Architecture Commons^™

Python Manual: A Learning Guide For Structural Engineering Students, Aaron Dewey, Kennedy Gomez, Meileen Yee

Architectural Engineering

This Python programming manual is a resource to assist architectural, civil, or structural engineering students as they learn to create scripts to solve various structural analysis and dynamics problems. Beyond providing guidance on Python libraries that enable numerical and symbolic mathematics (NumPy, SciPy, SymPy), the manual also focuses on the creation of tabular and plot outputs useful to communicate results through technical reports (Pandas, Matplotlib).

The content of this document was developed based on detailed review of curriculum for three architectural engineering computing courses typically offered to upper class students at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo as well as surveys …

A Case For Educational Communication On Sustainable Stormwater Management Sites Using Interpretive Methods: Applications For Utah State University, Lilian Taft

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Humans are increasingly urbanizing landscapes, lowering the land’s ability to infiltrate stormwater, increasing surface water runoff. This, combined with decreasing water availability in the Intermountain West, produces the issue of sustainable stormwater management. Professionals are moving toward green stormwater infrastructure (GSI), but public is often not aware of stormwater’s impacts on natural environments or what the purpose of GSI is. Stormwater management design techniques are evolving to use visible, sustainable methods celebrating stormwater, rather than treating the valuable resource as a disposable nuisance, channeling it underground and out of sight. Artful Rainwater Design (ARD), a technique coined by Stuart Echols …

Beyond The White Box: Building Alternative Art Spaces For The Black Community, Elijah Trice

Masters Theses

BASED ON THE SYSTEMIC BIASES AND LACK OF SUPPORT FOR BLACK ARTISTS & DESIGNERS IN THE PRIMARY ART MARKET, THIS STIGMA DISCOURAGES BLACK AND BROWN COMMUNITIES FROM PURSUING A CAREER IN THE CREATIVE ARTS. MY GOAL IS TO UNDERSTAND THE UNDERLYING ISSUES THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THIS DISPARITY, BY ANALYZING THE INFRASTRUCTURE OF BALTIMORE CITY AS A CASE STUDY.

Southern Sustainability: An Examination Of Waste Management Mechanisms Within The University Of Mississippi Community, Haley Clift

Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to analyze and study local mechanisms surrounding waste management at The University of Mississippi. The research study gathers quantitative and qualitative research to make conclusions about sustainability and recycling practices on The University of Mississippi's campus. The thesis discusses whether those practices are effective for those in The University of Mississippi's community based on the data collected and research conducted. The researcher also offers proposals for the University of Mississippi community based on the research conducted.

The gap that exists in the waste management processes at The University of Mississippi was addressed by blending …

Playful Learning: The Disposition Of Architecture As Pedagogy, Alyssa Franklin

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Education is a vital foundation of a society. The standard of today’s school environment is built upon the pedigree of the factory schools from the nineteenth century. However, elementary age children require a flexible, engaging, and creative learning environment that the standard school environment does not provide. Learning is a dynamic and innovative action. Architecture should mirror the learning that it supports through providing spaces that allow for flexibility, engagement, accessibility, and attraction. Children are transformed by the spaces they are in, spaces that will leave lasting impacts on the cognitive development of the children, spaces that can be playful …

Beneficial Invasive: A Rhizomatic Approach To Utilizing Local Bamboo For Covid Responsive Educational Spaces, Megan Futscher

Masters Theses

The United States has an abundant stock of naturalized wild growing bamboo species that are generally considered invasive. This project explores the use of locally harvested, so called “invasive” bamboo as a potential building material incorporated into a modular, kit-of-parts style construction system. These structures are uniquely suited to address the need for expanded spaces and extensions that bridge between the strictly indoor vs. outdoor distinction of existing buildings, as revealed by the Covid-19 pandemic. The rhizomatic mechanism of spread that is characteristic of bamboo species is used as the framework to propose a tectonic system that is decentralized, adaptable, …

A City Planning Card Game, Francisco Alfarozierten

City and Regional Planning

This senior project aimed to create a card game based on the concept and professional practice of city & regional planning. It consists of 103 unique cards, being separated in the following manner:

• 1 City Center card
• 6 Unique Zoning cards
• 74 unique Development cards
• 22 unique Action cards

A Kit For Kids - Revitalizing Low-Income Communities By Embracing The Younger Generation, Anirose Burge

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

How often do we consider the physical, emotional, and social needs of youth when determining ways to better society? When deciding actions in a community, the needs of the next generation should be put as a top priority. This thesis will research and develop ways of doing this through architecture.

This project will create a modular and transportable structure that will focus on teens ages 11-15. The structure will be developed using a kit of parts so that it can be placed onto any site while also containing a site-specific program. The program will contain three categories with subcategories to …

The Social Network Of Early American Architecture: A Network Analysis Of Early Architectural Training In And Out Of The Lowcountry, James Mcenerney

All Theses

The contents of this thesis contain research conducted over a 9-month span surrounding the nature of architectural education in the late American Colonial Period, progressing into the Early Republic. Themes such as early European influences, 17^th and 18^th century art and architecture schools of Dublin, Ireland and Paris, France, and early American drafting schools/apprenticeship societies are analyzed. This paper, first, seeks to document the scholarly dialogue surrounding the ways in which early American architectural practitioners were educated, and in what ways this training was manifest in their physical designs. With a timeframe of approximately 1770 to 1830, 23 …

Reaching A Young Audience In City And Regional Planning, Kristie P. Woo, Vinnie P. Chen

City and Regional Planning

Currently, urban planning is a rare discussion topic in schools. The youth are often excluded in the planning process as most adults question their intellectual capacity and they hold little to no political power. However, this does not have to be the case - planning has the potential to change young minds when expressed in a medium children can understand.

Physical To Virtual: A Model For Future Virtual Classroom Environments, Stephen J. Fink

Masters Theses

Virtual reality is a technology that has seen unprecedented growth since the turn of the century with increasing applications within business, entertainment, and educational applications. As virtual reality technologies continue to develops and markets expand, the world may see an increased demand for virtual classrooms: virtual environments (VEs) that students may access through immersive virtual reality technologies to receive guided instruction, conduct simulations, or perform tasks typical in a classroom setting. While many studies document how virtual reality is beneficial to educational processes, there is little discussion on how virtual environments should be architecturally designed. Thus one may hypothesize that …

Elevated Education: Approach To Inclusive Pedagogy For Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Elijah James

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

My mother is a huge inspiration in my life. She is a special education teacher. And throughout the years she has continually expressed the dramatic increase in autistic students. When she first began, she had 4 students, she now has 28. According to the CDC, throughout the last four years the number of autistic students has risen about 8%. This brings the autism rate to 17.8% for students aged 3-17. That is about 1 in every 6 students.

The views of autism are often misconstrued just for being different. I too was guilty of this. Until the day I met …

Shifting Perspectives: A Travelling, Interactive Installation Educating Youth, Mary Branon

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

If I were to ask a group of people to explain what countries make up the Middle East, they likely wouldn’t be able to list more than a few. Despite the internet, technology, and social media being within reach, it is still common to see generalizations about groups of people, their origins, and the boundaries of those origins. This leads me to wonder why. Is this an issue within our educational system? Is this due to lack of accessible information? Or maybe information isn’t presented in a way that is easily understood and digested? An abundance of information remains just …

Playground And Garden Design: Troy Christian Early Childhood Education Center, Gabriella Spatz

Honors Projects

The following project is a result of a study of the existing playground and garden at Troy Christian Early Childhood Education Center (TC ECEC) in Troy, OH. The TC ECEC Director wanted research, marketing standpoints, and a re-design for their playground and garden which led to an academic and professional collaboration that crosses into multiple project typologies. The Director consulted with the researcher, Gabriella Spatz, to create a list of necessary inclusions in both spaces which led to proposed floor plans and visuals of the playground and garden respectively. The designs sought to answer two research questions:

1. “What playground and …

Spatial Design For Behavioral Education, Madeline Szczypinski

Masters Theses

The built environment can inadvertently create obstacles for human cognition, emotion, and behavior when ill-designed, neglected, or poorly retrofitted. Deteriorating education facilities exemplify the lack of awareness in regard to the significant relationship between people and their environments. However, simply updating a school does not always accommodate occupant needs, especially for students who are sensitive to external stimuli. Students in behavioral schools who suffer from emotional behavioral disorder (EBD) often display adverse neurological affects from negative life experiences. Common disorders comorbid with EBD, as well as EBD itself, interferes with their ability to control and manage behavior. By identifying common …

Learning Through Space, Niloufar Mehrjerdian

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

At the South Border of the United States, children are being held in facilities for days. While at these facilities, these children do not have the opportunity to learn like other children around their age do. This thesis explores ways to design spaces for children that encourage cognitive development.

By looking at research done by Jean Piaget, Friedrich Froebel, Johanne Pestalozzi, and John Dewey, the thesis will examine the development of a child’s brain, and the development of cognition from birth to adulthood. Jean Piaget, a psychologist, divided the human brain’s development into four stages, the sensorimotor stage, the pre-operational …

From Displaced To Our Place: Educational Environments Can Promote A Community’S Health And Well-Being, Morgan Frederick

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Thomasville heights is a displacement neighborhood for people pushed out by Atlanta’s Urban Renewal projects. Thomasville Heights remains a casualty of a system of economic segregation. Under this system of segregation these neighborhoods are left in detrimental states. It is in places like Thomasville Heights where the phrase “place matters” becomes a call to action. A town of 6000 residents and only one elementary school, Thomasville heights is bordered by multiple freight yards, a cemetery, landfills, and Atlanta’s US penitentiary, just a 5-minute walk from that one elementary school. There remains a vast difference between that of low-income urban, and …

Journeyman International: Peace Academy Of The Sciences And The Arts, Alyssa L. Mathias

Construction Management

For years, K-12 education has been taught through separate, individual subjects such as Math, English, Art, and Science. Primary education has remained stagnant while our society is constantly evolving with technological advances and innovation. The Peace Academy of the Sciences and Arts in San Luis Obispo, California are a group of visionaries and educators challenging traditional learning styles. They are striving to offer an education that focuses on holistic learning and integrating all subjects into big ideas to create competent, compassionate leaders for the future. My senior project is a collaboration between Journeyman International, the Peace Academy, a student in …

Advanced Concrete Course For Cal Poly Construction Management Department, Dante N. Feliciano

Construction Management

This senior project provides a solution to the Construction Management Department at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo whose curriculum lacks an individual Concrete course. With Concrete being one of the most used building material worldwide, this course will help immensely. The goal of this project is to fill the gap with an Advanced Concrete Course that is prepared and ready to be introduced to future students. The course has an emphasis on outside research learning – where the student gets to become the instructor. Carefully thought out and executed lecture materials are included in the course. Lecture slides give background …

Advancing School Environments Through Research Synthesis In Design, Callan Hoeve

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

While schools are still being constructed based on antiquated research and design strategies, this thesis project aims to take advantage and respond to all three of these areas of research: well-being, safety, and learning environment design.

The project began with the analysis of a newly constructed school that follows antiquated research methods: East Cobb Middle School. This proposed project will use the same site in it’s state prior to the current school’s construction in order to compare the proposed school design to the current one. This will reveal how the three areas of research can influence a cost efficient design …

Geo-Spatial Mapping As A Catalyst For Creative And Engaged Design In Engineering Education, Jessie Zarazaga

Multidisciplinary Studies Theses and Dissertations

Exploiting the technology of geo-spatial mapping student designers can develop deep understandings of the rich and layered data of a spatial context, a situational understanding essential to responsible civic design. However the actions inherent in the construction of spatial data armatures can simultaneously be harnessed as creative strategies, in which mapping processes become the context for generative spatial play. The ambition of this study is to propose efficient pedagogic structures to help prepare civil and environmental student engineers to be not only strong participants, but leaders, in the design of the built environment. The interpretation of site data, mapped as …

Authentic Learning Environments: Designing A New Standard For Public Education, Stephanie Griffith, Stephanie J. Griffith

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

The intention of this thesis is to explore the architectural problems of public primary school learning environments and propose possible solutions. This thesis draws from various public blog and public web article accounts and experiences of those working in or studying the institutions of primary education and the problems they are struggling to address. The architectural focus brings to light that while most educators argue that teaching can happen anywhere, this body of research will propose an optimal learning environment in which a set of ideal values are defined as authentic learning and is used to encourage and support a …

Shrinking Cities In The Rust Belt: An Ecological Urban Design Intervention In Cairo, Illinois, Dakota Lewis

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Shrinking cities are those which have experienced sustained depopulation over time. This phenomenon typically occurs in industrialized countries around the world as a result of economic downturn, social tension, or climate related change. When depopulation occurs, remaining communities are often met with unsustainable conditions as they are forced to function in a city designed for many times their population. While these conditions could be seen as negative, this design thesis aims to re-frame urban shrinkage as a condition that reveals unprecedented sustainable design opportunities. The United States Rust Belt region contains many shrinking cities such as Cairo, Illinois which due …

A Comparison Of Traditional Education And Project-Based Education In Construction Management, Trey Miller

Honors College Theses

Construction is a rapidly moving and constantly changing industry. The skills needed to manage the complex task of running a job site safely, on schedule, and within budget, are unique to the field. Construction Management as an academic field is relatively new discipline. Therefore the field is still rapidly evolving. In many cases, classes are taught by engineering professors, which leads to an engineering-focused education as opposed to a Project Management focused education. Therefore Construction Management students are not receiving the “hands-on” experience early enough in their studies. By structuring classes around an applied project, students will attain a more …

Capturing The Ephemeral, Caroline L. J. Matteson

Theses and Dissertations

Music, it has been shown, has the potential to both create social cohesion and encourage conflict resolution (Koelsch, Offermanns, & Franzke, 2010). In a city with deep roots in slavery, music may be more powerful than language or the toppling of monuments to help create a cultural identity that every demographic can fit. Not only can music improve mood in an individual, but musical contagion affects large groups at once. Creating a space to equalize access to and share the experience of music—both making and appreciation—would give the city an opportunity for reconciliation and community bonding.

While a universal quality …

Learning Is Diverse: The Dynamics Of Change, Catherine G. Harter

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Educational models of the 20th century in the United States responded directly to the then current economic circumstances and workforce needs. Schools throughout the United States were designed on those educational models of production and efficiently. While educational models have since changed in response to societal shifts, now emphasizing flexibility, diversity, and the integration of technology, the design of school infrastructure has not made that leap. By reconceptualizing the boundaries between elements and opening existing structure schools can be redesigned to align with the new educational model. This creates collaboration between different levels of expertise, the exploration of relationships between …

Spacial Injustice In Education, Nima Kabirinassab

City and Regional Planning

No abstract provided.

Kihefo Vocational Center: Kabale, Uganda, Jason Matthew Angerer

Construction Management

Journeyman International (JI) is a non-profit organization which acts as a platform for bringing together volunteer Architects, Designers, Engineers, and Construction Managers with humanitarian projects around the world. Kigezi Healthcare Foundation (KIHEFO) a non-profit NGO located in Kabale, Uganda is a client seeking to build a vocational center to educate the workforce of Uganda. The center will include multi-purpose class rooms, a dining hall, rabbit farm, carpentry shop, and living complex. The Architect on the project was Courtney Wedel from Cal Poly. As the Construction Manager on the project my responsibilities include; Design Assist, Feasibility Analysis, Scheduling, Estimating, and Managing …

Boomerang Studio: Community Design For Action, Jessica Walton

Theses and Dissertations

An arts education space, focusing on concepts of design thinking aimed at providing low income middle and high school teens of color the opportunity to learn about interior design, architecture and crafts. Ultimately, Boomerang Studio hopes to engage students in the world of design as a means of creating greater diversity within these disciplines.

The Relationship Between Parks, Health, Income, And Education In Albuquerque, New Mexico, Jessica Sebring Small

Architecture and Planning ETDs

As resources are becoming scarcer, Southwestern cities are looking for ways to expend less water and money, leading to removal of green spaces. This is happening alongside the current health crisis occurring throughout the United States, which is unfortunate since urban green spaces have been found to improve human health. The purpose of this study, focusing on Albuquerque, New Mexico, is to determine: (1) if those benefits appear to exist in a desert city, and (2) how additional variables, such as income and education, compare with parks regarding impact on community health. A GIS analysis was conducted using park, health, …