Architecture Commons^™

Multidimensional Dialogue Through Architecture | An Exploration Of The Possible Dialogue Between Humans And Walls, Fengqi Li

Architecture Senior Theses

This thesis proposes that architectural design no longer has to be primarily static, but rather it can be dynamically responsive to multiple information streams and conditions.

Multidimensional Dialogue Through Architecture is developed from the understanding of human factors and ergonomics. The dispersed works on research and inference are different ways to explore the interaction between the discipline of architecture and the other fields, such as psychology, engineering, bio-mechanics, physiology, cognitive science, and anthropomorphic. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis is not to design a specific building that works perfectly in particular conditions but rather to use architectural elements to mediate …

The Allopoiesis Of The Urban Artifact And The Palimpsest Of Context, Cristina Abondano

Architecture Senior Theses

This thesis contends that Pathological Urban Artifacts , as defined by Aldo Rossi, could be made Propelling through Allopoiesis in combination with the palimpsest of the urban context. The proposal consists of a dialogue between the two strategies of growth, aiming to reconnect the Artifact to the city.

Allopoiesis is the process by which a system produces something other than the system itself. In this thesis, allopoiesis is the mapping of the artifact’s underlying geometry as catalyst for urban development.

Rossi sees in the Propelling Urban Artifact a formal structure that confirms the presence of the city and persists through …

The Renaissance Of The Railway | Towards A Global High-Speed System, Xiaoyu Li

Architecture Senior Theses

The railway has shown its unique character as a mode of transportation since its invention in Europe during the Industrial Revolution. In the beginning, its carrying capacity made it stand out, transforming human behavior, and stimulating economic productivity. During the 20th century, air travel, the railways, and long-distance road networks have shared the burden of human transportation - in many countries the car and plane have won out. In recent decade, however, new interest in the railway's potential has been generated as a result of the emergence of new technologies like high-speed rail and the maglev system. Greater speeds are …

Total Fiction | The Artifice And The Armature, Anrai Pearson

Architecture Senior Theses

This thesis views architecture as a total fiction. It aims to explore the representational and communicative qualities of the architectural surface. Architects have always abstracted raw materials in order to create a larger conceptual basis for architecture but the relationship between abstraction and reality has not always been concrete. In the past, ideals of “truth” and “authenticity” have played a central theoretical role in defining how architects approach building. For example, John Ruskin and Viollet-le-Duc decry various forms of material deceit, in favor of an authentic and truthful architecture. Alternately, architects interested in the communicative agency of architecture have questioned …

The Burning Building | Fire As Place, Winnie Tu

Architecture Senior Theses

The importance of fire in human social evolution is widely acknowledged but the extent of its impact is not fully explored. Generally, it is connected to energy, light, purification, illumination, creation, destruction and metamorphosis. Fire’s paradoxical nature has built up many societies throughout human history and has been the primary social driver within communities. Due to technological advances, its energy has been transformed into a distant element which is being used discretely in industrial buildings, hidden under basements, or replaced by other forms of energy. Now, heat, energy, and light is readily available anywhere at any time, eliminating the biological …

Where Wellness Begins, Chelsea M. Wheeler

Architecture Senior Theses

A public need for improved health has called into question the manner in which one's built environment has the ability to affect a person's health and well-being. Recent studies have revealed a correlation between health and residence, suggesting that the built environment has a significant influence on occupant health and well-being. As a result of such studies, Delos Living, a well-building consulting firm, has proposed a set of deign standards that can be used to promote occupant health. The problem with such methods is that there are processes of certification relying primarily on post-deign evaluations. This thesis seeks to align …

Atlas Reimagined | Richter, Flusser, Architecture, Blake Capalbo

Architecture Senior Theses

This thesis is built from the materials of Gerhard Richter's "Atlas," a collection of 802 image plates (and couting) that the German visual artist has been assembling since the mid 1960s. Comprised of newspaper cuttings, sketches, drawings, photographs, and paintings, "Atlas" is both a companion to Richter's other work and a work in and of itself.

Atlas Reimagined applies the theories of Vilem Flusser, the late 20th-century philosopher and theorist of image and media, to Richter's work to devise alternative forms of architectural imaging. Richter's "Atlas" when examined in terms of Flusser's distinction between technical and traditional images becomes a …

Innie/Outie | Renegotiating Figure And Structure, Maxwell Rosner

Architecture Senior Theses

This thesis contends that in order to sustain its claim to be socially progressive and accessible enterprise, the discipline of architecture must resist the divorce of figure and structure.

Innie/Outie considers Architecture as a simultaneously typological and teleological proposition. Architects exploit typology as a means of classifying, diagramming, and ultimately flattening and iconicizing ideas about Architecture so as to place them within a broader cultural context, thereby making them intellectually accessible to their audiences. By contrast, architects from the advent of Modernism onwards have displayed a critical preoccupation with the discipline’s teleological potential, the creation of form that follows function …

Subtraction | Construction In Reverse, Sherina S. Zhang

Architecture Senior Theses

The life of a building does not begin at the creation of the new; it starts with the subtraction of the old. As the pace of technological development accelerates, buildings are erected and demolished at an unprecedented rate. Cities use their urban artifacts like skyscrapers, to portray economic and political prowess. For example, the ghost cities of China are relics of a burst financial bubble while Venezuelan ruling party elites name business towers after themselves as a show of power and prosperity. Many parts of the world today are now overbuilt with artifacts that decline into obsolescence. Demolition procedures erase …

Two Lands, One System | Redefining The Border Crossing, Matthew Trulli

Architecture Senior Theses

The Israeli and Palestinian populations each have their own distinct infrastructural system, which operates independently and fails to connect the people in this region. This thesis contends that if a two-state solution is implemented under the guidelines of the 2003 Geneva Accord, new connections can stitch the populations of Israel and Palestine together through a reimagined border system.

These divisive infrastructural networks, which are a result of tense relationships, have also sparked increased violence throughout the region, particularly in Jerusalem. The French Hill, located north of the Old City in Jerusalem, is positioned at a critical point in the infrastructural …

The Foreign Complex | A Cross-Cultural Vernacular, Dexter Cicchinelli

Architecture Senior Theses

This thesis investigates transforming a decommissioned military site into a productive part of its host nation’s context. Okinawa consists of a group of islands that make up the southern-most prefecture of Japan. MAP It is situated midway between Tokyo and Manila, and called the “keystone of the Pacific” by military planners because of its strategic location. AERIAL FLIGHT MAP It was the site of the devastating Battle of Okinawa in WWII which prompted an ongoing history of military intervention and occupation. TIMELINE Immediately after the war, displaced Okinawans were put in camps while the military claimed land for bases. Some …

Acoma School: New Mexico's First Lifted Dome, S. N.

New Mexico Architecture

No abstract provided.

Central City, Nebraska Risk Assessment, Belinda S. Fowler

Community and Regional Planning Program: Theses

Small communities have limited resources for disaster preparation and planning. This project provides a factual basis for Central City, Nebraska, to work toward a comprehensive, locally based, hazard mitigation plan by estimating potential losses to people and property from natural and man-made disasters within the city's jurisdiction.

In cooperation with: The University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Community and Regional Planning Program; The Nebraska Emergency Management Agency; Region 44 Emergency Manager; The City of Central City, Nebraska

Finding History: A Curatorial Analysis, Dakota Goedel, Adrian Mandzy

Celebration of Student Scholarship Poster Sessions Archive

No abstract provided.

Chapter Structure, S. N.

New Mexico Architecture

No abstract provided.

The Seed | Urban Vertical Farming Germinated, Michael Lima

Architecture Senior Theses

A city works as an ecosystem in many ways. However, we currently do not live within that ecosystem, as the difference between an ecosystem and a city is the waste output and food input . Nature and society do not exist independently because there are no spaces of nature unaffected by man. With this in mind we need to reestablish our relationship with nature. Architecture and engineering can be used to create buildings that will allow humans to turn cities into ecosystems. This thesis argues that Urban Vertical Farms will produce social and economic hubs that will be a new …

Recognizing Construction Equipment Activities Using A Smartphone, David J. Engelhaupt

UCARE: Research Products

The purpose of this research is to develop a smartphone based system to continually analyze construction equipment activity (e.g. a skid loader moving forward, side-ways, or raising its bucket) using a variety of different sensors and give feedback to the equipment operator or the supervisor. Such a system could detect inefficiencies in construction operations and provide valuable information to project managers.

The results have demonstrated that DTW is effective at identifying typical rotation patterns. It has been less effective for slow rotations over long duration or very fast rotations with short durations. The accuracy of DTW is improved when the …

Climate Change Planning In Dallas-Fort Worth: Discourse And Public Participation In A Politically Conservative Region, Ann W. Foss

Planning Dissertations - Archive

Climate change is one of the greatest challenges currently facing our world, and in the field of planning there has been much attention paid to climate action planning by environmental leader cities. However, political controversy surrounds climate change in the United States, making it difficult for some cities and regions to explicitly and effectively respond to climate change. This dissertation examines planning actions related to the federal Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant, and climate change more broadly, in the politically conservative Dallas-Fort Worth region of Texas from 2005 to 2015. In particular, the research strives to better understand the …

Construction Training Facility (Essu Philippines), Omar Ramirez

Architectural Engineering

The purpose of this project was to work hand in hand with engineers and construction managers from the non-profit organization Build Change in order to construct a training facility in the Philippines. The training facility would educate the locals how to build safer structures that would be more effective during earthquakes.

The focus of this report is to elaborate on the process of the project, the difficulties encountered, and the benefits of the overall project when completed.

Developing Housing Finance Framework As An Approach To Provide Affordable Finance Mechanisms For Middle Income Citizens And Housing Developers In Saudi Arabia, Musaed Khalid A K. Alqannas

Planning Dissertations - Archive

With high economic growth rate, population rate, increased employment, and income opportunities, the demand for housing has increased, along with the lack of affordable finance mechanisms. A main concern of the housing problem in Saudi Arabia is the high demand compared to housing needs. Saudi Arabia lacks a housing finance framework or strategy to create flexible and affordable lending mechanisms to tackle the affordable finance problems. This research targets: 1) the middle income citizens to increase the homeownership rate and 2) the housing developer to increase affordable housing units and the investment in the housing market. This research compares the …