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Biophilic Design Strategies In Healthcare: Using Nature To Promote Wellness In Small-Scale Mental And Behavioral Health Facilities, Skyler Peckham

University Honors Theses

Designing spaces that promote the health and well-being of the general public has been a highly debated topic for several centuries within the disciplines of architecture, urban planning, and other similar fields. As more research has been done throughout the years, the notion of utilizing nature to promote wellness has become a prominent design strategy. Through the examination of a wide range of scholarship regarding the benefits that nature has for human health and connecting this research to the biophilic evidence-based design strategies of healthcare facilities, I aim to highlight what design aspects truly promote wellness for patients in small-scale …

Wasted Space: Using Parking Lots & Vacant Land To Improve Neighborhood Completeness, Ryan Martyn

Hatfield Graduate Journal of Public Affairs

This study conducts a spatial analysis of Portland, Oregon, focusing on leveraging underutilized areas like parking lots and vacant land—termed "wasted space"—to improve the city's completeness. Central to this investigation is the concept of a "complete neighborhood," characterized by access to daily necessities within convenient active transportation trip. This comprehensive idea encompasses walkability, equitable access to services, and sustainability.

This paper aims to redefine the concept of a complete neighborhood with precision and delve into its implications. The research looks at five regional, town, and neighborhood centers as defined by the city of Portland. These centers act as pivotal hubs …

Provisioning The 21st Century City: Community And School Gardens As Food Centers, Charleen L. Kepner

Anthós

This essay explores the potential impact of urban agriculture and community gardens as sources of education and sustainable and environmentally-sound food production. Using an analysis of case studies and academic research, I argue for the viability of community gardens and urban agriculture as educational hubs and future food production sources. I examine previous research which shows that small scale effort can make lasting impacts in communities. I argue that the research is promising as it highlights that the efforts of people in their everyday lives, can and do contribute to positive change. This essay contributes to the ongoing discussion of …

Redesigning Secure School Entry Thresholds To Create Inclusive And Welcoming Environments, Alex Yarovaya

University Honors Theses

Schools are known to have been one of the largest assets to communities, providing folks with integral resources and accessible spaces that can foster a variety of activities. Over the last decade, however, our perspective of schools has undergone significant changes. Schools have eagerly been undergoing the process of "hardening" by implementing safety and violence prevention tactics with Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) as a response to the staggering increase of gun violence incidents and safety & security issues today. Schools have been scrambling to accommodate this change in reality by retrofitting with security systems, implementing high security measures …

Leed Buildings And Green Gentrification: Portland As A Case Study, Jordan Macintosh

Dissertations and Theses

LEED certification has become highly popular in the United State under the current political climate of addressing climate change, however in the implementation of green initiatives like LEED, social and economic impacts are not being considered. "Green gentrification" through the implementation of green initiatives such as LEED can cause displacement to highly vulnerable groups of people, disproportionately dealing the environmental goods to the wealthy and the environmental bads to the low income groups.

Portland has a fairly large amount of LEED buildings, and the city and state emphasizes its goals for sustainability through the use of green initiatives such as …

Wasted Space, Ryan Martyn

Dissertations and Theses

This paper performs a spatial analysis of Portland, Oregon, with a focus on identifying and utilizing "wasted space," such as parking lots and vacant land, as strategic opportunities to enhance the completeness of the city. The planning concept of a "complete neighborhood" is defined as a locality that offers residents access to all essential aspects of daily life within a convenient walking distance. This notion encompasses elements, such as walkability, accessibility to essential services and amenities, sustainability, and equity. The objective of this study is to provide a more precise definition of the planning concept of a complete neighborhood and …

Proxies Of Design: A Case Study And Analysis Of Place And Commercial Real Estate In Seattle, Nicholas Miranda

University Honors Theses

What kinds of relationships exist between individual buildings and greater society in Seattle? Focusing on the role of design in shaping the value and desirability of commercial properties, the study examines and utilizes a large temporal and spatial dataset to test price analogs between common building attributes and metrics. By employing a hedonic pricing model, the study seeks to identify the impact of these attributes on property values and ultimately relate them to architectural and contextual design, from a micro to a macro level. The empirical findings are not necessarily novel or groundbreaking, but rather, they shed light on the …

Electric Vehicle Charging Stations And Oregon Federal Lands: A Prospective Policy Analysis, Cole P. Grisham

Hatfield Graduate Journal of Public Affairs

In 2022, the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) committed $100M towards expanding electric vehicle (EV) charging stations statewide. The policy goal is to provide EV fast-charging capacity[1] for four vehicles per station over the Interstate 5 and 84 corridors, along with the US 101, 97, 26, and 20 corridors. ODOT’s investment establishes clear statewide EV charging corridors for the traveling public, not only in the most populated corridors but also across the more rural parts of Oregon and connecting to neighboring states. In order for the travelling public to access public lands for recreation, economic, and other purposes by …

Preserving Healing: Understanding Historic Preservation Through The Lens Of Restorative Justice In Portland, Oregon, Bri Brady

University Honors Theses

This essay explores historic preservation through a lens of restorative justice focusing on community inclusion practices. Portland, Oregon serves as the case study for the research, and aims to better understand how the past examples of preservation have carried into our preservation practices today. This essay concludes with world building ideas that focus on restoring community impact and voice in preservation practices.

Reviving Knowledges Through Play And Resistance: The Case Of Navajo Conceptions Of Space, Daniel Ness, Richard D. Sawyer

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

The authors explore a possible cause of epistemicidal predispositions of the dominant Eurocentric curricula. They posit that one way to determine a plausible contributing factor of this increasing devastation is to consider epistemicide through the lens of intellectual development. To do this, the authors examine parallel patterns of behavior in the domains of developmental and cognitive psychology. The authors then discuss an alternative framework to the Western conception of space within formal K-12 education by presenting the Navajo conception of space and play. Throughout the paper, the authors argue that all students—and especially those living in poverty in commercially constructed, …

Basic Concepts Of Structural Design For Architecture Students, Anahita Khodadadi

PDXOpen: Open Educational Resources

This book aims to narrate fundamental concepts of structural design to architecture students such that they have minimum involvement with math problem-solving. Within this book, students learn about different types of loads, forces and vector addition, the concept of equilibrium, internal forces, geometrical and material properties of structural elements, and rules of thumb for estimating the proportion of some structural systems such as catenary cables and arches, trusses, and frame structures.

Please see the Open Textbook Library for faculty reviews of this textbook

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How Can Biomimicry Inform A Sustainable, Ethical Future In Architecture And Design?, Chloe Hanf

University Honors Theses

This publication traces effects of systems theory and assemblage thinking on American architecture and design since the 1960's in relation to contemporary ecological thought and biological discoveries. Building upon these observations, the author concludes that biomimicry belongs at the forefront of contemporary theory and praxis in architecture and design.

Salem-Gateway Asset-Based Community Development, Portland State University. Center For Public Interest Design, Sergio Palleroni, Todd Ferry, Kaylyn Berry, Hannah Lopez, Danette Papke, Sean Silverstein

Center for Public Interest Design Projects

The Salem-Gateway project, developed by Community Development Partners (CDP), will address the community’s need for high-quality, affordable housing. The project aspires to support an intergenerational community for all ages (CFAA) and an intercultural community. The project will be a hub for residents and the broader Salem-Gateway community by providing a large community center with robust programming. The abundant green space provides outdoor amenities and recreational opportunities at the heart of the site, echoing a Central Park sentiment to be enjoyed by residents and surrounding neighbors.

As an initiative of the Center for Public Interest Design (CPID), this report aims to …

Comparative Life Cycle Assessment Of Mass Timber And Concrete Residential Buildings: A Case Study In China, Cindy Chen, Francesca Pierobon, Susan Jones, Ian Maples, Yingchun Gong, Indroneil Ganguly

Publications, Reports and Presentations

As the population continues to grow in China’s urban settings, the building sector contributes to increasing levels of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Concrete and steel are the two most common construction materials used in China and account for 60% of the carbon emissions among all building components. Mass timber is recognized as an alternative building material to concrete and steel, characterized by better environmental performance and unique structural features. Nonetheless, research associated with mass timber buildings is still lacking in China. Quantifying the emission mitigation potentials of using mass timber in new buildings can help accelerate associated policy development and …

Facade Optimization, Brandi Barlow, Bryan Ortiz, Matt Wiste, Madeline Peck, Bora Architecture

Research-Based Design Initiative

As part of Bora’s renovation of Portland State’s Science Building One [SB1], we have been tasked with helping research how to optimize the building envelope through multiple methods, including optimizing daylighting and maximizing insulation, while staying within budget. The PSU team has worked with the BORA team to expand an existing Thermal Flux Calculator to include all four facades of the Existing condition, the Schematic Design, and an Optimized version based on our own design. This calculator is used to determine the best wall-to-glazing ratio to increase the thermal efficiency of the envelope without compromising the visual experience. We focused …

How Can Portland's Urban Landscape Better Utilize Stormwater?, Joni Frame

University Honors Theses

This thesis worked to explore stormwater management and water runoff using urban green infrastructure in Portland, Oregon. Water management systems are used to store and treat stormwater (precipitation) that runs off impervious surfaces in our built environment. Stormwater is produced by rain and other forms of precipitation that runs off impervious surfaces such as streets, parking lots, and other sites. Climate changes are projected to include more frequent and more intensive storms which can lead to extreme flood hazards, increasing the stormwater runoff. This study analyzed the context of climate change in the city of Portland, OR, to understand how …

Computational Form Exploration Of Branching Columns Using Concepts Of Formex Algebra And The Paragen Method, Peter Von Buelow, Anahita Khodadadi

School of Architecture Faculty Publication and Presentations

This study addresses the relationship between the geometry and structural performance of branching columns using an example case based on a square grid shell supported by four branching columns. The branching columns are configured with three levels of members, bifurcating into four members as each member branches upwards. A range of solutions is parametrically generated using the concepts of formex algebra and its associated software system, Formian 2.0. The form exploration uses the GAbased method, ParaGen which incorporates both quantitative structural performance and qualitative architectural considerations in the exploration process. Certain design constraints, as well as multiple objectives, are established …

St. Helens Asset-Based Community Development, Portland State University. Center For Public Interest Design, Sergio Palleroni, Todd Ferry, Athena Shepherd, Kaylyn Berry, Hannah Lopez, Sean Silverstein

Center for Public Interest Design Projects

A development of Community Development Partners (CDP) and the Northwest Housing Authority (NOHA), the St. Helens affordable housing project will address the community’s need for high-quality affordable housing, while promoting an intergenerational and intercultural community. In partnership with engAGE NW, a leading organization in intergenerational housing programming, the project also aspires to support the larger needs of the community as a whole by providing a hub for all residents of St. Helens to come together. In addition, the importance of nature and the larger theme of ecology and connection to the natural environment, acted as a framework to guide the …

Concrete Embodied Carbon Study, Maab Mohammed, Tabassum Kalam Khandoker

Research-Based Design Initiative

Generally, in concrete, cement contains a significant amount of embodied carbon. For this reason, designers are looking for different mixtures and .sources for the replacement of cement in concrete. Which can provide the optimum strength by using a minimum amount of cement.

Urban Hostility: Cpted, Hostile Architecture, And The Erasure Of Democratic Public Space, Matthew M. Carr

University Honors Theses

Free and open public space is essential to the health of urban living. In theory, it is purely neutral, acting as a social equalizer providing those of all backgrounds space to co-exist within the confines of the built environment. However, truly democratic public space has consistently been threatened and reduced in cities, affecting none more heavily than marginalized and impoverished populations. The creation of the Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design agenda gave birth to hostile architecture, a detrimental form of urban exclusionism. By using hostile design typologies, cities can render public spaces unusable to undesirable citizens, and subsequently erase images …

Two Black Utopias Of The United States: Self Determination And Survival, Makaveli Gresham

University Honors Theses

In line with Charles Davis III's assertion in regards to the formation of black space and it’s spectral qualities representing the "material conditions of black survival", two black utopian projects: Soul City, North Carolina and the unrealized work of Architects Renewal Committee in Harlem (ARCH) in New York City are analyzed to explicate to what extent that the United States built environment is compatible with "black survival". These two case studies are used to inform an understanding of the anti-black nature of Modernism and the cultural relationship between the construction of "whiteness" and "blackness" in the United States. This relationship …

Fractals As Basis For Design And Critique, John Charles Driscoll

Dissertations and Theses

The design profession is responding to the complex systems represented by architecture and planning by increasingly incorporating the power of computer technology into the design process. This represents a paradigm shift, and requires that designers rise to the challenge of both embracing modern technologies to perform increasingly sophisticated tasks without compromising their objective to create meaningful and environmentally sensitive architecture. This dissertation investigated computer-based fractal tools applied within a traditional architectural charette towards a design process with the potential to address the complex issues architects and planners face today. We developed and presented an algorithm that draws heavily from fractal …

Annual And Seasonal Variation In Hydrologic Performance Of Ecoroofs Of Multiple Depths, Portland, Or, Ashley Michelle Baker

Dissertations and Theses

It is essential that cities adopt new approaches to stormwater management in the face of changing precipitation regime. In some locations, ecoroofs have been incorporated into city plans as a stormwater control measure, and thus their real-world performance under current conditions can assist with adequate planning. In this study rainfall retention data collected during a three year period, between 2014-2017, is analyzed for 75mm and 125mm ecoroof plots in Portland, Oregon, USA. There is no difference in annual rainfall retention performance between the shallower and deeper plots. However, the 36% mean annual retention of the ecoroof plots is a significant …

Architectural Stewardship: Exploring Interpretation Architecture Through The Lens Of The Visitor, Graham A. Oden

University Honors Theses

This undergraduate thesis investigates the experiential impact of interpretation architecture in the natural setting, specifically through the lens of its users. The need for this study arose when visitors were not approached or included to be part of the design process or studies in the renovation of Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve's Visitor Center. The only visitor related information used by the contracted firm was ten year old demographic and quantitative studies provided by the NPS. This gap of knowledge was then addressed by the proactive engagement of visitors in a design workshop ranger program at the park. …

Fractal Dimension As Objective Function In A Genetic Algorithm For Application In Architectural Design, John Charles Driscoll

Systems Science Friday Noon Seminar Series

One of the goals of The Green New Deal Resolution reads, “upgrading all existing buildings in the United States and building new buildings to achieve maximal energy efficiency, water efficiency, safety, affordability, comfort, and durability, including through electrification.”

How can this realistically be done given the sheer number of buildings in the United States? This presents a ‘wicked’ problem that calls out for a systems approach. This is also, in essence, a design problem. As data scientists we are used to using models to analyze data but there is another aspect to these models that can be used not to …

Systems Thinking As A Design Process, Elizabeth Lockwood

Systems Science Friday Noon Seminar Series

During my master’s degree I analyzed sustainable practices in the built environment. What came from that work was a deep level of understanding that the current practices and rating systems appeared to be technical approaches to a larger system at play. I realized I have a gift to see hidden connections and find links between systems. Currently I use systems mapping as part of the design process to unearth the hidden elements in a system. I believe it is important to understand where designers, clients and stakeholders can insert themselves into a system. Part of this understanding is having empathy …

Exploring The Cultural And Infrastructural Impacts Of Consumerism On The New Cuba, Grace Stainback

Hatfield Graduate Journal of Public Affairs

This paper seeks to explore how a shifting economic model and an increasing influx of U.S. tourism, customs, and products will impact consumerism and waste in Cuba. The paper begins by charting the rise of an unwitting conservationist culture among Cubans, built out of necessity as a response to Castro-era economic hardships. This is followed by a discussion of recent Cuban economic reforms and the rise of tourism, private enterprise and material luxury in Cuba. For the emerging autonomous economic class who have shouldered decades of scarcity, the social and economic values of consumerism far outweigh any perceived environmental cost. …

Cascadian Terrace Apartments Community Engagement Report, Portland State University. Center For Public Interest Design, Sergio Palleroni, Todd Ferry, Danette Papke, Damini Rathi, Paula Carder, Aliza Tuttle

Center for Public Interest Design Projects

This report is the culmination of an interdisciplinary collaboration between Community Development Partners (CDP), the Center for Public Interest Design (CPID), Salazar Architect and OHSU-PSU School of Public Health documenting the resident engagement events, action research and design efforts at Cascadian Terrace Apartments. CDP acquired the property in 2015 with the intention of performing a complete renovation. CDP asked CPID to assist in the process using an Asset Based Community Development approach, engaging the residents and surrounding neighborhood, in order to define the scope of rehabilitation that is currently underway. Findings and recommendations focus on improvements to the community areas …

Rock Creek Middle School Daylighting Analysis: Existing And Proposed Spaces, Razieh Hosseini Nezhod, Ashley Mcdaniel-Harpster, Sergio Palleroni, David Posada, Rosemary Hill, Bora Architects

Research-Based Design Initiative

Bora is starting design work on a conversion of Rock Creek Middle School (completed by BORA in 2010) into a high school. This conversion was always envisioned and will soon become a reality. The project will double the size of the existing school, with additional structure being added lo most sides and even the roof of one wing. The will impact existing daylight access in various ways that we'd like to understand better. The goal of this research project is to help us understand existing daylight conditions in areas that will be impacted by proposed additions, leading to informed design …

Skylight Design Optimization, Robert Wilson, Sarut Choothian, Srg Partnership

Research-Based Design Initiative

The Gonzaga Integrated Science and Engineering Building is a 65,471 SF building set for completion in 2018. Located at a critical intersection between disciplines, and with a bridge to the existing PACCAR building, this new endeavor offers the opportunity for true multidisciplinary interaction. The focus of this research affects a critical area of the program. Specifically, to provide natural light to interior spaces located within this zone of interaction.

In order to foster the type of interpersonal connections that this new center hopes to facilitate, attanding to user comfort becomes a primary focus of utmost importance. Well implimented daylighting has …