Architecture Commons^™

Floating Edge: Modular Living, Jonathan Cruz

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

This thesis aims to develop an alternate solution for rising sea levels. By adopting flotation technology which is successfully implemented in building on water. This thesis primary objective is to examine and discuss the relationships between floating architecture, and the possibility of a new modular way of living in these coastal areas. This thesis will also explore the technologies and processes incorporated in the foundations of floating constructions and the accessibility of the structures through well-planned grids. To develop an alternate solution for land reclamation and rising sea levels.

Design Diplomacy - Cooperative Living, Kameren Horton

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

From 1990 through 1996, we witness a significant shift within the city of Atlanta. In the Summer of 1996, the Olympics was hosted in Atlanta. Techwood Homes at the time, was the first large affordable housing project in that area. In 1991, there was an order for the demolishment of Techwood Homes. However, it wasn’t until 1995, when the Atlanta Housing Authority (AHA) decided to begin demolition after waiting 4 years prior to the Olympics.

Several other large housing projects were demolished to make room for Olympic venues. This is where we see redevelopment. This is where we see a …

Architecture As Medicine: Designing Spaces For The Mind, Body, & Spirit, Tyler Cox

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

How can architectural space provide a holistic approach to health and wellness through an experience that enhances the mind, body, and spirit? As Socrates said in the 4th century B.C., “the part can never be well unless the whole is well.” Holistic Health is a lifestyle and way of thinking that considers the multitude of connected aspects of wellness and recognizes the whole person: physically, mentally, emotionally, socially, and spiritually. This holistic outlook on health should be of major consideration when designing a space, especially while America is currently experiencing a health epidemic. What if there was a place that …

Where Dreams Begin: Challenging The Architecture Of Migrant Detention, Pablo Garcia

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Today, more than 40 million people living in the US were born in another country, accounting for about one-fifth of the world’s migrants. Even though the US is a nation comprised largely of immigrants and their descendants, immigration remains one of the most fraught social and political issues of modern times. People dream of moving into the country seeking a better life than the one they are leaving behind. Yet, upon arrival, they face inhumane circumstances due to the recent influx of people seeking asylum within the US. According to the Department of Homeland Security, over 3 million people arrived …

Independence Through Unseen Architecture; Investigating Multi-Sensory Design For The Visually Impaired And Blind, Taylor Trevino

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Sensory abilities are what shape our consciousness of the surrounding environment and our concept of the world. Architecture has been based upon aesthetics, function, and form over periods of time to appeal and interact with the senses of its users. What if one or more of your senses cannot utilize space as it was intended? A primary sense in relation to architecture is sight. Which then leads the question, how can architects design insightful architecture for those who can not see it? According to the World Health Organization, there are “285 million people globally with visual impairments, of whom 39 …

Mis/Fitting Architecture: Strategies For A New Department Of Housing And Urban Development Headquarters, Nicole Rodriguez

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Mis/Fitting Architecture does not strive to be different just for difference's sake. Instead, the aim is for designers and users alike to question their surroundings and, therefore, the effect on our daily lives and communities.

This thesis aims to critically assess and provide alternatives for generic American architecture. The majority of work we see constructed today lacks variety in form, expression of materiality, and engagement with the public. The forms, spaces, and materials that surround us shape who we are, what we do, and how we interact. However, limited creativity, mass production, and easily marketable design results in a generic …

Borderline Re-Order: Negotiating The Edge Between City And Greenspace, Jeremy Taylor Morgan

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Does development of urban areas naturally lies at odds with maintaining any memory of their historic character, e.g. historic artifacts, structures, land? If so, such a perspective may have warrant. The Atlanta area serves as an easy example: the Loew’s Grand was conveniently burned down by arsonists after it received historic status and protection; the Fox Theatre was almost redeveloped into a parking deck, and; the placard for the site of Leo Frank’s lynching was moved across the street to make room for an entrance ramp to a toll freeway.

But this single perspective, or prejudice rather, despite warrant, is …

Exploring The Use Of Re-Forming Concrete, Moritz Meditz

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

This thesis takes a closer look at concrete construction in the modern area and, more specifically, the use of formwork to shape the built environment.

Traditional rigid concrete formwork has been optimized for buildability while serving structural needs. This mentality means simple prismatic elements that are entirely overbuilt for the task, stacked on top or next to one another. The idea that these elements are the peak of efficiency in concrete production has informed virtually all modern concrete construction. Any shapes that vary from the simple prismatic volumes are seen as challenging to build and expensive. For the most part, …

See Me: How Architecture Can Change Our Care Of The Elderly And Orphaned, Caleb Hester

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

According to a 2017 study published by the child welfare department of the government, “there were an estimated 442,995 children in foster care” (Welfare). This is in America alone and not calculating the number of children in orphanages across the world. Additionally, in a report from the CDC, there is almost 1.3 million residents of nursing homes as of 2015. Again, this is in America alone and not accounting for the global number. The census departments average the national population to be roughly 329 million. This means that a little over 1% of the population is in nursing homes and …

Medkit: Modular Emergency Deployment, Christian Ladefoged, Zamila Karimi

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

This thesis began with exploring low-cost prefab dwelling units to be implemented in struggling communities with extreme poverty, homelessness, and unemployment. The initial research on modular units shifted to focus on our healthcare infrastructure challenges here at home given the COVID-19 crisis.

“Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has had a substantial impact on racial and ethnic minority populations and essential workers in the United States …”¹ This disease disproportionately impacts poor and rural communities in the United States, showing double the mortality than urban areas simply due to the neglected environment². Emergency assistance is needed to expand the …

Community In Crisis: A Reformation Of Behavioral Health Hospitals In Atlanta, Georgia, Niki Crawford

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Behavioral health hospitals in America are failing to treat their patients with lasting success upon patient release. These facilities appear to be safe, sanitary, and pleasant, but our state behavioral health hospitals in the United States are still cold, stark prisons to those trapped within their walls.

Impersonal and insufficient for caring for those with mental illness, these institutions meant for treatment can do more harm than good at a time when an individual is most vulnerable. Used as holding cells where sedated patients are kept until their crises pass, the spaces are no more than prisons designed to maintain …

Retrofitting The Future, Lindsay Pannell

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

The architectural world has felt the push toward building more efficiently and more environmentally-friendly. Programs such as LEED acknowledge well designed, energy efficient buildings that have done their part to build structures that don’t further damage the environment. However, many buildings are being torn down and replaced by these energy efficient buildings. The demolition process and the waste and disposal of materials from these older buildings are negatively affecting carbon emissions. In many cases, the new environmentally efficient buildings would take decades to offset the carbon emissions from the demolition and reconstruction process, while retrofitting buildings can cut back on …

Revitalized Complex: The Redevelopment Of Abandoned Malls, Kyle Mccormick

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

This thesis explores two issues with one solution.

The first issue revolves around a large number of dying malls across America. While some still survive, others have become a deserted wasteland. It is reported that close to 2,000 stores will be closing in 2020. According to Business Insider, over 9,300 stores were closed in 2019, breaking the record of 2018, which was an estimated 8,000 stores.

The second issue involves large cities pushing the limits for population density. In cities such as Atlanta, Dallas, and Phoenix the rise in population cannot keep up with the current housing options provided in …

In Process: Storytelling Through Architecture, Rourke Brakeville

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

How can stories be told through architectural space? For millennia, humanity has told stories, passing narratives down from generation to generation through dance, song, sculpture, and other art forms.

Today, architecture is conceptualized as a series of characters: form, space, program, materials, codes; characters that are then stitched together to generate a design. Yet in the current era of architectural formulation, there is a dereliction in the importance and beauty from the previous ages.

Through examining historical precedents that communicate a narrative, this research outlined techniques of metaphor, allegory, and symbol that translate a story into architecture. Primarily, allegory was …

Creating A Home: Designing A Supportive And Meaningful Intergenerational Environment For People With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities, Sally Murtadhi

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

According to the CDC, Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I.D.D.) face numerous issues that prevent them from being self-sufficient such as, lack of accessible environments, lack of employment opportunities, and a negative stigma in society. Due to these obstacles, individuals with I.D.D. are isolated and dependent on direct family members which contributes to poor well-being. The aim of this thesis is to create design solutions that will allow individuals with I.D.D. to live meaningfully and independently. This topic will be approached in two parts: a research and design component. The research component includes: 1) Analyzing obstacles individuals with I.D.D. …

Spatial Transformations, Ze Meng

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

The thesis explores the potential for spatial transformation of the superstructure by taking the Olympic main stadium as a typology of the research. I propose to carry the knowledge and discoveries of the potential, to revitalize the stadium and serve the community it displaced.

Encapsulating Sound, Jackie Soto

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

This thesis aims to identify the acoustic anomalies of Cannon Chapel by understanding how its visitants typically occupy the flexible space, the use of materials, and the shape of the spaces, and therefore to accurately resolve those acoustic anomalies, improving the auditory experience of those visitants and advancing architectural acoustic research.

Remembering A Hidden Space: Stitching Memorial Architecture With A Subterranean Tunnel System Of The Slave Trade, Olivia Harrell

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

To my ancestors. Imagine the British raiding your homeland in the middle of the night… being taken away from your family all to be taken to the dungeons of Cape Coast Castle…being forced on a dark ship, stacked on top of another flesh, praying to God to survive the long voyage. Gracefully, you reach landfall, only to be examined and sorted, to have your last name stripped away from you…seeing the sick woman that lied next you on the voyage, be dumped into the Atlantic Ocean and left to drown…being forced to build the underground barracks, that you would live …

Vacated Spectacle: Inhabitance Of Abandoned Stadiums, Jalaal Malik

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

I personally have experienced the drama of thousands screaming and celebrating at once for the home team or heard the roar of the crowd from outside the stadium. But where does the community connection go when the teams move on? In cities across the world, sporting venues are abandoned as national events depart and hometown teams relocate. Dan Meis expressed in Death of a Stadium that “NFL stadia host less than 20 events a year with 30-year lifespans. This equates to $25 million per event. “First, I questioned what can be done with the facility at the end of the …

Bio-Symbiosis: Reconnecting To Nature And Each Other Through A Biological Lens, Melissa Holder

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that we spend 93 percent of our time indoors. For decades, the design of space has kept exterior environments separate from the interior conditions we have engineered for ourselves. This design process limits our ability to interact with other forms of life. According to Stephen Kellert’s principles of biophilic design, which defines an innate desire to interact with other forms of life, it is imperative that our spaces be designed to interact with each other and nature on an intimate and spiritual level. As humans have a hard-wired tendency to seek out relationships with other …

Embedded Form: Using Structure To Inform Engaging Spaces Responsive To The Human Experience, Huntington Brown

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

This thesis takes a look at the basic understanding of structure as expressed in nature in the form of the catenary curve. This curve produces a funicular structure in response to gravitational loads. When inverted, this tension-based cable becomes an optimized arch in compression. This FORM as a result of gravity is the basis on which any material can be used to make a space. Understanding spatial qualities and expression of structure, the psychology component is embedded, along with the secondary structure, as a design component that can be dialed in to produce a spatial quality that, in theory, should …

H2opulent, Reese Zimmerman

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

This project is an experiment on resilience, in an attempt to set forth guidelines for a new architecture that is designed with water, for water, and against water. The intent of this project is to create a self-sustaining architectural model that will exist entirely detached from dry land in order to mitigate the affects of flooding and water level rise.

For this project I am analyzing projects in three categories: land, water and hybrid. Land includes projects built along the coast on solid ground, water includes projects that either float on top of the water or are built on stilts …

Black Holistic: A Response To Respiratory Health And Equity Through K-12 Environments And Community - Based Design, Azha Parker

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

The overarching aim of this thesis is to investigate the causes of higher amounts of absenteeism due to asthmatic disease within African American students as it pertains to building-related illness and environmental harms. With this information, design decisions will be made to respond to asthma symptoms amongst students and introduce new outlooks towards health within the communities non-intrusively. Looking at Lakeview Elementary School in Portsmouth, Virginia as a case. This majority African American school sits adjacent to a preexisting landfill that has been capped before construction of the school. This site will act as an example, showing the relationships between …

[Re]Discovering Nature | Ecotourism & Natural Resource Conservation: The ‘Potential’ For A Sustainable Symbiotic Relationship, Amber Bennett

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Humans are more disconnected than ever from the natural environment. Architecture and ecology, both providing distinct conceptual frameworks for the city, one for nature and one for culture, these thesis explores the frameworks that call for them to be intersected to further an actionable ecology for the city and its architecture. Interaction with the natural environment is crucial to human well-being and development, but sadly this connection has diminished drastically due to the over-reliance on modern-day advances and technology. This severed relationship attributes to the lack of awareness of pressing environmental issues that are threatening our shared communities. Islands, remote …

Insert Community: A Revaluation Of Space, Joshua Ramirez

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

This thesis is an attempt to question the way in which we understand and create housing. Currently, there is a growing issue with lack of space within our major and developing cities, creating an increase of demand for higher density buildings, which is especially true for housing. Apartments are typically the answer for higher density, smaller square footage needs, leaving large amounts of uniformly small and repetitive housing units, slowly forcing people to abandon their individuality. The question is, are there no available options for creating more expressive and freeing units for people to be able to live in?

It …

Rethinking The Needs Of The Invisible Society Through Empowerment, Jada Ross

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

This thesis addresses the issue of homelessness and is intended to spark an open conversation about how we can redefine our perceptions of families who experience homelessness. The proposal aims to explore and establish an transitional intervention for “invisible” families to live and develop into contributing residents of society. In the United States, the most vulnerable population are families with children, accounting for 33% of the homeless population. As Covid19 cases continue to rise, and policies continue to neglect affordable housing options, the number of families experiencing homelessness will continue to grow in the future. Through the analysis of case …

Contemplative Retreat: Examining The Fundamentals Of Spiritual Orientation Through Architecture, Daryl Rowe

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

With over 4,200 faith practices documented all over the world and 84% of the world's population identifying with one of them, the studies of the Pew Research Institute clearly show that there is a need for spiritual spaces worldwide. Throughout history, these places were held as sacred and the land and building of these structures were treated as such. They offered a connection with the energy of the earth and orientation of the soul. All religions have their own defined religious rites that aid in the continuation of your practice of the faith. These involve rites of passage, affliction, fasting, …

Revival Of The Dead Zone- Ecotourism Within The Chornobyl Exclusion Zone, Angelina Damaj

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Since the nuclear accident, Chernobyl has been abandoned for 30 years. 30 kilometers around Chernobyl was evacuated and it has left the area to become a dead zone. In actuality the dead zone is full of life. Plant and animal populations have expanded and thrived, and people have slowly started to reenter the zone. The exclusion zone has become a new ecosystem.

With more people coming into Chernobyl for tourism, there is higher risk of the ecosystem being threatened. My thesis will explore ecotourism within the Chernobyl exclusion zone. My proposal is an urban design that is shaped by ecotourist …

Elevated Education: Approach To Inclusive Pedagogy For Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Elijah James

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

My mother is a huge inspiration in my life. She is a special education teacher. And throughout the years she has continually expressed the dramatic increase in autistic students. When she first began, she had 4 students, she now has 28. According to the CDC, throughout the last four years the number of autistic students has risen about 8%. This brings the autism rate to 17.8% for students aged 3-17. That is about 1 in every 6 students.

The views of autism are often misconstrued just for being different. I too was guilty of this. Until the day I met …

Shifting Perspectives: A Travelling, Interactive Installation Educating Youth, Mary Branon

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

If I were to ask a group of people to explain what countries make up the Middle East, they likely wouldn’t be able to list more than a few. Despite the internet, technology, and social media being within reach, it is still common to see generalizations about groups of people, their origins, and the boundaries of those origins. This leads me to wonder why. Is this an issue within our educational system? Is this due to lack of accessible information? Or maybe information isn’t presented in a way that is easily understood and digested? An abundance of information remains just …