Architecture Commons^™

Testing Reliability Of Biophilic Design Matrix Within Urban Residential Playrooms, Ellen Marte

Theses and Dissertations

Biophilic interior design in urban playrooms has been greatly understudied. We measured inter-rater reliability of the Biophilic Interior Design Matrix (BID-M) and matrix items by quantitatively coding images of 45 New York City residential playrooms. Findings suggest that the BID-M needs to be modified to better assess urban playrooms.

Taking The Water, Alison Ho

Theses and Dissertations

“The baby boomer generation is about to transform into the largest elderly population in human history, changing how everyone lives, large and small. All of this will directly affect recreation and leisure professionals especially in leisure programming” (Sperezza & Banerjee, 2010, p. 197). In 2012, there were 43.1 million people in the United States that were aged 65+ and it is predicted that by 2050, that number will rise to 83.7 million (Ortman, Velkoff, Hogan, 2014). Baby boomers are more physically active than previous generations and many will now live 20% - 25% of their lives in active retirement. There …

Library By Day, Theater By Night, Julia Moncure Jones Mishler

Theses and Dissertations

This project will re-conceive a historic movie theater, honoring the program of the building as it was originally intended, while introducing a new programmatic element: the library. Instead of this large space only being used in the evenings for movie showings, it will now also be a place for the public to gather during the day as a popular materials library. This project is an exploration of diversion through literature and cinema. This space will continue to be a landmark in Richmond and a place community members visit on a regular basis.

How do new elements introduced into a historic …

Reclaiming Beercraft- A Sensory Experience, Zishan Zeng

Theses and Dissertations

The senses are mainly a source of arousal, enjoyment and pain and are of vital importance for the human body. They are also important because sensory perception is typical of many cultural artifacts and is given unique intensities and extensions, shapes and meanings through them (Heywood, 2017). As Finnish architect Juhani Pallasmaa stated, “architecture is the art of reconciliation between ourselves and the world, and this mediation takes place through the senses” (Pallasmaa, 2012). To make architecture truly meaningful, it should be able to awaken all the senses.

The way we feel, smell, and even taste is hard to capture. …

Current: The River City Library, Abigail Fundling

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis orients a public library toward the James River with the purpose of strengthening Richmond’s connection to this waterway. Adapting an existing warehouse with a history of river industry, this project used evidence-based design decisions to drive its development. Using interviews, surveys, and case studies, the design is organized around a central gathering space where the river enters the building and around which spaces for study, stacks, and children flow. It also incorporates an amphitheater that evokes the feeling of sitting on the river’s shore. Using panoramic views to the river and city skyline along with a material palette …

Design Hub: Activating Community By Design, Ed Williams

Theses and Dissertations

MOTIVATION

At the turn of the century, Robert Putnam (2000, 27) wrote “...a powerful tide bore Americans into ever deeper engagement in the life of their communities, but a few decades ago that tide reversed and we were overtaken by a treacherous rip current.” Putnam is describing a loss of “social capital” throughout American society. Research suggests that many of our contemporary issues are the result of a decline in “social capital,” or “community.”

This pervasive lack of community is thought to be detrimental to “educational performance, safe neighborhoods, equitable tax collection, democratic responsiveness, everyday honesty, and even our health …

Hidden Gem: Realizing The Value Of Community In Healthcare Environments, Nicole Lee

Theses and Dissertations

Holistic approaches in healthcare address a problem from its root causes. The American healthcare model – both its treatment and distribution methods – is among the many issues that divides the nation. We have found ourselves with millions of uninsured people among a growing population where chronic illness is on the rise among adults and children, especially within low-income demographics (Goodman & Conway, 2016). Though this is a widespread epidemic, only recently has there been any effort to question and reform traditional healthcare.

The way that wellness is assessed in America has been detrimental to patient outcomes …

Food Park, Houria Boumzairig

Theses and Dissertations

If climate change and population growth progress at their current pace, in roughly 50 years farming as we know it will no longer exist (Despommier, 2009). This means that the majority of people could soon be without enough food or water. But there is a solution that is surprisingly within reach: Move most farming into cities, and grow crops in tall, specially constructed buildings. It’s called vertical farming. “There is a close relation between the beginning of agriculture and the birth of architecture. Our cities were shaped by food” (Precht, 2019). The agricultural revolution ended our presence as hunters and …