Digital Commons Network^™

Conversations That Matter : Discerning And Responding To Prevenient Grace In Evangelistic Practice Among Australian Nazarenes, Richard H. Giesken

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Life & Death: How Adaptive Reuse Can Reimagine Dying Malls & Their Role In Their Communities, Kennedy Grant

Architecture Theses

Across the US, many malls have been left vacant due to widespread decline, leaving valuable urban land underutilized. This is not a liability, but an opportunity to adaptively reuse these sites and transform them into community hubs. Through research into the history of malls in the US, the current state of retail, theories of place, adaptive reuse strategies and case studies, five principles of adaptive reuse were derived to guide the design. The results of my research suggest that connection to the context, diverse program, community, sustainability, and human centered design can make former malls vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable parts …

Right Up Your Alley: Integrating Affordable Housing And Walkable Infrastructure To Revitalize Denver's Neighborhoods, Mason Anchondo

Architecture Theses

This thesis examines how existing single-family neighborhoods in Denver, Colorado can be transformed into more walkable, socially connected, and affordable communities by reactivating the city’s underutilized mid-block alleyways. Through policy analysis, GIS-based spatial research, and on-site neighborhood observation, the study identifies opportunities to introduce accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and pedestrian-oriented design strategies that improve connectivity and housing diversity without displacing existing residents. A multi-scalar site selection process ultimately focuses on the Barnum and West Barnum neighborhoods, where intact alley networks and demographic conditions support a replicable framework for gentle density. Informed by case studies and interdisciplinary research on walkability, human-scale …

Beyond Home And Child Care Centers: Reimagining Affordable Child Care Through Pod Design In East Grand Forks, Minnesota, Kassidy Allard

Architecture Theses

Due to rising operational costs, increasing regulatory pressures, and a steady decline in home-based providers, Minnesota is facing a child care shortage. In turn, the state has adopted community-based family child care, or pod model. A majority of the existing facilities are retrofitted spaces that neglect essential design considerations affecting the daily experiences of children and the well-being of the child care provider. This project explores how architectural design can strengthen and reimagine the emerging pod model by creating an affordable facility designed to prioritize daylight, spatial flexibility, comfort, and safety. This research aims to create a shared environment where …

Fields Of Home: Dignified Housing Design For Migrant Farmworkers In Rural North Dakota And Rural Minnesota, Kenady Slominski

Architecture Theses

Migrant agricultural workers are often faced with challenges regarding their housing. These housing conditions lack privacy, permanence, and a connection to the community. Existing solutions tend to prioritize efficiency and cost over the emotional, social, and cultural needs of residents. Therefore, the existing solutions are unable to create a sense of dignity. Additionally, there is limited regional research addressing migrant worker housing conditions in Minnesota and North Dakota specifically.

This project explores how architectural design can improve living conditions through a focus on dignity and community integration. The proposed development consists of duplex homes in one- and two-bedroom units with …

Bridging The Urban Moat In Downtown Fargo: Downtown Riverfront Reconnection, Haitham Al Nemri

Architecture Theses

Downtown Fargo is the city's cultural and economic hub, but it is currently constrained by a lack of riverfront activation and an outdated limited variety of building typologies and uses along the eastern downtown edge. The main issue is the lack of a clear physical connection bridging the infrastructure that cuts the civic core off from the Red River. This thesis tackles this problem by proposing a "Reconnection Framework" that combines reusing existing infrastructure, adapting to the harsh "Winter City" climate, and adding mid-scale residential housing, to expand housing options in Fargo downtown. The design proposal transforms the downtown riverfront, …

Cold Climate Urban Riverfront Development: Using People-First Design To Connect Fargo's Downtown To The River, Jade Biewer

Architecture Theses

This thesis examines the intersection of urban design, riverfront development, and cold climate design to establish a framework for a mixed-use riverfront project in Fargo’s Downtown. By synthesizing theories on public space revitalization, key considerations in waterfront development and research on climatic responses for cold weather cities, this research identifies key principles to support year-round urban life along the riverfront. By using downtown Fargo and the Red River as a reference this research synthesizes knowledge on these subjects in order to work towards creating a design proposal for an urban riverfront development prioritizing outdoor space, year-round use, resiliency, and a …

Curating Sense-Of-Place In Residential Development: The Development Of A Strategy For Residential Construction, Ryan Anthony Calhoun

Architecture Theses

This thesis addresses the dual-faceted United States housing crisis, characterized by economic inaccessibility and a deteriorating sense-of-place due to urban sprawl and homogenous tract housing. The research investigates how architectural intervention can create a profound sense-of-place within the contemporary residential landscape despite escalating construction costs. By synthesizing phenomenology, housing economics, and urban planning, the study develops a new residential construction stratagem. This strategy utilizes social, economic, and ecological optimizations, such as shared liminal spaces, mass customization, and vernacular design, to foster community and identity. The research culminates in the design of "Prairie Haven,” a 174-lot medium-density neighborhood in Forest Lake, …

Life Beyond Architecture, Mauro Benvenutto

Architecture Theses

This thesis argues that the loss of public life in many contemporary American cities cannot be explained by architecture alone. While placeless, standardized, and emotionally thin architecture remains an important symptom of the problem, the deeper condition is urban: cities and neighborhoods have been reorganized around the private automobile, separated land uses, oversized parking fields, high-speed commercial corridors, and development models that prioritize convenience and efficiency over human scale. The result is an environment where people technically have access to buildings, sidewalks, shops, and roads, but often lack meaningful freedom of choice. Walking, biking, transit, lingering, and informal social life …

Redefining An Icon: Stadium Integration Into The Urban Center To Promote Community Engagement, Culture, And Identity In Dallas, Texas, Brandon Lee Peterson

Architecture Theses

This thesis is an exploration into how stadium design can foster community engagement, cultural identity, and urban vibrancy in the United States. While many American stadiums often remain isolated from the urban fabric, located on city outskirts or suburbs and used solely for events, European models demonstrate the value of walkable, accessible, and integrated stadiums within mixed-use neighborhoods. Through a multidisciplinary review of urban design theory, economic factors, and programming needs, this research highlights the limitations of current U.S. stadium developments, such as issues of accessibility and underutilized public investment. Using a proposed downtown Dallas soccer stadium, the thesis offers …

The Phenomenology Of Home: Exploring The Interlinked Relationships Between Dwelling And Domestic Architecture, George Martin Grunklee

Architecture Theses

This thesis explores the concept of home from a phenomenological perspective to inform a communication method and design process for domestic architecture. While “home” holds multiple meanings, this study traces the phenomenological relation between human’s embedded existence and place—to understand home as a condition shaped by the lived experiences of its inhabitants. The aim of this thesis is to understand how the design of domestic architecture is intrinsically linked to dwelling and to the accumulation of lived experiences.

The thesis critically engages phenomenology in architectural practice by exploring case studies which exhibit and foster the concept of home. Frank Lloyd …

Designing For Neurodivergent Learning In Early Education, Brooklyn Wegner

Architecture Theses

This architectural thesis explores the redesign of a 4K-4th-grade school to foster an inclusive, safe, and supportive learning environment for neurodivergent learners. Recognizing that traditional classrooms and makeshift special education spaces fail to meet diverse student needs, this research analyzes the learning processes associated with ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, Dyspraxia, and Dyscalculia. By integrating Montessori and Erikson’s pedagogical theories, the study advocates for universal and flexible design frameworks. The primary outcome of this project is a proposed classroom module and comprehensive school redesign in Osceola, Wisconsin, focused on five key environmental elements: colors, lighting, acoustics, textures, and zoning. …

Farming The Future: Urbanizing The Naturhus For Small Scale Food Cultivation, Madysen Brooke Rath

Architecture Theses

Modern urban centers face the pressures of rapidly rising populations and food insecurity, leaving a landscape of “urban voids”-underutilized lots that remain dormant and unproductive. While the Naturhus typology offers a potential solution for symbiotic, glass-encased green living and food production in rural settings, it has yet to be adapted as a viable infill solution for the American urban grid. This thesis investigates the potential for urbanizing the Naturhus concept by reinterpreting a row-house typology as an infill strategy to create “greenhouse villages,” where residents actively participate in their own food production. It focuses on the cold-climate urban fabric of …

Wellness Through Architecture: Connecting Nordic Wellness Traditions With Architecture To Promote Human Well-Being, Morgan Mae Klimpel

Architecture Theses

In society, the need for spaces that promote wellbeing has become increasingly pressing. Modern lifestyles are often defined by constant stimulation and high stress, leaving us with limited opportunities to truly recharge. Since architecture is the framework for how we experience the built environment, it plays a critical role in shaping our mental, physical, and emotional health. The historic Lutsen Lodge site currently sits undeveloped after being destroyed by a fire in February 2024. Representing a key extension of the Lutsen Resort, this location embodies a long-standing tradition of hospitality and the unique cultural heritage of the North Shore. This …

Re-Barn: Adaptive Barn Reuse As A Model For Aging In Place And Multigenerational Living On A Rural North Dakota Farmstead, Jared Eggermont

Architecture Theses

Across rural landscapes, agricultural buildings are increasingly left vacant as farming practices evolve, while a growing senior population remains in homes ill-equipped to support aging, often facing challenges with daily needs, health, and social connection as younger generations leave for urban areas. These underutilized farmsteads present an opportunity to support multigenerational living through the reuse of existing structures, allowing families to remain rooted while adapting to changing needs. This thesis explores how rethinking agricultural buildings can sustain social and physical continuity, drawing on research into adaptive reuse, aging in place, multigenerational households, and rural living. It proposes design strategies on …

The Esplanade Memory Pavilion: Reconstructing Collective Memory Through Architecture, Isabelle Johannah Binder

Architecture Theses

This thesis investigates architecture as a medium for reconstructing memory through the assembly of spatial, social, and temporal fragments. Sited on Fiedler Field along the Boston Esplanade, the project proposes a memorial and community music space that resists singular narratives, embracing incompleteness as intrinsic to collective memory. The site operates as both a literal and conceptual field where dispersed histories and experiences are brought into relation.

The architecture emerges through aggregation rather than imposition, organizing fragments into moments of compression and release, light and shadow, sound and silence. Circulation forms a narrative sequence, guiding visitors through spaces of reflection, gathering, …

Cultivating Wellness Through Architecture: A Community-Focused Approach, Olivia Marie Haakonson

Architecture Theses

This thesis addresses the deficit of nature-integrated, accessible public wellness infrastructure in the United States, often threatened by the commercialization of wellness and harsh winter conditions in northern climates. Through an analysis of global wellness rituals, “Winter City” design strategies, the importance of social infrastructure and “third places”, the health benefits of nature, and urban policy logistics, this research culminates in a design framework to recenter holistic health in the public realm. This project integrates architectural interventions, programmatic activation strategies, and urban policy recommendations to create a holistic, accessible, and nature-integrated building to serve as a hub for urban activity.

Reminiscing: Architectural Impressions That Last, Ryann Vetsch

Architecture Theses

This research explores the relatively unknown intersection of human memory and architectural design to determine the characteristics of a memorable place. Through synthesis of psychological literature on memory and architectural theory, in conjunction with case study analysis, a “Hypothetical Memorability Network" was established. Within this network, five psychological characteristics act in sequence to provide the necessary tools for creating a long-term episodic memory: attention, emotion, place, meaning, and story.

These psychological characteristics were developed into a Memorable Design Framework to be used as a guide to creating memorable architectural projects. Testing the design framework, the research found is applied to …

A Translation Of Culture, Dinithi Warnakula

Architecture Theses

This thesis explores the processes of shared occupation, layering and translation in architecture as a means of cultural cohabitation. Located on the Keating Channel waterfront in Toronto, the project explores themes of migration, shifting identities and communal life in an urban context. The thesis, beginning with the theories of Vilém Flusser and Daniel Heller-Roazen, addresses translation as linguistic and geographical condition. The layered Sinhala, Tamil and English characters produce an artefact that throws dynamic shadows that interact with the physical architecture through tiered thresholds, framed views and filtered light conditions. This created cultural commons, spaces for everyday interaction, narration, socialisation …

From Steel To Sanctuary: Rethinking Sustainable Architecture Through Passive Design, Trent O'Neill

Architecture Theses

Architects, innovators, and the entire construction industry continue to push the newest, most expensive, high-tech solutions to problems that technology itself has caused. The broader public, however, seems to have little interest or support in investing in such endeavors. From Steel to Sanctuary presents a different solution, one with roots thousands of years in the making. Sustainable design is not a new way of thinking. Our ancestors had subsisted as active participants, rather than simply as a spectator to nature for millennia before the rise of the technological age. Today, we coin the strategies they employed as ‘passive’ architecture; Systems …

Fragments Of Civic Life: Reviving Public Life In The Abandoned Mall, Diego Valle

Architecture Theses

This thesis investigates adaptive reuse as a method for reviving public life within contemporary American cities through the transformation of abandoned commercial architecture into civic space. Using Hawthorne Plaza Mall as the primary case study, the project examines how the decline of the shopping mall reflects the broader disappearance of third places and informal environments of collective gathering. Grounded in the writings of Ray Oldenburg, Walter Benjamin, Federica Goffi, Marco Frascari, and Alberto Perez Gomez, the thesis interprets the abandoned mall as both a cultural artifact and a spatial framework capable of supporting new forms of participation, encounter, and communal …

How Architecture Can Support Anishinaabe Cultural Identity, Dakota Davis

Architecture Theses

This thesis investigates how architecture can support Anishinaabe cultural identity through The Gathering House, a living cultural infrastructure for the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa context. The project responds to cultural disconnection, preservation through separation, restricted access to knowledge, and the absence of a persistent public cultural gathering space. Through research, storytelling, fragment studies, artefact work, precedent analysis, and architectural translation, the thesis develops a spatial framework where culture is practiced rather than only displayed. The final proposal is organized around the approach, the process of descent, and three programmatic realms: Material Making and Memory, Ceremony, and Recorded History. Together, …

Roots In Timber, Tate Dawson Runge

Architecture Theses

This thesis investigates how mass timber construction can serve as a low-carbon framework for developing attainable, mid-scale “missing-middle” housing integrated with meaningful urban greenery. Contemporary cities face dual challenges: limited affordable housing options and reduced access to nature, both of which impact community well-being and environmental resilience. By examining mass timber systems such as CLT and glulam alongside green infrastructure strategies, including planted terraces, courtyards, vegetated facades, and indoor botanical spaces, the research explores how these elements can be combined into cohesive, replicable housing prototypes. Precedents and literature on timber construction, biophilic design, and urban development inform the project’s design …

The Oasis: Decompression For Urban Living, Gabrielle Moede

Architecture Theses

The modern metropolis has evolved into a landscape of sensory bombardment, where chronic noise and visual clutter trigger a state of constant psychological strain for its inhabitants. Despite the density of these environments, there remains a critical deficiency in intentional architectural interventions that offer accessible, high-impact relief from urban alienation. This project challenges the convention of water as a decorative feature, instead re-engineering it into an active therapeutic tool designed to trigger specific restorative neurological responses. By meticulously layering the auditory, tactile, and visual properties of aqueous elements, the design creates a sequenced sensory journey that transitions from urban chaos …

August Heart, Jack Weber

Architecture Theses

This paper is a showcase on combining traditional, literary storytelling and architecture. Traditional being writing a book, and architecture being the pencil and paper. Many ideas go into crafting a narrative, this one in particular will use concepts from utopia, climate change, political papers, worldbuilding, and more. Here is a sneak peek of what is to come.

The year is 2407, humanity’s high heat producing industries have taken to the skies. Many people have moved with their work and are now living on Earth’s Haven Ring. On paper, Haven looks like a utopia, but in reality, it is an illusion. …

The Architecture Of Water Consciousness: Revealing Water, Culture, And Dwelling In Phoenix, Arizona, Luke Wendel

Architecture Theses

In the desert, water has always shaped how people dwell, build, gather, and survive. In Phoenix, Arizona, this relationship has become increasingly hidden behind canals, infrastructure, policy, and control. The river that once supported settlement is now often dry, and water is understood more as a managed resource than a visible presence in daily life. A reimagining is needed, as the future of desert cities depends not only on conserving water, but on changing how people experience and value it. Can architecture reveal water as something seen, felt, remembered, and shared? Located along the Rio Salado, this thesis proposes a …

Creative Placemaking: Using Makerspace Infrastructure To Support Circular Communities, Grace Dejong

Architecture Theses

This thesis investigates how makerspaces can function as critical social and economic infrastructure within processes of urban regeneration, particularly in post-industrial contexts. Drawing from creative placemaking scholarship, and quantitative and qualitative data on entrepreneurship and making cultures, the research examines making as both a cultural practice and an economic catalyst. Centered on a vacant industrial infill site, the project explores how spaces for production, learning, and gathering can support creative labor, small-scale manufacturing, and community resilience. By bridging societal issues with architectural application, the thesis addresses gaps between discussions of creativity, sustainability, and their spatial implementation. Through an integrated program …

Renewal: Connecting The University Campus To Improve Student Success, Micah L. Wood

Architecture Theses

The modern university increasingly faces many challenges such as competition to get and maintain students, relevance in a digital world and beyond. But what if we take a deeper look into how the built environment influences and has potential to improve student success. To do this, we must understand one of the main reasons campuses still exist beyond education, which is community. Most things that can be achieved from a university could be received in a digital format, but human connection is increasingly important. It is important to realize that, through the built environment, we can help empower campus communities. …

Cycles Of Work And Shelter: Adaptive Architecture For The Rhythms Of Rural Labor, Gabriel Ketcham

Architecture Theses

This thesis explores temporary modular housing as a flexible, context-driven solution for North Dakota’s rural agricultural communities. As a land grant university, North Dakota State University carries a mission to address state needs, yet many small farming towns face growing challenges in providing seasonal and affordable housing for agricultural workers. By examining regional farm labor patterns, harvest seasonality, and construction logistics, this project proposes a modular housing system adaptable to various rural conditions. The design emphasizes mobility, adaptability, and durability, enabling North Dakota’s farming communities to reduce operational costs, minimize worker transportation demands, and lower carbon impacts associated with daily …

Adaptive Reuse At The Hmongtown Marketplace: Using Food As An Agent For Gathering Through A Closed-Loop Circular Food System, Sulia Sheng Lee

Architecture Theses

This thesis explores the built environment through social and architectural lenses: examining how food connects communities, particularly ethnic and diasporic groups like the Hmong, and how adaptive interventions can create spaces that foster closed-loop food systems.

Research into the Hmong diasporic journey has shown that growing, making, and sharing food has been a central aspect to the community. The Hmong community's food assimilation in the United States has replaced traditional agrarian lifestyles with reliance on local American grocery stores. These stores operate within linear "take, make, use, waste" systems that disconnect consumers from food origins. However, spaces like the HmongTown …