Architecture Commons^™

Contemplative Nearby Nature: A Design Proposal For Peralta Hacienda Historical Park, Russell Corbin

Pomona Senior Theses

In this Environmental Analysis thesis project, I analyze what contemplative landscapes are, why they are important, and how to design them, and then implement those learnings in a design proposal for a contemplative landscape at Peralta Hacienda Historical Park. In addition to this writing component of the thesis, I created diagrams, drawings, section renderings, a plan, and two 3d models that all help inform the intentions, meaning, and components of my design. These elements have been woven into the writing and attached as additional documents. Five key contemplative design elements have been identified which I hope can prove useful for …

Bicycling For Sustainable Urban Mobility: Comparing Urban Transformations In Paris And Bogotá, Luba Masliy

Pomona Senior Theses

Promoting cycling is one of the low-hanging fruits to decarbonizing transportation, with further extensive benefits to quality of life. The main deterrent to the adoption of cycling for transportation is the lack of safe and connected infrastructure. This thesis explores and compares the case studies of Paris and Bogotá, where cycling modal shares grew significantly within the last decade. Plans outlining ambitious goals around sustainable transportation were put in place, and total bicycle network lengths increased rapidly in both cities. My work focuses on examining policy and infrastructure developments that lead to increased adoption of cycling over time in Paris …

Tales Of Urban Livability－ Vermont Avenue In Los Angeles As Told By Tree Canopy Cover, Hoi Cheng Wong

Pomona Senior Theses

As city-goers and residents of urban and suburban spaces, we are constantly on the move. It is no surprise that we often neglect the static trees and plants that seemingly blend into the background of our day-to-day rush to our next destination. Unfortunately, once we do have a chance to pause to take a look around us, or to pause long enough to feel the heat of the sun beaming down on our bare skin, we are decades too late in realizing the absence of trees at the location in which we are standing. This thesis contributes critical insight to …

Enlivening Spaces For The Dead: The Relevance Of Cemeteries In The 21st Century, Caroline Koh Smith

Pomona Senior Theses

Current cemetery practices can be harmful to public health and local ecologies and be intensive users of resources such as water and energy. However, given their spiritual benefits to mourners and community members, I believe that cemeteries are still justified in their construction for societies that wish to have a relationship with their dead. With a growing and aging population, more spaces will be used to house the dead; I examined how these could spaces benefit the living as well. Cemeteries can be designed within natural systems, both in landscaping and in burial, as well as spaces for communities and …

Re-Imagining Nature In Dense, High Rise Urban Environment: The Present And Future Of Green Building Infrastructure In Singapore, Claire Yi

Pomona Senior Theses

From the futuristic Jewel at Changi Airport, the healing gardens at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital in Yishun to School of the Arts at Orchard Road, greenery has sprouted in buildings vertically and horizontally in Singapore, painting a growing green canopy for the dense, high rise city. This paper combines both analyses from first-hand site visits and case studies from external scholar studies to examine the performance of existing Green Building Infrastructures (BGIs) within Singapore’s unique urban context. The study reveals that the success of BGIs is highly dependent on the programming (i.e. thermal comfort design, accessibility, amenity facilities etc.), as …

The Living Community Challenge: An Uncase Study In Biophilic Master Planning, Jordan Grimaldi

Pomona Senior Theses

In a world that is quickly urbanizing with a climate that is rapidly changing, the International Living Future Institute’s (ILFI) Living Community Challenge (LCC) offers a whimsical yet highly relevant model for sustainable development—creating cities that are as connected and beautiful as forests. As no certified Living Community exists yet, this thesis serves as an “uncase study” of North Rainier, a neighborhood in Seattle that has registered for the Challenge. In an effort to assess the LCC’s perceived effectiveness as a model for sustainable development, this thesis first summarizes nearly 400 centuries of U.S. developmental history to give greater context …

Rethinking Livability In Megacities: Applications Of Jane Jacobs’ Theories On Tokyo And Los Angeles, Kirara Tsutsui

Pomona Senior Theses

This senior thesis in Environmental Analysis compares critical infrastructure pieces in Tokyo and Los Angeles, on three discrete levels, with a particular focus on the pedestrian experience. As global population grows, with more people projected to live in urban cities more than ever, it is critical that we re-evaluate how we think about and “do” city-planning. Following Jane Jacobs’ theoretical framework, this thesis dissects what urban greenspaces, city neighborhoods, and sidewalks look like in LA and Tokyo. It analyzes, for each proxy, how two of the world’s most “developed” and largest cities have developed into the current landscape. Historical, cultural, …

More Than Just A Glass Face: What Makes A "Green" Or "Sustainable" Building, Exactly?, Kelli Kokame

Pomona Senior Theses

Buildings are responsible for a wide range of environmental impacts. In response to this, several green building standards have been developed. Each standard uses different strategies and has different approaches to defining what features should make up a green building. This thesis uses the LEED, BREEAM, EEWH, and Living Building Challenge standards as a lens through which this question of what makes a green building is explored, with an emphasis on the distinction between greenness and sustainability in the built environment.

Reconsidering Firmitas: Durability As An Integral Function Of The Sustainably Built Environment, Katherine P. Yzurdiaga

Pomona Senior Theses

Architecture is an inherently functional art – buildings have functions, some more vital than others, beyond the objective of sheer aesthetic appeal. Yet at the same time, aesthetic appeal is an integral part of the human experience that many agree is vital to sustainability objectives, including those of the built environment. Ideally, a building would be able to embody and honor both principles, both form and function, but some contend that in the current architectural climate, the emphasis on beauty has surpassed the importance placed on functionality. This discussion is particularly relevant to sustainability in the built environment: Sustainability as …

Get Your Butt Off The Ground!: Consequences Of Cigarette Waste And Litter-Reducing Methods, Joyce Lee

Pomona Senior Theses

Cigarette butts are rapidly accumulating on our planet; trillions of them are discarded every year. In this paper, I examine why cigarette litter is a problem. I first discuss the biodegradability of filters and its scientific basis, including ways to enhance degradation rates by chemically manipulating filters. I also talk about the persistence of cigarette chemicals and their potential toxic effects on children and animals. I consider other social, economic, and environmental consequences of cigarette filters and chemicals. Furthermore, I discuss various solutions smokers and non-smokers alike have created to address the problem of cigarette litter; these methods come from …

Biophilic Design At Pomona College: An Analysis Of The New Sontag And Pomona Residence Halls, John W. Hasse

Pomona Senior Theses

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for New Construction (or LEED-NC) has become one of the most commonly used green building standards during the turn of the 21^st century. While many champion LEED-NC, certain architects and academics believe that its low-environmental impact design approach toward green building isolates people from nature and thus cannot achieve sustainable development over the long-term. Pomona College’s green buildings, including its newest LEED Platinum certified Sontag and Pomona Residence Halls, exemplify this fact, as their designs fail to communicate their sustainable goals or inspire sustainable behavior. By examining the LEED-NC standards, the history …

Does Design Affect Behavior? A Case Study Of Pomona And Sontag Halls, Erin F. Morgan

Pomona Senior Theses

This paper investigates the successes and failures of architectural design techniques used to improve the sustainability of occupants. It looks broadly at research that has taken place in the past and focuses specifically on the strategies used in Pomona and Sontag Halls - two dormitories constructed at Pomona College.

Cool Roofs At Pomona College, Jeremiah M. Steuterman

Pomona Senior Theses

The energy efficiency of a building is directly related to the heat transfer between the building and the outside environment. In order to limit the heat transfer to the building by solar radiation cool roofs have been developed which increase the solar reflectivity of roofs. This report investigates the potential application of high reflectivity coatings to roofs at Pomona College and the energy benefits that could result. Cool roofs are used to address two prevalent environmental concerns: high cooling loads and Urban Heat Islands. These two problems are linked and exhibit the potential micro and mesoscale benefits of reducing roof …