Architecture Commons^™

Circular Framework In The Design & Planning Phase Of Construction, Shreya Kanther

Full-Text Theses & Dissertations

Executive Summary

The transition towards circular economy in the design and construction industry represents a transformative opportunity to align economic growth with environmental sustainability. This dissertation delves deeply into how circular strategies can be implemented within the construction sector, examining their potential to mitigate resource depletion and waste generation, while fostering innovation and efficiency. By integrating theoretical frameworks with empirical research, the study provides a robust understanding of the challenges and opportunities associated with circular models and offers actionable insights for stakeholders navigating the shift from linear to circular economic practices.

The backdrop for this research lies in the unsustainable …

Heterotopias Of Confinement: Zoo Architecture And The Loss Of Elephant Agency, Clayton Gill Beasley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Zoos functions as a site where human-animal relationships are structured through built environments that mediate control and representation. This study examines zoos as heterotopias—spaces where power and surveillance are negotiated between human observers and captive nonhuman animals. While zoos are often framed as spaces of conservation and education, their architectural design reinforces hierarchies of observation and confinement, shaping both human perceptions of nature and the lived experiences of nonhuman animals. This research focuses on Asian elephants as a critical species within this framework, exploring how their captivity illuminates tensions between human-imposed structures and nonhuman autonomy. Drawing from theories of heterotopia, …

Crisis Response Hospital Physical Layout Considerations During Covid-19: A Framework For Surge Preparedness, Future Investigations, And Analysis, Golnoosh Abdolahzadeh

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

This thesis investigates the intersection of hospital design and operational performance during health emergencies, explicitly focusing on layout modifications in emergency departments. The study is structured around four key components. First, it explores hospitals' significant challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic through data collected from interviews with Nebraska hospital leaders. Second, the research introduces a surge-based conceptual framework to guide hospital responses during crisis events. Developed from empirical data, the framework highlights the importance of flexible spatial planning and information-driven decision-making. Third, the study focuses on hospital physical layout considerations, identifying features that either supported or hindered Nebraska hospital operations during …

Addressing Housing Insecurity In Pacific Grove: Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Affordable Housing Resources, Melissa Gembe

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The City of Pacific Grove is a beautiful coastal place to live, yet it is difficult to find affordable housing. The housing division works together with other departments in the city and state to carry out its goal of ensuring that residents have access to affordable housing. In previous community housing needs surveys 60% of respondents reported an interest in building an Accessory Dwelling Unit. Similarly, 50% respondents showed an interest in landlord incentive workshops. The purpose of the evaluation was to assess the effectiveness of these two key resources. A study was conducted through in-depth interviews with specialists in …

The Changing Kitchen: Analyzing Sears Mail Order Home Kitchens And Gender Inequality In The United States Between 1908 And 1940, Ella G. Penney

Interior Design Undergraduate Honors Theses

The Sears Roebuck & Co mail order home was no exception to the idea that architecture and design are products of culture and society. Penny Sparke, a scholar of domestic interiors, writes that design is informed by “economics, politics, technology, culture, society, our psychological make-up, ethics, and the world’s ecological systems” (Sparke 8). In 1908, Sears responded to an increase in demand for single-family housing by releasing a home that could be delivered right to your door. This study investigates the ways in which gender inequality, particularly, the confinement of women to domestic space and housekeeping labor, manifests itself in …

Aspirational Architecture: How The Design Of The Barbie Dreamhouse Reflected The Cultural Influences Of Its Time, Eugenio Mendoza Jr

Interior Design Undergraduate Honors Theses

Similarly to the iconic cerulean monologue given by Meryl Streep in the film, The Devil Wears Prada (2006), the trickling and filtering of “stuff” from one art form to another is a significant point of discovery and contention. Whether it be the influence of art to architecture, architecture to art, fashion to architecture, media to art to architecture, or the amalgamation of all art mediums to form a confluence of design and a representation of time in history. This capstone explores the relationship between architectural and interior design to fashion, media, and even cultural events. Particularly, how design is affected …

Dr. Eve Hinman, A Pioneer In The Protective Design Industry, Ily Michi Nelson, Ellen Elizabeth Untalan, Lani Ku'ulei Alo

Architectural Engineering

This senior project carries on prior work to develop an educational material on the notable female protective design engineer Dr. Eve Hinman, initiated by Cal Poly Architectural Engineering students Michelle Dennin and Paulina Robles in collaboration with faculty member Dr. Anahid Behrouzi. To gain a deeper understanding of Dr. Eve Hinman’s impact on the industry, the project team conducted extensive research into her career including interviews with former employees of the firm that she founded and led, Hinman Consulting Engineers (HCE), and an analysis of the recently acquired collection of library material gifted by HCE to Cal Poly. After completing …

Modeling Degradation In Li-Ion Batteries: Analyzing Single-Cell Degradation And Applying It To Customized Pack-Level, Mohannad Y. Alkhalil

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

The rapid expansion of lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery applications in areas such as electric vehicles (EVs), renewable energy storage, and portable electronics has drawn attention to the need for improving their performance, safety, and longevity. As Li-ion batteries become essential across technologies, understanding degradation mechanisms is critical for optimizing design and ensuring reliable operation. This work provides a detailed overview of modeling degradation in Li-ion batteries, focusing on single-cell behavior and its implications for pack-level performance.

The PyBaMM (Python Battery Mathematical Modeling) package, an open-source battery simulation tool written in Python, is used for single-cell simulations. Liionpack, another Python-based library, is …

Designing And Installing A Disability Accessible Teaching Garden, Annabelle D. Denham

Horticulture Undergraduate Honors Theses

As horticulture becomes increasingly popular as a subject, activity, and form of therapy, its inclusivity has not kept up with the pace of its growth. In order to address the need for inclusivity and accessibility, gardens must adopt universal design. Individuals with special needs continuously face discrimination. While horticulture therapy has long been studied and catered to primarily neurotypical and able-bodied individuals, there is limited research on creating gardens specifically to include those with disabilities. This project aimed to create a garden that could serve the needs of all participants, regardless of their ability and sensory needs. The garden was …

A Dutch Approach To Charleston’S Water Management, Noor Hooijmaijers

All Theses

Coastal cities across the world face increasing threats from climate change impacts such as flooding, drought, and sea level rise. The East Coast of the United States, including Charleston, South Carolina is among the most vulnerable cities due to its low elevation and exposure to extreme weather events. The Netherlands, with a big part of its country below sea level, have become accustomed generating solutions to mitigate climate change impacts.

This thesis examines how elements of Dutch water management, which is known for its multi-layered, proactive, and integrated governance system, can be adapted to improve Charleston’s resilience against climate change …

Designing For Dignity: A Model For Women And Newborn Healthcare Settings In Honduras, Ana Sandoval Aguilar

All Theses

Many women and infants in Honduras, primarily those from low-income and minority populations, lack access to dignified healthcare spaces that support the provision of quality care. Whether it is due to an unreasonable distance to the nearest healthcare facility or poor quality of the infrastructure that results in bypassing behavior, women and infants in Honduras face serious barriers to accessing quality services. This, in turn, results in adverse outcomes such as maternal mortality, low patient and staff satisfaction, and low utilization. This thesis proposes that the culturally relevant, patient-centered, and efficient design of maternity and newborn centers in Honduras can …

Silence In The Sound: Impacts Of Sound Exposure In Greenville, South Carolina, Grace Bowar

All Theses

The known environmental and health concerns have always been air, water, and dirt. Over time, human settlement introduced sound, impacting the environment and those within it. Transportation and daily interactions have continued to contribute to generated noise that is now an ever-present force. With urban planning grounded in health, safety, and well-being, the impact of sound on public health remains under recognized. This research explores the relationship between sound, health, and residential land use, with a focus on Greenville, South Carolina. This study seeks to address the gap between these variables by investigating whether elevated sound levels are present in …

Displacement And Dreams: The Loss Of Home In A New South Town, Dora Helen Impson

All Theses

Despite much research regarding the experience of white city dwellers of Greenville, South Carolina, in the twentieth century, telling the stories of the city’s Black neighborhoods still remains to be done. This thesis chronicles the Black neighborhood of Little Texas, which was found northeast of the city’s central business district from its inception in the 1870s to its demise in the 1970s. By situating the city’s efforts to restrict and limit Black spaces within the historical framework of nationwide efforts of residential segregation ordinances, racially restrictive covenants, and city planning, this thesis argues that Greenville followed many other cities in …

Bim-Based Automated System For Carbon Emissions And Construction Costs Estimation (Bas-Cc) In Modular Design And Production, Roshan Bandiwadekar

All Theses

Modular construction adopts a manufacturing-like construction process, enhancing the management of embodied carbon emissions in production and construction phases. However, estimating these emissions presents challenges due to the involvement of diverse stakeholders across various lifecycle stages. Additionally, cost considerations often influence design choices and material selections in modular constructions, neglecting the impact of embodied carbon emissions. To address these challenges, we present a proof-of-concept for an automated Building Information Modeling (BIM)-based system to estimate both carbon emissions and construction costs. This system automates the calculation of embodied carbon and cost implications of different modular designs and materials, enabling informed decision-making. …

Assessing The Utilization Of Building Information Modelling (Bim) In The Preservation Of Cultural Heritage: A Case Study Of Ashe-Street Courthouse, Boluwatife J. Oluwamakinde

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines how Building Information Modeling (BIM) was used in the Ashe Street Courthouse restoration, with an emphasis on its role in heritage preservation. It follows a context-oriented instrumental case study methodology and a systematic four-step approach: reviewing literature and historical records, conducting semi-structured interviews with renovation architects, and analyzing project documentation. The study compares BIM with traditional methods to assess documentation quality, stakeholder collaboration, and project efficiency. Findings show that BIM increases documentation accuracy through real-time modifications while preserving historical data. It also enhances collaboration by providing a centralized platform for architects, engineers, and preservation specialists, reducing errors …

Considerations And Techniques For Producing Urban Tree Canopy Maps Using Freely Available And Accessible Methods, Hugh Reed Ellerman

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Urban forests are valued as green infrastructure for the variety of benefits they provide across ecological, social, public health, and economic domains. To understand the distribution of trees, maps are required. Many methods of mapping tree cover use expensive and data-intensive datasets such as hyperspectral and LiDAR imagery, making these methods inaccessible to municipal forest managers. Variations in the modelling approaches of existing, freely available methods are not addressed in sufficient enough detail to understand the trade-offs implicit in these variations. Further, characteristics of urban tree canopy mapping (high spatial resolution imagery, heterogeneous urban environments, the importance of the tree …

Integrating Applied History And Artificial Intelligence (Ai) Into City Planning Practice, Russell H. Stall

All Dissertations

History matters. History provides a vital foundation for shaping present decisions and future planning. By understanding a city’s past, cities can make more thoughtful, informed choices to guide development and policy with greater intention and impact.

Greenville, South Carolina, is a unique city planning case study and learning laboratory. Greenville’s Downtown revitalization since the 1980s demonstrates how historical insights can be integrated into contemporary policymaking to create vibrant, human-centered, and citizen-focused urban environments. Greenville’s evolution from a deserted, forgotten Main Street to one of the world’s most livable cities is an example of community development worthy of emulation from other …

An Investigation Of Design Processes And Their Effects On Accessibility In Narrative Themed Environments, Arielle Spencer

All Dissertations

Accessibility matters, and not merely in meeting minimum codes or limited to basic necessities. Access and inclusion matter still more in places of recreation and leisure which have too often been overlooked or considered low priority, however it is precisely these places that merit special attention. Narrative Themed Environments occupy a unique position relative to the general built environment, often acting as utopic ‘other-spaces’ for enjoyment, freedom, and escape. However, for guests with disabilities, current themed experiences can often lack true inclusivity and instead create inequality, segregation, diminished experiences, and feelings of isolation and exclusion. The peculiar idiosyncratic design process …

Strategies For Enhancing Thermal Comfort In Bus Stops Through Sustainable Design And Material Selection, Amany G. Micheal Prof., Mirette Asser, Noureldin Awad

Architectural Engineering

Global warming is an undeniable reality, necessitating innovative solutions to enhance thermal comfort while minimizing environmental impact, and avoiding the rapid reliance on fossil fuel based approaches. This research specifically addresses the challenge of improving thermal comfort at bus stops in Egypt’s arid climate, where high temperatures, intense solar radiation, and wind cause significant discomfort for passengers waiting for public transportation. The study focuses on implementing passive design strategies, including shading devices and ventilation techniques, tailored to the region’s wind patterns and solar conditions. Additionally, this research introduces a novel, sustainable composite material made from sugarcane bagasse and epoxy resin, …

The Importance Of Optimising Performance Within Retrofit Programmes, Seamus Harrington, Mark Mulville

Conference Papers

Ireland’s Climate Action Plan details a roadmap of measures that seek to achieve net-zero target carbon emissions by 2050. In this context, Ireland has introduced the National Retrofitting Scheme (NRS) which has set a goal of retrofitting c. 30% of existing dwellings to a Building Energy Rating (BER) of B2 by 2030. The route to attaining this rating is dependent on the current specification and configuration of each individual property, therefore it can promote the adoption of retrofit techniques that achieve the required BER rating as opposed to focussing on optimisation of dwelling performance. The pre-cursor to the NRS was …