Architecture Commons^™

The Reality Of Aging In Rural Kenya, Kim Van Drunen

Interior Design Capstones

Kenya’s elderly population is growing, but access to professional eldercare is still limited, especially in rural areas. Most retirement homes and care facilities are in urban centers, leaving many rural communities without reliable support for older adults. This capstone project focuses on designing an Outreach Center for Elder Support in rural Kenya to improve access to healthcare, community services, and social activities. The goal of this project is to create a safe, comfortable, and easy-to-use environment for older adults. The design uses human-centered principles with clear layouts, wide circulation paths, accessible restrooms, and comfortable seating. Spaces such as waiting areas, …

Redesigning The Welcome, Lauren Ogrin

Interior Design Capstones

Airports serve as the first and last impression of a city, yet they are often remembered by stress, sensory overload, and a lack of cultural representation. This project explores how storytelling can be intentionally integrated into airport design to improve the overall human experience and create a more meaningful sense of welcome. Through the frameworks of user-centered inquiry, phenomenology, and narrative design, this research examines how materials, spatial sequences, sensory cues, and cultural narratives can influence traveler emotions, cognitive clarity, and feelings of belonging. By understanding how people move through and interpret transitional public spaces, this project proposes design strategies …

Process, Place, And People: A Study Of Contemporary Land Art And Environmental Awareness, Lauren Wright

Landscape Architecture Undergraduate Honors Theses

This capstone investigates how land art can evolve within contemporary environmental, cultural, and educational contexts. The research addresses the issue that much historical land art, while innovative, often lacked ecological accountability, public accessibility, and environmental integration. Through precedent analysis, literature review, and site-based field observation, this study evaluates selected works in the United States and the United Kingdom using a framework focused on site specificity, ecological sensitivity, materiality, construction process, cultural relevance, public engagement, aesthetic value, and longevity. Photographic documentation and annotation were used to translate on-site experiences into comparative analysis. The results reveal that successful contemporary land art prioritizes …

Federal Government Shutdowns And Gateway Communities: Impacts On Businesses, Communities, And Workers’ Perceptions And Attitudes, Dean W. Zakrzewski

Landscape Architecture Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study aims to answer a presented gap in the literature on how gateway community workers and businesses are directly impacted by federal government shutdowns. Three gateway communities were selected as case-study communities for this research based on a set list of criteria, including size, proximity to urban centers, geographic context, and the prominence of their associated park. The selected communities are Bar Harbor, Maine; Estes Park, Colorado; and Moab, Utah. Community profiles were drafted for each community to understand them from a contextual level, including the breakdown of their workforce and other general descriptions of their communities. A combinational …

Collage To Wallcovering: A Method To Sustain Memory In Memory Care Facilities, Mikala Sexton

Interior Design Undergraduate Honors Theses

As the aging population continues to grow, dementia and Alzheimer's have become increasingly relevant in healthcare. In the United States, memory care facilities, focusing on medical attention, often lack humane design, leaving the interiors to feel sterile and detached. This study explores collage as a method for developing a systematic approach to interior finishes of memory care facilities, specifically wallcoverings, making design accessible to memory care facilities while supporting the memory function of its residents.

This project utilizes qualitative and image-based methods, along with interviews, to inform the production of a collage and wallcovering. By analyzing pieces from a collage, …

Domain-Specific Design On Fpga And Npu For Scientific Computing And On-Device Llm Inference, Miaoxiang Yu

All Dissertations

High-performance computing (HPC) is changing rapidly as scientific simulations and large language model (LLM) workloads push the need for higher performance under tight power and memory constraints. Conventional platforms such as CPUs and GPUs accelerate computation through instruction-driven parallelism, relying on multithreading, SIMD, and SIMT execution, but increasingly encounter scalability limits imposed by the power and memory walls. In contrast, Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) and Neural Processing Units (NPUs) offer a high-efficiency alternative through dataflow-oriented architectures that exploit deep pipelining and customized memory hierarchies to reduce data movement. However, the performance potential of these spatial accelerators remains largely unrealized when …

Adaptability From Tv & Film Into Theatre | The Subversion Inspiration In Celia’S Identity Versatility Throughout William Shakespeare’S As You Like It, Emani White

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the inspiration of adaptability skills, pivoting from television and film into theatre, and the potential of unconventional pathways as a catalyst for reconciling anti-traditionalism within the mediums. It offers insight into the obstacles, segues, and adversities faced during the journey of a former athlete turned television and film actor, and into a theatre actor. It illuminates agency as a subversive identity (the disguise), the sacrifice of status, and the need for an emotional anchor of resilience—acknowledging the systemic transitional barriers in performance, career, and education. The paper also discusses the understandings gained from my journey as an …

Is Design A Form Of Caregiving?, Sidney Jordan

Interior Design Capstones

This thesis challenges the traditional hierarchy of clinical architecture, which historically prioritizes patient outcomes while overlooking the practitioner’s human experience. By investigating whether environmental design can act as a form of caregiving, this research addresses the critical gap between the physiological demands of healthcare labor and the holistic needs of the people performing it. The project argues that burnout is not just a result of high-stakes medicine, but is actively produced by physical layouts and a workplace culture that treats providers as parts of a machine rather than valued individuals. The methodological framework utilizes a tri-layered approach to bridge the …

Designing For Emotion: Reframing The Design Of Cancer Care Environments Through A Cinematic Lens, Alexis Booher

Interior Design Capstones

This capstone explores how cinematic design principles and techniques can inform interior design to shape spaces that support emotional well-being and human connection. Focusing on cancer care spaces, the project addresses the inherently emotional nature of these environments, where emotional impact is often underemphasized in traditional healthcare design, highlighting a critical gap this project aims to address. Drawing from cinema and environmental psychology, this project analyzes how film constructs emotional experiences through visual techniques and translates these principles into the built environment in order to prioritize emotionally supportive design within cancer care spaces. The outcome demonstrates the potential of reframing …

Design For Death, Serena Domsic

Interior Design Capstones

Although cemeteries are the eternal final resting places for countless souls, the design and purpose of burial grounds are often rudimentary and their impact has turned obsolete throughout the years. Cemeteries have become forgotten in the community landscape and are perceived as sinister and morbid through the eyes of modern American culture. Because encounters with death have dwindled for most of the population, many people ignore developing their beliefs about death and how to cope with loss until they are in the midst of emotional distress. This capstone project proposes an enhanced cemetery design that engages the community so individuals …

Unity In Design: Life As An Immigrant In The Built Environment, Julia Sainz

Interior Design Capstones

In the United States, Latinx immigrant communities often face social and systemic challenges that contribute to heightened levels of stress, anxiety, and displacement. While the built environment plays a critical role in shaping emotional and social well-being, architectural and interior design practices frequently overlook the lived experiences and cultural identities of these populations. This study explores how culturally responsive and participatory design strategies can foster safety, access, and empowerment for Latinx immigrants. By examining the intersection of migration, identity, and the built environment, this project proposes design as a tool for community resilience, cultural expression, and holistic well-being.

Where Do We Go: Rethinking Public Libraries, Emma Jouppi

Interior Design Capstones

The purpose of this study is to examine the factors contributing to the decline in public library visits and to identify practical strategies for increasing community engagement with library spaces. Public libraries have long served as accessible, inclusive environments for learning, technology access, and social connection. However, recent years have shown a decline in visitation, raising important questions about public perception, awareness, and accessibility. This research seeks to better understand how these factors intersect and what can be done to strengthen the role of libraries as vital third spaces within their communities.

This study aims to bridge the gap between …

Spring 2026 Title Of Blueprints For The Mind: How The Design Of Public Built Environment Impacts The Mental Health Of Youth, Faith Holton

Interior Design Capstones

Blueprints for the Mind investigates how public built environments influence the mental health of youth, with attention to rising rates of anxiety, depression. Through a multidisciplinary approach bridging environmental psychology, public health, interior architecture, and usercentered design, this project identifies the environmental factors shaping young people’s emotional well-being. Findings reveal that sensory conditions such as lighting, acoustics, layout, materiality, and predictability directly affect youth comfort, focus, and emotional regulation. Field research with students (ages 13–15) and an expert interview with licensed social worker Carmen Ortega-Cline further demonstrate that overstimulating, crowded, or unclear environments heighten stress, while semi-private, naturally lit, and …

Through The Lens Of Zoology, Madalyn Haun

Interior Design Capstones

Current zoo and sanctuary models often fail to meet the complex psychological, behavioral, and spatial needs of endangered and rehabilitated wildlife, resulting in chronic stress and welfare compromises. Beyond the Cage presents a transformation approach to zoological design, shifting the paradigm from entertainment-based displays to a “welfare-first” philosophy. This book argues that effective captive care requires expansive, species-appropriate habitats that facilitate natural behaviors, rather than merely simulating natural aesthetics. Through the lens of modern zoology, this work explores the implementation of groundbreaking exhibit re-creation, focusing on habitat enlargement, precise climate change control, and innovative environmental enrichment. A central pillar of …

Designing Across Generations: Bridging The Gap Through Ecclesiastical Architecture, Aurora Thompson

Interior Design Capstones

The purpose of this capstone project is to develop an intergenerational worship environment that reinforces a sense of unity and harmony among the generations through intentional design strategies. This work addresses the widening generational gap within religious communities and responds to the growing departure of younger generations who often feel unseen or disconnected within traditional church settings. By integrating generational preferences into the architectural and experiential components of the worship space, the project seeks to create an environment where all age groups feel represented, valued, and spiritually engaged. Situated within the context of increasing religious disaffiliation, this project highlights the …

The Log Cabin | Public Perception And Mediated Reality (1840 – 1980), Aspen M. Regan

Architecture Undergraduate Honors Theses

This capstone examines the evolution of the log cabin from 1840 to 1980. At its core, the project questions the legacy of the log cabin from its origins as simply being a traditional dwelling typology to its establishment as a cultural icon or rather, an enduring vessel that established the American Dream and ideals of self-reliance, freedom, and individualism deep within the heart of American culture.

Chapter One situates the log cabin historically and architecturally, defining the popular frontier dwelling as being a single-pen horizontal log constructed cabin. It then explores the cabin’s emergence as a cultural image through political …

An Analysis Of The Effects Of Traditional Shou Sugi Ban On The Physical And Aesthetic Properties Of Different Wood Species For Outdoor Seating, Kenleigh R. Embrey

Architecture Undergraduate Honors Theses

This project explores the traditional Japanese technique of Shou Sugi Ban, examining how different wood species respond to charring in terms of durability, aesthetics, and material behavior. By combining research with hands-on experimentation, the study identifies the most resilient and visually effective wood species. The findings are applied to the design and construction of an outdoor seat that embodies the spirit of Japanese design, emphasizing simplicity, natural materials, craftsmanship, and harmony between form and function while demonstrating how traditional craft can inform sustainable and durable furniture.

How Do Community Gardens Contribute To A Thriving National Park City: A Case Study Of Chattanooga, Tennessee, Ansley B. Barry

Honors Theses

On April 3, 2025, Chattanooga, Tennessee became the first National Park City (NPC) in North America. With a long, industrial history, Chattanooga has made quite the pivot from being widely renowned for its low air quality and particulate pollution to being recognized as the Best Outdoor City in the US by Outdoor magazine. The goals emphasized by the National Park City campaign are creating a city-wide common interest of community-led sustainability efforts. While the initiative highlights many important initiatives to make the city more sustainable and resilient, community gardens are noticeably left out of the conversation. This paper argues that …

Measuring Urban Space: A Spatial Framework For Transit Stop Siting, Michael R. Leiting

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

Urban investment projects, particularly those related to transit infrastructure, are often evaluated through quantitative metrics that emphasize economic output, proximity, and development potential. While these measures provide useful benchmarks, they offer limited insight into the spatial conditions that shape how environments are structured, navigated, and occupied at the human scale. As a result, sites that appear comparable through conventional metrics may produce fundamentally different spatial experiences.

This thesis develops a drawing-based framework for evaluating spatial conditions across multiple urban sites. Four primary conditions, Urban Form, Threshold, Mobility, and Public Realm, are analyzed through standardized drawings and translated into corresponding indices. …

After Antiquity: Between Preservation And Disappearance, Elizabeth Pernicek

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

This thesis investigates how architectural remnants evolve from sacred or civic monuments into global spectacles and how these transformations reveal the relationship between architecture, power (be it political or otherwise), and cultural memory and significance. Through studying cycles of sacredness, destruction, and spectacle, this thesis explores architecture’s role as a living record of cultural transformation.

This thesis proposes that architectural remnants do not passively exist after their moment of rupture, but are actively shaped through systems of preservation, authority, and cultural framing. While remnants appear to operate as historical artifacts, they are in fact continuously rewritten through intervention, restoration, and …

City, Janina Butz

Theses and Dissertations

Janina Butz observes the improvised support structures holding New York City together at its edges. Looking at the found, cheap materials, spray painted, rusty, drilled, sawed, and haphazardly welded together on the sidewalk. The hard clashes of cheap material and expensive real estate lead Butz to draw a bigger picture of the fraud seams our society is tied together with.

A Fine Arts Program For No. 1 Chase Manhattan Plaza, Paul Richert-Garcia

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis reads Chase Manhattan's 1959 art program as a reconstitution of ornament. The spatial and affective work historically performed by murals, carved stone, and mosaic was now performed by collecting—contemporary art, ethnographic holdings, folk art—deployed by committee across a corporate modernist master plan stripped of the handcraft tradition.

Affective Perception Of Color In Classroom Design, Emmalyn Burns

Interior Design Undergraduate Honors Theses

The physical environment of a classroom plays a crucial role in shaping how students learn, engage, and interact with their education. This study focuses on color’s influence on well-being, focus, and overall academic experience. Many higher education classrooms still rely on a standard that implements neutral colors, which does not always align with student preferences. While prior research has shown that color can have measurable cognitive and emotional effects, its thoughtful application in university settings remains limited. Current architectural design processes often overlook ongoing user-based feedback past the pre-design phase, leaving students without input on the decisions for their learning …

Mineral King Cabin Roof Rennovation, Leilani G. Lau

Architectural Engineering

This project explored performance-based design by analyzing and redesigning the roof for a cabin built in the 1950s and located in Mineral King Valley in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, California. The Sierra Nevada Mountains experience heavy amounts of snow during the winter season. In the winter, the cabin is unoccupied, so the performance objective was collapse prevention, rather than life safety. Since the performance objective focused on collapse prevention at a time when the building was unoccupied, the probability of failure did not need to be low, so safety factors were omitted. This approach required deeper understanding of the code …

Demographic Patterns In The Aesthetic Acceptance Of Building-Integrated Photovoltaics In Apartment Housing: Implications For Solar Energy Design And Policy, Jenan Abu Qadourah, Saba Alnusairat, Rund Hiyasat

All Works

This study examines how demographic and socioeconomic characteristics shape the aesthetic perception of building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) in apartment housing. A survey of 418 respondents was conducted using visual scenarios showing PV integrated into rooftops, facades, balconies, and windows. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Scheffé post hoc tests, multiple regression, and thematic analysis of open-ended responses. The results indicate that aesthetic responses to BIPV are not uniform across user groups. Younger respondents, participants with higher educational attainment, and respondents working in energy or technical fields tended to be more receptive to certain …

A Machine Learning Framework For Early-Stage Cost Estimation Of Transportation Projects, Pritom Paul

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

To address the limitations of traditional planning-level cost estimating methods, such as reliance on statewide averages, heavy reliance on engineering judgment, and high levels of inaccuracy, this study developed two data-driven frameworks and corresponding tools. The first framework focused on resurfacing projects and used treatment-specific simple linear regression based on lane miles and geographic location. The second addressed a broader group of construction projects and used multiple linear regression with project length, route type, and right-of-way cost as key predictors. In both frameworks, the final estimates are computed by aggregating multiple estimates produced by county-, region-, and state-level models. The …

The Practice Of Inclusion: Indigenous Knowledge And Ethical Design, Kate E. Van Der Zalm

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Indigenous Knowledge is a cumulative body of practices and beliefs developed by Indigenous communities through generations of interaction with the natural environment. This knowledge offers valuable insights for caring for the land in sustainable and respectful ways but is not fully considered in modern planning and design practices. This research examines how Indigenous Knowledge is currently understood and used within landscape planning and design firms in British Columbia, Canada. Using a combination of existing research and interviews with design professionals and Indigenous participants, the study explores where Indigenous Knowledge is being applied, where challenges exist, and what opportunities remain for …

The Carolina Rain Porch: A Southern Vernacular Considered, Jackson M. Dent

All Theses

The “rain porch,” also known as the “Carolina porch,” is a distinctive vernacular porch type concentrated in South Carolina’s Pee Dee region and sporadically found in neighboring states. Despite its strong regional identity, the form has received little sustained scholarly attention. This thesis presents a comprehensive study of the rain porch, examining its origins, chronology, geographic distribution, and architectural variation. Defined by an extended porch roof supported by free-standing columns set forward of porch deck, the rain porch represents a purposeful environmental adaptation within nineteenth-century domestic architecture. The research integrates archival sources, National Register of Historic Places survey data, mapping, …

The Dam Plan Matters: Proactive Policy And Nature-Based Solutions For Deliberate Dam Removal, Leah Kaisner

All Theses

Throughout the United States, the dam infrastructure is aging out of their lifespan. This increases risk of loss of life and property, particularly with dam failure. Dam aging necessitates proactive planning methods is needed to prepare communities for dam removal effects rather than responding to failure disasters. This thesis studies how city planners and local officials can use nature-based solutions, river restoration, and resilient policy tools to prepare for upstream dam removal. I created a Dam Removal Preparedness (DRP) Framework for integrating nature-based solutions, resilient policy, and restoration methods and used it as a scoring system to assess community plans’ …

Moon Adaptive Technology For Extraterrestrial Architectural Robotics (Matear), Candela Noemi Solis Zampini

Theses and Dissertations

The Moon Adaptive Technology for Extraterrestrial Architectural Robotics (MATEAR) focuses on the development of an autonomous robotic system capable of providing structural building blocks directly from lunar regolith. As a sustained human presence on the Moon becomes a necessity, the costly and limited payload capacity associated with transporting construction goods from Earth creates a critical challenge. MATEAR addresses this problem through in-situ resource utilization (ISRU), integrating a regolith processing system onto a remote operated vehicle. The proposed system is designed to collect lunar dust, mechanically compact the material, and apply thermal treatment to enhance cohesion through sintering. These regolith-made bricks …