Architecture Commons^™

Prioritizing Stormwater Management: Comparing Integrated Best Management Practices In Urban And Suburban Neighborhoods, Danielle Kathleen Norman

Masters Theses

This thesis demonstrates a comparison of two design proposals that integrate Best Management Practices to address stormwater runoff volumes in urban and suburban neighborhoods. The thesis investigation includes the selection and comparison of two diverse neighborhoods to inform design decisions. It then assesses the environmental, social and economic implications of the design proposal in each neighborhood.

The site selection process is a method that overlays specific criterion such as residential land use, topographic features, and median household income (3) nested scales; the watershed scale, the sub-watershed scale, and the neighborhood scale. For the purposes of this paper, nested scales are …

Translating The Cultural Landscape: A Chinese Garden In East Tennessee, Xue Yue

Masters Theses

Cultural landscapes are valuable representations of humans’ interaction with nature. These world heritage sites should be protected since they are illustrations of the evolution of human society and settlement over time. However, many of the traditional ones are losing their impact under current physical constraints that are presented by their natural environments, or social, economic, and cultural forces. Based on today’s modern context of efficiency and simplicity, the vanishing legacy of these sites should be interpreted by extracting the essence rooted in the culture and translating it into distinctive but concise characteristics that can be used in modern landscape design. …

Surface Parking Lots: Killers Of Vibrancy And Local Culture In Downtowns, Aubrie Dianne Damron

Masters Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to propose a solution to a world wide condition, most noticeable in the United States, that is the erosional pattern caused by the downtown surface parking lot. Vibrancy and local culture are crucial factors to the existence of a successful downtown area, but excessive surface parking lots are inhibiting the growth of downtown metropolitan areas. They create gaps devoid of growth. These gaps in the fabric of downtown are killing downtown vitality and identity. The current parking lot density in many downtowns is a cause for concern if there is to be continual economic …

Revitalizing A 19th Century Industrial Complex Into A 21st Century Research And Learning Technology Center, James Lawrence Wines

Masters Theses

The revitalization and repurposing of the Domino’s Sugar Plant will foster a vibrant and engaged community for the neighborhood in a distinct way differing from the recent history of growth. Williamsburg is located in a north Brooklyn, New York, community that has been struggling for its identity since the 1970’s. The reprogramming of this abandoned industrial site will include the addition of a new technological research center that will contribute to economic growth and stability for the neighborhood. The new jobs will help bring more people into the neighborhood who will be committed to both live and work there. At …

Breaking The Fast Food Chain: Introducing Urban Agriculture To Foster Healthy Eating Habits In America, Justin Dean Bruno

Masters Theses

Americans today know food well, but few fully understand where it comes from, the processes involved in its production and distribution, or the issues of unequal access to it. It is encouraging to see the presence of healthy food and sustainability as hot topics in our society, but we have not yet given everyone equal access to these benefits. Farmers’ markets, agritourism, and organic farms have begun to inspire a new generation about the advantages of healthy food, but the presence of food deserts haunts urban areas throughout the country. The lack of access to healthy food in the city …

Space, Ritual, Event: Constantine's Jubilee Of 326 And Its Implications On Urban Space, Brian Christopher Doherty

Masters Theses

Architecture has been characterized as the study of space. But this notion presupposes that the edifices created are not irrevocably tied to the activities, the rituals that activate them as part of a greater whole. As a historical example, Constantine's triumph of 312 and the subsequent jubilee celebrations of 326 will be examined in order to illustrate the way in which architecture, literature, and history coincide to further Constantine's imperial legitimacy and usher in a return to solitary rule within the Roman Empire.

Urban Schools: Creating Diverse Populations And Vibrant Cities, Jeffrey Michael Castor

Masters Theses

A lack of public education in downtown areas is causing a lack of diversity in urban populations. Because families with young children perceive that they must retreat to the suburbs for quality public schooling, downtown populations are largely limited to young professionals and empty nesters. Inviting families with children to the city through the provision of quality public education will improve cities economically and socially. The economic improvement comes simply through number of residents and increased tax revenues. The social benefits are increased safety, vibrancy, stability, and civic engagement. Safety comes through “eyes on the street,” an idea from Jane …

Working With Paul Rudolph To Make Rudolph Work: Reclaiming, Conserving, And Adapting Sarasota High School (1958), Katherine Marie Armstrong

Masters Theses

Sarasota High School, designed by Paul Rudolph in 1958, physically embodies the central ideas of Regional Modernism that developed in Sarasota, Florida in the 1940s and 50s. Covered breezeways, monumental sunshades, deep overhangs, and sliding glass doors promote natural ventilation and sun shading as ways to deal with Florida’s hot climate. As an example of progressive architecture of the time, it is a seminal work of Rudolph’s and significant to Sarasota’s architectural legacy of climatically responsive, modernist buildings that captured international attention.

Sixty years later, Sarasota High School is now unoccupied and in a state of disrepair. The school board …

Transit-Oriented Development: An Alternative To Sprawl, Troy Patrick Gardner

Masters Theses

Transportation modes have historically influenced forms of growth. The personal automobile has perhaps had the most impact, producing a form of development known as sprawl. This unplanned form of development has become a predominate pattern of growth in many parts of America, which has brought about a number of social, economic, and environmental challenges. In addition to these challenges, sprawl often produces amebic forms without clearly defined centers. Instead, sprawl typically consists of low-density development, single-use zoning, and wide roads. This creates an environment that is almost exclusively designed for vehicles and dangerous for pedestrians. Because sprawl usually lacks an …

Reconnect: A New Identity For Suburban Commercial Space, Robert Michael Thew

Masters Theses

In this thesis, I address a critical situation found today within the American suburbs. Many suburban developments lack human scale and places for community interaction traditionally found in the downtown model of the city. The places of interaction, or forums, are inherent in the downtown model and are built into the block structure, and close to where people live. They promote multiple uses and the healthy interaction of the residents of the community. In the suburban model, the places of interaction are separated from neighborhoods and residences, they are highly insular and geared towards a single purpose, usually shopping.

This …

Addressing Local Development And Local Identity: Rethinking The Chapman Highway Corridor In South Knoxville, William Edward Copeland

Masters Theses

This thesis addresses the idea of identity within the landscape. The mechanisms that form identity, the representation of identity through both tangible and intangible forms, and the growth,evolution, and erosion of identity over time are all topics that help to inform the argument being made. Moving from an abstract ideal to a specific place, I will address the needs of a local Knoxville community that has come to struggle in recent years due to a loss of their identity within a regional context. Working to translate the mechanisms that foster a sense of identity into physical changes to the landscape …

Urban Transient Spaces: [Re] Appropriating Knoxville, Tennessee's World's Fair Park, Kathryn Dupree Greer

Masters Theses

Transient Space: An urban site that was developed for a temporary event or short-term program.

In this thesis, I will explore urban gaps created by transient events, such as the Olympics, World Fairs, and the World Cup. I believe urban environments created to accommodate for these transitory events present an interesting predicament for planners and architects. In several cases, these sites are not properly developed or programmed for post-event occupancy and create gaps in a city’s urban fabric.

I will specifically be examining World’s Fair Park in Knoxville, Tennessee. This site once hosted the 1982 World’s Fair, Knoxville International Energy …

Main Street: An Avenue Of Culture And Commerce, Gregory Ralph Morrison

Masters Theses

Influenced by theme parks and a desire to “revive” the past, we often nostalgically consider Main Street as a homogeneous entity, relegating its existence to the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries alone. Investigation into the history of Main Streets across the United States, as well as more specific analysis of Main Street in Memphis, TN reveals the fallacy of this assumption. Main Street has had a rich and complex history. Strengthening the presence of this true past, rather than relying solely on its fabricated history, offers a tremendous opportunity for cities to capitalize on their history. To build in a way …

Interactions Between The Urban Environment And “The Homelessness”: Observations And Responses, Jeffrey Charles Stahl

Masters Theses

Homelessness and people living on the streets is a phenomenon that is facing every major urban center in the United States. These people are a commonality in the urban landscape and are often seen a problem to be fi xed. Due to the interactions between the urban environment and persons experiencing homelessness, there needs to be a paradigm shift in how policy is written and how we design an intervention for these forgotten people. The goal of this thesis is to gain a clearer understanding to what it is like to survive on the streets: how dose someone fi nd …

Aging In A Suburban Context: An Exploration Of How Design Can Help Maintain The Quality Of Life And Social Connections, Reduce Cost Of Daily Life And Reconnect With Nature And Memory In The Suburban Context., Deepa Surendranath

Masters Theses

Retirement and Aging are very important aspects of a person’s life. Many changes in lifestyle, ability to manage one's personal environment occur after retirement and are associated with emotional changes, diminishing physical and cognitive ability. Suburban single-family homes and neighborhoods that were very advantageous for young adults raising families become unmanageable in later years and contribute to the physical or psychological issues faced by aging populations.

These physical or psychological problems can be addressed through designing a community in which the aging residents feel independent, get adequate stimulation of the brain and good physical activity. The living arrangements, food, gardening, …

Parametric Design And Artificial Wetlands’ Adaption In Landscape Design, Xi Wang

Masters Theses

The philosophy of sustainable development and design has become a widely accepted idea by today’s landscape architects. One of the most recent examples of a sustainable design trend is the application of the constructed wetland in an urban environment. By providing a water purification system for damaged water bodies and potential habitats for wildlife, artificial wetlands are considered as panacea to many cities challenged by water pollution and other ecological crisis. Yet artificial wetlands have obvious disadvantages and further improvements could still be made to them.

This Thesis will introduce basic information about artificial wetlands, their typology, advantages and disadvantages, …

Encapsulating History Of Place, Ashley Linn Lenentine

Masters Theses

Architecture has the ability to reveal the culture and history of a place, to support the community and educate society. The design becomes the vessel that retains the history of the place and increases cultural appreciation throughout society. This thesis looks to reinterpret how design responds to a historic context and incorporates culture and memory into the method for new design. A place is an accumulation of layers that tell a story of the past and overlay conditions of the present that enhance the experience of the place. The site, context, history, and culture can be identified as various layers …

Revitalization Through Rehabilitation: Enhancing Communities Through Re-Use, Jason Stuart Pimsler

Masters Theses

The densification of an existing community through the implementation of sustainable design principles, such as adaptive reuse, promotes revitalization. The re-inhabitation of the proposed abandoned structure along the BeltLine can lead to further development of the existing arts complex. As part of this revitalization, linkages established along a citywide master-planned path provide nodal connections between the local art district and the artists of the Goat Farm and educate visitors of the significant industrial history of the area. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the positive impact that sustainable architecture, adaptive reuse and proper planning can have on a …

Enhancing Community And Place Through A Suburban Retrofit, Luke Daniel Murphree

Masters Theses

Suburban sprawl, characterized by low-density, scattered, single-use development, is an ever-increasing concern for the environment, economy, and sense of community and identity of cities today. Sprawling communities have been designed with poor neighborhood connectivity, a lack of walkability, and in isolation from public space, jobs, and schools, creating a place that is virtually devoid of social interaction and a distinguishing identity.

Suburbia constitutes roughly 75% of contemporary development in the United States. Many buildings in these suburban areas are either vacant or out of date, and demographic and market shifts indicate a growing demand for more diverse housing types and …

Aging In Urbanity, Brantley Farron Bass

Masters Theses

As the number of Americans over the age of fifty continues to rise, there are growing concerns over the quality of health care facilities and their availability and affordability. There are those who prefer the idea of growing older in a sprawling, suburban landscape, surrounded by nature, and history has proven this to be a normative response to retirement living. Yet, there could be other ways of introducing this type of living in a more accessible, lively and urban environment. There are many different options of living for younger generations and families, so the potential for providing similar options for …

The Architect As Developer, Samuel David Funari

Masters Theses

The current architectural landscape of strip malls and big box stores is the antitheses of what nearly every practicing architect avails to while in the security of the academy. Upon entering the real world of budgetary constraints and hard deadlines, it seems that most architects are content to simply earn a paycheck rather than produce meaningful work. This destructive method of designing is a result of a supposed lack of choices, and can only be combated when architects have more to lose than their principles. By architects playing the role of both designer and developer, it is possible to see …

Architecture As Pedagogy: Designing Sustainable Schools As Three-Dimensional Textbooks, Ester Ehrlich Schwartz

Masters Theses

The importance of school buildings has been recognized as a fundamental element of modern society. Today, roughly a quarter of America’s population, including our youngest citizens, spend the majority of their days in school buildings. Still, many of our nation’s schools are in disrepair, with systems in need of repair or replacement.

Over the years, strong evidence and research have shown that school building impact student’s health and their ability to learn. Green schools mean healthier environments for students and staff. Pragmatically, we also know that that green schools save money. Energy-efficient buildings help reduce energy costs, which in turn …

Connection Through (Re)Use: Repurposing Kingsport, Tennessee's Industrial Landscapes, Patrick Nathan Osborne

Masters Theses

This thesis seeks to promote industrial reuse and sustainable planning principles as catalysts for adaptive redesign of public space in Kingsport, Tennessee. During the middle to late decades of the 19th century, the southeastern United States experienced a period of extreme industrial acceleration, stemming from the mining, manufacturing, and transportation advances of the Industrial Revolution. Concurrently, a transatlantic transition toward utopian planning principles was being cultivated by Briton Ebenezer Howard under the Garden City movement. Garden cities were planned, carefully zoned communities, containing designated areas for commerce, industry, and living. In 1919, American landscape architect John Nolen developed a plan …

A Nation In Its Prime: A Pentadic Study Of Walt Disney World's Main Street, U.S.A., Casey Guise

Masters Theses

The purpose of this paper is to consider the entrance to Walt Disney World, Main Street, U.S.A., as a rhetorical text and apply Kenneth Burke's dramatistic pentad. Background is provided on rhetorical theory and The Disney Company. Meanings are derived from messages interpreted using semiotics and symbolic interaction within the location. The significance of Main Street, U.S.A., as a replica of historic architecture and an illustration of revival architecture in creating emotive messages is discussed. Further discussion includes the implications of this study on corporations and the field of rhetorical studies in addition to suggestions for further research.