Architecture Commons^™

A Comparative Study Of Green And Cool Roof Strategies In Energy Saving And Thermal Performance In The Hot-Arid Climate Of Uae, Asma Saqer Al Blooshi

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

The climate of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is characterized by extreme hot-arid conditions, with prolonged summers, intense solar radiation, and elevated temperatures. This significantly increases the building's cooling demand. Due to the UAE's reliance on fossil fuels for electricity generation, reducing energy consumption in buildings is recognized as a strategic objective aligned with the UAE Vision for Sustainability. Roofs represent an essential element of a building's envelope, significantly influencing thermal absorption, particularly in low-rise villas featuring exposed flat concrete slabs. Consequently, roofing strategies such as cool and green roofs serve as a viable passive method to reduce cooling loads …

Sustainable Retrofitting Strategies Of Residential Roofs To Meet Minimal Energy Consumption Targets In The Uae, Alyazia Maktoum Alsheraifi

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

Due to the United Arab Emirates having a hot arid climate, residential buildings experience high cooling demands. A major building element for solar heat gain through buildings are roofs. This study evaluates roof retrofitting strategies for existing low rise residential villas in Al Ain. The aim is to reduce cooling energy consumption, improve indoor thermal comfort, and support compliance with current UAE envelope performance requirements. A case-study villa (Majlis space) was monitored during the peak summer period. Indoor temperature data were recorded using a HOBO device and used to derive an operational HVAC schedule for simulation input. The baseline model …

Ai And Repertory Grid In Architectural Studios For Crafting A Brand Design, Ala' Faleh Ahmed Albdour

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

Architectural education is currently at a crossroads. On one hand, technological innovation, particularly in the realm of design tools, is advancing at a pace that few curricula can match. On the other, public expectations of architecture are shifting, with communities seeking designs that better reflect their identity and lived experience. Yet, in many universities, the traditional studio model still dominates, relying on instructor-led critique sessions that, while valuable, can sometimes narrow student independence and overlook community priorities. This dissertation takes up that challenge by exploring an unusual pairing: generative AI text-to-image platforms, such as MidJourney, with the Repertory Grid Technique …

Comparing Carbon Emissions Across Transportation Mode For A 5-Mile Urban Trip In Spokane, Washington, Christian Agyei

2026 Symposium

Transportation plays a significant role in shaping local greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, particularly in mid-sized cities where automobile use remains dominant. This project examines how carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions differ across transportation modes for a standardized five-mile urban trip in Spokane, Washington. Using emission factors from the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the study estimates grams of CO₂ per passenger-mile and total CO₂ emissions per trip for four transportation modes, including single-occupancy vehicles, public transit, cycling, and walking. Commute pattern data from American Community Survey (ACS) provided local context on travel behavior in Spokane. This analysis …

Innovative Approach To Enhance The Efficiency Of Building Integrated Photovoltaic Panels Through Automated Cooling And Cleaning Using Condensate Water In Extreme Climates, Ali Hasan Shah

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

Photovoltaic (PV) systems in hot and arid climates experience significant performance degradation due to elevated operating temperatures and rapid dust accumulation. Temperature increase alone reduces power output by about 0.4% to 0.5% per degree Celsius above rated conditions. In desert regions, module temperature commonly exceeds standard conditions, which results in power loss above 10%. Dust accumulation adds further degradation, and field measurements report soiling losses above 1% per day without cleaning, with cumulative losses exceeding 20% within short exposure periods. When high temperatures and dust occur together, the combined effect leads to a severe reduction in energy yield. Current mitigation …

Rethinking Housing Evolution In The Uae: An Investigation Of Sha’Abiat, Socio-Spatial Integration, And Sustainable Urban Development In Al Ain City, Boshra Hassan

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

Housing is both a fundamental human need and a core driver of urban form, social life, and cultural continuity. In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the rapid transformations of the post-oil era were marked by the establishment of the first national housing model, the Sha’abiat, compact, community-oriented neighborhoods that shaped the early urban form of Emirati cities and reinforced social cohesion. Over time, however, housing policies shifted the housing-scape toward private villas, leaving Sha’abiat increasingly challenged by demographic change, maintenance deficiencies, displacement, and demolition under modernization pressures. Despite these challenges, Sha'abiat remains integral to the UAE’s urban identity and provides …

Hotels As Placemakers In Downtown Los Angeles, 1890-1950, Chrissie Alea Rensing, Megan Kendrick

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

Early twentieth-century Los Angeles is often characterized as a rapidly expanding metropolis shaped by informal segregation along lines of race, class, and gender. Yet within this landscape, hotels and lodging houses sometimes functioned as unexpected sites of inclusion and community for marginalized populations. This project investigates how these spaces of hospitality served women and racial minorities between 1890 and 1950 in Los Angeles. Drawing from recent scholarship from Natalia Molina and others, we set out to examine the role of vernacular hotel architecture and the “placemakers” who operated them.

The project involved examining hundreds of handwritten census pages and original …

Documenting For Success: A Case Study Of A Graduate Writing Retreat, Elliott Rose, Denise Wetzel, Sara C. Kern, Katie O'Hara-Krebs, Laurin Davis, Salah Seoudi, Carmen Cole

Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students

Graduate students often find themselves balancing the demands of research and writing while managing complex academic and personal needs. Writing retreats provide an intentional space for graduate students to focus on their academic goals while supporting community-building, institutional belonging, and a welcoming environment. This proposal outlines a model for academic librarians and staff to plan and implement an effective graduate writing retreat designed to support graduate student academic activities through intentional collaboration and documentation.

Penn State University’s (PSU) Graduate Student Writing Retreat started as an event housed within the University Library’s Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) department. The retreat …

Best Practices For Electrical Safety At Home, Joshua Henderson, Derek Centrone

Student Research Symposium (SRS)

The household, although it’s a comfortable and relaxing environment, can in fact be riddled with everyday hazards that homeowners and residents overlook or are too complacent in acknowledging or even recognizing their presence. One such common oversight is electrical hazards. This may be due to the high usage of electricity in people’s day-to-day lives, especially since the perceived risk of electrical hazards by the public can be very low. In a household, there are many hazards present each and every day. One such hidden deadly hazard is electricity. While on the surface it doesn’t seem that dangerous, in reality, it …

Finding Research Datasets And Evaluating Data Quality, Ibis Anette Moreno-Lozano Phd.

Day Family Research Lab Workshop Series

No abstract provided.

From Informal Into Collective Urban Farming: Investigating Potentials In Local Communities In Al Ain, Uae, Nour Khaled Mousa

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

By 2050, the world’s population is expected to grow from 7.9 to 9.7 billion. Therefore, collective urban farming is considered to be a practical way to deal with the rising food needs in the limited available urban land which will result in strengthening the local food security and reducing the dependence on imported goods. When farming activities are transformed from random and informal into collective and well-managed spaces more benefits will be brought into a community including social cohesion, education and skills, and better economic opportunities. Collective urban farming is very important to the environment as it delivers multiple ecosystem …

Data Management Plans For Grant Proposals, Rubab Shahzad

Day Family Research Lab Workshop Series

Fundamentals of research data management and how to create effective Data Management Plans (DMPs) and Data Management Sharing Plans (DMSP)

Lipscomb University Parking Garage Analysis, Morgan Hayes, Reagan Maxwell, Daniel Diaz Tortolero, Dominick Dingus, Michael Ent

Student Scholar Symposium

Many students struggle to easily find parking during the school day at Lipscomb University, and this problem will only be emphasized with the potential removal of the nearby Stokes parking lot (containing 255 spaces). To combat this need and help provide additional room for university growth, we propose the addition of a parking garage west of the Fields engineering building, between Belmont Boulevard and Grandview Drive. This garage would be separated from the current garage behind Fields and be slightly larger, containing about 500 spaces over five levels. We evaluate the current number of parking spaces needed at Lipscomb based …

To What Extent Do Urban Planning Practices Impact Climate Change In Latin America?, Oliver Orellana, Mitchell Roberts

Student Scholar Symposium

Understanding best practices with regards to urban planning and development is crucial to the success of any city. Given the historical, geographic, and economic state of Latin American countries, the role of these practices in innovation is exceedingly vital. By analyzing sustainability strategies employed in cities to mitigate the effects of climate change, this research will identify which practices are the most sustainable in the long run. Because Latin American countries face their own unique challenges in areas like democratic transition, physical landscape, or economic well-being, gaining understanding as to which practices would most benefit the region is pivotal to …

Patent Searching With Uspto, Derwent Innovation And Lens.Org, Ibis Anette Moreno-Lozano

Day Family Research Lab Workshop Series

No abstract provided.

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 …

Development And Experimental Validation Of A Bio-Based Co2 Purification Medium Derived From Puffed Rice Waste For Indoor Air Quality Improvement, Abeer Fuad Othman

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

Indoor environments are crucial for human activity, as people spend over 90% of their time indoors. This extensive indoor presence makes these spaces crucial for overall well-being. The growing awareness of Indoor Air Quality's (IAQ) impact on health, productivity, and wellness contrasts with buildings' contributions to greenhouse gas emissions, particularly through construction materials such as exterior walls, upper floors, and interior finishes. Classrooms are especially concerning because they house many students who are exposed to indoor air pollutants for extended periods. Given the significance of IAQ in educational settings, there is an urgent need for effective solutions to improve air …

Urban Form, Density, And Energy Efficiency: A Typo-Morphology-Based Simulation Framework For Superblock Planning And Densification In Abu Dhabi, Najeeba Ali Kunju

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

Urban form plays a critical role in shaping environmental performance, particularly building energy. In Abu Dhabi and other GCC cities, development is structured around superblocks—large arterial-bounded land parcels units derived from NPU planning principles. Rapid urban expansion, rising energy demand, and the predominance of low-density suburban growth (now exceeding 55% of Abu Dhabi’s footprint) highlight the need for frameworks that can evaluate the energy implications of this morphology and guide both new development and retrofitting strategies. Superblocks therefore offer a consistent and policy-relevant scale for analysing form–energy interactions in the GCC’s hot-desert context, where early-stage, morphology-informed planning tools are essential. …

Working With Local Government Planning Staff: The Need-To-Know Basics, Kimberly K. Gerhart-Fritz

Civil Engineering Professional Development Seminar

Many civil engineers will need to interact with local government during their careers. Understanding WHAT local government planners do and WHY they do it can make that process much easier to navigate, for all involved.

Mass Timber Construction: Products, Performance And Design, Anthony Harvey

Civil Engineering Professional Development Seminar

Due to their high strength, dimensional stability and positive environmental performance, mass timber building products are quickly becoming materials of choice for sustainably‐minded designers. This presentation will provide a detailed look at the variety of mass timber products available, including glue‐laminated timber (glulam), cross laminated timber (CLT), nail laminated timber (NLT), heavy timber decking, and other engineered and composite systems. Applications for the use of these products under modern building codes will be discussed, and examples of their use in U.S. projects reviewed. Mass timber’s ability to act as both structure and exposed finish will also be highlighted, as will …

Designing And Writing Effective Data Management Plans For Grant Proposals, Rubab Shahzad, Ibis Anette Moreno-Lozano

Day Family Research Lab Workshop Series

Fundamentals of research data management and how to create effective Data Management Plans (DMPs).

Data Cleaning With Excel, Rubab Shahzad

Day Family Research Lab Workshop Series

This workshop will delve into the importance of cleaning research data and why clean data is an important part of the larger research data lifecycle. This session will also provide an overview of data cleaning and preprocessing using Microsoft Excel including a hands-on demonstration.

Scroll down for practice file

Intro To Arcgis - Creating And Navigating Maps Using Esri Arcgis, J. Morgan Rowe-Morris, Elizabeth Bittner

Day Family Research Lab Workshop Series

This ArcGIS workshop offers an introduction to the fundamentals of Geographic Information Systems using the ArcGIS pro platform.

Review On Law On Protection From Environmental Noise And Its Implementation In Kosovo, Elsa Buzhala, Eli Binxhija, Egzon Bajraktari

UBT International Conference

Despite its significant impact on public health and quality of life, noise pollution remains one of the least addressed forms of environmental degradation in Kosovo. This study aims to critically analyze the existing legal framework for environmental noise protection, with particular focus on Law No. 02/L-102, and to assess its practical implementation in the urban context of Kosovo. By employing an integrated methodological approach—including documentary analysis of domestic and European legislation, direct noise level measurements in selected urban areas, and interviews with citizens and institutional representatives—the study identifies a range of shortcomings in both the design and enforcement of noise …