Architecture Commons^™

Post-War Learning Environments: Redefining Schools Designs In Iraq, Rana Al Rawi

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

The learning environments in Iraq have been greatly affected by war and ongoing conflict in the past two decades. As a result, the drop-out rates have increased, academic achievement is low, and the students are suffering from stress. Architecturally, the existing school typologies in Iraq were designed more than 70 years ago and does not reflect the needs of the 21st century students. The new design does not only provide a physical function - an elementary school and a pedestrian bridge, but also presents a community gathering space for the parents and families of the two separated neighborhoods. Programmatic functions …

Vertical Essence, Didier Porter

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

In the late 1800s, the technological advancements of the Industrial Revolution created a new typology of architecture, the high-rise. Through architecture, people could truly live and interact with one another in clouds, while experiencing breathtaking views of the world around. To accommodate the urbanization of cites, architects and urban planners adopted the concept of vertical living within the social housing sectors. Ambitious desires towards desirable, vertical living became undermined by poor construction and problematic living conditions. Built in deprived areas and isolated locations, these experiments of social housing became a concentration of poverty, crime, and violence. Dysfunctional social environments resorted …

Interlace: Designing An Inclusionary Architecture For Alzheimer's Sufferers, Alexander Fashinasi

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

This thesis intends to address the increasing challenges the Alzheimer’s disease poses for our growing American population. The research begins by looking at the brain as a combination of components which make up the individual. Following this, the research compiles information on the Alzheimer’s disease and its symptoms, followed by an analysis of the built environments effects on the condition.

Through analysis of precedent cases and the combined Alzheimer’s research, I chose to propose an experimental community in which those with Alzheimer’s can live a life with greater autonomy while simultaneously slowing the progression of the disease. I place this …

Social Inclusion Through Art, Christian Aguilar

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

My thesis project aims to develop an Art Center, which will provide art and its many forms to the residents of Atlanta’s Westside neighborhoods. The art services will provide the residents with the opportunity to enhance creativity, promote economic growth, and bring people together; allowing themselves and the community to overcome the challenges of segregation and unemployment present in these neighborhoods. Since, art is often a non-verbal process, it will also provide individuals the platform to raise awareness about inherent issues in the neighborhoods.

Geofutures L Urban Integration, Adam Leicht

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Bring nature back to the city. Integrate neglected migration patterns in sprawling cities such as Atlanta. Mend urban fragmentation. The purpose is to make a cleaner environment in the city. My project looks at the Anthropocene as a fence. And how place has been fundamentally “displaced”. Resulting in a boundary or separation between man and nature. To study and research the Anthropocene (age of man) and how man has taken over as the main force behind the change of the environment. Looking through an architectural lens of ecology, how can we use this lens to help us slow down society …

Interamerican School Of Medicine, Wilfred Baez

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

A teaching school that also integrates itself with general practice is vital in a developing region. In this study, the focus will be aimed towards using architecture to consolidate the relationship between functionality of a learning environment external contextual awareness within the town of San German. Significance The school of medicine will produce an increase in qualified medical professionals that can easily transition into the existing private practices and larger hospital system found on the island. In turn, the health profile of Puerto Rico will improve as accessibility to medical professionals saturates the health industry.

Translating Fictions Through Shanshui Painting: For The Creation Of A Traditional And A Contemporary Chinese Architecture, Wenying Wu

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

This thesis started with studying Shanshui paintings (traditional Chinese painting method) with the purpose of translating desirable qualities from paintings to contemporary Chinese architecture. Over time, Chinese architecture has been influenced by western architecture and has gradually lost the deep logic of embracing nature in architectural spaces.

Mars: Where Humans Become Martians, Briana G. Keith

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

What qualities will influence the culture that a Martian architecture responds to? Soon enough, as dwellers begin to influence this barren habitation, a new and divergent society will soon cultivate in response to the environment of The Red Planet. These changes will bloom in accordance to Mars’ Seeds of Culture- one that reinvents the connection between the inside and outside world. These “seeds” are defined by the atmospheric and geographic conditions that we will be susceptible to everyday: rusty red days and calming blue sunsets, powerful dust storms that encompass the entire planet, no vegetation to speak of, and low …

Fringe To Focus - An Inversion Of Peripheral Inhabitation, Matthew D. Mckim

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

A major issue currently facing Atlanta and many growing cities is the issue of displacement as a result of redevelopment. As cities grow and improve, homeless individuals living on the fringes of society are being forced to vacate and move on.

My thesis aims to identify areas where struggling people are at a heightened risk of being further displaced by the rapid redevelopment of ‘fringe’ areas. It seeks to provide a proactive response to mitigate the harm, while aiding in an active rehabilitation process for effected peripheral communities. I am proposing the concept of temporary centers that can be established …

Gentrification No More! Preserving The Character Of Atlanta's West End, Roderick Williams

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

The demographics and density of Atlanta is changing due to a migration of people back into the urban core of the city. The ideal location for new, private urban redevelopments has been low-income, African-American neighborhoods in Atlanta for the new inflow of people. These urban redevelopments are gentrifying low-income neighborhoods and displacing many residents who can no longer afford to live there; shifting local and cultural identities overnight. This type of shift has been visible in Atlanta over the last few years with the introduction of the Atlanta Beltline. Land use opportunities for local businesses are relying on policies to …

Industrial Issues & Architecture, Nhac Le

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Thesis Summary: Industry-The economic activity concerned with the processing of massive raw materials and manufacture of goods in factories- has been created in the developed country in the 19th century. Because of the priority in the economy, Industry has been shifting around the world where it could take advantage of cheap raw materials, labors and open policy to growth. The rush of industry has been created a lot of negative impact on society and environment in developing countries. This thesis position itself within the realm of physical relocation of Western industry to propose an architectural and infrastructural response that raises …

Re_Dressing Architecture, Kishan Desai

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Fashion can change its trends throughout the seasons, however, some buildings can adapt to the trends and change by altering their facades and or their interiors to give them a new image. How do the two disciplines interrelate? Could architecture be both in the moment and timeless? I will be exploring the intersection between fashion and architectural design. The objective of the project is to enhance the experience of the existing urban plaza at a variety of scales. I will investigate the edge condition of a downtown high-rise building, how it meets the sky and how it interacts the street …

Residential Housing Renewable Energy Savings Calculator, Eric J. Robinson

Honors Thesis

Frequently renewable energy investment has been thwarted by principal-agent disconnects. Chief among these is the disconnect in the rental market between tenants and landlords; whereby, the tenant may desire to invest in renewable energy sources but has no means to. An additional disconnect occurs between homeowners and their utilities providers. This study seeks to explore the disconnect between tenants and landlords and better align their motivations through intelligent contract design for sustainable investment. If renewable energy is proven profitable as a long-term investment, landlords will be more apt to invest and collect an energy/utility fee included in the cost of …

A Case Study On The Design Of Safe Spaces In Hospitals Vulnerable To Tornadoes In Central Us, Lucy Owusua Ampaw-Asiedu

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

In the wake of recent disasters happening around the world such as the earthquake in Italy (January 2017); hurricanes in the United States (U.S.) (September 2016 and 2017); and compounding disasters in Haiti (September 2010 and 2016); to our best knowledge, never has the world seen the need to work on preemptive rather than reactionary measures to address this issue. Tornadoes are natural hazards that commonly occur in mid-western and central states of the U.S. Tornadoes, like all natural hazards, are very destructive and result in massive destruction to building structures, causing billions of dollars in damage and claim many …

[Re]Defining Chandigarh, Dhruvee Patel

KSU Journey Honors College Capstones and Theses

Chandigarh is the first planned modern city in India as a symbol of nation’s faith in the future designed by Le Corbusier in 1951 in the East Punjab. Through investigation it became apparent that Le Corbusier proposed design principles for Chandigarh that were already theorized for Bogota in Colombia and Marseille in France following his concept of Radiant village that was never built. His design for Chandigarh was more of a prototype model, which failed to capture the spirit of Indian culture and community, making it harder to navigate and familiarize with the city. If architecture is a reflection of …

Cultivated Edge: Mediating Rural And Urban Gaps In Informal Settlements, Camila Hellebuyck

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Usually when you think of agriculture, you think of a farm, of production and of profitability and not on how can cities benefit from these practices, specially informal settlements. Urban agriculture is practiced almost as a hobby in industrialized nations, but it’s a response to a need in developing countries. In the case of Ciudad Bolivar, an informal settlement on the edge of Bogota, Colombia, urban farming resulted from food scarcity and poverty. The project develops design placemaking strategies aimed at improving the built environment and, as a result, the social cohesion of the neighborhood. The thesis proposes a community …

Student Mixology, Brandon Arroyo

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

In colleges around the country student homelessness is a problem on the rise. Students who are affected often reside in cars, abandon buildings, or shelters. This thesis focuses on integrating underprivileged groups like homeless students and underprivileged youth, with other school related user groups such as traditional students, parent students, and faculty. The unique needs of each of the user groups are defined and a understanding of the building typology associated with each user group will be integrated together to create a project where six unique user groups will be able to live together while gaining a mutual benefit from …

Underground Atlanta Revisited, Salvador Jimenez

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Architecture is commonly thought of as individual buildings, usually someone would think of an enclosure, that we often think of it as an "interior" space, while our surroundings outside of these enclosures are considered "exterior" space. Transitional spaces bridges the gap between solely interior and solely exterior. These spaces, in being transitional, take people from outside and, through the overlap of the outside nature and building, transfer individuals to a destination defined as inside. In doing this, transitional space helps to ease architecture's relationship with the natural environment, creating a relationship with each other rather than a conflict. This thesis …

Emulated Ecology, Erik Graves

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Natural versus built environment. Nature versus man made. Organic versus inorganic. These are arguments that have been stated and debated since the early architectural times of Vitruvius and are still prevalent even in today’s popular practice. As a whole architecture has moved towards a more green direction with the introduction of programs such as LEED and Architecture 2030. We have become more and more strict on the way we grade and evaluate the sustainability of a project, not just in the energy used and stored in the construction and operation of a building, but we have even begun to look …

Architecture Of Democracy, Devin Perkey

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

The goal of this thesis is to explore how architecture can play a role in democracy. The traditional “Architecture of Democracy” is a branch of neoclassical architecture called Jeffersonian. This type of architecture is modeled after Greek temples which is not the inclusive space you would expect an architecture of democracy to be modeled after. I believe the imposing, exclusive architecture has played a part in the current state of affairs between representatives and citizens and the solution lies in creating a new Architecture of Democracy based on the principles of democracy.