Environmental Design Commons^™

Daylighting In Buildings: Investigating The Relationship Between Daylight Levels And Building Compactness In Various Contemporary Architectural Types. [Efficient Typology Classification], Andrew Welch, Ermal Shpuza Phd

Symposium of Student Scholars

One of the key ways of improving the energy efficiency of a building is to enhance the daylight levels and reduce the need for artificial lighting. Good daylight levels are also associated with increased productivity and the well-being of a building's occupants. Daylight levels are often a direct function of the floorplate depth, where locations near the windows receive more daylight, and those deep inside the buildings receive less. As a result, shallow floorplates and elongated buildings are usually related to higher daylight levels. However, shallow buildings that have more natural light are also associated with greater construction costs due …

Head Space: An Exploration Into Design Code, Gaylon Lerch

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

This thesis explores the field of medical research for data to support the assertion that today’s coding standards are not performing in a way that fully addresses the needs of occupants of the built environment. This thesis will pull from the fields of psychology, physical medicine, and architecture to establish what current codes are, how they are deficient, and how they can be rectified, improved upon, or added if not already existing. The method used to establish the criteria of basic needs for healthy human function is established through understanding of how light, sound, and overall spatial quality effects the …

Mental Sensorium, Brittany Adkins

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

According to ADAA, nearly one-half of those diagnosed with depression are also diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders are highly treatable but only 36.9% are receiving any kind of treatment. Anxiety disorders develop based on a set of factors including genetics, brain chemistry, personality, and life events. Many do not realize but our environment, especially the built environment we inhabit every day can have a positive or negative effect on our mental well-being. Architecture should not just focus on the physical needs of their inhabitants but the mental health needs as well.

The built environment has a considerable impact …

Urban Oasis, Hailey Wilkins

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

We are living in the society with basic needs for connection, meaning, and purpose. This is because our generation is experiencing its highest level of documented mental illness patients in years due to a rise in urban sprawl, causing pollution, traffic, anxiety, depression and more, this is known as urban stress. The majority of our built environment is designed and constructed by architects and urban planners who disagree with the programmatic identity of the spaces that they are creating and how it starts to affect the user of the environment. The spaces they are creating without establishing a connection to …

Tifton Library Comes Home After Three-Year Renovation

Georgia Library Quarterly

The article features the rededication of the Tifton-Tift County Public Library in Georgia on November 1, 2009 after three years of renovation. A new building was reportedly built up and 1,830 square feet of space was added. It is stated that the old circular desk was divided for children's use and for reference and that the library features a new radio frequency identification system (RFID) system for circulation functions and a board room with Internet, kitchenette and restrooms.