Architecture Commons^™

Subjective Impression Of Discomfort Glare From Sources Of Non-Uniform Luminance, Michelle L. Eble-Hankins

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Dissertations, Thesis, and Student Research

The intent of this study was to further investigate the effects of spatial frequency and position on discomfort glare. Most of the discomfort research in the past has used sources of uniform luminance, so not much is known about how non-uniformity affects the perception of glare. An apparatus was designed and built specifically for this study, but it was also designed to have significant flexibility for future work. Two different experiments were performed with this apparatus: a paired comparison experiment; and, a rating scale experiment. For both experiments, 6 levels of spatial frequency and 4 levels of position were studied. …

Implications Of Human Performance And Perception Under Tonal Noise Conditions On Indoor Noise Criteria, Lily M. Wang, Erica E. Ryherd

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

This research investigated differences in task performance and perception under six non-time-varying ventilation-type background noise spectra with differing tonality. The results were related to five indoor noise criteria systems: Noise Criteria (NC), Balanced Noise Criteria (NCB), Room Criteria (RC), Room Criteria Mark II (RC-Mark II), and the A-weighted equivalent sound pressure level (L_Aeq). These criteria systems are commonly used in the U.S. building industry, but concerns exist over whether they are appropriate for all noise situations. Thirty test subjects completed three types of performance tasks (typing, reasoning, and math) and answered questions about their perception of the indoor …

Media Modifications For Native Plant Asemblages On Extensive Green Roofs, Richard K. Sutton

Landscape Architecture Program: Faculty Scholarly and Creative Activity

Great Plains and Midwestern regions might profit from selecting species representing nearby mid and short grass prairies, not the tall grass prairie. Such assemblages should exhibit needed characteristics desirable on low-input extensive green roofs to withstand stresses of: drought, heat, cold, nutrient deficiencies and wind before providing expected benefits. While published research, and its recommendations are inconclusive or negative regarding efficacy of native prairie species for extensive green roofs, establishment data gathered in this study demonstrates placing native plant assemblages for extensive green roofs into modified media significantly improves their establishment and growth.

In the short-term soil doughtiness limits plant …

Measuring Tsunami Planning Capacity On U.S. Pacific Coast, Zhenghong Tang, Michael K. Lindell, Carla S. Prater, Samuel D. Brody

Community and Regional Planning Program: Faculty Scholarly and Creative Activity

Abstract: The U.S. Pacific coastal states are at risk from both locally and distantly generated tsunamis. This vulnerability can be reduced by effective hazard management plans, but no studies have been conducted to determine how local jurisdictions have incorporated tsunami hazard management into their planning frameworks. This paper analyzes the quality of hazard management plans from 43 coastal counties in these states. Plan quality was measured by a plan evaluation protocol defined by five components and 37 indicators. The results show that few Pacific coastal counties have prepared well for tsunamis. Most plans have a weak factual basis, unclear goals …

Urban Essentials, Ruthie G. Gould

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

Industrial development throughout the world has led to a global society. Although sharing of information and technology is beneficial in many ways, these global means have also created many issues that are not always contributing to economic and social societies. International business is not only unsustainable for environmental reasons, but it also often means that many unethical decisions are made for the purposes of cheap labor, mass revenue, and other un-amiable intentions. The Urban Essentials project’s purpose is to create an urban area that searches for a solution against these capitalistic means of business. This idea is realized in the …

Contrarian Urges, Jason W. Cave

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

Historically, the default space of architectural design has been one of neutral Cartesian coordinates. However, in other design fields, (such as aeronautical, automotive and naval) the design space is conceived as an environment of forces and motion such as flow, turbulence, viscosity and drag. Architecture, as a static object, has much to gain from a design process that con¬ceives of form in a virtual environment in motion.

The focus of this thesis will be to develop an iterative architectural design process that utilizes techniques in animation software. The purpose of generating architectural form through animation software is to allow architectural …

Cardiac Resuscitation: Examining Rural Heartland Development Through An Ecological Lens, Jay D. Anderson

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

Throughout southwest Iowa, prime farm land is being sold and then purchased by local real estate developers. These developers are creating housing clusters throughout the countryside, especially in the rural Loess Hills area. These housing clusters have similar covenant restrictions imposed by the developers, but few if any address larger and more critical architectural, social, environmental and ecological issues. Recently one of these developers purchased some land from my family for this very reason. Knowing what will happen to this land, I chose to devote my efforts in order to provide a better, more eco-friendly solution to the inevitable consequences …

Eduvironments, Mathew T. Smith

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

The goal for the middle school is to create a place which first looks at the way in which we learn and then uses these findings in its design decisions in a way which will best maximize a students ability to learn not only in an educational sense, but physically and more importantly socially.

Submercial: Research At Its Closest Proximity, Kristin L. Ubben

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

Located off the coast of Northern California, just west of Eureka and Humboldt Bay, it is the intention of mine to design a site specific research facility to primarily study oceanic activity. Responding to the planet’s current environmental conditions, I feel it necessary for solutions to manifest themselves within the realm of sustainable, as well as in an interest for future energy sources. The planet’s oceans hold one possible answer for this. By committing to a project that focuses on researching water at an extremely close proximity, it will also strive for the ability to be dependent on water for …

Adaptability In Architecture, Lucas J. Kielion

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

For too long, architecture has stood as an expression of permanence, recording a specific moment in history. This project begins with an idea that the adaptation of architecture is eminent, thus changing the process in which we design. The information age resulted in a highly mobile society, where modernization became more generic, the specificity of place changed, and time became more abstract. Mechanic invention supplied ‘generic’ standards to improve common application for tools. Strategies of a general building system could be familiarized with a local place, inherent with the idea of versatility. Through this design, it is important not to …

Panda-Monium: A Panda Environment For The Henry Doorly Zoo, Roseann I. M. Masek

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

The project that I am proposing to accomplish would be to design a Panda Exhibit located at the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, NE. John Armknecht from Stanley How Architects in Omaha has been contacted for consultation and mentoring purposes since their firm handles the Zoo’s designs. Previously he has also helped another student with his thesis design for the expansion of the Gorilla Complex, and he said he would be glad to help out again. Work has preliminarily begun on the panda design by their firm; however, only the site location has been decided. Over the summer I would …

Adaptation: Reunion Square, Paul D. Becker

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

The intent of this project is an adaptive reuse of the Reunion Building on the city campus of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The purpose of this scheme is to allow the student to gain additional expertise in the fields of historic reuse, adaptive reuse, and historic preservation as an exploratory exercise into a possible career path. In addition to the exploration of an adaptive reuse, the student intends to focus on the research of architectural precedent, investigating the personal design process through drawings and diagramming in the digital and physical systems, and visual and verbal presentation skills.

School At The Zoo: Enhancing Education Through Site And Design, Jolene L. Santema

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

As the concern for quality public education In America continues to grow, parents, educators, and citizens seek alternative methods for meeting students' needs. My Intent for this design thesis project is to explore one such method: the placement of an educational facility In a non-traditional setting. Whether or not this method actually Improves public education is not the focus of my project; instead, the development and design of a facility that promotes learning, encourages conservation, enhances creative problem-solving and forward thinking, and integrates real world situations In an educational context is the focus of my thesis. The fulfillment of these …

Overlooked By The Skyscrapers: The Creighton University Ballpark Complex, Kristopher M. Tourek

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

At the Collegiate level, a stadium represents more than just a sporting event. The stadium has grown to become a symbol of university pride and often reflects its accomplishments. The proposed project involves combining sports and entertainment in order to create a Baseball Stadium that will serve as home to the Creighton University Baseball team. The first intention is to generate a building that exhibits the connection between the experiences of a game with the architecture of a stadium. The secondary objectives are 1)Establish the stadium to be a source of civic pride in Omaha, 2)Design the stadium to be …

Re-Define Urban: Investigating The Nature Of The Rural Midwest Cities And Their Urban Environment, Bruce A. Yoder

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

The project will be examining the current master plan of Red Oak, IA to focus in on a deteriorating portion of the city just south of the original town square. There are several buildings being placed on the national record for historic buildings and the area surrounding these buildings is in poor condition. The Thomas D. Murphy Calendar Building is one that is currently being renovated into a large assisted living complex and will serve as a catalyst for new development in the surrounding neighborhood.

The Site in question will have a broad master plan performed to identify both the …

Bien-Ètre: Transcending Into The Reflective Moment, Michael L. Bettis

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

My THESIS PROJECT IS AN ATTEMPT TO EXPLORE THE USE OF ARCHITECTURE IN DEFINING PRIVACY AND CREATE A CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT WHICH ASSISTS THE HUMAN BODY IN ACHIEVING SELF AWARENESS, SELF CONSCIOUSNESS, AND SELF REALIZATION WHICH SUPPORT ACHIEVEMENT OF A REFLECTIVE MOMENT. THE VEHICLE FOR THIS PROCESS IS A COED SPA LOCATED ON NORTHERLY ISLAND ACROSS THE BAY FROM CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. I HAVE USED A VARIETY OF APPROPRIATE SOCIO/PSYCHOLOGICAL THEORIES AND PROCESSES IN CON.JUNCTION WITH A SERIES OF THRESHOLDS AND SPACES IN ORDER TO BRING ABOUT TRANSCENDENCE INTO THIS REFLECTIVE MOMENT.

I HAVE CREATED AN ARCHITECTURAL FORM THAT IS BOLD AND …

The Ritual Experience, John F. Walker

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

What initially attracted me to this project was a combination of several factors. The first be¬ing that I have had a growing interest in the de¬sign of religious structures, wondering why are churches designed the way that they are? How do a religious affiliation’s beliefs affect the de¬sign of a place of worship, and how are they reflected in the place of worship?

Regarding the site that was chosen, Messiah Lutheran Church has recently gone through a strategic planning process and, within the last couple weeks, has adopted a new strategic min¬istry plan document. A vision statement within this document …

_Reinterpreting The Hutong, Allison F. Struck

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

China is a nation growing at an alarming rate economically, socially, and structurally. It is expanding so rapidly that cities literally emerge overnight. However, Chinese architecture is caught in a very evident struggle between the past and the future. The past presents them with a long tradition of Imperial architecture in which spaces were emphasized rather than buildings. Construction consisted mainly of wood, and buildings were presented in a horizontal layout. This contrasts deeply with the steel “western” skyscrapers being constructed at a furious rate today. So, how can a culture with such a rich history of traditional building reject …

Surface Awareness, Evan M. Gunn

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

My design thesis is an exploration of surface articulations through digitally fabricated constructs. One of the most fundamental acts of architecture has been the construction of a surface to delineate a territory. How architects conceive and make surfaces is primary to my investigations. Most certainly, it begins with the ability to invent new surface qualities through the act of making an inherently two-dimensional material into a three dimensional construct. The designer’s ability to invent new surface qualities and ultimately experiences is directly related to their ability to work with materials. My personal belief is that the architect should have knowledge …

Biodynamic Dwelling Picking Up The Trailer Trash, Amber A. Ellett

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

BIODYNAMIC DWELLING is a graduate design thesis which explores the current status of the “mobile home,” its ubiquity, and its history, ultimately seeking to innovate this commodified housing type. Millions of Americans reside in “mobile” residences of varying types, harbored in an environment which is neither healthy nor appropriate in a post-fossil fuel era where energy independence is paramount.

As the most humane and personal of all built spaces, the dwelling affords the unique position to at once provoke, question, and inform the position of architecture within the realm of society. This proposal for a biodynamic dwelling—at once both bioclimatic …

What Is The Generative Role For Music In Architecture?, Cole A. Wycoff

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

The origin of my design thesis project interests had its first identifi able origin on November 2nd, 2006, shortly after attending a lecture on the life and works of Antoine Predock. Predock talked in great detail about not only his designs, but also his design process. The descriptions he provided of his methods and creative intuition began an internal assessment of my own design process, which, in fact, is where this thesis investigation begins. Methodology is central to this framed investigation, and the design thesis project will allow me to develop a latent and more implicit design thinking regarding architecture. …

Thinkfloat, Kent R. Rasmussen

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

Today’s Communication Age has provided people more ability to share and process information. This has much to do with the technological advancements in the latter of the last century such as the telephone, the computer, and the internet. These technologies are a brilliant resource for discovering knowledge about anything, at anytime. Therefore, with all of this information accessible, it whets our appetite for the exploration of the unknown. We are standing at a new threshold of curiosity and movement which is poised for more than idea-sharing over vast distances; we are ready physically to actualize these explorations.

As inquisitive social …

Demographic Characteristics And Concerns Of New Arrivals To Rural Nebraska, James J. Potter, Rodrigo Cantarero, Nicholas Pischel

Architecture Program: Faculty Scholarly and Creative Activity

Immigration is often thought of as a problem primarily for large metropolitan areas. However, much of the recent literature dealing with the meat processing industry focuses on the migration it generates toward small, rural towns in the American Midwest. The prior studies frequently use a qualitative method. The primary goal of this study was to explore the characteristics of new arrivals to two Midwestern towns (Schuyler and Crete, Nebraska). The basic method used for developing the inventory of demographic characteristics and concerns was analyzing data from two quantitative studies previously conducted by the authors. Identical questions were selected from each …

Appropriation Of Architectural Ruins In Britain During The Eighteenth And Nineteenth Centuries, Rumiko Handa

Architecture Program: Faculty Scholarly and Creative Activity

Each year all over the world, from Acropolis to Jerusalem, from Angkor Wat to Machu Picchu, tourists flock around ruins. They are fascinated by the lives of the people who are long gone, displaced for political, cultural, or unknown reasons. Ruins entice the visitors' imaginations because of the physical and metaphysical incompleteness - missing roofs, decayed stones, or lost way of living, which once kept the buildings alive. While some ruins of historical significance are set for preservation by lawful designations, some buildings are turned into hotels and other tourist facilities.1 New buildings are also constructed mimicking the form but …

Linking Planning Theories With Factors Influencing Local Environmental-Plan Quality, Zhenghong Tang

Community and Regional Planning Program: Faculty Scholarly and Creative Activity

The major planning theories provide a theoretical foundation for environmental planning. This study extends the major planning theories and develops a robust conceptual framework to measure the key factors influencing local environmental-plan quality. A random sample of forty Californian local comprehensive land-use plans and associated planning processes is analyzed to identify the critical factors influencing environmental-plan quality. Results from multiple regression analysis indicate that regular updating, environmental-information management and sharing, and planners contribute significantly to local environmental-plan quality. The findings expand established planning theories and practice by suggesting ways to improve local environmental-plan quality.

Evaluating Local Coastal Zone Land Use Planning Capacities In California, Zhenghong Tang

Community and Regional Planning Program: Faculty Scholarly and Creative Activity

Local jurisdictions’ coastal zone land use plans play an important role in protecting critical coastal resources and ensuring coastal communities’ sustainable development. This study extends the previous national and regional measurement systems to local coastal zone land use planning. This study evaluates 46 California local jurisdictions’ coastal zone land use plans and analyzes the factors influencing local coastal zone land use planning capacities. The descriptive results show that planning quality varied widely in scope and content, and did not fully utilize available coastal management tools and mechanisms to influence local development patterns. The regression results further highlight the influence of …

Evaluating California Local Land Use Plan’S Environmental Impact Reports, Zhenghong Tang, Elise Bright, Samuel Brody

Community and Regional Planning Program: Faculty Scholarly and Creative Activity

Local land use planning has profound impacts on environmental quality; however, few empirical studies have been conducted to systematically measure local land use plans’ environmental assessment quality and to identify the factors influencing it. This paper analyzes the quality of 40 Environmental Impact Reports (EIRs) of local jurisdictions’ land use plans in California. A plan evaluation protocol defined by five core components and sixty-three indicators is developed to measure the quality of local land use plans’ EIRs. The descriptive results indicate that the local jurisdictions produce relatively good quality on its EIRs, but there is still much room for improvement. …

Demographic Characteristics And Concerns Of New Arrivals To Rural Nebraska, James Potter, Rodrigo Cantarero, Nicholas Pischel

Community and Regional Planning Program: Faculty Scholarly and Creative Activity

Immigration is often thought of as a problem primarily for large metropolitan areas. However, much of the recent literature dealing with the meat processing industry focuses on the migration it generates towards small, rural towns in the American Midwest. The prior studies frequently use a qualitative method. The primary goal of this study was to explore the characteristics of new arrivals to two Midwestern towns (Schuyler and Crete, Nebraska). The basic method used for developing the inventory of demographic characteristics and concerns was analyzing data from two quantitative studies previously conducted by the authors. Identical questions were selected from each …

Evaluation Of A Virtual Refrigerant Charge Sensor, Woohyun Kim, James E. Braun, Haorong Li

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

This paper presents a thorough evaluation of a method for determining refrigerant charge that employs low-cost, non-invasive measurements (i.e., surface mounted temperature measurements). The method could be used as part of a protocol for verified service providers (VSPs) in AC diagnostic tune-up or refrigerant charge, air flow (RCA) verification programs. Ultimately, the method could be embedded within a portable virtual refrigerant charge gauge for a technician’s use or permanently installed on the AC unit. The accuracy of the virtual refrigerant charge sensor method is evaluated in this paper using laboratory data for a number of different systems and over a …

Demand-Based Optimal Control To Save Energy: A Case-Study In A Medical Center, Ik-Seong Joo, Li Song, Mingsheng Liu, Mike Carico

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

Continuous Commissioning^® (CC^®) strategies include reducing simultaneous heating and cooling, scheduling the facility’s occupancy needs, utilizing free cooling, and minimizing excessive supply air and outside air. Most significantly, this demandbased control energy conservation strategy can facilitate mechanical system performance at near optimal conditions through the gradual advancement of control systems and the ability of upstream systems reading the status of downstream systems.

This paper demonstrates demand-based temperature, pressure and economizer control by the mathematical optimization methodology illustrated by a case-study, implemented with actual systems in a 1.2 million square foot medical center. Based on the optimization results, …