Architecture Commons^™

Adaptive (Re)Purpose Of Industrial Heritage Buildings In Massachusetts A Modular Strategy For Building A Community, Riya D. Premani

Masters Theses

A significant portion of a building’s carbon emission comes from the materials used to construct it, primarily through fabrication and assembly. According to the World Green Building Council, this is called embodied carbon, and it makes up to 49% of the total emissions from global construction. Thus, new energy-efficient buildings can take from 10-80 years of time to offset just the carbon used in construction. Combined with such amounts of construction and demolition waste, new construction can be viewed as a wasteful or even destructive practice. Adaptive reuse presents a promising alternative method for creating new space, without the emissions …

From Archaic To Contemporary : Energy Efficient Adaptive Reuse Of Historic Building, Nisha Borgohain

Masters Theses

Over recent decades, the global focus on climate change and on conservation of resources has brought about a paradigm shift in the adaptive reuse of old and historic buildings. Adaptive reuse is now seen as a key factor in the conservation of land and environment, preservation of cultural identity, and reduction of urban sprawl. Increasingly, engineers, architects, and urban planners are making concerted efforts to realize the reuse potential of existing and outdated structures. Therefore, those involved in building design have studied the viability of adaptive reuse and generally favor the repurposing of old/historic buildings to suit new patterns of …

Designing Waste Creating Space: A Critical Examination Into Waste Reduction Through Building Techniques, Architectural Design, And Systems, Courtney M. Carrier

Masters Theses

Can we design waste? This is a question I seek to answer through the research of design and systems. Waste is an ever evolving and growing issue in our world today. Buildings and the spaces we inhabit contribute to the vast destruction and increasing detriment to our natural world. There are many “remedies” in the construction industry that attempt to regulate building waste and inspire sustainability, but are merely ruses for a much deeper rooted problem than sustaining the way we live. Sustainability is not enough, it simply means we are doing less bad while still perpetuating the problem of …

Open Space & Food Access In The City Of Chicopee, Madison M. Burke, Angelica L. Carey, Nicholas M. Fournier, Marika Kopp, Amanda M. Lipson, Jennifer M. Pacacha, Shannon M. Rice-Nicols

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Studio and Student Research and Creative Activity

The goal of the Master of Regional Planning Studio is to develop a student’s techniques for collecting, analyzing, and synthesizing spatial and non-spatial data and then presenting that collective data in a manner (i.e., report, video, presentation, and charettes) that is understandable to academics, professionals, and the public. Planning Studio allows students to integrate knowledge from coursework and research, and apply such knowledge to resolving representative planning problems. At UMASS Amherst, these problems are found in neighborhood, rural, urban, and/or regional settings.

In the fall of 2015, the City of Chicopee contracted the MRP Studio to create a vision plan …

From Vacant To Vibrant: Proposing A New Approach To The Anchor Store Typology, Samantha L. Greenberg

Masters Theses

The ever-evolving retail landscape in the United States represents a narrative of change for local communities. While change may signify instability, it also presents opportunities for innovation. This dichotomy is particularly pertinent in small downtowns, where the faltering of both national chain and locally owned retail establishments is felt, not only by business owners, but by all members of the community. The loss of anchor stores (large stores that serve to draw patrons to a commercial center) has proven especially challenging for downtowns that formerly relied on the consumer traffic generated by a big-name retailer. The loss of anchor stores …

New As Renewal: A Framework For Adaptive Reuse In The Sustainable Paradigm, Luke A. Beck

Masters Theses

The way in which we approach building design is constantly being influenced by evolving economic, environmental and social parameters. These factors have implications on both pragmatic and aesthetic facets of design. The built environment is not autonomous from its immediate site or the ecologies of the region in which it is located, rather, the former must be designed to symbiotically exist within and enhance the latter. The term ecology is defined as “a branch of science that deals with the relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings.” Although this typically relates to biology, the term can …

Commonwealth Of Massachusetts Mill Building Repurposing Pilot Project (Twist Mill - Athol, Ma), Mark D. Berube, Calliope E. Bosen, Tara Lynn Gehring, Allyson C. Manuel, Alexander Casey Mello, John Armando Rosa, Alexander R. Train, Benjamin Perrett

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Studio and Student Research and Creative Activity

The purpose of the UMass Amherst Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning’s participation in this project is to establish a redevelopment action plan that incorporates the ownership’s clear vision for reuse of the site, proposes solutions to various obstacles that have hindered progress, and serves as a guiding model in terms of improving the feasibility of similar projects throughout the state.

The project team gathered information from a variety of resources, and conducted three distinct phases of analysis in order to complete this redevelopment action plan. The Phase I: Inventory examines the physical, regulatory, and financial context surrounding the …

Adaptive Reuse Of Historic Mills In The Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor Uxbridge, Massachusetts, Center For Economic Development

Center for Economic Development Technical Reports

This study was made possible by the support of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor Commission. In particular, we would like to thank James R. Pepper, the Executive Director, and Nancy L. Brittain, the community planner for the Corridor. Mr. Pepper's vision and political skills were invaluable for initiating this project. Ms. Brittain provided essential guidance and a much-needed understanding of the local community, economy, and needs. We would also like to thank Professors Jack Ahern, Mark Lindhult, and our department head, John Mullin, for their valuable advice and comments on the study and report.

The Blackstone River Valley …