing health concerns linked to inactive living, a number of new master-planned communities in South East Queensland are creating supportive environments for physical activities. Varsity Lakes in Gold Coast is an example of such community which provides both infrastructures and programs to encourage active living. The objective of the paper is to examine the relationship between built environment and healthy communities through a review of current literature. Synthesising these findings, a conceptual framework is developed for supporting active and healthy living in master-planned communities. The three key factors are 1) place; 2) program and 3) partnership. This framework …

Planning And Design Of Master-Planned Communities For Healthy Living, Bhishna Bajracharya, Linda Too

Linda Too

Due to growing health concerns linked to inactive living, a number of new master-planned communities in South East Queensland are creating supportive environments for physical activities. Varsity Lakes in Gold Coast is an example of such community which provides both infrastructures and programs to encourage active living. The objective of the paper is to examine the relationship between built environment and healthy communities through a review of current literature. Synthesising these findings, a conceptual framework is developed for supporting active and healthy living in master-planned communities. The three key factors are 1) place; 2) program and 3) partnership. This framework …

Climate Change Adaptation Through Land Use Planning And Disaster Management: Local Government Perspectives From Queensland, Bhishna Bajracharya, Iraphne Childs, Peter Hastings

Bhishna Bajracharya

Climate change will manifest in altered regimes of natural hazard occurrence, and therefore can be conceptualised as a disaster management issue. Strategic land use planning is a critical tool to mitigate and adapt to hazardous events. Local governments in Queensland have the responsibility for aspects of disaster management and land use planning as core functions of the council. Together they form part of the Prevention Preparedness, Response and Recovery (PPRR) framework for disaster management. In many local governments, however, there seems to be divergence between land use planning and disaster management due to the lack of integration between different functions …

Building Active And Healthy Communities: An Analysis Of Council Initiatives, Bhishna Bajracharya, Shahed Khan

Bhishna Bajracharya

Extract:
Historically, Town Planning has been concerned with protecting public health and safety. Indeed, earliest town planning legislation in the UK grew out of public health legislation. Over time planning broadened its focus and the role of planners by adding new areas within its scope of concerns. Meanwhile, public health organisations such as the World Health Organisation (WHO) expanded their focus from extension of health services into the rural areas to also include urban areas. This has resulted in the Healthy Cities Movement in the 1990s.

Role Of Local Government In Disaster Management: Findings From Regional Towns In Queensland, Bhishna Bajracharya, Iraphne Childs, Peter Hastings

Bhishna Bajracharya

This paper reports selected results from a survey of Queensland local governments, conducted in late 2009, that investigated their adoption of state-level disaster management policies and guidelines. The survey comprised an online questionnaire distributed to all Queensland local governments, augmented by focus groups held in the regional coastal and inland administrative centres of Cairns, Mackay, Rockhampton, Emerald, Charleville and the Gold Coast. The paper identifies and analyses the issues and strategies of local governments in adopting state government disaster management policies and guidelines, and engaging their communities in disaster management.

Climate Change Adaption Through Land Use Planning And Disaster Management: Local Government Perspectives From Queensland, Bhishna Bajracharya, Iraphne Childs, Peter Hastings

Bhishna Bajracharya

Climate change will manifest in altered regimes of natural hazard occurrence, and therefore can be conceptualised as a disaster management issue. Strategic land use planning is a critical tool to mitigate and adapt to hazardous events. Local governments in Queensland have the responsibility for aspects of disaster management and land use planning as core functions of the council. Together they form part of the Prevention Preparedness, Response and Recovery (PPRR) framework for disaster management. In many local governments, however, there seems to be divergence between land use planning and disaster management due to the lack of integration between different functions …

Subtropical Transit Oriented Development In The Emerging South East Queensland City Region: How Well Are We Doing?, Daniel O'Hare

Daniel O'Hare

Subtropical design and transport oriented development (TOD) are key policies of the South East Queensland Regional Plan (SEQRP).¹ TOD has slowly gained ground in South East Queensland (SEQ) since the mid-1990's and is now achieving acceptance in debate and decisions surrounding infrastructure investment and urban development. Since the late 1990s, subtropical design has been actively promoted by the Urban Design Alliance Queensland (UDAL/Q) and the Centre for Subtropical Design (CSD) at Queensland University of Technology (QUT), assuming greater prominence since being incorporated in the first SEQP in 2005.

The effectiveness of subtropical design in TOD is yet to be …

The Development Of Knowledge Nodes And Health Hubs As Key Structuring Elements Of The Sustainable City Region, Daniel O'Hare

Daniel O'Hare

Universities and hospitals are recognised as key infrastructure in the social and economic life of the city. These facilities can make a major contribution to urban sustainability by virtue of their locations, their interrelationships, and their coordination with transport infrastructure investments. The strategic placement and development of universities, hospitals and associated facilities can focus urban development in a way that mitigates climate change pressures and underpins the social and economic sustainability of the developing city region. This paper reviews several case studies in the development of knowledge nodes and health hubs in the emerging city region of South East Queensland …

Developing A Basket Of Resources As A Tool For Collecting Construction Cost Data Internationally, Rick Best

Rick Best

Comparing construction costs between countries, even when the countries share a common currency, is recognised as a difficult problem. Construction cost data has been included in the World Bank's International Comparison Program for many years and that data has been collected using a variety of methods. Currently several different methods are in use within the ICP and these include several types of baskets of inputs of various types and combinations. These methods have been constantly under review and as part of the latest review a new approach is being developed based around a basket of resources (BoR). The new basket …

Fitting Project Management Capability To Strategy, Lynn Crawford

Lynn Crawford

Project management is now recognized as an organizational capability and there are numerous generic maturity models providing one size fits all approaches to what is considered to be best practice. Both maturity models and best practices are problematic. Maturity models typically suggest that all firms must strive to progressively achieve prescribed levels of practice across the same range of best practices. But what constitutes best practice for whom and under what circumstances? If we look at an organization’s project management systems, although they may have similarities across firms, they are operating in different contexts, driven by different strategies. What may …

Rebuilding The Middle Ages After The Second World War: The Cultural Politics Of Reconstruction In Rothenburg Ob Der Tauber, Germany, Joshua Hagen

Joshua Hagen

Rothenburg ob der Tauber is one of Germany's most popular tourist destinations attracting over two and a half million visitors annually. Yet, many visitors do not realize that nearly half of Rothenburg's medieval architectural heritage was destroyed in 1945. Its reconstruction was characterized by complex negotiations and compromises as Rothenburgers attempted to balance contemporary preservation philosophies with the town's image as a national symbol and economic interests in a revived tourist trade. These diverse factors were generally complementary and resulted in a remarkably consistent and consensual effort, but the project was not without controversies and contradictions. This article examines the …

Public Infrastructure Procurement: A Comparative Analysis Of Adversarial And Non-Adversarial Contracting Arrangments, Michael Regan

Michael Regan

Most public infrastructure is provided by traditional procurement methods generally based on quantitative selection techniques and adversarial contracting principles. International evidence suggests that this method of contracting is inefficient, is often delivered late, and is often over-budget. Further, the adversarial nature of these contracts means that disputes over variations, changes to specification or renegotiation may lead to lengthy and costly ex post negotiations or civil action. The introduction of alternative procurement methods (APM) in the early 1990s introduced a less adversarial contracting approach in which ownership (of decision-making) and responsibility for design and operation of the service-producing asset passed to …

Estimating The Useful Life Of Buildings, Craig Langston

Craig Langston

Obsolescence is a phenomenon that is widely discussed in the literature, although rarely in relation to buildings. In this paper parallels are drawn between obsolescence, depreciation and discounting in order to develop a new method for predicting the impact of building obsolescence based on measurable context factors. These factors have physical, economic, functional, technological, social, legal and political characteristics. Useful life is defined as discounted physical life, where the rate of discount is determined from predicted future obsolescence. As part of the method, a new tool for determining the physical life of buildings is presented. Using an adaptive reuse paradigm …

2011 Scholars And Artists Bibliography, Mark Tebeau

Mark Tebeau

This bibliography was created for the annual Friends of the Michael Schwartz Library Scholars and Artists Reception, recognizing scholarly and creative achievements of Cleveland State University faculty, staff and emeriti. Mark Tebeau was the guest speaker

Social Architecture And The Law, Lorin Geitner

Lorin C. Geitner

The reputation of attorneys has steadily declined over the last 50 years. How can we determine why this has occurred? Given the relatively high reputation of British Barristers, a comparison of US and British court room arrangement and practice may provide some clues, and the heuristic of "critical spatial studies" provides a methodology.

Umass Amherst Campus Master Plan, Sustainability Reports & Plans, Dennis Swinford, Ludmilla Pavlova-Gillham, Alexander Stepanov, Lukasz Czarniecki, Niels La Cour, Simon Raine

Ludmilla D Pavlova

The University of Massachusetts Amherst has a long tradition of campus planning that dates back to 1866 and the first plan for the campus by Frederick Law Olmsted. Successive planning efforts in the modern era have documented strategies for continued development of the campus. Despite this long tradition of planning, development of the campus has at times diverged from the recommendations of successive master plans. The last plan was adopted in 1993 and updated in 2007. The campus is once again growing: UMass is in the midst of a ten-year, billion-dollar capital improvement program that started in 2004. The University …

Sprawl And The Ideology Of Nature, K. Valentine Cadieux

K. Valentine Cadieux

Special Section: Spatial Order, Scenic Landscapes And Sprawl: Peri-Urban Studies At The Interface Between Landscape And Planning History, Mattias Qviström, K. Valentine Cadieux

K. Valentine Cadieux

Introduction To The Special Issue On Manufacturing, Jennifer Clark, Pierre Clavel

Jennifer Clark