Architecture Commons^™

404 King Street: The Charleston County Library And Modern Architecture In Charleston, Ryan Thomas Pierce

All Theses

This thesis examines the development and construction of the Charleston County Library at 404 King Street in Charleston, South Carolina. The research and analysis of this site provides a case study for the development and treatment of the Modern style in downtown Charleston. Significant aspects of this include evaluation of the community's input and reaction to development of the site, and reactions to its completion and opening.
This begins with an overview of the development of the Modern style in America and American library design, and how this translates into South Carolina. Then the influences of these larger communities on …

Ambition's Apex: The Private Art Gallery Of The Aiken-Rhett House, Christine Mathieson

All Theses

This thesis is an analytic in-depth examination of the private art gallery added to the Aiken-Rhett House in Charleston, South Carolina in 1858. The goal of the work is to imagine, understand, and contextualize the gallery, delving deeply into the lives, travels, and ambitions of its owners, William and Harriet Lowndes Aiken. Exploring all aspects of the gallery's inspiration and design, as well as the provenance and significance of works of art housed in it, the paper poses two questions: why a gallery; and why this gallery. Answers to these questions are located in socio-historical analysis that focuses on the …

Improving The Effectiveness Of Nursing Work Area Design In Inpatient Care Units, Laura Hamm

All Theses

Nurses are the primary care givers for patients admitted to hospitals overnight and the design of the physical environment impacts the operational effectiveness of care delivery. Many nursing tasks are repeated across multiple patients (such as documentation, administering medications, assessing patients, etc) and there are strict protocols and procedures for how to administer these tasks to ensure the delivery of high quality care. A nursing model is often chosen by a nurse administrator who oversees its implementation in an effort to provide effective care delivery to patients admitted on a nursing unit in a hospital. Throughout the unit there are …

A Study Of The Biltmore Estate's Ramble: Researching Design Intent, Evaluating Change Over Time, And Proposing A Rehabilitation Plan, Owen Mclaughlin

All Theses

The purpose of this study is to propose a historically appropriate rehabilitation plan for the Biltmore Estate's Ramble based upon Olmsted's original design intent. In order to ascertain Frederick Law Olmsted's original design intent for the Ramble, an extensive review of Victorian Era garden design, cultural landscapes, the U.S. Horticultural Industry, and possible design influences on Olmsted as he designed the site was performed. Using primary archival materials and secondary sources, the developmental history of the Ramble from 1890 to present was studied. From that work, design intent was determined by analyzing character-defining features from the original 1893 planting plan …

St. Thomas And St. Denis Parish Church: An Anglo-Franco Alliance In The Lowcountry, Robert Shelton Converse

All Theses

Now vacant and seldom used, St. Thomas and St. Denis Church is a small, neo-classical building constructed in 1819 to serve one of the original colonial parishes carved out of Berkeley County, South Carolina. Even though it has been included in numerous publications devoted to the history of religion in early South Carolina, this church has never been systematically recorded nor has its role been thoroughly explored. This thesis, which grew out of an effort to create a complete set of documentation drawings, explores the history of St. Thomas and St. Denis Church.

The Daylight Imperative, Eva Behringer

All Theses

Hospitals in the US are typically built as thick buildings due to a desire to optimize travel distances and functional relationships within and between clinical and supporting departments. However, this building configuration disconnects building occupants in core work areas from daylight and views to nature. It also promotes high energy consumption due to excessive use of artificial lighting and air-condition. Yet, having access to daylight and the view to nature in buildings is important for human health and wellbeing, especially in hospitals. Daylight regulates the body«s circadian rhythm, is necessary to produce Vitamin D, affects mood, lowers stress, increases concentration, …

Farm To School Programs As A Tool For Food System Sustainability, Samantha Jackson

All Theses

Are Farm to School Programs being utilized by communities as a component of agricultural sustainability? This initial question led to a larger inquiry as to what agricultural sustainability tools communities are incorporating, with Farm to School Programs as a component, and what roles, or potential roles, planners are playing in program creation and implementation. A literature review of the current food system, sustainability threats imbedded within the system, and the potential for local food system planning, specifically Farm to School Programs, to overcome these threats provided a framework for research on the agricultural sustainability tools being planned for within communities …

A Semi-Private Revival: Is There A Place For The Semi-Private Patient Room In American Hospitals?, Lindsay Todd

All Theses

Is there a place for the semi-private patient room in contemporary American hospitals? This thesis purposes that the semi-private room remains a viable option for some patient populations and care scenarios and merits reconsideration and redesign. This inquiry is among few in the literature devoted to advancing semi-private patient room design and application within contemporary healthcare. The semi-private room may yet offer increased opportunities to address pressing issues of increasing healthcare costs, improving operational efficiencies, and reducing environmental footprint while simultaneously attempting to address both longstanding and recent industry concerns with traditional semi-private patient rooms. Further, it will serve as …

Case Study Analysis Of Clare Apartments, Lauren Sandy

All Theses

The AIDS epidemic in the United States has killed upwards of 500,000 since 1981. New therapies introduced in the 1990's, HAART (highly actively anti-retroviral treatment), have largely converted what was once a death sentence into a long-term chronic illness. Initial approaches to treating the virus included palliative care and treatment for secondary infections. With advances in therapies and disease management, supportive services have shifted from a primarily medical approach to one that encompasses programs that address long-term quality of life concern, including but not limited to counseling services for mental health, chemical dependency, self-sufficiency; housing services; and occupational training and …

Community And Place: A Study Of Four African American Benevolent Societies And Their Cemeteries, Kimberly Martin

All Theses

Located on Charleston's Neck, immediately west of Magnolia Cemetery's main entrance, are a number of small cemeteries created by a variety of ethnicities and religions. These small cemeteries all possess the same physical orientation, giving no indication that the sites were created by differing groups. Among these are Friendly Union Cemetery, Brown Fellowship Cemetery, Humane and Friendly Cemetery, and Unity and Friendship Cemetery. All four cemeteries were created just before the outbreak of the Civil War by Free People of Color who organized themselves into benevolent societies. Free People of Color were African Americans who were not enslaved but did …

'Werner Fecit': Christopher Werner And Nineteenth-Century Charleston Ironwork, Kelly Ciociola

All Theses

A recent discovery of Christopher Werner's account book has inspired and informed this investigation into the life and business of this nineteenth-century ironworker. This book was hidden for many years, preserved by a child's scrapbook clippings. A restoration of this book through the removal of later additions was done, and significant information pertaining to Werner's situation in the nineteenth century was revealed. This provided not only new knowledge on the blacksmith, but also context and perspective for additional research completed.
Comprehensive studies of Charleston craftsmen are scarce. While the products of their skills are appreciated throughout the city, a general …

Piecing It Together: The Introduction Of Delftware Tiles To North America And Their Enduring Legacy In Charleston, South Carolina, Josslyn Kay Stiner

All Theses

The economic and social history of delftware tiles in North America has not yet been synthesized and the use of delftware tiles south of Virginia is even less documented. In fact, even though Charleston, South Carolina exhibits numerous examples of this decorative art, there has been very little research conducted on this topic regarding the southern city. The following thesis presents an overview of delftware tile manufacture and use in Europe and America. Narrowing in scope, it compiles all of the published information on the subject in colonial America, focusing specifically on the use of delftware tiles in Charleston. It …

Collaboration And Road Safety On Indian Reservations, Leah Sirmin

All Theses

Native Americans, as a group, face many challenges including the highest motor-vehicle fatality rate of any racial or ethnic group in the United States. While national motor-vehicle fatality rates have declined, the fatality rates for Indian reservations have continued to rise. Because addressing road safety requires significant interdisciplinary work, collaboration is an important tool; however, collaborations between tribal entities and non-tribal partners face a number of unique challenges including tense historical relationships, tribal sovereignty, and cultural differences. A variety of strategies can be utilized to address these challenges including methods such as regular face-to-face meetings to build trust, establishing formal …

Structures Serving The Visibly Homeless: An Emergency Shelter Response In Charleston, South Carolina, Ellen Martin

All Theses

This thesis is an architectural exploration into how to partially address the housing crisis affecting the visibly homeless population of Charleston, South Carolina. Thousands of men, women, and children in the United States are homeless in Charleston there is a significant and increasing number of visibly homeless. Those who sleep outside shelters are generally known as the 'visibly homeless' or street homeless. The visibly homeless is the most underserved group within the entire homeless population and is composed of those who sleep in places not intended for human habitation, such as bus stations, subway trains, automobiles, doorways, and abandoned buildings. …

Green Can Bring Green: An Evaluation And Comparison Of The Economic Effects Of Sustainable And Economic Redevelopment, Kathryn Young

All Theses

The process of redevelopment is a relied upon method of breathing new life into downtowns and urban areas. Though several common redevelopment approaches contribute to a sustainable atmosphere, more significant environmentally- and ecologically- sustainable approaches can be implemented in redevelopments to repair and support the environment and ecology of an area. But do economic and sustainable redevelopment models have similar impacts on the surrounding economies? This report conducted an evaluation and comparison of the economic effects of sustainable redevelopments and economic redevelopments. Though research is considered exploratory, the results demonstrate that sustainable and economic redevelopments are both viable options for …

The Inside Outside Hospital, Robert Thompson

All Theses

This thesis examines how the historical development of healthcare architecture was influenced by social and cultural forces that eventually led to the contemporary thick building form, which is common today. These settings can have a negative impact upon patient and staff health, compromising the optimal medical response needed for patient healing. The hospital environment should be designed to increase day lighting, natural ventilation, and access to nature in order to contribute to the healing process, support the health of care providers, and optimize their effectiveness and efficiency.
This thesis first explores the development of hospital forms and, their impact on …

Ripe For Change: Roles Of Planners And Landscape Architects At The Interface Of The Land And The Network In An Alternative Agriculture Model For Upstate South Carolina, Jennifer Johnson

All Theses

Both historically and in select areas today, local food systems are the main food supply for communities. Despite the fact that they are not a main source of food for most Americans, since the 1970s there has been a resurgence of U.S. local food systems (Qazi & Selfa, p.161). The movements exist in places where high-profile and vocal personalities (restaurateur, Alice Waters; author, Michael Pollan; or activist Carlo Petrini) also reside. This thesis examines whether the viability of the resurgence in local food systems depends on the commitment of a single person, and if not, whether those who affect the …

One-Way To Two-Way Street Conversions As A Preservation And Downtown Revitalization Tool: The Case Study Of Upper King Street, Charleston, South Carolina, Meagan Baco

All Theses

In the first half of the twentieth century, historic urban areas in America were retrofitted to accommodate a mass amount of automobile traffic. These retrofits came in the form of highways, thruways, and one-way streets. Many historic commercial streets in American downtowns were converted to one-way streets, because of traffic engineers' narrow perspectives. After decades of decline, largely linked to automobile dominance, downtown economic revitalization emerged in the 1990s. One technique that appears to be remarkably successful is the re-conversion of one-way streets to two-way streets.
One-way streets allow for greater traffic capacity and higher automobile speeds, while two-way streets …

The Movement Of Architectural Elements Within Charleston, South Carolina, Laura Burghardt

All Theses

The movement of architectural elements from one building to another within Charleston, South Carolina, is an integral part of historic preservation in the city. From the earliest days of the city's historic preservation movement in the 1920s, preservationists have understood the importance of preserving elements of historic structures. In the early twentieth century, architectural elements were threatened by antique dealers and collectors of architecture who sought to purchase decorative elements, even out of standing houses. Buildings were also threatened with demolition as gas stations and other modern structures were constructed. Rather than seeing pieces of history lost, preservationists salvaged materials …

Energy Efficiency In Historic Structures, Sarah Welniak

All Theses

Preservation and sustainability have long shared fundamental goals. Historic structures are inherently sustainable and will continue to be if their sound construction and superior materials are preserved properly. Despite this fact, historic buildings have gained a stigma for being inefficient and therefore unsustainable in the face of modern, energy efficient structures. Historic structures are and can be energy efficient when retrofitted properly. This study tested and analyzed the efficiency of historic structures in the context of a warm, wet, coastal climate in order to determine how they could be improved without damage to their historic fabric. With this aim, the …

Antibody Architecture: Responding To Bioterrorism, Heather Voorhaar

All Theses

Bioterrorism, the use of biological and chemical agents for terrorist purposes, is one of the most potentially significant health and security threats currently facing the United States. Healthcare facilities as isolated entities are alone unable to provide sufficient, adaptable emergency response options during a bioterrorist attack--an unpredictable, low probability, high consequence event. Bioterrorism response must be systemic, distributed, flexible, and responsive for a wide range of event incidents, scenarios and contexts. A significant problem yet to be adequately addressed is the mitigation of the walking well--those who are not sick or injured but have the potential to inundate any designated …

A Condition Assessment Of The Old Island At Magnolia Cemetery, Charleston, South Carolina, Sarah Kollar

All Theses

Cemeteries face a number of condition problems, both naturally and through human destruction. Without protection, historic cemeteries will eventually be diminished or lost. Magnolia Cemetery of Charleston, South Carolina, is one of the many cemeteries facing various preservation problems. In an attempt to assist the cemetery, the failing conditions assessment of the Old Island section of Magnolia highlights the major problems of the area.
The Old Island is a section of Magnolia Cemetery located in the rear of the cemetery that has clearly defined boundaries with marsh and a small lake surrounding it. Plus, many of the people buried in …

Rammed Earth Architecture's Journey To The High Hills Of The Santee, Jessica Golebiowski

All Theses

Rammed earth, a form of earthen architecture and construction that has been used for thousands of years, has gone through periods of resurgence and decline. Its modern era rediscovery through practice and publications during the late 18th and early 19th century was fueled by writers and practitioners who disseminated the ideas of pisé starting in France extending to England and eventually to other European countries and the United States. Once these ideas reached America, farmers and intellectuals alike were interested in this simple yet durable means of construction.

Rammed earth ideas, while intellectualized in Europe, originated from practice in Africa …

Planning For Coastal Community Resiliency: A Case Study Analysis Of South Carolina Beachfront Communities, Ida Wood

All Theses

Because dynamic coastal processes and hazards threaten the resiliency of coastal communities throughout the United States, hazard mitigation and coastal management policies are constantly evolving. While various agencies throughout all levels of government have attempted to mitigate the impacts of coastal hazards, it is difficult for local communities to converge the separate requirements of state and federal agencies. Because there are many land use planning and hazard mitigation steps involved in building resiliency, this manuscript attempts to combine the hazard mitigation knowledge of a wide array of practitioners, researchers, and visionaries to develop a comprehensive land use model that integrates …

A Comparative Assessment Of Shoreline Change Policy Options In The United States, Courtney St. John

All Theses

Erosion control is one of the many tasks of managing land use in a coastal community, but it is arguably one of the most important issues. Increasing human growth in the coastal regions of the United States places heavy demands on fragile coastal systems that cannot sustain population increases. There is a need for sound shoreline management strategies to combat and/or mitigate this problem. The purpose of this study is to determine innovations in shoreline management and inform the remainder of the Assessment of Shoreline Change Options in South Carolina project. This study asked and analyzed the following three research …

Demolition By Neglect: An Examination Of Charleston's Ordinance, Meg Corbett Richardson

All Theses

Demolition by neglect is an important issue in the success of a preservation program. The neglect of an historic structure to the point of demolition is a careless and irresponsible occurrence that can be prevented. The tools used to prevent this action can be difficult to enforce, but they also have the potential to be very effective. The demolition by neglect ordinance in Charleston is not effective and is not currently being enforced. This thesis explored the issue of demolition by neglect by examining the public policy issues around it, the methods used to prevent and regulate it, along with …

The Influence Affecting Charleston's Ornamental Plasterwork And A Link To Its Masters, 1820-1860, Kimberly Cox Jones

All Theses

No abstract provided.

Entrepreneurship Education And Economic Development: Preparing The Workforce For The Twenty-First Century Economy, Carla Bridges

All Theses

The American economy has undergone a change in recent decades, experiencing a shift away from the traditional industrial economy towards a knowledge-based economy that relies heavily on human capital. The importance of human capital to the economy has stimulated an interest in increasing the educational attainment of the nation's workforce. However, not only should the educational attainment be increased, but the types of education should match the skills needed for the twenty-first century economy. Entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial thinking have been identified as necessary in the ever changing economy. Entrepreneurship education has been encouraged for the purpose of equipping the future …

A Conditions Assessment And Preservation Guidelines For Second Presbyterian Church’S Graveyard Charleston, South Carolina, William Preston Hamilton

All Theses

Throughout the history of the world the commemoration of the dead has taken many manifestations and forms. Monuments range from burial mounds and tombs to wall memorials and grave slabs. The earliest surviving architectural remains in nearly every culture are the remains of memorials to the dead which can often shed light on the lifestyles of humans from prehistoric times. Beginning in the latter part of the 18th century American graveyards began to exhibit many of the characteristics of modern burial grounds, such as individual burial pits and family grave plots. This practice was no different at Second Presbyterian Church …

Moving Historic Buildings: A Study Of What Makes Good Preservation Practices When Dealing With Historically Significant Buildings And Structures, Xana Peltola

All Theses

When relocating in order to preserve an historic property, there must be certain protocols in place to ensure that the historic significance is retained. Historic preservationists are not only attempting to successfully relocate a building but also to follow good preservation ethics in order to respect the current and potential site as well as the structure itself. In addition to examining how historic structures have been moved in the past and the guidelines that the National Register has developed regarding the process by which historic structures should be relocated, two case studies will also be examined. The first is Cape …