Architecture Commons^™

A Comparison Of American, Canadian, And European Home Energy Performance In Heating Dominated – Moist Climates Based On Building Codes, Stephanie M. Berkland

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

This research compares the energy performance of a code-built residential building within the moist climate zone classification in Canada, Europe, and the Northeastern United States. The primary objectives are to reveal how specific differences in code requirements in similar climates influence a building’s energy profile, offer a means to quantify and evaluate the extent of energy savings as a result of each requirement, and provide a comparison of each location’s building culture and how this affects the standards in place.

Using the building energy simulation tool, DesignBuilder EnergyPlus Simulation, a model single-family home was created and input energy code …

Core-House: A Proposal For Re-Inhabiting Underused Buildings, Thom P. Barry

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

This thesis is an exploration of how small independent residential units added one at a time can offer old buildings and the cities they are in the opportunity to gradually grow and change – in a way that isn’t presented by the typical double-loaded corridor build-out.

The first component of this exploration is a modular unit that can be brought into existing buildings and assembled in a flexible layout. This House acts as a ‘Core’ that provides basic shelter, warmth, and a place to sleep and prepare food; the density of this unit allows the surrounding square footage to be …

Energy Efficiency Programs At All Utilities: An Analysis Of The Factors That Lead Electric Utilities To Invest In Energy Efficiency, Christopher J. Pletcher

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

While the utilization of energy efficiency has grown in recent years, it has not been distributed evenly across the country. In some states, over 2% of a utility’s budget is spent on energy efficiency; in other states that number is 0. Much of the growth in energy efficiency has been due to state policies and the development utility-level energy efficiency programs. Yet, all utility programs are not created equal. Because they are often exempt from state regulation (and therefore state energy efficiency policy), publicly-owned utilities have traditionally lagged behind IOUs when it comes to EE programs.

This research quantifies energy …

Negotiating Postwar Landscape Architecture: The Practice Of Sidney Nichols Shurcliff, Jeffrey Scott Fulford M.D., M.P.H., M.L.A.

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

While documentation of the work of a select group of modernist landscape architects of the mid-twentieth century is available, little is known about the professional contributions of transitional landscape architects active in the period following World War II. Using selected projects framed by existing literature covering contemporary social, economic, political, and artistic influences, this study examines the career of one such transitional figure, Sidney Nichols Shurcliff (1906-1981). Project descriptions and analysis measure the scope of Shurcliff's work and the degree to which he contributed to the discipline and its transition to modernism, thereby augmenting the history of landscape architecture practice.

Riverside Brewing Facility: The Sustenance Of Water Allocation, Ryan T. Luczkowiak

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Water is the most vital resource on Earth. We are facing a global water crisis and the time has come to investigate how we can cope with this issue at a local basis. We live in a culture that is facing economic recessions and is striving for a developmental change. In the advancement of our technological age we are looking for new innovative means of development. Our existing infrastructural conditions cannot handle the sort of social shift we are striving for. We have to become sustainable but the most important is the allocation of water. The issue I am addressing …

Of Dirt And Decomposition: Proposing A Place For The Urban Dead, Katrina M. Spade

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

The intent of this thesis is to challenge our society’s existing options for the care and processing of the deceased, and to design a space and a ritual which are both deeply meaningful and ecologically beneficial. The community for whom this architecture is designed currently lacks the religious or cultural rituals which would otherwise guide them through the process of laying of their loved ones to rest. For this community, both traditional burial and cremation are devoid of meaning and culturally irrelevant ways of dealing with the deceased, in addition to being unnecessarily wasteful processes. Likewise, the community for which …

A Sustainable Urban Village For The "Six Corners" & "Old Hill" Neighborhoods Of Springfield, Massachusetts, Patricia O'Flaherty

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

In the United States, traditional urban centers, particularly in the Northeast, have suffered from neglect, dilapidation, and the general decay of their built environments over the last 50-60 years. Corresponding with this on the social side are increased poverty, unemployment, crime, and the disruption of the family unit.

Our current knowledge of the disciplines of architecture and sustainability can be applied to a built solution that will yield a greater public good. Good design can improve the lives of people by creating homes, neighborhoods, and villages that are comfortable, secure, and sustainable for all of the activities that make life …

Wind Power, Public Power: Evaluating Public Participation In New England Land-Based Wind Development, Gwen M. Miller

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Wind energy is a means of energy production without carbon emissions, facilitating regional and national energy security. While there are currently no offshore wind farms in the United States, there has been growing success in building land-based wind capacity. Within the wind industry, there is a call for a streamlined permitting process, as well as an objective evaluation of current stakeholder processes. Within city and regional planning, the stakeholder process and public participation in general have long been subject to research and discourse, as scholars and practitioners alike seek to identify and typify what exactly makes public participation robust or …

Architecture For A New Food System- An Investigation Into Healthy Eating Through Architecture, Emily M. Gasperetti

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

This thesis seeks to explore the impact that architecture can have on peoples' relationship with food. The industrialization of American society over the past two centuries has distance people from the source of their food; this distance has significantly contributed to an overall decreased in American health. The concept of this thesis is that architecture can have a positive impact on peoples' relationship with food and thereby help improve the health of a community.

I chose a site on the outskirts of Glens Falls, New York to locate my project, the Glens Falls Good Foods Collective. This site is ideal …

Canvas And Catalyst: Reinventing Urban Space, Ricardo A. Borges

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

As an intervention strategy set amid a stark and neglected, yet highly energized urban setting of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this project seeks to relieve a stagnating urban condition through the introduction of contemporary and dynamic forms of expression. Skateboarding and street art can be seen as interpretative modes of action that reinvent objects, spaces, and conditions within the urban landscape, lending creative and engaging gestures to the everyday. As (sub) cultural expressions in their own right, these practices transcend their mere formal representations, and present unique identities, spaces, and modes of engagement within a society, initiating a creative mindset and DIY …

Post-Industrial New England: Repairing The Voids, Jaime Ryznic

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Decaying urban spaces are common in post-industrial New England. When manufacturing activities withdrew from New England they left holes in the urban fabric. Physical absence of these former economic drivers is easy to note in empty mill buildings, warehouses, and storefronts. Farther reaching impacts of this exodus are less apparent. Jobs went with manufacturing. Raw materials needed to be harvested and made available to manufacturers; the finished products needed to be distributed, sold, and moved; supporting businesses provided for these needs. Many other groups supported manufacturing; some through the management of the companies, some catered to workers’ needs, or the …

Collaborative Decision-Making Processes In Planning: Opportunities And Challenges In The City Of Rafaela, Argentina, Maria Belen Alfaro

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

There is a large body of literature in the planning field on the topic of collaborative processes of decision-making, particularly in the United States and Europe. However, there appears to be less debate on the subject of complementing these ideas with contributions from urban governance. This research aims to contribute to that complementary work. In order to accomplish that, this thesis presents first a theoretical analysis of collaborative rationality and urban governance contributions. This analysis focuses on the articulation of those aspects that can offer a more holistic framework for addressing urban issues in a more inclusive way. Second, it …

Interactive Music Experience, Gaetan Jacques

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

In February of 2012, alternative rock band OK Go released a music video for their song “Needing/Getting”. The video explores a creative way of playing music, by driving a car through a constructed, choreographed environment. A driving track was set up as a large musical instrument which was “played” by a car. Architects, musicians, and artist are looking for innovative ways to develop active relationships between people, music, and architecture. The traditional passive relationship of these three is static, a design that does not promote interaction or participation. If we consider, behind a performance, there is a great deal of …

The Lovely And The Wild: Considering Naumkeag, Carol Waag

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

This paper investigates Fletcher Steele’s ideas about nature, and the fitness of gardens, in order to guide and support a reinvigoration of Naumkeag. Its aim is to highlight the protection of ecological resources while preserving aesthetic and historic integrity. This topic is particularly timely as The Trustees of Reservations are in the process of completing an extensive and unprecedented restoration plan, which will be carried out over the next five years. The Trustees have a long history of historic preservation and ecological conservation. This paper explores how these two aspects of their work can be integrated at Naumkeag, with particular …

Forms, Transitions, And Design Approaches: Women As Creators Of Built Landscapes, Tai-Hsiang Cheng

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Gender issues in the landscape, for a long time, have belonged to the fields of social and political science, which remain relatively unfamiliar to both practitioners and students in the discipline of landscape architecture. Previous scholars have put effort into examining questions of gender, culture and landscape in order to clarify the issues that researchers may encounter in today’s field of study. Among these gender classifications, questions in feminist inquiry have provided a historical setting to this study: what are the forms, transitions and design approaches that women employ as creators of the built landscapes?

Through reviewing the past literature …

From Indicators To Action: Evaluating The Usefulness Of Indicators To Move From Regional Climate Change Assessment To Local Adaptation Implementation, Sally Miller

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

As the effects of climate change become increasingly damaging and costly, a public and political consensus is building for planning that will protect private property and public infrastructure. Climate-related planning has primarily focused on mitigation, assessing vulnerability, and building adaptive capacity. Adaptation has not gained substantial ground in the area of implementation. The uncertainty associated with climate change projection and variability has emerged as a dominant barrier to adaptation. However, as knowledge accrues, the global and national science communities have been developing more detailed, fine-scale climate projections. Regional climate assessments are available for the sub-national climate regions in the U.S., …

Rebuilding Urban Place: Negotiating Individuality And Belonging, Peter R. Webster

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

vi ABSTRACT

Rebuilding Urban Place:

Negotiating Individuality and Belonging

New London, CT

September 2013

PETER R. WEBSTER

B.S.,TUFTS UNIVERSITY

M.ARCH, UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS, AMHERST

Directed by: Professor Kathleen Lugosch

The aim of this thesis is to test an approach for reconnecting ourselves with the urban fabric. By recognising the damage of urban renewal as more than simple blight but rather one that undermines our sense of place, we begin to appreciate the depth of the wound. It is not a matter of reconstructing what was taken away, but rather a process of rehabilitation. Re-establishing a viable sense of place requires …

A Place Of Dwelling For Graduate Students, Garth H. Schwellenbach

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

The lives of graduate students are often insular and focused, with high workloads and resultant stresses. Beyond the unifying demands of academia, graduate students have a diverse set of individual challenges. Some students have families, some are visiting the US and learning to live in a new culture, and some are fresh out of undergraduate studies and living on their own for the first time. In addition to these challenges the graduate student body is a diverse and disparate group, representing varied cultures, experiences and generations. Due to these demands and circumstances the students have little time and energy to …

Reconnecting The City With The Riverfront, To Revitalize The Socio-Economic Conditions Of Springfield, Ma., Sneha Rasal

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

The City of Springfield, Massachusetts is one of the largest cities in western Massachusetts, and was established on the Connecticut River for trading and as a fur-collecting post. In 18^th and early 19^th century, it experienced an industrial boom and became a regional financial center. Springfield became a major railroad center and grew to become the regional center for banking, finance, and courts. However, in mid-19^th century Springfield suffered due to the flooding of the Connecticut River and the disinvestment in industry. These resulted in an urban sprawl as people started moving away from heart of the …

Locating Environmental Justice Populations: A Method For Identifying Vulnerable Populations In Massachusetts, Zachary S. Silverman

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Environmental Justice is an issue that has been relevant in the mind of the federal government for the past 18 years. Within society, the goal of Environmental Justice looks to prevent the exploitation of vulnerable populations through the siting of environmentally hazardous sites. Instead of over burdening specific vulnerable populations, fair distribution of hazards throughout the population is desired.

Although there is a large body of research that study the location and impact of hazardous sites on the surrounding communities, there are few existing models which look to locate vulnerable populations through the use of quantitative data. Of the existing …

The Praxis Of Horst Hoheisel: The Countermonument In An Expanded Field, Juan Felipe Hernandez

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

This paper examines the work of German artist Horst Hoheisel in Latin-America. I open the conversation by including Hoheisel’s provocative participation in the 2005 memory debates in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Here, I introduce the nature of Hoheisel’s reasoning and the dialectical self-reflectiveness that is at work in his artifacts. In each project, I look for the way in which Hoheisel lays down the “memorialistic substance” of a specific site together with the self-critical rationality that characterizes his creation. The second part of this essay attempts to construct the theoretical parameters for the expansion of the definition of the countermonument. This …

Transformation Of Urban Public Space, Ruthanne Harrison

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

The concept of my thesis is to employ architectural intervention in residual urban space as a catalyst for transformation. The goal is design of a building and environment that could be used for any combination of purposes, be used freely by all members of the community, be designed so that the art and architecture is interactive, and could be transformed by the users of the space. The project makes use of a residual urban space that would otherwise remain largely inaccessible. The project explores how the space could be designed to give a sense of ownership of it to the …

Fabricating A Future Architecture, Kris L. Weeks

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

During the Renaissance era, the builder was the master of both design and fabrication. The Industrial Revolution split these two activities in the pursuit of higher efficiency. Now, the ascendance of digital fabrication could bring the two back together. This study explores the current and future use of digital fabrication in architecture. Digital fabrication is increasingly used to manufacture components for other industries, but it is experiencing slower adoption in the building industry due to size and material limitations and a contract process that makes fabricators less willing to take risks on newer digital technology. A design project was undertaken …

Housing For The Aging, Sybil R. Idelkope

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Future housing for the elderly should focus more on the psychological stresses of aging, and find solutions for the physical disabilities through this perspective. With design techniques such as biophilic architecture, mixed use and warmer, yet contemporary, materials, elderly housing can feel less institutional, and people can feel like their new home is at least comfortable and supportive of their needs.

Children's Cancer And Transplant Hospital: A Micro Town Within A Bubble, Kimia Samimi

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

As the greatest considerations in health-care design have traditionally been functional —hygiene, efficiency, and flexibility for changing technology— hospitals have evolved to become dehumanizing spaces. In this thesis two specific groups of chronically ill children who have among the longest inpatient stays are studied: cancer and organ transplant patients. Being under immunosuppressive drugs, these children are physically vulnerable thus are kept completely isolated. These long stays and isolation can be very depressing for them.

This thesis undertakes the challenge of designing a fully isolated space that doesn’t feel like one or in other words “a micro-town within a bubble”. The …

Community Land Trusts And Rental Housing: Assessing Obstacles To And Opportunities For Increasing Access, Maxwell Ciardullo

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Community Land Trusts (CLTs) are an affordable housing model based in the principles of community control of land and housing, as well as the permanent affordability of home ownership. Because of their membership-based governance structure and limited-equity formula, they are uniquely positioned to target reinvestment in communities of color and low-income communities without perpetuating cycles of displacement. Though focused on home ownership, many CLTs have adapted the model to include rental housing. This addition has the potential to expand affordability and opportunities for community governance to lower-income renters; however, it also challenges CLTs as organizations with little experience developing or …

The Building That Learns To Fish: Architecture, Peak Oil, And The Need For Adaptability, Justin M. Pelland

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Oil is a finite resource; This much has been established as fact and is commonly agreed upon. We will, some day, find our supplies depleted. The question that remains hotly debated, however, is when this will happen and what impacts it will have on our modern lives. Estimates and forecasts abound, but still no one can answer these questions definitively. As fossil fuels, the energy behind virtually every aspect of our lives, become scarce, our patterns of growth will face a reckoning. We will be forced to adapt and adjust; either shifting our energy demand to more renewable sources, or …

City Principles: The Application Of The Four Visual Characteristics On Helena, Mt, Cienna Cullen

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

The larger architectural context of cities must be understood in order to effectively design buildings. If a building ignores its surroundings, it will not hold up to time and will adversely affect the city in which it stands. This can be seen in multiple of disarrayed cities and their commercial-driven building inventory. So, what makes a good city stand out, and how can this be applied to buildings? There are the four basic principles designers and planners seemed to have forgotten. The first is the layout of basic city components and their influence on current and future identity. The second …

Re-Defining The "Cookie-Cutter" Development: Designing The Home Through Adjustable Architecture, Alexander L. Koslow

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

This thesis seeks to explore the architectural transformation of residential space for changes and adjustments as we find our lifestyles altering. With the understanding that change is often unpredictable, we must be prepared for adaptations to new and revised living environments. Change appears in many ways: marriage or cohabitation, having children, empty nesting, aging, caring for elder family members, illness, and death. Too often we design our homes for the present, with little thought of future needs. Universal and adjustable design must become an everyday part of an architectʼs repertoire when embarking on new projects with their clients. Even architects, …

Grow Pods: Flexible Design To Regenerate Urban Landscapes, Rachel K. Roberts

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Shifts in economics, demographics, and lifestyle in America have lead to changes in this country's urban landscape. Rural and urban populations have migrated toward the suburbs and concentrated metro areas, leaving holes in the urban fabric of small and midsized cities. Often these empty spaces become drivers of blight, crime, and discouragement in the community.

The goal of the Grow Pods Project is to transform the negative of vacant urban lots into an opportunity for improving health, building community, and encouraging positive growth.

As a tool for integrating the food system directly into the urban context, this project addresses the …