Architecture Commons^™

Bioagricorridors: Uban Ecosystem Networks To Enhance Biological Diversity, Ecosystem Services And Food Production In Barcelona, Spain, Fabio Capra-Ribeiro, Filippo Vegezzi

Faculty Publications

Urbanisation and environmental degradation pose significant challenges to biodiversity, ecosystem services, and food pro- duction. The Bioagricorridors strategy addresses this by inte- grating agroecology in the urban environment, emphasising the continuity principle to connect diverse ecosystems through green infrastructure. Employing a mapping strategy, bioagricorridors bridge theory and space, using maps as communication tools and deep mapping to explore multi-layered, digital cartographic representations. This approach aids in addressing pressing urban conditions, enhancing genetic diversity, and improving soil and water quality. The exploration uses Barcelona as a case study, a city marked by historical urban planning shifts and landscape fragmentation. Taking into …

Challenges In Combating Climate Change: Lessons From Latin American And Caribbean Case Studies, Fabio Capra-Ribeiro

Faculty Publications

Climate change presents a complex global threat, particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean, where the impacts are severe, yet the region also showcases innovative approaches to face these issues. This study systematically analyzes the challenges faced by urban sustainability projects in the region, drawing insights from 35 case studies in the Urban Sustainability Exchange (USE) database. The primary objective is to identify shared challenges in implementing climate action initiatives, offering valuable lessons for future projects. Challenges were categorized into 14 themes, with issues related to collaboration and communication emerging as the most frequent. Other significant challenges included infrastructure limitations, …

Adaptation For Whom? Understanding The Impacts Of Dyke Policies On Small-Scale Farmers In Ca Mau Province Of Vietnam, Nguyen Minh Quang, Nguyen Van Minh, Nguyen Vo Chau Ngan, Martha B. Lerski

Publications and Research

Low-lying deltas worldwide are extremely vulnerable to sea-level rise. As the risks of climate-induced flooding become increasingly clear, the thirst for infrastructure-driven adaptation increases. This highlights a patent need to understand the impacts of engineering adaptation solutions, especially those targeting built structures such as dykes and sluices, on farmers from a bottom-up, farmer-centred perspective. The study addresses this call by examining cases where dyke policies, while successful in some dimensions, have undermined small-scale farmer livelihoods in Ca Mau ― Vietnam’s southernmost rural province. It identifies areas in need of attention and adds empirical data related to this group of farmers. …

A Pocket Park In Kirkwood: Community, Connectivity, And Urban Transformation, Catalina Freixas

Books, Office for Socially Engaged Practice

The course Architecture For Non-Architects [AFNA] is supported by CityStudio STL, Sam Fox School of Design Visual Arts, Washington University in St. Louis.

AFNA is a foundational course that acquaints students with the principles and practices of architectural design. Beginning with a community-based project, the curriculum integrates lectures, readings, and research to guide participants through understanding and shaping the built environment. Field trips play a key role, encouraging active observation and engagement with both the physical site and invested stakeholders.

Cultivating observation is essential to perceiving our surroundings with intention, yet many people view the environment passively, shaped by habits …

Bridging The Green Divide: Sustainable Community Development And Climate Resilience In Altadena, Ca, Katie Brosnan

Pitzer Senior Theses

Sustainable Community Development (SCD) is widely debated as a climate mitigation strategy, with recognized benefits such as reducing carbon footprints, enhancing public health, and fostering economic resilience. However, a major critique is its limited accessibility to marginalized communities. In particular, the resilience embedded in rebuilding plans does not necessarily translate to real access for those whose insurance coverage may not be sufficient to afford conventional design services or reconstruction costs. This thesis argues that while SCD is an effective tool for climate mitigation, its success depends on equitable access—not just in principle, but in the material capacity to participate in …

Mapping The Tren Maya’S Mark On Mérida, Diego Tamayo

Pitzer Senior Theses

Mapping the Tren Maya’s Mark on Mérida investigates whether the Tren Maya railway is ushering in new sustainable development which provides economic and social benefits for the residents of Mérida, Mexico. The Mexican government has spearheaded the megaproject’s construction in a mere four years with the goal of boosting economic growth in an environmentally and socially conscious manner. The following investigation highlights where this vision, articulated in technocratically-constructed public documents and amplified in reporting, has been fulfilled in Mérida. Through geospatial, physical, and journalistic investigations and analysis, it is revealed the Tren Maya has brought a host of impacts upon …

Sites 45ch01104 And 45ch00402 Determinations Of Eligibility, Chelan County, Washington, Benjamin Aa Hodges

All Graduate Projects

This Master of Applied Science (MAS) project report assesses the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) eligibility of archaeological sites 45CH01104 and 45CH00402 near Wells Dam in Chelan County, Washington. Field investigations conducted in 2024 included pedestrian surveys, subsurface testing, and ground-penetrating radar (GPR) analysis to gather data on site conditions and potential cultural features. Site 45CH01104 was characterized by pre-contact lithic and fire-cracked rock (FCR) scatters and is recommended as eligible in this report for the NRHP under Criteria A and D due to its association with Indigenous subsistence activities and its potential to yield important archaeological information. It …

Campus Connect, Katie Coates, Bella Wengappuly, Annabelle Brown, Kyie Salerno

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

This paper examines how university campus design can be strategically utilized to support student mental health, drawing on global examples to inspire improvements in the University of Montana’s (UM) campus planning. The University of Montana, like most college campuses worldwide, is currently facing pressing mental health challenges among the student body. College can be a highly stressful experience, where students encounter unique pressures that, without adequate support, can lead to mental health crises. Many universities across the globe have recognized the role of campus design in promoting mental well-being, and they have adopted innovative, student-centered design strategies to foster positive …

The Structure Of Universal History: An Architectural Analysis Of The Museo Nacional De Antropología, Stella M.W. Robinson

Scripps Senior Theses

The Museo Nacional de Antropología (MNA) is the largest and most frequently visited museum in Mexico. This monument to the splendor of Mexico’s pre-Hispanic past claims to document the entirety of Mexico's past and contemporary Indigenous heritage within its 25 archaeology and ethnography rooms However, the architects reduce Indigenous architectural features into symbols of the pre-Hispanic past in their idealization of a mixed-race (mestizo) heritage to promote the modern Mexican nation as the successors of the Mexica (Aztec) empire. My architectural analysis dissects the museum's claims of hybridity through comparing the structure to several architectural precedents, including the Maya pre-Hispanic …

Guide To The Construction Records (University Of San Diego), University Of San Diego

University Records

This collection contains construction records for the University of San Diego. Records include architectural drawings, correspondence, photographs, planning information, and reports.

Finding Aids are tools used to aid research by describing the materials in a collection. University Records Finding Aids include historical and/or biographical information along with a description of the collection and a folder listing of the content.

To view this collection please email University Archives and Special Collections staff at [email protected].

Study On The Interaction Between Agricultural Practices, Religious Activities, And Cultural Relics, Fengyi Zhou, Isarachai Buranaut

NAKHARA (Journal of Environmental Design and Planning)

Community participation and how socio-cultural practices in cultural landscapes affect the protection of cultural heritage and their importance in the field of heritage protection among countries in the Mekong River Basin. This is a case study based on qualitative research methods and the theoretical framework of the eco-cultural complex, which aims to explore how community groups in Jianchuan County, Yunnan Province, China, participate in the shaping and protection of the cultural landscape. The study shows that religious activities run through all stages of the agricultural cycle, and agricultural practices have a profound impact on their content and form. Religious activities …

Mixed-Use Developments And Urban Megaprojects In The Global South : A Systematic Review And Interpretation Of A Blurred Intersection, Federico Puggioni, Nij Tontisirin

NAKHARA (Journal of Environmental Design and Planning)

This article examines the intersection of two distinct strains of urban studies: mixed-use development and urban megaprojects, through a systematic review of literature. One strain focuses on integrating diverse uses and functions within a single space, known as 'mixed-use'. The other originates from the technical complexities of megaprojects adapted to architecture and urban design. The article seeks to address a gap in the literature by clarifying the conceptual yet geographical overlaps between these two strains, which often have broad, blurred boundaries; it proposes a novel framework for defining and interpreting the related literature at this conceptual intersection.

Perceptions Of Landscape Quality In The Historic City Center Of Konya, Türkiye : A Multi-Site User Satisfaction Analysis, Ahmet Akay

NAKHARA (Journal of Environmental Design and Planning)

This study aims to assess user satisfaction regarding the landscape design of public spaces in historic city centers. The design of these spaces, particularly within the context of historic city centers, plays a pivotal role in preserving local identity and fostering harmonious living environments. The existing literature generally focuses on single areas or broader concepts, whereas this research stands out with its comparative examination of four different public spaces in the historic city center of Konya, filling a critical gap in user-oriented evaluations of landscape design in such environments. To provide a comprehensive user experience analysis, the study systematically determined …

Sustainable Construction Using Aragonite Sand From Mussel Shell Biowaste : Enhancing Building Material Development, Runda Aduldejcharas

NAKHARA (Journal of Environmental Design and Planning)

This study investigates the feasibility of using aragonite sand made from Perna viridis mussel shells as a sustainable substitute for natural sand in building materials. Growing demand for natural sand has resulted in serious environmental issues, such as habitat destruction, resource depletion, and elevated greenhouse gas emissions, driven by fast urbanization and infrastructural expansion. The goal of this project is to encourage sustainable building methods, lessen environmental deterioration, and alleviate sand scarcity by turning mussel shell biowaste into aragonite sand.  X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were among the chemical and microstructural tests used to …

Dynamics Of Landscape Transformation And Governance Of Bangkok’S Urban Waterways, Wanida Numsuk

NAKHARA (Journal of Environmental Design and Planning)

This paper critically examines the shortcomings of traditional Thai institutions in urban governance focusing on Bangkok Urban Waterways (BUW) conceptualised as dynamic and essential landscape elements. Framing BUW through the lens of ‘landscape governance’, the paper explores how institutional practices and management actions have led to erosion of cultural heritage, ineffective flood control, and the marginalisation of local communities. The research asks: To what extent does the governance of BUW contribute to these changing landscapes? To do this, the paper draws on extensive qualitative fieldwork, including interviews with government agencies, experts, practitioners, NGOs, and in-depth fieldwork with residents. The findings …

Review: The Shape Of Power: Stories Of Race And American Sculpture, Jiaying (Gloria) Dai

Art Inquiries

The Shape of Power: Stories of Race and American Sculpture, co-curated by Karen Lemmey,

Tobias Wofford, and Grace Yasumura, ambitiously asked: How does American sculpture

intersect with the history of race in the United States?1 Positioning itself as the first major survey

exhibition of American sculpture in decades, this exhibition featured 82 sculptures created by 70

artists spanning from 1792 to 2023.

Healthy Building Data Collection, Angeli N. Warren, Rania I. Abdullatif, Abigail Rhea Blackmon

SPARK Symposium Presentations

Understanding the cruciality of a Healthy Building

William Edmondson Homesite Redesign, Delaney Kelly

SPARK Symposium Presentations

A redesigned concept for a historical community park, garden, & arboretum in Nashville, TN. The new historical site should pays homage to William Edmondson and his work to create an active community space, connects the main park field with the Higher Vision Master Plan and Edgehill Neighborhood Vision, and meets community reported needs for a neighborhood space.

An Infrared Thermography Assessment For Monitoring Aging Mse Walls, Charles Lawal

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Mechanically Stabilized Earth (MSE) walls play a vital role in ensuring the stability of transportation infrastructure, yet traditional inspection techniques often struggle to detect subsurface defects and demand significant labor. This research explores the application of Infrared Thermography (IRT) as a non-destructive, cost-effective approach for inspecting MSE walls across Southeast Georgia. By capturing thermal images under diverse environmental and operational conditions, the study aims to identify potential issues, including cracks, voids, delamination, and honeycombing, which can undermine integrity over time. Utilizing advanced image processing tools, the research implements specialized software to enhance the accuracy of defect detection, facilitating the generation …

Nat Kunn And Nat Nann: Changes Of “Body Techniques” And Domestic Spaces Within The Spiritual Cult Of Myanmar, Aung Khant

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

The British colonization of Burma in 1885 marked a turning point in Myanmar’s traditional society, particularly in changes of body techniques, shikho (prostration), and the practice of wearing or removing shoes in sacred spaces. While recent scholars have examined the changes in body techniques and spiritual cult, the relationship between body techniques and domestic spaces has remained underexplored. Tracing the changes in techniques from Colonial Burma to contemporary Myanmar, this thesis explores the relationship between body techniques and domestic spaces, Nat Kunn, small shrines dedicated to specific Nats, deities, and Nat Nann, which are larger shrines for the Nat Pantheon. …