Architecture Commons^™

When Modernism Meets Cultural Identity: Luis Barragán’S Peotic Modernism And Marina Tabassum’S South Asian Vernacular Approach, Esther Shukrani, Ehsan Sheikholharam Ma

Symposium of Student Scholars

Modernism emerged as a universal language of geometry, light, and order. What Le Corbusier described as a “fundamentally new aesthetic” that rejected the architecture of past epochs to express “the spirit of an age.” Rooted in abstraction and universality, modernism sought to define a language freed from ornament and guided by progress. Yet when it encounters culture, faith, and climate, modernism transforms. This research asks what happens to modernism when it becomes regional, examining how Luis Barragán and Marina Tabassum reinterpret modernist ideals through light, material, and spirituality. Using a comparative analytical approach, the study looks at Barragán’s work through …

Structure As Civic Space: The Tabiat Pedestrian Bridge In Dialogue With Frei Otto And Shigeru Ban, Allison L. Ware, Ehsan Sheikholharam Ma

Symposium of Student Scholars

What if a bridge could be more than just a means of crossing from one point to another? What if it could become a place of gathering, reflection, and connection between people and their city? The Tabiat Pedestrian Bridge in Tehran, Iran, challenges conventional ideas of infrastructure by transforming a simple crossing into a dynamic public space that celebrates structure, culture, and community. Completed by Leila Araghian and Alireza Behzadi of Diba Tensile Architecture, the Tabiat Pedestrian Bridge received the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 2016. The bridge represents a shift in how infrastructure can serve urban life, not …

Avant-Garde Architectural Influences In Japanese Cinema: The Influences Of Kenzo Tange And Archigram, Aissatou L. Balde, Ehsan Sheikholharam Ma

Symposium of Student Scholars

Kenzo Tange and Metabolists created a blueprint for utopian and organic urban futures in postwar Japan, inspiring the fictional worlds of Japanese cinema and animation, from Akira’s cyber-punk cityscapes to Howl’s Moving Castle’s urban mobility. These futuristic cities have a lot in common with Archigram in their “Walking City” concept. While Metabolists focused on cities that could grow and change like living organisms, Archigram took it further by designing robot-like megastructures that could walk across the planet. Neither group built most of their ideas, but both used imaginative designs to rethink how cities could work in a fast-changing world. These …

Light And Labor: From Monumental Beauty To Communal Craft, Jesus A. Anaya-Ruiz, Ehsan Sheikholharam Ma

Symposium of Student Scholars

What makes a building meaningful? The beauty of it or the craftsmen that put it together? This paper will dive into Louis Khan’s Kimbell Art Museum (1972) in Forth Worth, Texas, and Zhang Pengju’s West Wusutu Village Community Center (2019) in Hohhot, China, projects that have different approaches to how architecture engages people and defines space.

Louis Kahn’s design is praised for its ability to exhibit art, he uses daylight as his primary material to define space and emotion. Through the use of cycloid vaults and reflected light he enhances the occupants’ experience gently, expressing architecture through beauty, proportion and …

Village Of Hope: Moving Away From The Conception Of Temporary To Permanent Shelter In Haiti, Korine Dorval, Ehsan Sheikholharam Ma

Symposium of Student Scholars

Around the world, 1.6 million people lose their homes every week. The Internal Displacement Monitoring Center estimates that 1 million people were internally displaced in Haiti as of the end of 2024.

In Haiti, displacement repeats in a cycle driven by gang violence and natural disasters. Today, as the situation grows worse, the solution is still centered on refugee camps. Architecture seems to intervene only in emergency relief without addressing long-term stability.

This design research examines how architecture can contribute to reducing gang violence by facilitating the transition from temporary to permanent shelter in Haiti. This paper challenges assumptions about …

Sacred Sounds And Profane Places, Denaesia Robinson, Ehsan Sheikholharam Ma

Symposium of Student Scholars

Life is comprised of many moments big and small and each of these moments help to shape people into who they are and who they will become. These moments constitute self or Home for individuals. The idea of homelessness is the plight many humans face during their lifetime. This feeling of being lost leads many on a journey of discovery where people seek themselves or a feeling of belonging (Home). Those who suffer from the metaphysical sense of homelessness go on journeys looking for the sacred and sometimes they find it in the profane.

In history we learn about how …

Adaptive Refuge: Reimagining Biophilic Settlements For Sudanese Refugees In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Neeya Yahaya, Robin Pottock

Symposium of Student Scholars

Every day, thousands of people are forced to flee their homes escaping war, disaster, and instability. What begins as a temporary refuge often becomes a lifetime condition. In Ethiopia, over 4.6 million refugees live within this state of protracted displacement, with more than one-fourth arriving from Sudan after the 2023 conflict. Most remain in remote, rural camps along border regions far from the educational, economic, and social opportunities of the city. These spatial and social divides reinforce dependency, limit access to livelihood, and erode personal dignity. Yet proximity to urban infrastructure could offer a pathway toward belonging, participation, and long-term …

2025 - The Sixth Annual Fall Symposium Of Student Scholars

Symposium of Student Scholars Program Books

The full program book from the Fall 2025 Symposium of Student Scholars, held in November 2025. Includes abstracts from the presentations and posters.

The Utilisation Of The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4ir) Technologies In E-Government Service Delivery: A Systematic Literature Review, Arnet Zitha, Noluntu Mpekoa, Sheethal Tom

African Conference on Information Systems and Technology

The integration of Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies is transforming e-Government by boosting citizen engagement and enhancing service efficiency. However, gaps still exist in understanding the various applications, impacts, and barriers to adoption. This systematic review synthesises literature from 16 studies published between 2017 and 2025, illustrating how technologies like blockchain, artificial intelligence, big data, Internet of Things, and machine learning are employed and their effects on e-Government service delivery. The review reveals that 4IR technologies continue to play a vital role in e-Government services by addressing security threats, simplifying verification and authentication, building trust, and improving the quality and …

A Tale Of Two Worlds: A Framework For Translating Literary Fiction Into Architectural Space, Timothy D. Anderson

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Authors and orators have employed fictional stories for thousands of years as a crucial method for translating narratives, lessons, and intangible culture. These take shape through diverse art forms such as spoken word, visual art, dance, and sculpture. However, in the current age, architecture often neglects its immersive and spatial potential, allowing stories of a site’s heritage to become lost beneath the layers of urban development. This thesis explores design as storytelling, examining how fictional narratives can be translated into architectural space.

The research draws on fictional and speculative narrative architecture, analyzing the use of metaphor, symbol, and allegory as …

Reviving Heritage, Soreya Ganda

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Niger’s cultural identity is shaped by a rich mosaic of ethnic groups, including the Hausa, Zarma-Songhai, Tuareg, and Fulani, each with distinct traditions, building practices, and relationships to the land. For centuries, these communities lived according to their own social and spatial systems, rooted in environment-specific knowledge and craftsmanship. This balance was disrupted during the French colonial period, which began in the late 19th century and lasted until Niger’s independence in 1960. Colonial administration redrew territorial boundaries, centralized authority, and introduced foreign materials, aesthetics, and construction standards, redefining how people built and interacted with their environments. While Niger now appears …

Presence Of The Past: The Translation Of Traditional Culture Into Contemporary Form Among The Igbo Peoples Of Southeastern Nigeria, Nelson Agalaba

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Architecture serves as the physical embodiment of a group’s cultural values, history, and social dynamics- or identity. The arrival of European colonialism and modernism brought about a paradigm shift, prioritizing a universal European aesthetic and “international style”, displacing indigenous architectural traditions and severing the deep connections between culture and the natural and built environments. The global south has experienced the brunt of this process, especially the African continent. For example, the Igbo peoples of southeastern Nigeria have lost nearly all examples of their building traditions and have been in a constant struggle to create an architecture that captures their rich …

Visibly Invisible: Reclaiming Atlanta Black Architecture Through Black Expression, Sean M. Spencer

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Architecture has long grappled with questions of self, community, and cultural identity. While the number of Black architects is growing, architecture that genuinely reflects Black identity remains rare. This lack of representation has contributed to a sense of invisibility for Black communities within the built environment—whether by design or neglect. There is an urgent need to define and celebrate Blackness and Black space in ways that reflect the cultural richness of Black communities. As George Will points out, broad labels like African American or African often obscure the unique cultural experiences within Black communities. Historically, the lack of economic and …

Threading The Void, Jessica Hut

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

The contemporary architectural environment is commonly characterized by fragmented and underutilized space. These areas, often overlooked, hold the potential to be reclaimed in a way that activates our spaces through integration and minimal intervention. By deriving the design logic from organic forms found in nature, these structures are able to embrace logic and reason that has had centuries to optimize itself. Learning through this natural wisdom, we can make use of the underutilized spaces in our built environment. Allowing a shift away from static, isolated objects while also blurring boundaries in a way that critiques the spatial organization of contemporary …

Connecting The Disconnected, Jared Garner

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

The basis of this project is people, community, and equal opportunity to have access to technology, sporting equipment, a place to work, create, play, learn, and to assemble with the intention of having a sense of place and purpose. With the goal of giving people a place to go to and creating a site-specific design that will encourage communal interaction and participation. If successful, the center will improve citizens’ well-being, safety, and involvement. The people in this area need this project to provide them with sporting facilities, event space, study rooms, classrooms, computer labs, and a place to access educational …

Link - A New Interface: Bridging Social Isolation Through Immersive Discovery, Andrew Phillips

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Link: A New Interface explores how public spaces—historically designed to encourage social interaction—have declined in vibrancy due to shifting behaviors, remote work, and the long-term effects of the Covid pandemic. Modern digitalization, while offering convenience, has also contributed to decreased face-to-face engagement, reduced attention spans, and increased social isolation. This thesis proposes a revitalization of public social spaces by reimagining digitalization not as a distraction, but as a tool to foster immersive, multisensory experiences that reconnect people. The project focuses on bridging generational divides, nurturing meaningful social interactions, and creating inclusive spaces that support intergenerational engagement. The methodology introduces a …

Resilience Through Experience, Nathan Johnson

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Resilience Through Experience answers the question: How can architecture contribute thematically to the climate crisis? The project transforms and renews a polluted EPA Superfund site in Pasadena, Texas into a center for ecological research and climate simulation. The design constitutes an addition to the new Apocalyptic Architecture: architecture which actualizes the climate crisis for its users.

The site is split into two primary zones: an active soil washing pit that will reclaim the site from its pollution and a constructed bioswale wetland that floods every two hours. The endless cycle of rising water levels will serve as a spatial and …

Restoration In Slowing Down, Alejandra Montalvo

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

As public community colleges like Kennesaw State University, Marietta Campus, see an increase in admissions due to the rise in higher education enrollment, the social, emotional, and creative well-being of first-year and first-generation students can be at risk. Public community colleges often become overwhelmed with other programs, leading to the neglect or underfunding of resources that genuinely support students. These students often face unique challenges in adapting to academic pressures, new social environments, and balancing personal and cultural expectations.

This thesis proposes the development of a design framework for restorative, neutral third places on public community college campuses. These spaces …

Sculpting Healing Spaces: Bridging The Gaps In Cancer Care Facilities, Mayra B. Mendez

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Healthcare environments become a vital component in patient outcomes, particularly in Cancer Care Facilities, where the emotional and physical requirements of treatment are profound. Exploring how the reconsideration of cancer care facilities can reshape the patient’s experience and improve the healing outcomes. Traditional clinical spaces, often sterile and impersonal, can increase patient stress, anxiety, and discomfort. Cancer care facilities in the Atlanta region are struggling to meet the demands of modern cancer treatment due to architectural limitations such as overcrowded spaces, inefficient layouts, and a lack of patient-centered environments. How can the integration and experience of Biophilic Design Principles bridge …

Age Well Spaces: A New Model For Elderly Healthcare Architecture, Will Traylor, Ameen Farooq

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

In America, most try to plan for every aspect of life from birth. The country is home to some of the most advanced education systems in the world and has office buildings that aim to not only prioritize work efficiency, but also worker health. From cradle to Casket, architects challenge themselves with the task of making everyday spaces better. It was my experience and privilege over the past few years to bear witness and assist my grandparents through the last, fragile stages of life. I watched as each of them moved from home life, to assisted living, and then nursing …

Breath Of Formosa: Designing For Respiratory Health In Taiwan, Andi Chen

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Climate change and environmental pollution have led to an alarming increase in respiratory diseases, particularly in urban populations and especially for children. The effects of air pollution are significantly detrimental to children because they are far more susceptible to air pollutants. This is due to their developing lungs and immune system, higher breathing rate, and their proximity to ground level pollutants. Respiratory diseases caused by air pollution can have long term effects on children such as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), pneumonia, or asthma. Struggles with these respiratory diseases will lead to absenteeism in schools, further damaging children’s development. Additionally, according …

Save Old Newspaper Building, Andrew Wilkins

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Atlanta has a long history of demolishing its beautiful historic buildings. Known for its rapid growth and modernization, the city has sacrificed much of its architectural heritage in favor of new development. This trend has been ongoing for decades, leading to the erasing of Atlanta’s cultural history and the irreversible modification of the city’s built environment.

With so many of Atlanta’s great historic buildings gone, we must preserve what still remains. Currently, Downtown Atlanta’s most dilapidated and historically significant building is the Atlanta Constitution Building. Once a beautiful gem, this neglected old structure sits on the corner of Forsyth St. …

Grafted Symbiosis: Strategically Revitalizing The Abandoned Atlanta Medical Arts Building Via Jeanne Gang’S Theory Of Grafting, Matthew Reddick

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

The Atlanta Medical Arts building, vacant for decades, stands at risk of demolition amid large-scale redevelopment efforts. Without an existing program to sustain it, how can we activate the site in a way that ensures both its immediate utility and long-term viability? This thesis explores a strategy for adaptive reuse, drawing from both parasitic architectural methodologies and Jeanne Gang’s concept of architectural grafting—while also critiquing the shortcomings of each approach. Rather than opting for a seamless integration, the design embraces disjunctive architecture by introducing a contemporary addition that is intentionally distinct from the historic Beaux-Arts shell, yet strategically …

Re-Imagining Recovery: The Role Of Architecture In Sobriety, Teagan Littleton

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

This thesis explores the design of a sober living house in Atlanta, focusing on integrating choice architecture and biophilic design to enhance the mental well-being of its residents. Choice architecture, a concept rooted in behavioral economics, aims to influence decision-making by altering the environment. (Thaler, Sunstein, 2010) Biophilic design seeks to connect occupants with nature to improve overall health and wellbeing. (Terrapin, 2014)The design of the sober living house incorporates elements such as natural light, green spaces, and views of nature to create a sense of calmness and connection to the environment Choice architecture is applied through the layout and …

Loophole, Eduardo Brimmer

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

With the envisioning of this project, music will solidify its attachment to the world of beer through the notion of design. Many breweries, bars, night clubs, and taphouses exist. However, the difference between this project and many of its sister markets, is the direct fusion between the ideology behind music, beverage, and emotion. The projects’ ability to create a cultural hub impacting its community will be what sets the venue apart from any of its kind.

If the project creates this center for experience, then by default, the community around the hub will become part of a sub-culture surrounded by …

The Exchange Square — Redevelop Decaying Shopping Malls Into A Walkable Micro City, Justin R. Monzon

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Once the heart of suburban life, shopping malls across America are now fading relics: oversized, underused, and disconnected from the communities they once served. This thesis explores a bold new vision: The Exchange Square, a redevelopment model that transforms these forgotten spaces into vibrant, walkable micro-cities built for how we live today. Focusing on the Town Center at Cobb in Kennesaw, Georgia, the project repositions the traditional mall as a mixed-use urban hub: complete with modular housing, a multi-story food hall, entertainment venues, and community-driven programs. It prioritizes people over parking lots, reconnecting neighborhoods through public space, transit access, and …

Scared And Profane - Contemporary Monasteries And Overlap Of The Urban Footprint, Jonathan M. Rivers

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

This thesis explores the concept of the urban monastery as a catalyst for revitalizing urban spaces. By re-imagining the traditional monastic model within the dense urban context of New York City, the project aims to create a sanctuary for contemplation, community, and sacred space.

The thesis delves into the historical role of monasteries as centers of learning, art, and social welfare. It analyzes the potential of a contemporary monastery to address the challenges of modern urban life, such as isolation, stress, and a lack of community. The proposed design integrates elements of monastic architecture and spirituality into a contemporary building …

Impact Of Artistry - Surrealism In The Urban Setting, Caroline F. Puckett

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

In the past, architectural designs have mimicked those of traditional art trends but over time architecture has moved away from its roots and created its own styles and design language. While architecture’s creation of its own path has led to several innovations in the thought process of design,it does create cause for concern about architecture losing the identity it once had. Architecture has evolved from what was once a field that looked at the physical artistic expression of art and into a discipline more focused on performance and utility. As the built environment loses its soul and foundation, many communities …

Safety Net: Hope Amongst The Housing Crisis In Lagos, Nigeria, Mayowa Odunjo

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Lagos, Nigeria, home to over 22 million people, stands as Africa’s most populous city. The African Giant of Nigeria holds over 260 million people with the workforce falling on the backs of Millennials and Generation Z. On the surface, this could be seen as an advantage; a youthful, energetic labor force that any economy would benefit from. However, in Nigeria, this demographic reality also presents a unique set of challenges that has been exacerbated by inadequate housing, overpopulation, and rapid urbanization.

The housing crisis in Lagos, fueled by failed government support and initiatives along with rapid population growth, leaves many …

Building Bridges: Weaving Culture And Community Through A Museum-Housing Hub In South Downtown Atlanta, Tony Vu

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

This thesis explores the architectural potential of a facility that combines a museum and affordable housing, focused on revitalizing South Downtown Atlanta. This historically significant district, rich in African American culture, has faced neglect due to urban sprawl and economic challenges. By addressing the needs of the unhoused population alongside the area’s diminished cultural vibrancy, the design proposes a strategic intervention through urban infill and the adaptive reuse of vacant parking lots. The project envisions an inclusive museum alongside supportive housing and vocational training facilities, aimed at facilitating the reintegration of the unhoused into society while providing affordable housing units …