Architecture Commons^™

The Curia Julia: Its History, Materials, Use, And Preservation Through The Centuries, Katharine Bogen

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

The Curia Julia has one of the most fascinating histories out of all the buildings in Rome. Julius Caesar began its construction in 44 BCE in the Forum Romanum as the meeting place for the Roman Senate, and it continued to serve as such until the eventual fall of the Roman Empire. Today, the building stands almost completely intact, a feat that is not common for other structures of the same period. The reason why it has remained standing for so many centuries is due to its history of use: it was transformed into a church in the 7th century …

Coded Ceramics: Computational Design Of Persian Ceramics, Nasrin Iravani

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This research explores the use of computer-aided technology and robotics in the creation of digital art and crafts, while also considering the cultural history of digital design. It begins with an examination of the most recognizable styles of Persian ewers made between the years 1,000 and 1,400 AD in the Islamic era. After analyzing a hundred ewers from this period, I classified them based on distinctive features such as openings, necks, bodies, spouts, handles, and bases. Then I designed a series of 3D printed ceramic vessels – titled Coded Ceramics – that were inspired by elements of the historic ewers. …

Turning Green: Envisioning A Sustainable Future For Bowling Green, Kiana Fitzpatrick

Honors Projects

This project examines how smaller cities and communities can become more sustainable.

Women's Healthcare In Kenya, Anne Szymanski

Student Research Symposium

Research on the current healthcare that women have access to in Kenya and how the design of a facility can solve problems.

Haven Women's Shelter: Interior Design Promoting Equality, Safety, And Comfort, Sierra Martineau

Student Research Symposium

The objective of this project was to develop a concept that would not only enhance accessibility for occupants of a women’s shelter, but also create an environment where interior design fosters healing and comfort for its residents. The space was designed to cater not only to women but also their children and pets, offering all necessary facilities to meet the residents’ needs within the shelter’s premises.To create this vision, included in the space is a comprehensive set of amenities, including a therapy room with an onsite therapist, a medical room staffed by a qualified registered nurse, a daycare area for …

Dignity And Functionality In Affordable Housing Design, Olivia Wallentine

Student Research Symposium

The cost of housing across the United States is becoming a major issue that seems to be spiraling quickly out of control. The percentage of Americans who report that the availability of affordable housing is a major problem in their community is rising quickly, and it is becoming much more difficult for young adults to buy a home than in previous generations. The inability to afford housing, or anything beyond housing, has severe consequences across society. These include but are not limited to poverty, homelessness, poor public health, economic decline, population decline, high crime rates, and low education rates.Affordable housing …

Villanueva Community Garden Center: Green Building Design For Low-Income Communities, Landry Cazier

Student Research Symposium

Located in Villanueva, New Mexico, this LEED-certified community garden center is designed to be a place for the community to flourish. Designed to aid the community’s low-income and harsh environment, this garden center provides a place for residents to garden. Constructed from rammed earth, this structure implements a sustainable design that is both good for the environment and its surrounding economy.

2023- The Twenty-Seventh Annual Symposium Of Student Scholars

Symposium of Student Scholars Program Books

The full program book from the Twenty-seventh Annual Symposium of Student Scholars, held on April 18-21, 2023. Includes abstracts from the presentations and posters.

Traumas Effect On Children’S Development, Spatial Design As Intervention: The Role Of Interior Design In Supporting Children With Trauma, Brooke Slater

Capstone Projects

After facing trauma, young children react emotionally, physically, and mentally in efforts to protect themselves from past or present trauma that they have faced. Young children may not always be able to recognize that the dangers they once went through are roots of trauma that have not been correctly addressed within their life. These roots may now be the result of uncontrollable behaviors, emotions, and reactions. After analyzing the lack of resources some families and children may have, a space that is uniquely catered to the children who are facing or have faced trauma that provides balanced schedules, particularly focused …

Patient Centered, Kiara Bartlett

Capstone Projects

It is inevitable to adapt uneasy feelings leading up to and during a doctor's appointment. The question is why do humans feel this? Research indicates that many medical offices and appointment spaces are designed for employee efficiency, rather that patient experience. This sheds light on the fact that there is a disconnect between provider needs and patient needs in this important, shared space.

Regardless of the type of offices, from general practice to dermatology, every physician office and appointment space have common spatial and operation needs. All healthcare offices need the same type of circulation that creates ease while moving …

Inclusive/Exclusive, Sophia Shettler

Capstone Projects

Throughout history, inclusivity and exclusivity were both common in all areas of society. Inclusive civilizations like Mesopotamia laid the groundwork for an inclusive society where women and men were nearly equal, getting to own land, file for divorce, and own their own businesses¹. However, the societies within Mesopotamia soon broke off into smaller communities¹, the previous equality dwindled as civilizations formed across the world. As time went on, inclusion was revived. In the United States specifically, slavery was abolished², women were granted the right to vote³, same-sex marriage was legalized4, and so …

Virginia’S Lost History: Analyzing Delisted Historical Sites For Future Preservation Efforts, Caleigh Waddell

Spring Showcase for Research and Creative Inquiry

Important historical sites typically get entered into the Virginia Historic Registry, and currently, there are over 3,100 locally and/or federally registered places. 58 sites have been delisted - this project attempts to answer questions regarding why they were removed as they spatially relate to one another and the state regions they lie in. This will identify common problems to historic sites, thus guiding solutions for future preservation.

Adaptive Reuse Of Frosty Morn, Veronika Kalugina, Rebecca Tonguis, Heidi Gabriel, Peyton Kauffman

[Archive] Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

Frosty Morn, a former meat packing facility in Clarksville, TN, is now abandoned, dilapidated, and partially demolished. The site sits within the Red River District neighborhood, which consists of a diverse community of artists. The Red River District has been identified by the Clarksville Mayor’s Office as an area with potential for growth, catalyzed by repurposing the Frosty Morn building as an icon and beacon of the community. Highest and best use research, in addition to community voices, indicated programmatic needs of a farmer’s market, makerspaces, small business incubators, park space, and live/work units. Our presentation will describe how this …

In The Air 2023, Students Of Risd, Risd Archives

All Student Newspapers

In the Air was a community-based photography and poetry zine that was designed to reflect student experiences and build community across majors on campus. The first and only issue is divided into four chapters that contain creative writing and student artwork: To Be in Love, School(ed), Observations, and Life.

Gentrifying While Black: Exploring The Concept Of An African Homeland Through Gentrification In Accra, Ghana, Amaya Davis

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

No abstract provided.

V.1 Spring 2023, Center For Arts & Language, Students Of Risd, Risd Archives

All Student Newspapers

v.1 is a publishing platform for the ongoing work, ideas, discussions, debates, and aspirations of students at the Rhode Island School of Design. The Spring 2023 issue contains articles on storytelling, mapmaking, the instagram account @tihngs, a reception at the RISD Museum for artist Adam Silverman, the Battambang Market, technological transcendence, fairy tales and Kara Walker, artistic processes of grad students, David Hammons' piece Rock Head, developments in higher education, a platform used by a THAD class, and other student creative writing.

Seeking Identity In The Built Environment The Impact Of Latinx Culture Centers On College Campuses, Nancy Munoz

Capstone Projects

When students move to college for the first time, they are faced with challenges of adjustment and acclimating to a new environment. For Latinx students, these challenges are amplified. Many Latinx students are first-generation college students, meaning neither of their parents attended or obtained a bachelor’s degree from a four-year institution. This causes a ripple in the experiences these students face as they were given little guidance on how to navigate college.

They are leaving behind a culture they shared with friends and family. This culture is full of cuisines, music, and cultural traditions. For many this is the first …

Traveling With A Purpose, Nina Rossman

Capstone Projects

The act of traveling is often seen as exciting for many travelers looking for adventure or to experience something different than their everyday routines. However, many current tourism trends force negative burdens onto local communities and environments. For instance, when development increases consumption in an area where natural resources are scarce to begin with, it can put pressure on those resources. There is a certain level of visitor use that an environment can manage; negative impacts occur when the changes in visitor use exceed this limit.

While tourist destinations experience negative impacts from the tourism industry, tourism also supports the …

Making Nature Accessible: Building An Accessible Wellness Retreat Within Nature For People With Physical Disabilities And Their Communities, Jenna Morell

Capstone Projects

Nature impacts our lives in such a way that it can be incredibly detrimental to our health and wellbeing to be away from nature (1). Nature helps us heal faster, relax more, and just generally lead a more well-rounded life (2). It provides an opportunity to feel the sun on our face, breathe fresh air, and get the exercise we need. When deprived of these experiences, our bodies truly suffer (1). People with physical mobility limitations suffer from mental health issues at a much higher rate (3), this issue is often exacerbated by the fact that much of the built …

Connections Through Contrast The Built Environment Embracing Art Exhibition, Josilyn Welch

Capstone Projects

An emotionally immersive experience within a museum setting can foster feelings of belonging, engagement, exploration, understanding and connection. Providing an environment where empathetic immersion can be achieved through physical, psychological, and social enablers lead to transformative experiences for the visitor. To promote physical, psychological, and social enablers within the museum setting to promote empathetic immersion within its visitors, this museum will consider the following strategies:

Physical Enablers: The museum space will address physical enablers by including environmental features such as diverse opportunities for seating, immersive lighting techniques, and curated finish selections for individual exhibit spaces as well as interactive displays …

Robert X House Collection, Dan Bonenberger, Brooke Boyst, Franklin Haywood, Carrie Malas, Jaclyn Panter, Ian Tomashik, Laura Waskiwicz, Taylor Williams, Austin Martin

Digital Heritage Preservation Collection

This collection examines the Robert X House at 18827 Keystone Street in Detroit, Michigan, a significant site in the history of the Nation of Islam and the broader narrative of Black empowerment and civil rights in mid-20th century America. Originally built in 1951 as a modest Federal Housing Administration (FHA) minimum ranch-style home, the property was purchased by Robert Davenport (later known as Robert X), an influential leader in the Nation of Islam. The house became a hub for religious instruction, community-building, and activism.

Robert X, a former boxer and musician, became a prominent figure in Detroit’s Nation of Islam …

Embedding Virtual Reality In Architectural Pedagogy: Instructionism Versus Constructionism Approach, Marwa Charkas, Kareem S. Galal

Architecture and Planning Journal (APJ)

As more related to the typology of architectural pedagogy, Instructionism and Constructionism theories are used to make more advancement in this domain. They are concerned with the role of both instructor and learner within the outline of a well structured pedagogical framework (education system). However, the developments in information technology and its imprints on all life aspects have profoundly influenced this system. Architecture pedagogy -as in many other domains- is now radically affected by information technology (IT) developments. Virtual reality is one of the leading applications of IT in architecture.

This paper is concerned with embedding virtual reality in architectural …

Determinants And Outcomes Of Urban Land Use Succession - Case Study Of Upper Hill, Nairobi, Elizabeth M.K. Nguah, Owiti A. K'Akumu, Mary Kimani

Architecture and Planning Journal (APJ)

This paper is based on a PHD research carried out to explore Urban Land Use Succession (ULUS) that is driven by private actors financed by local or global capital, referred to as property-led urban redevelopment. ULUS is manifested in indicators like land values, height of buildings, and migration. Its motive is profit taking contrasting it from ULUS that is driven by public and public-private partnerships (PPPs). ULUS has helped reimage cities, but in some cases, it has resulted in negative consequences such as pressure on existing infrastructure and patchwork land use patterns. A case study of Upper Hill is used …

Augmenting Landmarks: Extending “Places” In The Hybrid City, Mohab N. Moustafa, Shaimaa S. Ashour, Ramy A. Bakir

Architecture and Planning Journal (APJ)

Several recent technological advancements are substantially altering how we interact with urban spaces. The existing physical space as we know it now encompasses a plethora of emerging realities into which we shift in and out, resulting in what is called Hybrid Spaces. Augmented Reality (AR) today gives way to forms of hybrid realities that are accessible through our handheld devices, and which allow us to engage with our physical reality in a new way. These devices allow us to access and view digital information that is saturating our urban spaces, and yet appear invisible to the naked eye. When this …

The Virtuality Of Intelligent Cities - The Road To Hybridizing Our New Cities, Fatma A. Farrag, Heba Allah E. Khalil

Architecture and Planning Journal (APJ)

The incorporation IoT into our social systems and the digitization of our everyday life has become the new norm for societies worldwide. This study posits that digitization should apply to our cities as well. The digital aspect of technology is not always tangible – even in the figurative sense of grasping a concept – and its allure lies in this virtual aspect. That is the starting point of discussion in this paper – the virtuality of intelligent cities, the intangible forces that make these new cities smart, and how said forces can be incorporated to create new smart hybrid cities …

Gamification In Urban Planning - Experiencing The Future City, Suedanur Özden, Esra Arslantürk, Mehmet Senem, İmdat As

Architecture and Planning Journal (APJ)

Virtual Reality (VR) systems have been commonly used in the game and entertainment industries and are also increasingly explored in architecture and urban planning. They assist designers to communicate design ideas to a wider public and can engage them in the design processes. In this paper, we explore gaming environments to allow users to learn about smart city applications, such as innovative mobility approaches, urban farming, drone delivery, etc. The project is part of a real-world project for a future city for 50,000 inhabitants in the European side of Istanbul, Turkey. VR technologies can offer a testing ground for testing …

Mindful Space In Sentences - A Dataset Of Virtual Emotions For Natural Language Classification, Han Tu, Chunfeng Yang

Architecture and Planning Journal (APJ)

Spatial emotions have played a critical role in visual-spatial environmental assessment, which can be assessed using bio-sensors and language description. However, information on virtual spatial emotion assessment with objective emotion labels and natural language processing (NLP) is insufficient in literature. Thus, designers’ ability to assess spatial design quantitatively and cost effectively is limited before the design is finalized. This research measures the emotions expressed using electroencephalograms (EEGs) and descriptions in virtual reality (VR) spaces with different parameters. First, 26 subjects experienced 10 designed virtual spaces with a VR headset (Quest 2 device) corresponding to the different space parameters of shape, …

Simulating Human Senses To Improve Thermal Comfort, Ahmed Marey, Nihal Alsabbagh

Architecture and Planning Journal (APJ)

Between the synergies of environmental perception and technological advancement evolves the parallel world of the metaverse. Evolutionary virtuality intends to aid humanity in envisioning the threatened future of cities under environmental risks through tailored features. Traditionally, the sense of sight – which is the focus of virtual reality – has dominated the architectural practice. However, architects and urban designers have begun incorporating other senses into their work over the recent decade. The expanding understanding of the multimodal nature of the human mind that has evolved from cognitive neuroscience research has received little attention so far in the architecture field. This …

Augmented Masonry Design - A Design Method Using Augmented Reality (Ar) For Customized Bricklaying Design Algorithms, Yang Song, Asterios Agkathidis, Richard Koeck

Architecture and Planning Journal (APJ)

The Augmented Masonry Design project presents experimental research about developing and applying Augmented Reality (AR) technology for customized design algorithms, exploring a real-time, interactive, and spatial-free design method for the early architectural design stage. We aim to resolve the current 2D-based design limitations and provide architects with a 3D-4D immersive perception in AR for a practical and easy-to-use design method. Furthermore, with reference to the Covid-19 pandemic, we propose that this method could break through site accessibility and constraints by breaking the barriers of physical space. Towards this aim, we apply the Augmented Masonry Design into two prototypes: a) user …

An Evaluation Of Augmented Reality-Based User Interfaces In The Design Process, Feyza Nur Koçer Özgün, Sema Alaçam

Architecture and Planning Journal (APJ)

The aim of this study is to evaluate the user interfaces that reflect different interaction layers in the context of Augmented Reality technology. Depending on the physical characteristics of human interaction with the computer, these layers were examined under four sections: Graphical User Interface (GUI), Tangible User Interface (TUI), Natural User Interface (NUI) and Spatial User Interface (SUI). In this context, a proposed Augmented Reality application interface has been developed to bridge the physical and digital environment. The use of AR-based applications in the design process provided a basis for evaluating the user interface in these interaction layers. In future …