Architecture Commons^™

Harmonics Elimination In Three Phase Cascade H-Bridge Multilevel Inverter Using Virtual Stage Pwm, Amro Quedan

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Dissertations, Thesis, and Student Research

The multilevel inverters are one of the great solutions that are proposed to satisfy the demand for high-power application and the significant integration of renewable energy. The conversion process from DC to AC must be done at high efficiency to decrease the energy loss and to ensure the electric grid power quality. The Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) is the most important feature that indicates the efficiency of the conversion process. In this research, due to the advantages of the cascade H-bridge inverter over other topologies, it has been used with the virtual stage PWM technique to investigate two different methods …

Impacts Of Active School Design On Schooltime Sedentary Behavior And Physical Activity: A Pilot Natural Experiment, Jeri Brittin, Leah Frerichs, John R. Sirard, Nancy M. Wells, Beth M. Myers, Jeanette Garcia, Dina Sorensen, Matthew J. Trowbridge, Terry Huang

Interior Design Program: Faculty Scholarly and Creative Activity

Background Children spend a significant portion of their days in sedentary behavior (SB) and on average fail to engage in adequate physical activity (PA). The school built environment may influence SB and PA, but research is limited. This natural experiment evaluated whether an elementary school designed to promote movement impacted students' school-time SB and PA.

Methods Accelerometers measured SB and PA at pre and post time-points in an intervention group who moved to the new school (n = 21) and in a comparison group experiencing no school environmental change (n = 20). Difference-in-difference (DD) analysis examined SB and PA outcomes …

Analyzing Communities In Black America: How Urban And Regional Planners Can Plan For Prosperous Black Communities, Tatiana Height

Community and Regional Planning Program: Theses and Student Projects

The black community in the United States has evolved out of a unique set of circumstances which have led to few black neighborhoods being able to prosper. Considering the negative influences on the black community such as wide-spread discrimination, mass incarceration, concentrations of poverty, and poor housing quality this community requires unique considerations to prosper. Given that only 10% of urban and regional planners are black, this research is meant to be a guide for urban and regional planners at large to plan in such a way that allows black communities to thrive. The results of this research indicate that …

Evaluating Mobile-Based Citizen Science In Increasing Citizen Participants In Environmental Management, Wenqi Ou

Community and Regional Planning Program: Theses and Student Projects

Mobile-based citizen science as thriving citizen education tool increases the non-expert citizen involvement in the scientific world by encouraging the public upload nature observation to assist scientific research while learning scientific knowledge. Mobile-base citizen science as social media has potential to facilitate citizen engagement in the environmental management. Based on the conceptual framework of citizen science incorporation with environmental management, large users in the program foster the citizen involvement in the environmental management. Research here applies SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, Threats) analysis to evaluate mobile based citizen science regarding data management, citizen participation, and partnership. It revealed the current status …

Influence Of Street Trees On Roadway User Safety, Maggie Harthoorn

Community and Regional Planning Program: Theses and Student Projects

This thesis aims to understand trends of trees in transportation planning and to determine if street trees have a negative or positive influence on crash frequency and severity. As roadways become more walkable and livable, they become safer. Street trees are a vital component of this trend. Planners must understand the impacts of trees on roadway user safety as they work to reduce crash risk. Although spatial analysis suggests there may be a negative relationship between trees and crash frequency, correlation models find a significant correlation between trees and crash severity, but no significant correlation between trees and crash frequency. …

Housing Availability, Accessibility And Affordability For Nebraska's Rural Aging Populations, Jordan G. Grummert Rasmussen

Community and Regional Planning Program: Theses and Student Projects

Rural America and the nation as a whole has entered a phase of significant demographic change, as the number of Americans over the age of 65 is estimated to double by 2050. Nebraska counties and the state are, too, experiencing this shift in the age demographic. As the population ages, consideration must be given to the housing options for older adults, specifically those who reside and wish to remain in rural areas.

While broad consideration is given to either population aging or housing in rural areas, there is limited county level analysis adjoining these demographic and housing realities. This study …

Geological Principles Illustrated In The Art Along The Antelope Valley Hiker/Biker Trail – The Big X (Salt Creek Roadway/Antelope Valley Parkway) South To Q Street, Robert Diffendal, Jr.

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

When the weather is good (and even sometimes when it isn’t) I occasionally walk around the periphery of the UNL city campus, often over the lunch hour, now that the trails and the sidewalks allow one to walk a complete circuit. The walk along Antelope Creek from the Big X to Q Street is beautiful. The designers of the project made nice art works on the floor of the creek and on the retaining walls on the valley sides that add to the beauty of nature.

I am a geologist and wondered about some of the art and its meaning …

Shifting School Design To The 21st Century: Challenges With Alternative Learning Environments, Bryan H. Perez

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

There is a need for major change in our educational system and in particular the design of schools. Our existing school model was defined in the mid- to late-1800s, as a response to the Industrial Revolution, and does not reflect the needs of the next generation of 21st century students. One of the key elements of change in schools is the shift from confined classrooms towards alternative learning environments – spaces that are designed for a specific learning type or activity.

This thesis focuses on secondary education and examines three schools identified as having innovative school designs. While all three …

Perception Of Spatial Impression Due To Varying Positions Of The Source On Stage, Sungbeen Cho

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Dissertations, Thesis, and Student Research

The listener’s surrounding environment affects the perception of sound. The environment includes physical factors such as space size, shape, and finish materials, and psychological factors such as individual difference of impression, and vision. Acoustic spatial impression can be defined as the concept of the type and size of space at which a listener arrives spontaneously when he/she is exposed to an appropriate sound field. This thesis analyzes how physical factors in enclosed spaces affect the acoustic spatial impression, and how sound sources at different positions on stage are perceived in different shapes of spaces.

First, existing spatial impression parameters, IACC …

Hyperelastic Structural Fuses For Improved Earthquake Resilience Of Steel Concentrically-Braced Buildings, Francys López-Mosquera

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Improving structural resilience (i.e., reducing service interruptions and improving rapidity of function restoration) following extreme events is one of the primary contemporary challenges in structural engineering. While massive casualties have successfully been avoided through the adoption of modern building codes, the sole codified performance objective has been limited to the life safety/collapse prevention range of response. Christchurch, NZ, highlighted the insufficiency of this approach, with large sections of the city nonfunctional after a major earthquake, and with subsequent collapses induced by significant aftershocks. Engineering advances to improve building and community resilience are necessary to mitigate hazards from becoming disasters. This …

Flood Plan Management: An Evaluation Of Nebraska’S Comprehensive Plans For Flooding, Rashad J. Moxey

Community and Regional Planning Program: Professional Projects

This study examined Comprehensive Plans for 53 Nebraska communities to determine how well 60 indicators of flood risk information were incorporated. The indicators were divided into three categories, factual base information, goals and actions and implementation. The majority of plans were created by independent firms as Nebraska does not require state-level oversight. Detailed review of each community plan identified general areas of weakness and opportunities for improvement. The average number of indicators present in the 53 plans was 4.84. None of the three categories was found to be well represented. Indicators per category showed low overall representation; Factual Base 12.0%, …

Gas Collection, Haorong Li, Yanshun Yu, Daihong Yu

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

A system includes a vessel configured to couple with a gas source for drawing gas into the vessel. The vessel is also configured to receive liquid. The system includes an over flow port in fluid communication with the environment external to the vessel. The overflow port is configured to separate gas within the vessel from the external environment. The system also includes an overflow conduit having an end within the overflow port so that when gas pressure within the vessel increases, liquid is received by the over flow conduit. Another system includes a tank defining an air space for receiving …

Home-By Us: Togethernest Alternative Practice, Kristen M. Schulte

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

Responding to the affordable housing crisis, the proposed practice leverages tools typically associated with internet-based startups and technology companies to assemble teams and build efficiencies into the building procurement process. This approach facilitates access for an income demographic that would not normally engage an architect. Through a process like online dating, the practice assembles small groups of owner-developers to design, finance, and build their own homes. Participating households are advised on location and project approach based on their self-reported preferences; and matched with others with similar preferences. Collaborative mass customization of each home is achieved through a mix of online …

[Un]Building The Rural: The Strategic Subtraction Of Sidney, Nebraska, Caitlin E. Tangeman

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

This thesis focuses on the decline of rural communities and how rural decline might be addressed through design.

Rural decline is a phenomenon affecting rural territories around the globe, including the Great Plains. Rural decline has been caused by a number of factors, perhaps the most persistent being the reliance on an economy that is not diversified. In the Great Plains, agriculture is typically the main source of economic income, with a significant portion of the region’s counties depending on agriculture. Mechanization of agriculture through increased technology has eliminated many jobs in the agriculture industry, since higher yields can be …

Possibilities In Post-Digital Architecture, Kathryn J. Horn

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

This thesis aims to define and understand the post-digital within architecture, beyond its critical contribution to the realm of architectural imagery. The theory that is developed, argues that a post-digital practice of utilizing sourced material can contribute to the discipline of the design of architectural elements, components, and spaces as much so as it may contribute to the development of architectural imagery. Despite the atmosphere of difference that characterizes the contemporary debate over the definition of the digital condition, there is shared agreement that the post-digital indeed reigns as the hallmark of a contemporary era that establishes itself as after-digital. …

Reconstructing Space, Kaitlin L. Frankforter

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

This thesis will discuss spacial manifestations of the physical, phenomenological, existential, and imaginary.

I became interested in these spacial manifestations because of the lack of qualities I have personally experienced within “architecture”, notably local “architecture”. And I began to deal with these manifestations using 35mm film photography, for me using film and the camera allowed me to look at and understand what these spaces and qualities were really telling me.

This project has consisted of multiple performances with which I have deployed several traditional and non-traditional methods of working such as : slow moving drawings, full scale hard line drawings …

Retail Without Walls: The Built Impacts Of A Post-Spatial Retail Reality, Matthew Richard Kreutzer

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

Retail Without Walls: the built impacts of a post-spatial retail reality seeks out a better understanding of the physical outcomes of a retail environment that is rapidly changing and adapting to the demands of an increasingly digital consumer. As studies have repeatedly shown, foot traffic in malls and other physical stores continues to decline, which can be attributed to the rise of online platforms of retail.

Much of the thought going into the future of retail has been directed at understanding how the present store may adapt to suit the needs of a changing consumer buying process. Companies driving these …

Agrarian Ruins, Zebulun J. Lund

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

This thesis is an investigation into the architectural value of agrarian ruins and aims to begin to communicate those through architectural drawing. In the 21st century, ruin obsession is increasingly aimed at ruins of a more recent time, often that of the dying industrial city. This study shares in the impatience and enthusiasm for ruins of the culture we live in and has turned to the ruins of abandoned farm buildings. Consequently, this has studied the potential values offered by barns, sheds, and chicken coupes, alike. This was accomplished first through countryside tours from locals in Gosper County, followed by …

The Ne[X]T Generation Learning Environments: Influences On The Future Design Of Educational Spaces, Bryan Hill Perez

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

Over the past 100 years, there have been significant changes in many aspects of our lives, from the way we communicate to the way we work. One aspect that has seen minimal change is the way we learn – In classrooms with rows of desks and chairs facing the front, where a sole instructor disseminates knowledge the class as a whole. As the next generation of students is entering college, it has become apparent that there is a disconnect in the way this generation behaves, interacts, and learns and the typical school infrastructure and pedagogy of today. The design of …

Viewing Heaven: Rock Crystal, Reliquaries, And Transparency In Fourteenth-Century Aachen, Claire Kilgore

School of Art, Art History, and Design: Theses and Student Creative Work

This thesis examines reliquaries and objects associated with medieval Christian practice in fourteenth-century Aachen. The city's cathedral and treasury contain prestigious relics, reliquaries, and liturgical items, aided by its status as the Holy Roman Empire's coronation church. During the reign of Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV (r. 1349-1378), reliquaries, pilgrimage, and architecture reflect late medieval interests in vision, optics, and transparency. Two mid-fourteenth century reliquaries from the Aachen Cathedral Treasury, the Reliquary of Charlemagne and the Three-Steepled Reliquary, display relics through rock crystal windows, in contrast to the obscuring characteristics of earlier reliquaries. Not only do the two reliquaries visually …

Aug City: The Cyber-Spatial Impacts Of Augmented Reality On The Field Of Urban Planning, Colton Berck

Community and Regional Planning Program: Theses and Student Projects

In the summer of 2016 a technology revolution swept the world from an unsuspecting place, a mobile game called Pokémon: Go. Almost immediately upon release, this application reached white-hot growth with a user-base spanning the globe, sparking new methods of interacting with communities. Behind the app, a driving force of the popularity, is the technology known as augmented reality (AR). This innovative medium, which intersects the “real-world” with the “digital-world,” is set to impact many aspects of life. As planning professionals are closely involved with the development and growth of communities, this thesis serves as a tool to determine how …

Funding Strategies For Non-Traditional University Ms4 Stormwater Programs, Elizabeth M. Garrett

Community and Regional Planning Program: Theses and Student Projects

Stormwater programs have historically been stymied by lack of proper funding resources. Unlike drinking water and sanitary sewer utility services that long ago transitioned to enterprise funds, a stormwater utility continues to evade stable and direct revenue sources throughout much of the United States. Inefficiently funded stormwater programs utilizing general funding practices leaves stormwater management programs unable to properly plan for long-term improvement, management, regulatory compliance, and maintenance. Funding research has established that forms of direct funding sources are crucial for successful stormwater programs, however, focus has been directed to strategies for municipalities. This paper will attempt to analyze, through …

Evaluating Climate Change Mitigation And Adaptation Policies On The U.S. 50 States’ Hazard Mitigation Plans, Qiao Hu

Community and Regional Planning Program: Theses and Student Projects

Climate change brings uncertain risks of climate-related natural hazards. The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA 2011) has issued a policy directive to integrate climate change adaptation actions into hazard mitigation programs, policies, and plans. However, to date there has been no comprehensive empirical study to examine the extent to which climate change issues are integrated into State Hazard Mitigation Plans (SHMPs). This study develops 18 indicators to examine the extent of climate change considerations in the 50 SHMPs. The results demonstrate that these SHMPs treat climate change issues in an uneven fashion, with large variations present among the 50 …

How Tonality And Loudness Of Noise Relate To Annoyance And Task Performance” Noise Control Eng. J. 65(2), 71-82., Joonhee Lee, Jennifer M. Francis, Lily M. Wang

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

Audible tones in noise generated by building mechanical equipment can be a leading cause of complaints from occupants. A number of metrics have been developed to quantify prominence of a tone, but previous work has shown that the impact of a certain tonality appears to vary with the level of the broadband noise signal. More work on how tonal signals of varying tonality, tone frequency and broadband noise levels relate to annoyance and task performance is needed. This paper investigates such relationships between current noise metrics, annoyance and task performance under assorted tonal noise conditions through subjective testing. Participants rated …

An Iterative 3d Gis Analysis Of The Role Of Visibility In Ancient Maya Landscapes: A Case Study From Copan, Honduras, Heather Richards-Rissetto

Department of Anthropology: Faculty Publications

For several decades, Geographic Information Systems (GISs) have held center stage in archaeological studies of ancient landscapes. Recently, three-dimensional (3D) technologies such as airborne LiDAR and aerial photogrammetry are allowing us to acquire inordinate amounts of georeferenced 3D data to locate, map, and visualize archaeological sites within their surrounding landscapes. GIS offers locational precision, data overlay, and complex spatial analysis. Three-dimensionality adds a ground-based perspective lacking in two-dimensional GIS maps to provide archaeologists a sense of mass and space more closely attuned with human perception. This article uses comparative and iterative approaches ‘tacking back and forth’ between GIS and 3D …

Research Methods For Architecture (Review), Rumiko Handa

Architecture Program: Faculty Scholarly and Creative Activity

Review of Ray Lucas, Research Methods for Architecture (Laurence King, 2016).

Renewed interest in integrating research into design is apparent when we look at books published on the topic in recent years. The go-to textbook for more than a decade, Linda Groat and David Wang’s Architectural Research Methods was revised and expanded in a recent second edition (2013), reflecting such interest. The most important area of update is on the relationship between design and research. In particular, it explores research by design, that is, generating new knowledge using design as a method, as do a number of other publications. Among …

Presenting The Extremely Difficult Past: Günther Domenig’S Documentation Center Of The National Socialist Party Rally Grounds, Nuremberg, Germany, Rumiko Handa

Architecture Program: Faculty Scholarly and Creative Activity

Buildings have a way of bringing the past into the present. This is important because experiences of the past often constitute impactful moments in everyday lives and allow a contemplation of existential meaning. It is an aspect often neglected by architectural professionals and critics because it lies outside the Vitruvian triad of aesthetic, functional, and structural virtues. It goes without saying that a building’s presentation of the past is ontological. In other words, individual perceptions of a building are subjective, and the building’s objective traits or histories do not guarantee that it will turn into a place of memory for …

Mapping Quality Of Life In Nebraska: The Geographic Distribution Of Poverty, Grant Daily, Rodrigo Cantarero, Maria Rosario De Guzman, Soo-Young Hong, Sarah Taylor, Aileen Garcia, Jeong-Kyun Choi, Yan Ruth Xia

Mapping Quality of Life in Nebraska

Headings:

What is poverty?

Federal definitions of poverty: the poverty line

General poverty and poverty brackets

Poverty and vulnerable populations

Child poverty (under 18 years)

Young child poverty (0 - 5 years)

School age poverty (6 - 17 years)

Elderly poverty (65+)

Comparing child, adult, and elderly poverty

Minority poverty

Key points

Nebraska vs. United States

Geographic distribution

Poverty in children and the elderly

Poverty rates for racial/ethnic minorities

References

A Case Study Of Upper-Room Uvgi In Densely-Occupied Elementary Classrooms By Real-Time Fluorescent Bioaerosol Measurements, Chunxiao Su, Josephine Lau, Fang Yu

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

Recently, the requirement to continuously collect bioaerosol samples using shorter response times has called for the use of real-time detection. The decreased cost of this technology makes it available for a wider application than military use, and makes it accessible to pharmaceutical and academic research. In this case study, real-time bioaerosol monitors (RBMs) were applied in elementary school classrooms—a densely occupied environment—along with upper-room ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) devices. The classrooms were separated into a UVGI group and a non-UVGI control group. Fluorescent bioaerosol counts (FBCs) were monitored on 20 visiting days over a four-month period. The classroom with upper-room …

Study On The Methods For Predicting The Performance Of A Hybrid Solar-Assisted Ground-Source Heat Pump System, Zhaoyi Zhuang, Qiqi Zhu, Jian Song, Xin Zhang, Haorong Li

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

It is critical to find suitable setting parameters for designing a hybrid solar-assisted ground-source heat pump system in the practical engineering application, but the heat pump performance is unpredictable after many years of operation. This paper used 2000 sets of performance data collected from solar-assisted GSHP systems that keep operating over 20 years to simulate long term used heat pump with a professional software called GeoStar. Adopted the classification and regression tree (CART) method, the design of solar energy collector areas can be predicted. The multi-linear regression is also utilized to predict average monthly per meter borehole heat exchange. Seasonal …