Interior Architecture Commons^™

The Nolan House, Keiko-Ann K. Sanders, Gilbert C. Munoz, Michael A. Bahr, Titas Kalvalnis

Architectural Engineering

As a precedent, The Green Team analyzed the history of glass architecture, literature, and culture. Based on our research, we found that glass is often depicted as breakable, delicate, and a way to expose or display aspects that would otherwise be hidden. We challenged ourselves to incorporate safety and privacy into our glass house as a way to combat the pre-existing notions of glass in architecture.

Migrating Architecture: Vernacular Futurism, Yichu Jiang

Masters Theses

The history of mankind is migration: while large migrations describe groups and communities, each individual has a unique life history of migration. When moving to a new place, singly or in groups, migrants need self-identification support to adapt to a new environment. As the built environment continuously interacts with human’s everyday life, architecture provides a stable environment, which helps to build individual perceptions in space and social relations. Therefore, architecture migrates with its population and evolves according to context.

Tulou, as a result of historical turbulence and massive migration in China, exemplifies such a phenomenon of migrating architecture. The prototypical …

The Future Of Beijing Urban Courtyards, Zhuoqi Xu

Masters Theses

The Beijing Siheyuan is typical and representative of traditional Chinese residential construction. It is not only an architectural form but also a reflection of the traditional modes of living in Beijing. However, with the changes in family structure and people’s living needs, the spatial pattern of traditional courtyards has been unable to meet the life and economic needs of modern society. The scarce public space, poor living environment, and the low-quality of residents’ life led Siheyuan to lose its original status. Despite these challenges, whether for the protection of the overall style of Beijing’s old city or the renewal of …

Health + Efficiency House: A Take On The 50x50 Glass House, Eva Wieczorek, Krystal Bacon, Kaylee Hernandez, Jennifer Long, Moises De La Cruz, Elle Gallmann, Jurgis Vaišvila

Architectural Engineering

Under the guidance of Professor Edmond Saliklis and Professor Meredith Sattler, four Architectural Engineering students joined forces with three Architecture students from both Cal Poly and Vilnius Technical University in Lithuania. The portfolio exemplifies a complete reimagination of Mies van der Rohe and Myron Goldsmith's 50x50 Glass House as if it were designed today in Palm Springs, CA. The work completed in this interdisciplinary studio includes historical context, abstract creation, architectural and structural design all relating back to the Glass House.

Posthuman Ecologies, Christine Chang

Masters Theses

As we move further into the Anthropocene — an epoch of geologic time where human activity has caused significant impact on the planet’s natural systems — we can no longer ignore the environmental consequences of our actions. The artificial disconnect between humankind and wilderness has caused us to create built environments that reinforce a false separation from natural landscapes.

Modern architectural movements push us towards surroundings that create disconnect from our sensory relationship to matter and temporality. We must engage with the inevitable decay of the built environment to restore our neglected senses. Reconnecting architecture to local ecologies through adaptive …

Unraveling The Living: Reframing Cramped Housing As A Social Living, Dong-Zoo Han

Masters Theses

In Seoul, people of the poorest economic status live in compressed units no larger than 32 square feet, known as “sliced housing.” The majority of these residents hope for better living conditions, but they are unable to move for multiple reasons. This is an interwoven sociological issue that requires intervention proposals that improve the physical and mental wellbeing of the people in these housing situations. This thesis demonstrates possible architectural interventions that will enhance the quality of life and support systems within Seoul’s “sliced housing” villages.

Other urban villages in Seoul in similar states of degradation have been destroyed, with …

Williamson County Building Safety Plan, Jack Combs

City and Regional Planning

My senior year at Cal Poly offered me a vast array of opportunities for enriching my knowledge of the field of city and regional planning. The most impactful of my experiences was the time I spent working for the facilities department of Williamson County, Texas. This department is responsible for constructing and maintaining all of the buildings owned and occupied by Williamson County; this includes more than 60 buildings and more than 2,000,000 square feet. Additionally, as the fastest growing county north of Austin with roughly 600,000 residents, this department had many pertinent development projects to attend to.

As an …

Esports Entertainment Of The Future: Esports Integration With Different Archetypes, Jerry Jiang

Hospitality Design Graduate Student Capstones

The video gaming industry has become an innovative aspect in the advancement of technology and the entertainment industry, providing the audiences with an immersive and interactive entertainment experience. Video games are becoming one of the most popular recreational activities in the United States, among a diverse population spanning every age, gender, and ethnicity. Games have evolved over the past five decades, from single standalone games into collaborative and competitive multiplayer games (Banyai et al., 2018). However, games have become much more than a hobby, it has flourished into a professional competitive gaming industry called Esports. Millennial and Gen Z have …

Investing In Entertainment: Creating A New Las Vegas Gaming Space Through A Stock Exchange Informed Design, Roger Dey

Hospitality Design Graduate Student Capstones

Las Vegas is constantly reinventing itself, and this year the whole world has had to reinvent itself. Had this thesis not been developed during a global pandemic, some of its ideas might be considered radical for the hospitality industry. However, given the evidence of the gaming world's ability to rapidly adapt to the ever-changing landscape of gambling and risk-taking in the tourist and hospitality industries, Roger Dey's work reads more as a play book for possible next steps in merging integrated resorts with electronic trading. It promises to reach millennials among other populations not already connected to the entertainment capital …

Flexible Architecture: Immersive, Interactive, And Responsive Resort Spaces, Skylar Michael Fontana

Hospitality Design Graduate Student Capstones

Millennials, born between 1980 and 2000, now number over 75 million, eclipsing the current size of the baby boomer generation. Their generational values and cultural endeavors are going to define the built environment throughout the century as the preferences of older generations steadily move out of focus. Las Vegas' resort properties have been built up since their inception on the allure of gambling, but the city as a whole is now seeing a diversifying shift of entertainment and cultural options to respond to new generational preferences. The purpose of this research is to illustrate how Las Vegas resorts can thoughtfully …

Art And Empathy: Self Discovery In A Dark Forest, Younser Lee

Graduate School of Art Theses

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 40 million people report feelings of depression, anxiety, and stress as the world moves at an increasingly rapid pace and faces unprecedented challenges. However, many ignore these negative thoughts and fail to acknowledge them as a serious issue. My art, which shares my own experiences, creates safe, cathartic places for viewers to think about their own emotional experiences. Crucial to this process is my use of daily objects and the creation of individualized, participatory, and multisensory experiences.

My art relates to daily life and the negative emotions that we experience daily. I …

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 …

Encapsulating Sound, Jackie Soto

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

This thesis aims to identify the acoustic anomalies of Cannon Chapel by understanding how its visitants typically occupy the flexible space, the use of materials, and the shape of the spaces, and therefore to accurately resolve those acoustic anomalies, improving the auditory experience of those visitants and advancing architectural acoustic research.

Evolving Efficient Floor Plans For Hospital Emergency Rooms, Alex Ramsey

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Genetic Algorithms find wide use in optimization problems across many fields of research, including crowd simulation. This paper proposes that genetic algorithms could be used to create better floor plans for hospital emergency rooms, potentially saving critical time in high risk situations. The genetic algorithm implemented makes use of a hospital-specific crowd simulation to accurately evaluate the effectiveness of produced layouts. The results of combining genetic algorithms with a crowd simulation are promising. Future work may improve upon these results to produce better, more optimal hospital floor plans.

Incu-Bus: A Live-Working Internet Incubator, Muci Yue

Architecture Senior Theses

The framework for this company includes three main components: development, human resource, and finance. In the Finance aspect, it is an Internal circular economy; people Only can use credits for food or all the resources. Development and human resource are taking part in evaluating employee's work, rand and deciding their credits. It is running in the winner take all system. The company only provide living space resources or facility. The Worker: produce internet/mobile-related profitable ideas. The Venture capitalist: provide funding to the company but also discover the potential project for early stage.

Collage, Perspective, And Space: The Consequences Of The Method Of Mies Van Der Rohe, Daniel Barker

Architecture Undergraduate Honors Theses

The method in which architects design space has the capacity to shape the manifestation of the built work. Architect Mies van der Rohe is one of the most noteworthy designers to exhibit this in his method of design: collage. This inquiry investigates the connection between the collages and the architecture of Mies van der Rohe, and how his use of collage defined the language of the architecture he created.

The investigation studied the collages and architecture of Mies van der Rohe through a design process investigation. Collages were made in the same language as Mies and used as a …

Design During A Pandemic: Application Of The Well Building Standard To Historic Engel Stadium, Laurel Getty

Honors Theses

Can buildings prevent the spread of disease through their design? This study argues that by employing the WELL Building Standard to an adaptive reuse project during the COVID-19 pandemic, human health and wellbeing is increased. Research shows that adapting existing buildings to the WELL Building Standard improves air quality, promotes clean contact, and strengthens immune systems (The International WELL Building Institute, 2020). Additionally, adapting existing historic structures maintains cultural significance within the community. This thesis creates a hypothetical adaptive reuse plan for adapting Engel Stadium in Chattanooga, Tennessee into Engel Concourse, a gathering place for students, UTC faculty, and community …

Material Connexion Award 2021, Henny Shastri

Featured Student Work

The project showcases the use of Material Connexion Library Materials for a commercial design project- URBANIO - A Coworking Space, in an innovative way. The purpose of these materials is to elevate their aesthetic value as they are visually appealing along with their sustainable and environmentally friendly characteristics.

Researching Current Data Trends And Amenities To Improve The Community And Wellbeing In Higher Education, Michaela Gensler, Shayla Gardner, Brooke Ward

Undergraduate Research Conference

The interior design students goal was to design a new residence hall and dining facility for the SFASU campus. The design intention was to create functional spaces that allow student collaboration and motivate social interactions, while providing features that enhance student academic success and personal development.

Quantitative and qualitative data was collected by conducting surveys regarding the current housing and dining facilities on campus. Results from the current student’s surveys and from interviews of student/staff members on campus allowed the team to create the most functional plan. Researching current trends and amenities offered at campuses across the country assisted in …

Pediatric Rehabilitation Outpatient Clinic: Design Focus On Invisible Disabilities With Sensory Sensitivity, Shelbi Boehme

Student Research Symposium

The focus of this research presentation is to design a Pediatric Rehabilitation Outpatient Clinic in Logan, Utah providing diverse therapy spaces for children diagnosed with a range of disabilities. The American Disabilities Act (ADA) implemented some good generic standards for accessibility for persons with physical disabilities, but what about universal design for all disabilities? Designing spaces for a Pediatric Rehabilitation Outpatient Clinic involves researching many different types of disabilities that would be treated at the facility. Particularly invisible disabilities such as Autism, Multiple Sclerosis, Asperger Syndrome, and Traumatic Brain Injuries. These types of disabilities are often left out when designing …