Architecture Commons^™

Uncreative Construction | Domestic Mutations In America, Sean Morgan

Architecture Senior Theses

A shift in residential patterns in American cities have fostered a breeding ground for mutant buildings. Owners split, manipulate, and expand their houses as they create idiosyncratic constructs of great visual and spatial complexity. Originally developed for a middle class population, single-family homes have become mixed-use or multi-family complexes thanks to the resourceful implementation of commercial materials.

This thesis aims to develop a new strategy for transforming the normative American house by using the conventions of platform frame construction. Variations will emerge from a set of design constraints, which—unlike that employed for typical houses—are based on data that disregards style …

Other Wildernesses, Other Realities | A Framework For Shrinking Cities, Alyssa Goraieb

Architecture Senior Theses

This thesis is an experiment to imagine the possible realities that emerge from a redefining of the "idea of wilderness".

Wilderness is an idea.

Its definition is slippery. It is neither a physical place nor a state of being (as the "-ness" suggests). Wilderness is a human construct defined by varying cultural and social attitude. This fluid meaning drove numerous paradigms throughout American history - from eighteenth century romanticism's sublime doctrine to today's environmentalism.

Inspired by past American paradigms, this thesis invents five other wilderness ides that exist as a parallel alternatives to our own. Each produces a …

New Beijing | A Renewed Vernacular, Bowen Victor Zhang

Architecture Senior Theses

What does the term "vernacular" means? In an increasingly flay world, this thesis seeks to define the essential elements of the vernacular architecture of Beijing in order to propose a contemporary residential archetype.

In the past century, China has experienced unprecedented economic growth and development. Along with the many influences introduced by cross-cultural interactions, the phenomenon of architectural and social gentrification has begun to affect many of the populations living in urban centers. The same gentrifying forces that have drastically changed Greenwich Village and other New York City neighborhoods has rapidly moved to China and has replaced centruries-old vernacular communities …

The Enclaving Of Dubai: An Investigation Of The Factors Governing The Emergence And Spreading Of The Gated Residential Communities In The City, Mahmoud Saeed Al Mansi

Theses

This study attempts to fill a gap within the current existing literature of the worldwide phenomenon of rise and spread of walled communities. The study primarily examines the factors relating to gated residential communities in Dubai, a city that is not covered in the literature of the subject. Specifically, it traces the emergence of gated residential communities in the urban history of Dubai, investigates their magnitude over time, locates them within the city, and investigates the various factors affecting their spread, particularly in the past few decades. To achieve these objectives, a field survey and a qualitative research were conducted …

Towards A Localized Form-Based Code For Abu Dhabi Urban Neighborhoods, Arwa Khalid Sabri

Theses

Form-Based Code (FBC) is a sustainable planning tool that helps realize sustainable urban form and sustainable communities from different perspectives, including mixing of land uses, diversifying housing types, achieving walkability and cycling as well as permitting community involvement in decision making and design processes. It is therefore considered as a comprehensive tool that regulates different planning scales from master plan to individual buildings. Locally, Abu Dhabi Emirate lacks a FBC that could help achieve its sustainability-orientated 2030 vision and thus promote its envisaged sustainable urban identity. This research aims at studying to what extent the present form-related standards and guidelines …

Monhegan: A Prescription For Resilience, Kenneth Paul Kiel Gross

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

Monhegan, like many island communities, is threatened by the loss of population as its young adults migrate to the mainland. The purpose of this study is to develop a resilient population on Monhegan Island.

Knowing the problem is easy, as is asking the obvious question, “How do we get people to move to this area?” This is a problem that confronts not only Monhegan, but also other Maine islands and even Maine itself.

Several factors make Monhegan’s future uncertain. The first is the gradual shift from commercial fishing, the mainstay of its economy, as it becomes more reliant on tourism …

Effects Of Noise, Reverberation And Foreign Accent On Native And Non-Native Listeners’ Performance Of English Speech Comprehension, Zhao Ellen Peng, Lily M. Wang

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

A large number of non-native English speakers may be found in American classrooms, both as listeners and talkers. Little is known about how this population comprehends speech in realistic adverse acoustical conditions. A study was conducted to investigate the effects of background noise level (BNL), reverberation time (RT), and talker foreign accent on native and non-native listeners' speech comprehension, while controlling for English language abilities. A total of 115 adult listeners completed comprehension tasks under 15 acoustic conditions: three BNLs (RC-30, RC-40, and RC-50) and five RTs (from 0.4 to 1.2 s). Fifty-six listeners were tested with speech from native …

A Message From The President, W. Miles Brittelle Sr.

New Mexico Architecture

No abstract provided.

Syllabus: Social Ecologies Of Harlem, Spring 2016, Jacqueline Margetts

2016 Spring Social Ecologies of Harlem

No abstract provided.

Community Renewable Energy: The Potential For Energy Generation On Public Land In Cedar City, Utah, Betsy Byrne

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

As the world's population rises and becomes increasingly more urbanized, there is a greater demand on our resources. Current energy production practices are based on resources with finite supplies and are associated with environmental impacts such as greenhouse gas and particulate emissions, water resource use, and resource extraction. In contrast, renewable energy production is based on free, continually replenished sources with relatively few environmental impacts. Distributed renewable energy generation involves producing energy close to the point of consumption. The distributed generation model increases energy autonomy at the local level.

Distributed renewable energy generation is fairly common at point of use. …

Water Harvesting Methods And The Built Environment: The Role Of Architecture In Providing Water Security, Adam Joseph Bradshaw

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Two prototype thermoelectric atmospheric water generator (AWG) devices were constructed and evaluated for their performance in collecting water. The devices consisted of two Peltier thermoelectric cooling (TEC) modules connected to a heat sink and a condensing surface. The TEC/heat sink assembly was anchored to an air-well constructed of extruded polystyrene and 3D-printed frames, and a fan was installed to draw in surrounding air. The condensing surfaces were either copper or aluminum and featured a surface area larger than the cold side of the TEC.

The performance of aluminum and copper surfaces were compared by measuring condensate collected after a test …

Innovative Fiber Optic/Thin Film Photovoltaic Systems: Adequately Distributing Daylight While Harvesting Energy, Sean Steven Zurko

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

On any given year, Las Vegas will be exposed to an average of 85% sunlight during typical daylight hours, while averaging seven peak hours a day. That alone makes Las Vegas a prime candidate for renewable solar energy systems (Solar Direct, 2016). By implementing fiber optics into office buildings in conjunction with thin-film photovoltaics, interior spaces have the potential to be adequately illuminated while simultaneously harvesting electricity. The study will be conducted through analysis and experimental field research with the intent of generating physical data, demonstrating that a hybrid fiber optic - photovoltaic system can at minimum match recommended foot-candle …

Time For A Fresh Look At Housing As Eu Report Shames Ireland, Lorcan Sirr

Media

Now that a new minority administration is here, it’s time to look at ways this government can improve on previous ones. One positive step could be to take on board the findings of a recent EU report on procurement practices. Entitled “public procurement—a study on administrative capacity in the EU”, it looks at the systems and structures of individual member states.

You Can Forget About A Housing Recovery With Our Skills Drain, Lorcan Sirr

Media

Over the past 10 years or so, civil service and local authority staffing levels have been dramatically reduced. Those who retired have not been replaced, and other employees have left for the private sector or have taken early retirement because they were unhappy with pay cuts and changes to their contracts.

The results have been mixed. No doubt money has been saved through reduced state pay and some of the employees who left might have been of limited value in the first place. Workloads have increased for those left behind, but there have also been costs that show not all …

Bs News May/June

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Front Matter, S. N.

New Mexico Architecture

No abstract provided.

Profile: Robert E. Merrell, S. N.

New Mexico Architecture

No abstract provided.

Architectural Education: Chapter Helps Students, Don P. Schlegel

New Mexico Architecture

No abstract provided.

Travelling Exhibit: Architecture In New Mexico, David Gebhard

New Mexico Architecture

No abstract provided.

Student Awards Report, S. N.

New Mexico Architecture

No abstract provided.