Architecture Commons^™

A Perfect Union, Katherine S. Ankerson, Mark Hinchman

Interior Design Program: Faculty Scholarly and Creative Activity

TYPE: OFFICE.
CLIENT: UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD, OMAHA.
This rail-freight giant consolidated nine locations at a 1.3 million-square-foot headquarters. Images of locomotives and boxcars add a dose of excitement for train buffs.

HARNESSING THE RAW POWER OF THE DIESEL LOCOMOTIVE and translating it into a design concept, the Union Pacific Railroad’s new headquarters in downtown Omaha alludes to the history and present of this freight giant in ways both large and small. Principal Bill Hartman designed the 1.3 million-square-foot building to make architectural reference to rail travel. Note, for instance, how the rows of interior office windows offer glimpses into private …

Second Interview With Ann Davis Thomas, Meghan L. Mccluskey

Interior Design: Student Creative Activity

A second interview with Ann Davis Thomas, daughter of London architect Arthur Joseph Davis (1878-1951). Discusses her father’s partnership with Charles Mèwes, his work on buildings such as the Ritz Hotel, the Morning Post and the Royal Automobile Club, and the ocean liners Aquitania and Queen Mary in the early 20th century.

Mammalogy At Texas Tech University: A Historical Perspective, Lisa C. Bradley, John R. Suchecki, Brian R. Amman, Joel G. Brant, Hugh H. Genoways, L. Rex Mcaliley, Robert J. Baker, Francisca Mendez-Harclerode, Robert D. Bradley

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

The mammalogy program at Texas Tech University officially was established in 1962, when Robert L. Packard joined the faculty of the Department of Biological Sciences. As the institution's first mammalogist, Packard took the initiative to develop a strong program of mammalian research and education. Influenced by the successful program built by his mentor, E. Raymond Hall, at the University of Kansas, Packard modeled similar goals for Texas Tech University. Those goals included a strong emphasis on both undergraduate and graduate education and research, with several mammalogy faculty members, and the establishment and growth of a large and active mammal collection.

Visual Impacts On The Westward Vista At Nine-Mile Prairie And The Inadequacy Of The Les Power Line Siting Criteria To Address Them, Richard K. Sutton

Landscape Architecture Program: Faculty Scholarly and Creative Activity

The criteria utilized by the Lincoln Electric System (LES) do not account for impact to the historical, cultural, biological and aesthetic settings traversed by large high-voltage power lines. This paper describes the impacts of such a proposed line at Nine-mile prairie near Lincoln, Nebraska.

The Effects Of Simple Coupled Volume Geometry On The Objective And Subjective Results From Nonexponential Decay, David T. Bradley, Lily M. Wang

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

This project focuses on the individual and interactive acoustic effects of three architectural parameters on the double slope profile from a simple coupled volume system created in the computer modeling program ODEON. The three variables studied are the volume ratio between the main and secondary spaces, the absorption ratio between the two spaces, and aperture size. The resulting energy decay profiles are analyzed using T₃₀/T₁₅ Coupling Coefficient ratios and Bayesian analysis. Coupling Coefficient results show general trends in the effects of the three architectural parameters that match previous research results and the predominant interactive effect between …

Time-Series Analysis Of Clusters In City Size Distributions, Ahjond S. Garmestani, Craig R. Allen, K. Michael Bessey

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Complex systems, such as urban systems, emerge unpredictably without the influence of central control as a result of adaptive behavior by their component, interacting agents. This paper analyses city size distributions, by decade, from the south-western region of the United States for the years 1890–1990. It determines if the distributions were clustered and documents changes in the pattern of clusters over time. Clusters were determined utilizing a kernel density estimator and cluster analysis. The data were clustered as determined by both methods. The analyses identified 4–7 clusters of cities in each of the decades analysed. Cities cluster into size classes, …

Hedgerow Management Plan, Richard K. Sutton

Landscape Architecture Program: Faculty Scholarly and Creative Activity

This document and accompanying files describe the existing Osage-orange (Maclura pomifera) hedgerow at Homestead National Monument of America near Beatrice, Nebraska. Analysis of the living pioneer artifact found most trees in good to very good condition and sprouts near 75-80 years of age. A management plan and directs the propagation and prunning of the hedge for interpretation and natural resource value.

Revitalizing Retail, Caleb Buland

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

This project formulates a new retail center in downtown Kansas City, MO. The project looks at historical records and precedents to help design and program a successful retail center. This project creates an updated and modern version of the retail and gallery malls that once occurred in downtown Kansas City. Issues that many retail projects fail to study, but are necessary in an urban setting, will be considered and developed. These issues include: the pedestrian scale, various types of parking excluding surface, the homeless population, day lighting, dealing with the problems of dead hours, the concept of mixed use and …

Bridging The Urban Pedestrian Gap, Amy L. Cooper Schaap

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

The project is a proposed design for a pedestrian bridge crossing the Missouri River between Omaha, Nebraska, and Council Bluffs, Iowa. In conjunction with the bridge, an urban pathway that has strip retail and gathering spots over the river and an urban design connecting the bridge with the urban environment of Omaha are also proposed. The existing trail systems in Nebraska and Iowa have no connection linking the two states and no safe way for pedestrians to cross the Missouri River. Omaha and Council Bluffs have been trying to bring life back into their downtowns, and the bridge provides opportunities …

Architecture Of The Wilderness: Understanding Culture And Ecology In The Sandhills Of Nebraska Through Design, Patrick J. Moore

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

How might one—in creating a built environment—educate others about the natural environment, restore commerce to a dying community, and touch the earth as lightly as possible in the process? The intent of this project is to create an interpretive center for a proposed regional tourism network in a rural Nebraska County. The design will be based on issues of sustainability, including resource conservation, socio-economic improvement, and environmental protection. Specific issues addressed include: Green Buildings, Biomimicry, Mechanical Systems, Construction Methods, Biology and Geology Research and Education, Regional Planning, and Vernacular Buildings. This project, explores how architecture can be used in a …

Multi-Generational Housing: A New Model For Residential Design In The 21st Century, Cory Naegele

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

The project suggests a new typology for the family home and neighborhood, one flexible enough to adapt to the variety of needs a family will encounter. The home should be able to transform alongside the transformations in the family structure. The idea is to design a single-family home constructed of mobile, interlocking and interchangeable “kit-of-parts.” These parts would have the ability to be easily assembled, rearranged, or sold to a neighbor. Development is intended for a site in the Goose Hollow neighborhood of Portland, Oregon. The townhouse design uses prefabricated exterior walls, based on a 4’ grid system, which can …

Rural Intervention: “Garden Village”, Chad P. Shaffer

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

The project proposes to develop a rural subdivision community, Garden Village, near South Bend in Cass County, Nebraska, on the south side of Interstate 80, near exit 426, between Omaha and Lincoln. It seeks to integrate new urbanism with the environment in a way that uses sensitive techniques on the existing landscape. The development will use the environment to enhance the design and create a “place” through its unique community identity, architecturally designed housing and work places, recreational activities, and strong access to surrounding communities. Features include commercial centers, apartment complexes, gold course, mobile home park, and dam construction. The …

The Everyday: Chicago River Transit Station, Ryan Watson

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

There are over 150 miles of Chicago River system connecting North Shore suburbs to south side Calumet. This project focuses on a prototypical initial site for an expanding network of water taxi stations reaching to the city’s edges and beyond. The selected site for the proposed water taxi station lies south of Wolf Point, the confluence of the north and south branches of the Chicago River. The proposal considers the site as part of a single approach to reactivation, redevelopment, and remediation. The system will serve riders from the Loop to as far as Joliet, Illinois. The program will adapt …

I P A R K 8 0, Jeffrey O. Scott

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

This project, ag80, is meant to revive the heritage and promote awareness of the importance of agriculture within the state. The lack of awareness is especially widespread in urban areas, where people may have never seen or experienced a farm. Targeting the urban areas and their lack of awareness will begin to spread the knowledge and understanding of the importance of agriculture to the state. Two of the largest urban centers in Nebraska, Omaha and Lincoln, are located approximately 60 miles apart on Interstate-80. This serves as an appropriate location to promote and highlight some of Nebraska’s agriculture. The goal …

Rethinking Refueling Re-Presentation: "A Place Of Display", Vito Privatera

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

The proposed project seeks to create a prototype gas station/convenience store for the Dundee neighborhood in Omaha, Nebraska, that addresses local residents’ desire to have a site specific gas station/convenience store that integrates into their neighborhood. The project will use architectural solutions in the form of building materials and spatial organization concepts to allow the prototype to better accommodate needs of local users who enjoy enjoy the services provided by thew present store yet find many flaws in the design of the current station. The project focuses on safety guidelines concerning the gas tanks stored below the pumps and realizes …

Camp Cedars Discovery Center, Boy Scouts Of America, Robert A. Soukup

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

I am proposing to design a learning/activities center for the Boy Scouts of America. In Nebraska, one of the major BSA campgrounds is Camp Cedars, located approximately three miles northeast of Cedar Bluffs. Every year scout troops from all over Nebraska meet at Camp Cedars to participate in one of six weekly sessions during the months of June and July. The facilities are used by Cub Scouts, ages 7-11 years, as well as by Boy Scouts, ages 11-17. The current facilities within the camp include: manager offices, a quartermaster’s barn, a swimming pool, a cafeteria hall, an archery range, a …

State [Fair] Park: Nebraska Vernacular, Andrew Charles Peterson

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

Each year the Nebraska State Fair comes and goes; however, the abandoned fairgrounds remain causing a void in Lincoln’s urban fabric. This project proposes a remedy to the fairground’s wavering between programmatic solidity and impermanence by redeveloping and renaming the site. The new State [Fair] Park will function as a park for 51 weeks out of the year and a fair for one. The result is a recreational nucleus for the city of Lincoln showcasing Nebraska’s historically agricultural economy and character. State [Fair] Park is designed according to “a single, unifying ideal”—to showcase Nebraska’s farmland vernacular.1 Utilizing this principle during …

Fume Hood Exhaust Stack System, Mingsheng Liu

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

A fume hood exhaust stack system (10) and method utilize a variable speed fan (24) and an exhaust stack (28) having an adjustable cross-sectional area. Toxic exhaust from one or more fume hoods (12) is conveyed through a header (16) to the fan. The fan forces the exhaust through the exhaust stack, and the exhaust is then discharged into the atmosphere at a sufficient velocity and momentum to ensure that the exhaust reaches an environmentally sound altitude. A variable speed drive (36), programmable controller (34), flow signals (26), and static pressure and total pressure signals (20) are utilized to modulate …

Digital / Physical Consumption: A Mixed-Use Prescription For An Innovative Urban Mall, David Warner

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

A key component missing from many urban cores is an established retail hub. This displacement of retail, shadowing the economic tendency towards sprawl, has robbed the downtown of its vitality. In order to reinstall the appeal that downtowns once possessed, my objective as both an optimist and realist is to suggest the reestablishment of downtown as a place for diverse interaction. In accordance, I am proposing a mixed-use retail mall for the urban domain. I intend to define and design a mixed-use project on a block in downtown Omaha. The project location, in proximity to the new convention center, will …

Interpreting A Divide: Developing An Interpretive Center Along The Continental Divide, Kurt Cisar

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

The design project entails the integration of the arts and sciences to create an educational center for the public to learn about the Continental Divide and the surrounding ecosystem. The intention is to design a building that exhibits an expression of its adaptability to climactic conditions and plays an interactive role in how one perceives the surrounding environment. The mixing of both art and science will allow for the building to become a viewing device that will adapt to the site’s multiple elements in a manner that can induce a clear educational environment. Both disciplines will converge on a common …

Canteen Cultural Event Center, North Platte, Nebraska , Stephen P. Granger

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

The project consists of designing a cultural event center to be located in the original Historic District of downtown North Platte, Nebraska. The project will be a redevelopment of a previous redevelopment project completed in the 70’s. The event center will be designed around the existing Canteen Monument. It is this location that over six million service men and women were greeted and served free coffee, milk, cigarettes, candy bars and several other items as well. The cultural events center will house offices to fulfill economic development and tourism for the city of North Platte. The cultural events center must …

Field City Vs. Flexibuild, Benjamin R. Brabec

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

The project proposes a flexible module design for downtown Lincoln, Nebraska. It seeks to fill in urban gaps and reactivate a downtown area, dominated by wide streets, open lots, and and 2 to 3 story buildings. There is an abundance of open gray space used mainly for parking (22,600 stalls). Modular construction systems, common in exhibition and fair designs, are employed; these can be altered and arranged to accommodate changing situations. The base module is 9 x 18 feet, based on the size of a parking stall. It can be subdivided and equipped with glass, solid infill, shading, seating, boxes, …

Memorial Stadium: Expansion, Renovation, Addition, Aaron Terpening

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

The Memorial Stadium project will investigate the current conditions of facilities, study existing programs with regard to renovation and modification, and establish capacities for expansion. The project necessitates knowledge of sports facilities and the specific needs of the football program. This may involve research into the need of individuals ranging from the players themselves to the coaches, and ultimately the fans as well. The result will lead to a program which provides excellent solutions to the found needs. It is assumed that these needs will include updated training, locker room, and medical facilities for the athletes. Other programs include offices …

Ragged Point Sky City, Matthew J. Glawatz

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

The project proposes a design for an ecologically conceived high-rise superstructure to house 100,000 residents on the California coastline along Highway 1, approximately 110 miles southwest of Fresno. It is presented as an example of Archology, a fusion of architecture and ecology aimed at achieving a completely sustainable built environment that will benefit both mankind and nature. The project will utilize residential, commercial, utilitarian, service, municipal, and entertainment components in a self-sustaining and environmentally beneficial manner. Mentor: Ted A. Ertl

How Does Immigration Impact On The Quality Of Life In A Small Town?, James J. Potter, Rodrigo Cantarero, X. Winston Yan, Steven Larrick, Heather Keele, Blanca E. Ramirez

Architecture Program: Faculty Scholarly and Creative Activity

Throughout the world, people are migrating from rural areas to cities to find jobs and to seek a better life. As a result, many cities and regions are experiencing population influx. Many small midwestem communities have been experiencing these rapid demographic changes. 'In the 1990s, Nebraska rural counties continue(d) to experience out-migration of the young, working-age population, with remaining residents tending to be older. However, the 1980s and current outmigrants are being replaced by in-migrants' (Austin, 1996). Lured by jobs in the food processing industry (mainly meatpacking), many towns and cities have been experiencing a significant increase of new residents, …

Continuous Commissioning Leading Energy Project Process - An Industry Approach, Mingsheng Liu, Jinrong Wang, Ken Hansen, Ann Selzer

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

Continuous Commissioning (CC^®) is an ongoing process to resolve operating problems, improve comfort, optimize energy use, and identify retrofits for existing commercial and institutional buildings and central plant facilities. This process was initiated in 1992 and formally documented in 1999 by the Energy Research Journal and in 2002 by the Continuous Commissioning Guidebook for Federal Energy Managers. The CC process has been very successful for many public facilities. A significant amount of energy savings has been achieved and documented.

Recently, the authors developed the Continuous Commissioning Leading Energy Project process and demonstrated this process in over a dozen …

Engineering And Software Requirements Of The Automated Building Commissioning Analysis Tool (Abcat), David E. Claridge, Mingsheng Liu, Frank Painter, Gang Wang

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

Disclaimer - 3

Acknowledgements - 4

Engineering Requirements

Software Requirements - 5

Or-05-6-4: Relating Human Productivity And Annoyance To Indoor Noise Criteria Systems: A Low Frequency Analysis, Erica Eileen Bowden, Lily M. Wang

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

A number of indoor noise criteria systems are used to quantify the background noise in a built environment, including Noise Criteria (NC), Balanced Noise Criteria (NCB), Room Criteria (RC), Room Criteria Mark II (RC Mark II), A-weighted Equivalent Sound Pressure Level (L_Aeq), and others. An on-going debate exists in the acoustical community over which criterion is the most appropriate to use in the variety of ambient noise situations encountered. In an effort to quantitatively support the use of individual criterion, this project subjectively correlates these various criteria with human task performance and perception. Eleven subjects participated in a …

Mechanical Damping System For Structures, Jay A. Puckett, Patrick S. Mcmanus, Homer R. Hamilton Iii

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

A mechanical damping system for a structure is provided. The mechanical damping system comprises a tubular impact frame secured to the structure. A support frame is secured to the structure with the support frame spaced from the impact frame. An elongated member is provided having a first end and a second end. The first end is secured within the support frame and the second end is free from connection and extends into the impact frame. At least one impact mass is secured to the second end of the elongated member, the impact mass movable within and contactable with the impact …