Architecture Commons^™

Real-Time Adaptable Residential Kitchen: A Plug-In Standard, Rachel Fuelberth

Masters in Architecture Program: Theses

This thesis looks at how a real-time adaptable standard could be put in place within the modern kitchen to allow for equitable use of the space by numerous members of the household and their differing physical characteristics. The residential kitchen is a fundamentally exclusionary architectural construction designed around able-bodied, average-height adults. This excludes children, the elderly, anyone outside of the average height, and people with mobility differences. The kitchen has never been a place of equity. It has been designed to be used by an average-height female, and it does not account for the discomfort of those outside this norm. …

Quantifying The Value Of Adaptability: Bridging Real Options Analysis And Adaptable Building Design, Miranda Grice

All Dissertations

As the demands of the built environment continually evolve, buildings are expected to meet changing occupancy needs, or otherwise they become obsolete. Despite positive research on the benefits of adaptable building design, there is a knowledge gap regarding the long-term economic benefits of these designs. Practical methods are needed to determine if premium costs associated with adaptable designs are justified by the economic benefits inherent in adaptability. Therefore, this dissertation provides a discussion on the application of the financial theory of options analysis to the design of adaptable buildings. Additionally, a model and accompanying tool are presented as a solution …

“The St. Louis Flat:” A Typological Study Of The Characteristics And Distribution Of Four-Family Flats In Greater St. Louis, Camden Maggard

St. Louis Publications

The four-family flat is a multi-family housing type that consists of four residential units in a double-stacked arrangement. These buildings are one of the most common multi-family housing types in the United States. While the four-family building type is present in multiple cities, these buildings are uniquely characteristic of the St. Louis region. In a 1920 report on housing, the St. Louis City Plan Commission wrote that “slightly less than 50 per cent of the housing” in the city consisted of two- and four-family buildings by the late 1910s, building types that were “popularly known in other cities as ‘The …

Tribute To The Dead Is Honor To The Living: Uncovering The Evolution Of Funerary Monuments In Black Cemeteries Throughout Charleston, Sc, Lorena Garrod

All Theses

Black burial grounds throughout Charleston have long been understudied, and their funerary architecture even less so. Within the City of Charleston’s Urban Growth Boundary, many undocumented Black cemeteries are threatened by development. Previous scholarship is scant, as these sites have gone without dedicated research for many years. As awareness of their historical significance grows, attempts are being made to document and understand Black burial grounds, both within the context of Charleston, but more so within the context of the descendant communities these burial grounds serve. To this end, this research asked the question, “What material and formal shifts can be …

Using Non-Invasive Metal Detecting, Ground-Penetrating Radar, And Light Detection And Ranging Surveys To Locate Non-Extant Structures On A Plantation In Charleston County, South Carolina, Thompson Mccormick Teasdale

All Theses

Many historic sites across the United States including plantations such as those in the South Carolina Lowcountry are increasingly at risk of development pressures, environmental changes, and the general loss of more ephemeral buildings associated with these sites. There is a growing preservation need to understand these more ephemeral buildings, especially their connection to enslaved individuals. However, with so many having been lost already or in the process of deteriorating, this area of study is increasingly becoming the purview of archaeologists who can study non-extant examples. Traditional methods of archaeological survey such as open-area excavations and shovel tests are not …

An Appalachian Approach To Urban Flooding In South Carolina, North Carolina, And Kentucky, Boyce A. Clardy Iii

All Theses

Urban flooding poses an ever-growing threat to the built environment worldwide, as it is the leading natural hazard contributing to fatalities globally. Planners stand in a unique position to produce plans and policies that reflect and combat this threat, yet the capacity and obligation to do so varies considerably depending on where a community sits within the broader legislative and institutional landscape. This thesis focuses on the Southeastern subregion of Appalachia, a part of the United States characterized by mountainous terrain, steep foothills, and narrow valley communities. This region was chosen as much attention in the broader literature is focused …

A Qualitative Analysis Of Ramp Metering Implementation: Lessons Learned From The West Coast Of The United States, Sydney Ford

All Theses

This study evaluates how ramp meters, traffic lights installed on highway on-ramps, are used to reduce traffic on the West Coast of the United States, specifically in California, Oregon, and Washington. This research was conducted to better understand how ramp meters are planned and implemented, and to help government agencies manage traffic effectively without adding new highway lanes.

This study reviewed 129 public documents from federal, state, and local agencies to evaluate public involvement in ramp metering planning, concerns about the meters, costs and funding for the meters, and the meters’ design and implementation.

Demolition By Intent: Evaluating Charleston's Red X Placard Procedures, Enforcement Practices, And Communication Methods In The Loss Of Historic Structures, Jessica Stech

All Theses

This thesis examines whether the procedures, enforcement practices, and communication methods associated with the placement of Red X placards in Charleston, South Carolina, contribute to the demolition-by-intent of historic structures. Red X placards, also known as unsafe placards, are placed on the front façade of structurally unsafe structures by the Charleston Fire Department to inform first responders in the event of a fire or other emergency. Although these placards serve as a life-safety tool, they may influence how vacant structures are perceived by family or developer owners and the public.

Through using a qualitative approach, this thesis analyzes the outcomes …

Rainbow Row: Tourism, Color, And The Making Of A Civic Icon, 1930s – 1960s, Samantha E. Threlkeld

All Theses

This thesis investigates the emergence of Rainbow Row in Charleston, South Carolina, as a civic and tourism icon through an integrated analysis of visual culture, preservation governance, and material evidence. While Rainbow Row has become one of the most recognizable images of Charleston’s historic district, the chronology and cultural mechanisms through which its colorful façades were produced, interpreted, and disseminated have remained largely unstudied. This study addresses the primary research question: How Rainbow Row’s painted façades were leveraged in marketing and tourism narratives between the 1930s and the 1960s, and what those representations reveal about the construction of Charleston’s civic …

The British Are Coming; Effects Of The American Revolution On Charlestonian’S Importation Of Furnishings, 1765-1800, Summer B. Henry

All Theses

On the eve of the American Revolution Charleston’s ties to Great Britain, particularly London, were far greater than any other colonial city in America. Charlestonians of means traveled to the ‘mother country’ with frequency, sent their sons to be educated there, and were highly influenced by what was fashionable in London, for both home and person.

This study looks at what effects the American Revolution had on Charlestonians importation of furnishings and material goods beginning in 1765 as anti-British sentiment began to take hold in America, through 1800, a time when Charleston was rebuilding going into the Federal era. The …

A Cultural Landscape Analysis Of Early Twentieth Century Plantation Based Golf Courses In The Charleston Metropolitan Area, Thomas A. Darrah

All Theses

When Belvidere Golf Links was established along the banks of the Cooper River in 1901, golf began to blossom in the Charleston Metropolitan area. The early-twentieth century was an era of growth for golf in the region, which took advantage of former plantation landscapes for the further expansion of leisure activities. This thesis examines how these once agrarian landscapes were transformed into some of Charleston’s finest golf courses. To establish the history of what was lost and altered on each landscape, archival research was done to unearth historic, photographs, maps, and plats. Together these sources were organized to document and …

Building Services Engineering March/April 2026

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

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 …

Empowering Sustainable Household Waste Management Through Rubbin: App-Based Transactions Using Google Maps Api And Qr Code Recognition, H.A. Danang Rimbawa, Muhammad Abditya Arghanie, Muhammad Rey Renoult, Dea Dwi Ananda

Smart City

The Digitization of environmentally friendly technology must be applied to advance smart cities. Waste management carried out conventionally often causes irregularities in the classification data collection, difficulties in accessing information related to garbage collection schedules, and a lack of transaction history information, which causes a decrease in the quality of waste collection. The development of functional application features is urgently needed as a container for proper waste management. The Rubbin App has been created, which implements Google Maps API for route optimization and waste mapping, QR code recognition using Enhanced Adaptive Median Filter, and private chat for clients and collectors …

Platforms Of Exemption (For New Relations) Within Suburbia And Other Consolidating Hegemonies, Ayden Pritchard

Honors Theses

Theory is a mode of action that opens up revisionary spaces in the world. By voicing complexity and ambivalence in a situation, disembodied patterns are put in contact with compliant, unclaimed material, and they gain a foothold within the established structures of the present. This paper seeks to sketch the lines of influence that govern association and perception in suburbia, and to speculate the kinds of spaces where new relations between people who are normally segregated can occur. The information presented here hopes to join the reservoir of patterns that structure your everyday theoretical (revisionary) activity, to make changes possible …

Lingering Space: Stillness As Animation In Cinematic Architecture, Caecilia Srikanti Wijayaputri

ARSNET

Lingering space appears incompatible with the cinematic. It neither advances nor transforms, resisting narrative progression and formal resolution. This paper, however, argues that the space that lingers constitutes a distinct cinematic condition within architecture. Challenging the assumption that animation depends on movement, the study examines how suspended, non-assembled spatial configurations sustain structural adjacency without consolidating into enclosure. The analysis is based on a practice-led photographic study of a furniture workshop, where wooden components, unfinished frames, tools, and material residues remain in partial states of assembly. Through a series of still images organised as analytical grids, the paper examines how repetition, …

The Staging Grounds Of Architecture, Kristanti Dewi Paramita

ARSNET

The articles in this edition of ARSNET offer various design explorations that investigate the idea of staging as the creative grounds of architecture. This edition discusses different design inquiries that aim to redefine the act and spatiality of staging, beyond the context of a space for performance. Explorations elaborated in this edition outline alternative design approaches, which focuses on the dynamic curation of spaces and celebrates the unscripted and unintentionality of its experiences. Such approaches range from the utilisation of various representation techniques to reveal the multidimensionality of architecture, construction of spatial experiences that juxtaposes and connect spaces dynamically, and …

Liquid Modernity Off-Modernity: A Pop-Up Interior In The Middle Of Nowhere, Ayman Kassem

ARSNET

This visual essay examines the pop-up desert café as a contemporary interior condition shaped by mobility, reversibility, and performative occupation. Framed through Bauman’s (2000) liquid modernity and Branzi’s (2002) diffuse modernity, it argues that temporary desert setups are not informal exceptions but design responses to unstable, event-based ways of living. The essay reads the pop-up as a hybrid interior-exterior assemblage, where carpets, furniture, lighting, signage, and social rituals produce atmosphere and collective presence. Using collages on photography taken by the author-co-created with architect Moustafa Abdulwahed—as a method, the visual essay journey moves from photographic observation to extraction and speculative recomposition, …

Slide And Share: Rethinking Soho In Adaptability, Temporality, And Flexibility, Bramasta Putra Redyantanu

ARSNET

This paper proposes a transformative spatial design strategy within the context of Small Office/Home Office (SOHO), a dwelling type that merges live and work functions. Responding to the challenges of limited urban land and evolving work-life patterns, the proposed design introduces spatial configurations that adapt to multiple domestic and professional needs. Using a qualitative research-through-design methodology, the study explores how architectural elements can support hybrid inhabitation. The design framework focuses on three interrelated concepts: adaptability as a form of spatial and modular negotiation; temporality as the integration of time into spatial logic; and flexibility, enabled through sliding walls and transformable …

Mapping The Evolution Of Knowledge-Driven Design Framework, Resza Riskiyanto, Arnis Rochma Harani

ARSNET

This study examines the generation of theoretical and practical knowledge in the evolution of design frameworks. Current discourse views design practice as an intuitive process rather than a knowledge-driven one. This study argues that theory as design knowledge informs practice, and knowledge generated from a reflective design practice informs possibilities of theoretical propositions. This article focuses on examining the flows of knowledge that underlines the evolution of pattern-based, force-based, and concept-based design frameworks within the architectural discourses from the year 1400 to 2020. Rather than focusing on the duality of theory and practice in architectural knowledge, the study emphasises the …

Capturing Nature As An Indirect Curing Strategy Of Salutogenic Architecture, Fasya Abelleia Ivanka, Rini Suryantini, Paramita Atmodiwirjo

ARSNET

This paper explores indirect curing as a spatial strategy for designing a restorative environment within the context of salutogenic architecture. Current healthcare practices support recovery mainly through direct medicinal approaches to cure ailments, with more focus on being sterile and creating isolation. The study argues that the process of indirect curing can also be implemented through architectural interventions by focusing on the integration of nature as restorative objects and healthcare settings that can aid the recovery process. This study qualitatively explores the capturing nature as an indirect curing strategy through examining four case studies of health care spaces. Based on …

Mapping The Void In Electric Vehicle (Ev) Adoption Research: Uncovering Lack Of Socio-Economic Study In The Global South, Satvik Pandey, Rahul Tiwari, Rajat Soni

Mansoura Engineering Journal

Electric Vehicles (EVs) are considered an effective contemporary alternative to Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles. Research in the domain of EV is being conducted globally across a variety of fields; among them, our study explored research on consumer adoption. Going through the bibliometric analysis of the data taken from the Scopus database, what came to our attention is the minimal amount of work that is done on understanding consumers of EVs. From the literature, we found that consumer preferences are shaped through the influence of several parameters related to EVs, and this influence varies according to the consumer’s socio-economic and …

Forget-Me-Not: Facilitating Social Vibrancy In Spaces Designed For Alzheimer's Disease, Torilyn Mossner

Honors Theses

The objective of this capstone project is to create a foundation for vibrant community interactions and connections that support those living with Alzheimer’s disease, their loved ones, and the broader members of the community through interior design. This work is relevant because Alzheimer’s disease affects 1 in 9 people over the age of sixty-five worldwide. Without a cure, as people continue to age, there is going to be a constant need for development of care. Additionally, design should go a step further than healthy living and begin to prioritize creating a vibrant life and community integration for those living with …

Assessing Awareness, Understanding And Adoption Of Smart Buildings In Algeria: From Architects’ Perspectives, Asma Aribi, Karima Anouche

Iraqi Journal of Architecture and Planning

In recent years, smart buildings have been revolutionizing the construction industry through their potential to enhance energy efficiency, improve occupant comfort and safety, and promote sustainability in the built environment. Nevertheless, despite growing adoption in developed countries, implementation in developing nations, particularly Algeria, remains limited. A major barrier is the lack of awareness among architects regarding the benefits and technical aspects of these systems. This study aims to evaluate Algerian architects’ awareness and understanding of smart buildings. A mixed-methods approach was applied, beginning with a literature review to establish the theoretical framework, followed by a quantitative survey involving 134 practicing …

The Role Of Synergy Index On The People Interaction Inside The City Of Djelfa By Using Space Syntax Technique, Brahim Ahmed, Khalfallah Boudjemaa

Iraqi Journal of Architecture and Planning

Algerian cities in general, and the city of Djelfa in particular, are witnessing significant demographic growth and rapid spatial expansion, which has resulted in the emergence of new neighborhoods somewhat far from the historical city center, which is saturated with commercial and service activities. The research aims to identify whether visitors can meet residents outside the old city center, the level of interaction between them, and the most appealing areas for this interaction, which could develop into secondary commercial zones that alleviate pressure on the city center. We utilized the spatial syntax technique to measure these interactions by modeling the …

Study Of The Durability Of Mozabite Vernacular Architecture In Its Current State Through The Principle Of Contextualisation: Case Study Of The Beni-Isguen Ksar, Ghardaïa, Algeria, Samia Ouaal, Karima Anouche

Iraqi Journal of Architecture and Planning

The study aims to assess how current Mozabite vernacular houses fit into their spatio-temporal context, focusing on the Beni-Isguen ksar in Ghardaïa, Algeria. Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Mozabite architecture once embodied ecological and sustainable housing, perfectly adapted to its environment. However, transformations intended to ensure durability have raised questions about contextualization, a core principle in sustainable development. Using a multi-method approach—comprising fieldwork, interviews, photographs, and observations of architecture and lifestyle—the study examined contextualization through a multidimensional grid that encompassed physical, environmental, social, cultural, economic, and historical aspects. Results indicate that while these dwellings preserve strong physical, cultural, …

The Role Of Functional Diversity In Urban Synergy For Placemaking In Urban Centers, Noor Hassan Khudhir, Sally Fakhry Khalaf

Iraqi Journal of Architecture and Planning

Achieving urban synergy within the urban fabric is essential for building vibrant and efficient cities. Through its functional and spatial dimensions, urban synergy enhances the dynamism of urban centers and strengthens placemaking—the process of transforming ordinary spaces into lively, human-centered environments that integrate functional, social, and spatial needs. The concept of urban synergy emerged as a response to rapid urbanization, which has eroded the identity and functionality of many city centers. Understanding the relationship between urban synergy and placemaking is therefore crucial for developing integrated urban environments. This study examines how functional diversity within the urban structure influences urban synergy …

Socio-Spatial Interactions And Place Attachment: Towards Sustaining Traditional Shopping Areas, Ibrahim Abdallah Shinbira

Iraqi Journal of Architecture and Planning

This research examines how behavioral tendencies contribute to a sense of attachment to place in the historic shopping district of Misurata City, Libya. With urban growth transforming Misurata, preserving a deep connection to traditional zones presents a challenge. This study aims to identify elements that impact place attachment and suggests methods for improving urban environments. The research uses a qualitative methodology, integrating semi-structured interviews with 22 lifelong residents alongside systematic field observations to study behavioral tendencies, spatial interactions, and sociocultural factors. Major findings reveal that enhancing walkability and infrastructure, confronting cultural practices that create user separation, and safeguarding historic features …

Photogrammetry As A Technology For Preserving Architectural Heritage: An Applied Study Of The Al-Maqam Mosque In Basra, Armin Sarkis Markaryan, Farah Thiab, Hamed H. Samir

Iraqi Journal of Architecture and Planning

Many countries aim to preserve their cultural heritage, encompassing both tangible and intangible aspects. This is achieved through various techniques, including digital methods, to record and document heritage buildings. One of the most prominent and widely used techniques is Photogrammetry, which is used for both three-dimensional and two-dimensional levels. Numerous studies have explored this technique and discussed its application to various types of buildings, including heritage and archaeological structures. The reviewed literature reveals a lack of application of this technique in architectural studies focused on preserving the built heritage of the city of Basra, particularly buildings with a religious character, …

Phenomenological Analysis Of The Interior Space Reconstructed For Post-War Traditional Houses In Old Mosul City, Abdula Alsarraf, Fawzia Irhayyim Hussein

Iraqi Journal of Architecture and Planning

This study examines the lived experiences of residents of Mosul’s old city within reconstructed traditional houses following the war, addressing the gap in analyzing post-war residential spaces. It examines how reconstruction influences residents’ perceptions, sensory experiences, and attachment to place by comparing pre- and post-war conditions. Using a phenomenological approach, the study draws on concepts such as familiarity, pleasure, spirituality, human scale, natural lighting, spatial organization, functionality, color harmony, symbolism, nostalgia, decoration, and perceived height. Data were collected through a questionnaire involving 40 residents who were involved in the reconstruction of four traditional houses. Findings indicate that while renovations improve …