Environmental Design Commons^™

Anthropological View Of Architecture: An Alternative Approach To Study Human Environments, Supakit Yimsrual

NAKHARA (Journal of Environmental Design and Planning)

Architectural descriptions mostly focus on the material aspects of a building with relatively little said about the social life of the people who inhabit architecture. In recent decades, many architects andanthropologists have begun to connect architectural works with the development of social and cultural anthropology. The term "architectural anthropology" has been suggested to describe the interrelation between humans and their built environment. Based on historical documents, this paper outlines the development of architectural anthropology and aims to illustrate how this approach can help us to understand the relation between people, their ideas of the world and the creation of a …

Ecological Architecture With Vernacular Character: Contemporary Mud Architecture Practices In Bangladesh, Rumana Afroz, Mohammad Zakaria Ibne Razzaque

NAKHARA (Journal of Environmental Design and Planning)

The vernacular construction technique of mud architecture in Bangladesh has been in practice for a long time and forms a major part of rural buildings. However, a lack of formal practice and patronagehas allowed the vernacular techniques to be neglected. Thus the indigenous architecture appears as incompatible with mainstream development and modern knowledge. Therefore, support is necessary to sustain vernacular mud architecture. This paper examines an internationally awarded case study where modern knowledge and ecological building techniques have been initiated as an inter-cultural initiative of mud architecture to improve the current situation. This paper intends to critically investigate how far …

The Signifi Cance Of Implicit Socio-Cultural Values In Self-Built Housing Transformation, Tareef Hayat Khan

NAKHARA (Journal of Environmental Design and Planning)

Households' spatial needs change along with inhabitation. At certain points in time, these needs may reach a critical point when households decide to make changes in the usage of space. Moving or transforming are the two basic options. Studies show that irrespective of location or context, scale or affl uence, users prefer transforming instead of moving. Moreover, transformation can occur more than once during inhabitation. Besides being identifi ed as economicaly a more sustainable option, there are several explicit reasons behind the preference for transformation. But this study goes deeper and investigates the impact of implicit values behind those explicit …

Suburban Self-Suffi Cient Living: An Implementation Of The Philosophy Of Suffi Ciency Economy, Sirimas Hengrasmee

NAKHARA (Journal of Environmental Design and Planning)

Sufficiency signals a combination of having enough and being satisfi ed. In Thailand, the idea of sufficiency has been reintroduced as the philosophy of Sufficiency Economy. Self-reliance and self-sufficiency are playing a big part of its implementation. This paper suggests a hypothetical adaptation of suburban lifestyles under such philosophy, where the immediate environment of the house is considered the main source for exploitation of food, water, and energy. It illustrates the possibility of being more self-reliant at a household level. The link between outcomes and the reduction of environmental impacts through simple Ecological Footprint estimation affirms that practice of self-sufficiency …

Suan Nai Bangkok And Suan Nok Bangchang: The Emergence And Transformation Of Floating Markets In The Chao Phraya River Delta Of Thailand, Luxana Summaniti, Wannasilpa Peerapun, Khaisri Paksukcharern

NAKHARA (Journal of Environmental Design and Planning)

This article aims to analyze the emergence and transformation of orchard-based fl oating markets in Suan Nai Bangkok in Thonburi district, Bangkok and Suan Nok Bangchang, Samut Songkhramprovinces on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River Delta, Thailand. Riverside settlements originated as ridge and groove orchard farming and developed into a complex water network of fl oating markets as the trading centers of the regional community. However, the development of roads as the main routes for transportation has altered the larger regional system from water to land-based distribution and communication. From an analysis using geo-informatics and the Space Syntax …

The Ghostless Garden City: Evaluating The Clean And Green Movement In Singapore, Jun Yi Ong

NAKHARA (Journal of Environmental Design and Planning)

The Garden City image of Singapore is visually projected through roadside tree-planting, parks and nature reserves. This image has been promoted by the Clean and Green Movement, which broadlyrefers to government policies that enforce regulations in relation to cleaning and greening. So far, literature concerning the Movement has focused on promoting the Garden City. On the contrary, this paper argues that the lack of the original sense of place through constructed greenery has lead to the Ghostless Garden City, which can also be seen as being authentic to Singapore.

Study On The Fire-Protection: Characteristics Of Green Spaces In Central Sakai City, Misato Kagioka, Yuji Hara, Kazuaki Tsuchiya

NAKHARA (Journal of Environmental Design and Planning)

The purpose of this study is to include among close-at-hand shelter zones urban green spaces other than parks, and to examine the safety that those spaces provide against fi res in terms of lot size,tree coverage ratio, and the fi re-protection functions of trees. For our study we chose the district in Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture. This study found that because the tree coverage ratio, which affects a shelter zone's defense against fi re, is changed by the effect of the tree canopy and not by lot size, it is necessary to use methods which ensure a good crown spread, …

The Future Needs The Past:Problems And Challenges Of Post-Cataclysm Heritage Management In Kotagede, Jogjakarta Special Province, Indonesia, Widjaja Martokusumo

NAKHARA (Journal of Environmental Design and Planning)

In addition to traditional causes of decay, cultural heritage is increasingly threatened by natural disasters. Earthquakes interrupt the historical continuity of place making and create an opportunityto both reconstruct historical fabrics and to create new meanings and functions. As demonstrated in Kotagede, Jogjakarta Special Province, Indonesia, sustainable conservation should evolve with new contemporary needs and not be about making static museum places. Two case studies of post-calamity reconstruction illustrate the utilization of existing urban fabric, in which through redefi nition and reprogramming do not reveal solutions, but demonstrate the challenges in response to the urban dynamics after the 2006 earthquake.

City Of Water:Architecture, Urbanism And The Floods Of Phnom Penh, Shelby Elizabeth Doyle

NAKHARA (Journal of Environmental Design and Planning)

The following is a summary of ongoing research conducted in 2011-2012, funded in part by the Fulbright Program and entitled City of Water: Architecture, Urbanism and the Floods of Phnom Penh. This work documents the relationships between water, architecture, and infrastructure in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The objective of the project is to record the architectural and urban conditions sustained by and subject to the cyclical fl oods of the city's rivers and the challenges faced by Phnom Penh as it rapidly urbanizes in a fl ood plain.

Embankment Settlement In Bangladesh: A Study On The Self-Generated Pattern Of Vernacular Architecture, Masud Ur Rashid, Naimul Aziz

NAKHARA (Journal of Environmental Design and Planning)

Due to the erosion caused by the aggressive river Jamuna in Sirajganj, Bangladesh, every year many villagers have move their homes. The poor, who cannot afford land at a safe distance fromthe aggressive river, generally move to the nearby fl ood protection embankment. Without any land ownership, the embankment settlement in some ways appears as a 'rural slum.' But the embankment settlement differs from traditional rural architecture. Scarcity of land and strong linear direction of the embankment control the total organization of the settlement. This paper is focused on the unique features of fl ood embankment settlement as a self …

An Empirical Study Of Particulate Matter Exposure For Transit Users At Bus Stop Shelters, Adam Moore

Dissertations and Theses

Congested traffic corridors in dense urban areas are key contributors to the degradation of urban air quality. While waiting at bus stops, transit patrons may be exposed to greater amounts of vehicle-based pollution, including particulate matter, due to their proximity to the roadway. Current guidelines for the location and design of bus stops do not take into account air quality or exposure considerations. This thesis provides a unique contribution to roadside air quality studies and presents an innovative method for the consideration of bus shelter placement. Exposure to roadside pollutants is estimated for transit riders waiting at three-sided bus stop …

Umass Amherst Campus Master Plan, Sustainability Reports & Plans, Dennis Swinford, Ludmilla Pavlova-Gillham, Alexander Stepanov, Lukasz Czarniecki, Niels La Cour, Simon Raine

Ludmilla D Pavlova

The University of Massachusetts Amherst has a long tradition of campus planning that dates back to 1866 and the first plan for the campus by Frederick Law Olmsted. Successive planning efforts in the modern era have documented strategies for continued development of the campus. Despite this long tradition of planning, development of the campus has at times diverged from the recommendations of successive master plans. The last plan was adopted in 1993 and updated in 2007. The campus is once again growing: UMass is in the midst of a ten-year, billion-dollar capital improvement program that started in 2004. The University …

Holdsworth Retrofit And Renovation, L Carl Fiocchi Jr, Katherine Mccusker, Benjamin S. Weil

L. Carl Fiocchi

Diverse Park Settings And Users' Behaviors And Preferences., Zahra Zamani, Jong Lee, Luis Pippi

Zahra Zamani

This study aimed to provide an insight towards public urban park design. In order to gain deeper understanding of the relationship between user behaviors and diverse settings assoiciated, research was conducted on a neighborhood park named Walnut St. Park, Cary, NC, USA. Read more...

Porous Capsule Irrigation, David A. Bainbridge

David A Bainbridge

Porous capsule irrigation is a modern adaptation of buried clay pot irrigation. Research in Brazil and Mexico has demonstrated its value in improving water use efficiency. Porous capsules are more easily integrated in an irrigation network than buried clay pots.

Fairmount Greenway - A Community Initative, Leah H. Bamberger, Liliana Carvajal, Mary F. Dehais, Yuanfang Gong, John E. Hulsey, Eric C. Kells, Kimberley Klosterman, Pamela Jo Landi, Adam G. Monroy, Seth A. Morrow, Bryan O'Bara, Jie Su, Arianna Thompson, Owen M. White

jie su

This studio was based on the Fairmount Greenway that was developed through a series of public meetings with the neighborhood community and with consultants from the firm Crosby, Schlessinger and Smallridge (CSS). The Fairmount Greenway, while drawing its identity from the traditional greenway model is in fact a reinterpretation of an urban greenway. The greenway path follows along both primary and secondary city streets because of the lack of space along the rail right-of-way. The Fairmount Greenway begins at what will be a new station stop at New Market South Bay near Upham’s Corner in northern Dorchester. The greenway follows …

From The Quadrangle To The River: Revitalizing The Heart Of Downtown Springfield, Mary F. Dehais, Yuanfang Gong, John E. Hulsey, Pamela Jo Landi, Adam G. Monroy, Seth A. Morrow, Alexander G. Seib, Jie Su, Kate A. Tooke, Owen M. White, Emily S. Wright, Kuang Xin, Xiao Zhou

jie su

This studio report explores community service learning in the graduate urban design studio taught in the in Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and instructed by Professor Frank Sleegers. The project will began with a visioning workshop, conducted to engage community members in the shaping of project goals and objectives within the project area of downtown Springfield. These findings were brought to the studio and guided the design process and outcomes. Five design teams developed five alternative master plans for the core area of downtown Springfield with focus on the revitalization of open …

Life Cycle Costing Template (Excel), Dermot Kehily

Reports

No abstract provided.

The Potential Of Iconography As A Method In The Development Of A New Garden Identity, Mina Kaboudarahangi, Osman Mohd Tahir, Mustafa Kamal M.S

Mina Kaboudarahangi

Garden design has been described as a category of fine arts and, it has a long time interrelationship with the art of painting. Gardens can be defined as works of art due to their artistic values. Therefore, like other artifacts, they can be studied and recognized by their specific icons. Numerous famous historical gardens in the world are recognized through their individual icons. However, newly developing gardens do not yet posses any icons that represent them. Nevertheless, these new gardens should be developed, recognized and identified through their particular icons, to exhibit their exclusive identities. Hence, this paper will discuss …

Preferred Iconography In Developing Garden Identity For Malaysia, Mina Kaboudarahangi

Mina Kaboudarahangi

Malaysia has always been proud of her unique natural environment and cultural heritages, but still is searching for an exclusive identity of its own gardens. There is a great potential for development of a garden identity for the country, based on her rich legacy in traditions, cultures and beliefs, through which she could identify herself. The nation has a complex population composed of Malay, Chinese and Indian races. Hence, the icon, form, quality and appearance that are going to be introduced for Malaysian gardens should be appreciated, valued and respected by the Malaysian publics with diverse culture and preferences. This …