Architecture Commons^™

Between Shelter & Ash: A Design Policy Atlas For Wildfire-Resiliency, Daisy Elizabeth Morales-Zaragoza

McNair Summer Research Program

Architectural design holds a powerful potential in the face of wildfire threats, yet remains underutilized in fire resilience strategies. This study will explore how design, at the level of the house, street, and community, can move beyond code compliance toward holistic protection. Through analysis of principal fire codes such as IWUIC, CBC Chapter 7A, and NFPA 1144, visual diagrams, precedent case studies, and original architecture proposals, the paper proposes a multiscale design framework that expands our understanding of resilience. It argues that while fire codes establish critical baselines, spatial planning, form, and materials must work in concert with social and …

08.11.2025 Ored Connect, Liz Williamson

ORED Newsletter

F and A rates

ORED Research Reception

NSF Audit Final Resolution and Compliance Updates

Between Shelter & Ash, Designing Fire-Proof Resilient Neighborhoods, Arlene I. Garcia Guzman

McNair Summer Research Program

In response to the ongoing catastrophic wildfires in the U.S., especially the West Coast region, the State of California is proactively implementing the first multi-faceted legislative and regulatory framework to enhance wildfire resiliency.

During a disaster, embers are the most important contributors to wildfire, and can dictate whether homes ignite or not. Given their potent ignition source, their capacity to travel for miles, researchers have concluded that wind-blown embers are the leading cause of destruction during wildfires. Simultaneously, the purpose of the 2025 building codes is to strengthen construction methods, requiring the use of rated structural materials, such as sheathing, …

Shared Kitchens Changing The Housing Development, Agniya Seliuzhytskaya

McNair Summer Research Program

In response to the escalating housing crisis and ongoing economic disruptions, many individuals have turned to home-based food entrepreneurship as a means of financial stability. The Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operation (MEHKO) program enables residents to legally operate small-scale food businesses from their private kitchens, effectively blurring the line between domestic and commercial space. This research investigates how MEHKOs challenge conventional understandings of housing, domesticity, and zoning, and considers how shared or adaptable kitchen models might inform emerging housing typologies.

The study combines spatial and policy analysis by mapping the distribution of approved MEHKO sites in San Diego and overlaying that …

Spaces Of Empowerment: A Study On University Multicultural Spaces & Civil Rights, Keana Balalio

McNair Summer Research Program

Following the 1960s Civil Rights Movement, American universities dedicated offices and centers to multiculturalism. This project questions how identity-centered spaces for empowerment operate in relation to efforts for institutional integration. This study proposes the term space(s) of empowerment to describe identity-based areas at universities [and other institutions] that encourage gathering of historically marginalized communities, their allies, and institutional supervisory support. The concept draws on architectural literature regarding political and economic power dynamics of space. Beginning with the University of San Diego’s United Front Multicultural Commons (UFMC), study includes reproductions of floor plans and memories. Analysis draws from Michel de Certeau’s …

Where Pipes Meet The Water: Urban Infrastructure In Tijuana, Joab Barrientos

McNair Summer Research Program

Tijuana's rapid urban growth and industrial development have placed significant pressure on its water infrastructure, resulting in ongoing pollution concerns in the Tijuana River Watershed and elsewhere in and beyond the city. In many areas of the city, rapid urban growth has outpaced the building of critical infrastructure like sewage and stormwater systems. These factors have left neighborhoods at risk for a long time. At the same time, industrial growth has often relied on old infrastructure or happened without the right systems in place. Although poor water quality has been a problem for years, few studies have used spatial analysis …

Enhancing Client Intake Efficiency In The Removal Defense Program: A Nursing-Led Quality Improvement Initiative, Johnny Linares, Julia Tran Ngo, Daniel Orea, Atheana Yadira Lopez

Master's Projects and Capstones

This quality improvement project focuses on optimizing the intake process for the Removal Defense Program at a nonprofit immigration legal office serving asylum-seeking clients. The existing intake relied on unstructured, phone-call-based intake interviews that gathered incomplete information, leading to inconsistent documentation, reduced efficiency, and significant client processing delays. A structured, multilingual, and multiplatform new-client admission protocol coupled with the implementation of a client-facing resource guide for waitlist clients were co-developed and implemented using the Lippitt Change Theory framework. Utilizing a mixed methods approach, the study involved staff interviews and observational assessments with staff members from the program. Baseline intake process …

Optimal Roof Strategy For Mitigating Urban Heat Island In Hot Arid Climates : Simulation And Python-Based Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis, Rehab Alaa, Amira Elbalazi, Walaa S.E. Ismaeel

Architectural Engineering

No abstract provided.

Demystifying The Discharge Coefficient For Flow Over Thin Weirs And Sills, Joseph E. Pugh, Subhas Karan Venayagamoorthy, Timothy K. Gates

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A revised derivation of the discharge coefficient for flows over thin weirs and sills in the limits of wall overflow to a free overfall is given. Using dimensional analysis, we show that the discharge coefficient, (Formula presented), in the classical weir-discharge equation is best understood as a weir Froude number, (Formula presented), which accounts for the combined effects of inertia, contraction and viscous energy losses within the flow field. A comprehensive set of experimental data from historical studies is complimented by new data from the authors, featuring both laboratory flume experiments and three-dimensional numerical simulations of weir flows. Synthesis of …

The Legal System For Influencers On Social Media Platforms: A Comparative Study, Ahmad Ibrahim Ballal, Najem Riyad Al-Rabadi, Ma’Moun Rashed Al-Huneiti

Middle East Journal of Communication Studies

This study explores the legal regulation of social media influencers through a comparative analysis between French and Jordanian legislation. The research problem lies in the absence of a clear and comprehensive legal framework regulating influencers' growing role in shaping public opinion. Using the comparative analytical method, the study examines relevant legal texts and regulatory approaches in both jurisdictions. The findings highlight significant differences, with France enacting a specific law to govern influencer activities, while Jordan still relies on general legal provisions. The study recommends drafting a dedicated Jordanian law that outlines influencers' legal responsibilities and balances freedom of expression with …

Representations Of The Other In Hamas's Media Discourse During The "Al-Aqsa Flood" Operation: A Rhetorical Analytical Study, Enad Mamdouh Al-Zaben, Sabah Al Harahsheh

Middle East Journal of Communication Studies

This study aimed to determine how the Hamas movement represented the "other" in its media discourse during the "Al-Aqsa Flood" operation. To achieve this goal, the study relied on the qualitative analytical approach, specifically rhetorical discourse analysis. The study sample included all Hamas's media spokesman speeches, between October 7, 2023, and January 1, 2024, numbering 11 speeches. The study results showed that Hamas's media discourse focused on portraying two main groups: "us" and "them." The "us" group included the Palestinian people in all their spectra. They were referred to using terms with positive connotations such as: "the steadfast," "the one …

Measuring What Matters: Optimizing Usd’S Campus Spaces For Equity, Sustainability, And Impact, Briana Burton

McNair Summer Research Program

In alignment with Goal #3 of the University of San Diego’s Lighting the Way to 2030 strategic plan (Responsible Stewardship), the university initiated the Campus Space Study-- a comprehensive, data-driven assessment of academic and administrative space usage. This project aims to optimize resource allocation, reduce environmental impact, and improve the educational experience by leveraging cutting-edge sensor technology and strategic planning tools.

As the sole student representative on the 18-member Steering Committee, I contribute a student-focused lens to this institutional initiative. Through my McNair research, I actively participate in the implementation of the study, supporting the installation and calibration of over …

More Than A Ramp: Rethinking School Design For Sensory And Cognitive Inclusion, Andrew Ho

University Honors Theses

This thesis advocates for the integration of the ASPECTSS framework, developed by Magda Mostafa, into legislative standards that would govern the design of educational environments that accommodate students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Drawing on evidence from a case study demonstrating significant improvements in student behavior and overall satisfaction through ASPECTSS-based interventions, the thesis highlights the urgent need for these principles to move beyond voluntary adoption and rather, toward enforceable design mandates.

The ASPECTSS framework includes the seven following criterias; Acoustics, Spatial Sequencing, Escape Spaces, Compartmentalization, Transitions, Sensory Zoning, and Safety. This model provides a comprehensive and actionable approach to …

Tools We Use: Evaluating Uav And Photogrammetry Workflows For Early-Stage Site Documentation; Comparative Analysis For Small Landscape Architecture Firms, Bryant Baugus

Theses and Dissertations

Landscape architects utilize advanced technologies in the design process. Advancements in automation and data capture have opened up new opportunities for UAVs and photogrammetry to produce high-resolution imagery, contours, and 3D models. By leveraging UAVs early in the design process, landscape architects are able to maximize advantages: site analysis through computational software, 3D sectional information, and hydrology prediction. This research focuses specifically on the advantages UAVs offer compared to established workflow methods. It examines four unique workflows for early-stage site documentation: capturing the site with UAVs through photogrammetry, generating a site plan from publicly available GIS data, gathering information from …

Documenting Children’S Use, Physical Activity, And Social Play In Tom Lee Park’S Playscape, Laurel Kelton

Theses and Dissertations

The benefits of nature and physical activity on children’s health and development are well documented. However, many children lack access to nature and physical activity. Researchers have found that “innovative playgrounds” —which, by definition, are more likely to include natural elements that facilitate nature immersion— are associated with increased physical activity and duration of stay. This thesis is a case study of a public innovative playground at Tom Lee Park. It sought to understand the playground’s areas and physical characteristics that have higher levels of use, physical activity, and social play and longer durations of stay. Data was collected over …

Variables That Affect Designers’ Use Of Edible Planting In Residential Landscape Design, Emily Margaret Butler

Theses and Dissertations

Edible landscaping or “foodscaping” has had a resurgence into the mainstream. Though many trailblazers aim to encourage edible landscaping through homeowners and renters, there seems to be a lack of initiative from designers. To identify the variables that can affect a designer’s use of edible planting in the residential Southeastern United States, research and statistical methods were employed. Beyond interviewing an expert in the field of edible planting in the residential space, a survey consisting of both Likert and open-ended questions was sent to licensed landscape architects in the Southeastern U.S. The survey was conducted using Qualtrics and analyzed using …

Simulation And Statistical Validation Method For Evaluating Daylighting Performance In Hot Climates, Nivin Sherif, Ahmed Yehia, Walaa S.E. Ismaeel

Architectural Engineering

No abstract provided.

Sustainable Master Planned Gateway Communities: The Kamas Valley Case, Zachary Sannar

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Gateway communities (towns and cities located near public lands and natural amenities) are experiencing significant and often disruptive change as they transition from economies historically rooted in natural resource extraction to those increasingly driven by tourism and amenity-based migration (Howe et al., 1997; Stoker et al., 2020).

In the Intermountain West, places like Jackson, Wyoming; Springdale, Utah; and West Yellowstone, Montana exemplify this trend, and Kamas Valley is emerging as part of this broader pattern.

Although these communities share a deep cultural and economic connection to their landscapes, they now face mounting pressures from population growth, changing land uses, and …

Living Pantry: Affordable Housing And Traditional Agriculture, Alanna S. Nafziger

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Utah is a beautiful and unique landscape with a vibrant food history that is, as I write this in 2025, undergoing some dramatic changes in both climate and population.

The population is projected to almost double by 2065, increasing by 2.8 million people over a 50-year period. Cache Valley, in the Northern part of the state, is projected to increase its population by 93% in that same time frame (Perlich et. al., 2017).

This population growth represents a huge increase in demand for housing, but while demand grows, the market becomes less affordable, with the median home price 6.26 times …

A Social And Environmental Restoration Plan For Warm Springs And North Gateway Parks In Salt Lake City, Utah, Bailey R. Guinn

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

This research-based design thesis examines the historic and ecological significance of the combined 20-acre Warm Springs and North Gateway Parks in the Capitol Hill neighborhood on the north end of Salt Lake City. Distinguished by the natural hot springs in North Gateway Park, the area was formed through geological processes associated with the emergence of the Wasatch Mountains (Lutz, 2004) and holds a deep cultural history for indigenous peoples such as the Shoshone, Goshute, Southern Utes, and Northern Utes. These tribes historically used the springs for social bathing, healing, and wintering grounds until the arrival of settlers in 1847, which …