Architecture Commons^™

Identifying Design-Build Decision-Making Factors And Providing Future Research Guidelines: Social Network And Association Rule Analysis, Ramy Khalef, Islam H. El-Adaway

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

There is a dire need to rebuild existing infrastructure with strategic and efficient methods. Design-build (DB) becomes a potential solution that provides fast-tracked delivery as a more time and cost-efficient project delivery method. Past research studied factors influencing DB but without providing a holistic analytic approach. This paper fills this knowledge gap. First, a systematic literature review is performed using the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses techniques, and a set of factors affecting DB projects are then identified and clustered, using k-means clustering, based on the whole literature discussions. Second, a graph theory approach, social network analysis …

Assessing The Predictive Capability Of The Nno Ballistic Limit Equation For Low-Density Projectile Impact, William P. Schonberg

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The design of nearly all Earth-orbiting spacecraft includes some sort of added shielding that protects the spacecraft against impacts by meteoroids and orbital debris. The effectiveness of the shielding is typically assessed using ballistic limit equations (BLEs) that are developed using data from high-speed impact tests on key spacecraft components and elements. These equations predict whether or not a particular system or structural element will sustain a critical failure following a specific impact event. As such, they are essential components of spacecraft system design as well as any quantitative spacecraft risk assessments that may need to be performed as part …

An Insight Into The Effect Of Sharp And Round Edges On The Flow Field-A Cfd Simulation, Abid Hussain, Gao Puzhen, M. Mustafa Azeem, Muhammad Zubair, Muhammad Aamir, Muhammad Irfan Khaleed

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper presents a numerical investigation of pressure drop and distribution in a channel around a sharp edge and a disc that is connected to the base of a circular rod. We have employed computational fluid dynamics (CFD)-Fluent for the validation of our models. It was found that the edge sharpness of the disc influences the pressure drop., i.e. sharp edge has higher turbulence and pressure drop. We also observed that pressure drops in the case of the circular disc are less than that of the sharp edge. However, pressure drop has essentially the same values for both shapes after …

Internal Structure And Breakage Behavior Of Biogenic Carbonate Sand Grains, Elieh Mohtashami, C. Guney Olgun, Chenglin Wu, Tara Selly

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This Study Investigates the Mechanical Behavior of Biogenic Carbonate Sands from Puerto Rico at Grain-Scale Level. Micro-Computed Tomography Has Also Been Used to Get Insights on the Internal Structure of These Particles Before and after Loading. the Crushing Strength of These Particles Are Smaller Comparing to the Values Reported for Silica Sands. It Has Also Been Shown that These Particles Have Complex Internal Structure Including a Network of Pores Connected with Channels. This Study Also Demonstrates the Effect of Intragrain Structure of Biogenic Carbonate Sands and Shows How Internal Grain Structure Plays a Role on Particle Fracture.

Blue Carbon Science, Management And Policy Across A Tropical Urban Landscape, Daniel A. Friess, Yasmine M. Gatt, Tze Kwan Fung, Jahson B. Alemu I, Natasha Bhatia, Rebecca Case, Siew Chin Chua, Danwei Huang, Valerie Kwan, Kiah Eng Lim, Yudhishthra Nathan, Yan Xiang Ow, Daniel Saavedra-Hortua, Taylor M. Sloey, Erik S. Yando, Hassan Ibrahim, Lian Pin Koh, Jun Yu Puah, Serena Lay-Ming Teo, Karenne Tun, Lynn Wei Wong, Siti Maryam Yaakub

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The ability of vegetated coastal ecosystems to sequester high rates of “blue” carbon over millennial time scales has attracted the interest of national and international policy makers as a tool for climate change mitigation. Whereas focus on blue carbon conservation has been mostly on threatened rural seascapes, there is scope to consider blue carbon dynamics along highly fragmented and developed urban coastlines. The tropical city state of Singapore is used as a case study of urban blue carbon knowledge generation, how blue carbon changes over time with urban development, and how such knowledge can be integrated into urban planning alongside …

Point Density For Soil Specimen Volume Measurements In Image-Based Methods During Triaxial Testing, Sara Fayek, Xiong Zhang, Javad Galinmoghadam, Jeffrey D. Cawlfield

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Discrete Measurement Targets Were Frequently Utilized in Image-Based Methods on the Specimen's Surface to Monitor the Soil Specimen during Triaxial Testing. However, the Required Density of Measurement Targets that Should Be Used in Triaxial Testing to Achieve Highly Accurate Volume Measurement Has Not Been Investigated. to overcome This Limitation, This Paper Presents a Parametric Study to Determine the Optimum Target/point Densities to Be Utilized on the Triaxial Soil Specimen Surface to Achieve the Desired Level of Volume Measurement Accuracy in Image-Based Methods. LiDAR Scanning Was Applied to Establish the "Ground Truth" Volume of the Specimen. the Effects of Deformation and …

Evaluation Of Thermal And Rheological Properties Of Phase Change Material-Incorporated Asphalt Mastic With Porous Fillers, Farshad Saberi Kerahroudi, Yizhuang David Wang, Jenny Liu

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Incorporating phase change material (PCM) into paving materials can regulate the pavement temperature, improve the pavement durability, and mitigate the heat-island effects. In this research, porous fillers were used as the PCM carrier, and the thermal and rheological behaviors of the asphalt mastic with the PCM were evaluated. Two different carrier materials (diatomite and expanded perlite) and four types of PCMs were used in the study. The candidate filler, PCM, and proper blending ratios were determined based on the results of scanning electron microscope image analysis, the filter paper test, and the temperature sweep test. The thermal and rheological behaviors …

Cohort Comfort Models — Using Occupant’S Similarity To Predict Personal Thermal Preference With Less Data, Matias Quintana, Stefano Schiavon, Federico Tartarini, Joyce Kim, Clayton Miller

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

Cohort Comfort Models (CCM) are introduced as a technique for creating a personalized thermal prediction for a new building occupant without the need to collect large amounts of individual comfort-related data. This approach leverages historical data collected from a sample population, who have some underlying preference similarity to the new occupant. The method uses background information such as physical and demographic characteristics and one-time onboarding surveys (satisfaction with life scale, highly sensitive person scale, personality traits) from the new occupant, as well as physiological and environmental sensor measurements paired with a few thermal preference responses. The framework was implemented using …

Cozie Apple: An Ios Mobile And Smartwatch Application For Environmental Quality Satisfaction And Physiological Data Collection, Federico Tartarini, Mario Frei, Stefano Schiavon, Xuan Yun Chua, Clayton Miller

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

Collecting feedback from people in indoor and outdoor environments is traditionally challenging and complex to achieve in a reliable, longitudinal, and non-intrusive way. This paper introduces Cozie Apple, an open-source mobile and smartwatch application for iOS devices. This platform allows people to complete a watch-based micro-survey and provide real-time feedback about environmental conditions via their Apple Watch. It leverages the inbuilt sensors of the smartwatch to collect physiological (e.g., heart rate, activity) and environmental (sound level) data. This paper outlines data collected from 48 research participants who used the platform to report perceptions of urban-scale environmental comfort (noise and thermal) …

Design And Delivery Of National Housing In The Uae: An Alternative Approach, Basem Eid Mohamed, Mohamed Elkaftangui, Rana Zureikat, Rund Hiyasat

All Works

The provision of national housing to citizens in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is considered a crucial topic. Over the past four decades, the process of developing national housing has emerged into multiple housing programs and schemes, all with the same aim of offering affordable and high-quality housing to citizens, in addition to meeting the needs of local families regarding spatial configurations while maintaining cultural values. However, despite all these efforts, the question has always remained: are the offered housing practices suited for family needs, socioeconomic trends, and environmental challenges? This study aims to offer an alternative approach for the …

Ritual, Spectacle, And Theatre In Late Medieval Seville (Chapter 1), Christopher B. Swift

Publications and Research

From the fall of Islamic Išbīliya in 1248 to the conquest of the New World, Seville was a nexus of economic and religious power where interconfessional living among Christians, Jews, and Muslims was negotiated on public stages. From out of seemingly irreconcilable ideologies of faith, hybrid performance culture emerged in spectacles of miraculous transformation, disciplinary processionals, and representations of religious identity. Ritual, Spectacle, and Theatre in Late Medieval Seville reinvigorates the study of medieval Iberian theater by revealing the ways in which public expressions of devotion, penance, and power fostered cultural reciprocity, rehearsed religious difference, and ultimately helped establish Seville …

Applying Unsupervised Machine Learning Clustering Techniques To Early Childcare Soundscapes, Kenton Hummel, Erica E. Ryherd, Iason Konstantzos, Abbie Raikes

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

Early childhood is a critical time period for language, brain, cognitive, and social/emotional development. Out-of-home childcare is a normative, typical experience for millions of young children. Although Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) in K-12 settings has received recent, significant attention, the links between IEQ and children’s learning and development in early childcare settings is a less understood topic. This work focuses specifically on the sound aspect of IEQ in early childcare settings to better understand typical noise levels and occupant experience. Standard approaches to analyzing background noise will be presented alongside more detailed statistical analyses utilizing unsupervised machine learning clustering techniques. …

Lincoln Income Life Insurance Company - Louisville, Kentucky (Sc 3666), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 3666. Magazine-style supplement to the Louisville Courier-Journal, 13 March 1966, profiling the personnel and operations of the Lincoln Income Life Insurance Company. The well-illustrated publication highlights the company’s new home office building, the Lincoln Tower, designed by Taliesin Associated Architects, and includes a color rendering of the building on the cover.

Nashville Transit Center, Ryan Plowman

[Archive] Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

Despite being a rapidly growing urban core, Nashville and Middle Tennessee as a whole has had little development in transportation to serve its citizens. Access to Nashville is ruled by automobile travel, limiting opportunities for work and affordable living. This is a sustainability issue as well, with motor vehicles accounting for a large portion of carbon emissions, due to the forced individualized commuter lifestyle. To remedy automobile congestion and carbon emission, this project examines the introduction of train, bus, and river taxi transportation to Nashville, with Lower Broadway as a host and center point. The building’s design expands on the …

Mars 2100: A Microcosm Of Ecocentric Design, Andrea Hoe

Architecture Thesis Prep

In the dystopian future of 2100, Earth becomes a dying planet and humanity is forced to continue colonizing the solar system for survival. Mars develops as a colonized planet, exploited for its natural resources and potential. The hierarchical system of power seen constantly throughout Earth’s history was inescapable, and poor conditions turned to extremes. As billionaires take control of the space race, the capitalist system reflected in past company towns was implemented, making the moral questions and lines blurred.

When the system is eventually ruptured, ecosystemic living is proposed. Living is now centered around health and mindfulness, creating a system …

Immersive Inoculation: Testing If Architecture Can Become A Form Of Emotional Supplementation, Julia Kazubowsi, Chloe De Marco

Architecture Thesis Prep

The environments, objects, and spaces we encounter rub off on us, even if we don't notice. Like a human interaction, every inanimate encounter we have have with surrounding objects and architecture has a positive or negative affect on us.

We recognize that ordinary things have a surprising power to create extraordinary feelings and reactions. This thesis propose a visual medium that bridges the gap between us and the inanimate. Where we meet in the middle is an architectural experience that is emotionally charged, introducing specific emotions to the body. Just as movies, books, and happy pills elicit a response from …

Paradigm Of The Post Natural: Critiquing Capitalist Ideals Through Environmental Degradation, Andrea De Haro, Charlotte Bascombe

Architecture Thesis Prep

There is an unspoken value in the destructiveness caused by design that is exposed through the exploitation of natural resources. This thesis seeks to exemplify the aesthetic value inherent within these newly defined environments. Nature is a source for human consumption, and as such it has developed into a commodity. By now it should be made evident that humanity’s presence is everywhere. There is no ecosystem left unturned by human manipulation Iin this respect, nature is dead. Deforested sites of oil fracking leave mile long toxic ponds highlighting the destructive pursuits that capitalism creates. Chernobyl showcases how human errors in …

Eternal Imprint: Two Libraries Linked In Time, Jaifer Sultan

Architecture Thesis Prep

The thesis is an exploration of the symbolic relationship between Earth and the Moon through the conceptualization of two libraries, one on Earth and one on the Moon, are to be formally expressed through a mitosis-like interdependency, where both libraries are in constant architectural dialogue with each other despite their separation which occurred some time ago.

The thesis positions itself in the architectural discourse through the rigorous stud and analysis of the library typology throughout history, to both symbolize meaning and ritualize one's experience of acquiring knowledge. This understanding of the library typology will be tackled through the cataloging of …

Tectonic Thresholds: Reclaiming Space Through Geomorphological Design, Amreeta Verma

Architecture Thesis Prep

This research posits that a revitalization of indigenous earth architecture practices in a contemporary context can mitigate the immense waste and embodied carbon in the construction industry. Earth materials are the focus of this research because they are locally sourced, abundantly available, and can be reused or returned to the natural environment, when utilized in a circular consumption cycle. Designing for reuse reduces the impact of construction waste on the burgeoning issue of environmental degradation and resource depletion.

The structural viability and environmental enclosure capabilities of soil throughout its lifecycle will be tested in different forms derived geomorphically from the …

The Ark: Sanctuary For Isfs, Zejun Sun, Wei Wei Li

Architecture Thesis Prep

The thesis is aiming to decrease the potential flooding damages to the ISFs, and a balance between the limited resources and high population density to relieve the flooding issues through the renovation and reconstruction of local churches in the Baseco Compound.

Flooding has become one of the most common and devastated issues in developing countries, and it is worsen by the housing crisis that lead to a formation of informal settlements with shoddy constructions and destabilized communities. What is an applicable approach to decrease the potential flooding damage to the ISFs? How to find a balance between the limited resources …

Designing A Virtual Driving Tour Using Mapping Programs: A Case Study Of West Virginia’S Northern Panhandle, Abigail Ayers

Historic Preservation Final Projects

No abstract provided.

Interdisciplinary Design Studio: Programming Document Visioning For A Robotic Demonstration, Research, And Engagement Dairy, Steve(N) Hardy, Nate Bicak, Sarah Alduaylij, Noor Al-Maamari, Devyn Beekman, Kelsey Belgum, Lauren Chubb, Nicholas Forte, Mitchell Hill, Joshua Holstein, Dylan Lambe, Phuong Le, Mia Leriger, Elizabeth Loftus, Josh Lorenzen, Megan Lovci, Alex Martino, Zade Miller, Hannah Morgan, Annabelle Nichols, Collin Shearman, Rebecca Sowl, Nalin Theplikhith, Angela Vu, Shaylee Wagner, Ethan Watermeier, Trever Zelenka

Architecture Program: Student Creative Activity

The 2022 COLLABORATE Design Studio brought together students from various disciplines to address a complex, real-world project which required collaborative input from different perspectives. The studio worked to advance the co-creation of knowledge between external stakeholders, students, and instructors. The course was co-taught by faculty from different disciplines, and areas of expertise. During the semester, Nate Bicak and Steven Hardy worked with students from Architecture and Interior Design in collaboration with students in Dr. Tami Brown-Brandl’s students in Biological Systems Engineering and Animal Science to explore the values, spatial qualities, and area requirements of a Robotic Demonstration, Research, and Engagement …

Urban Wildlife Management Planning Process And Conflict Mitigation: A Case Study Of Denver’S Canada Goose Management Plan, Brent Johannes

Community and Regional Planning Program: Theses

In 2019 and 2020, the USDA in coordination with Denver Parks and Recreation removed 2,174 geese from 6 different parks within the City of Denver. The removals and use of lethal methods to manage the concerns related to the geese population in Denver’s parks caused a public conflict and resulted in multiple legal challenges with the City of Denver. The opposition group claimed that the city did not sufficiently engage with the public in the formation of the goose management plan, and did not provide any public notification about the plan to remove geese. City officials have claimed that attempts …

Dissolve Of Living Space: Living Space Under The Development Of Metaverse, Wenting Feng, Nuo Lyu

Architecture Thesis Prep

According to our vision, in the future, after the use of the metaverse becomes popular, we will spend a lot of time working, living and playing in the metaverse. The space needed in reality will be reduced by the use of the metaverse, and public buildings will be retained or not depending on the nature of the building. Because the focus of human life shifts from reality to the metaverse, energy and material consumption will also be reduced, and environmental problems can be properly alleviated. The nature in the real city will also be expanded by the reduction of the …

Suppression | Liberation: Memorial To The Lgbtq + Holocaust Victims, Justin Difabritis

Architecture Thesis Prep

Architecture + poetry are powerful forms of creativity, both exemplifying beauty, symbolism, emotion, and experience through structure + form. This thesis is interested in poetic architecture and its ability to not only narrate, represent, symbolize, or express, but also eternalize, the story of groups, individuals, and events.

Through the analysis of, but not limited to, memorials, tombs, and monuments, a deeper architectural understanding will be offered, one of architecture’s ability to emotionally affect others as a means of remembrance.

This research will focus on the literal + symbolic narrative and experience of the LGBTQ+ victims of the holocaust, placing a …

Assistive Intelligence: Replication And Mediation Of Modern, Madeline Alves, Kimberly Esquilin, Pramita Mital, Erin Zearfoss, Julia Kubowoski, Chloe Demarco

Architecture Thesis Prep

This project is an exploration of frames of reference that guide human authorship and how they influence machine output . “Reference frames are [used] to make predictions, create plans, and perform movements.” (Hawkins 131). We guided our exploration under the principle that if we control who authored the frames of reference that the AI receives, then that would influence the output of the machine. However, we began to question to what degree we need to control the machine in order to have a valuable output –is human-intelligent authorship necessary for machine intelligence to function productively, or is machine intelligence enough …

Panopticon: A Privacy Revelation, Kexin Wang, Zhexu Yang

Architecture Thesis Prep

Our thesis project studies and analyzes the control of Surveillance Capitalism over people’s privacy, and how to make people realize the importance of privacy through the means of an architectural/design narrative. This concept comes from Shoshana Zuboff’s The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power, which explains how tech companies collect extra data, capture people’s behavioral surplus and sell them to third party customers, such as advertising companies, thus the predictions about people’s preferences accordingly. In this process, technology companies can make tremendous profit by stealing users’ personal information and then …

Authenti-City, Luca Donner, Francesca Sorcinelli

All Works

The new global cities and megacities, which are generally planned and built as result of political decisions and fast economic growth, are considered artificial and "false" in their nature. This widespread perception arises from a cognitive dissociation between the notions of authenticity and identity in relation to memory, time and the city’s own sedimentation. This perceived dichotomy is illustrated in the literature across the disciplines. Building on the work of Calvino, Burckhardt, Augé, Jacobs, Lynch, and others, this paper examines this question through the lens of sociology, architecture, literature, and philosophy. The goal of this dissertation, by means of dialectics, …

The Production And Destiny Of Public Space In An American City: Examining The Emergence And Disruption Of Brooklyn City Hall Square, Jason Montgomery

Publications and Research

Urban form should reflect collective value for place in communities. Urban squares in particular have the potential to serve as the nucleus of communities, urban artefacts that link place to memory and heritage while serving basic needs for everyday life in the city. Civic squares, those linked to governmental institutions, have further potential to facilitate community gatherings for memorialisation, commemoration, celebration and political action. Despite these important functions and potential, the incremental planning of Brooklyn in the early nineteenth century placed little emphasis on squares of any kind, despite the community’s expressed desires. Brooklyn’s first civic square, here referred to …

Realizing The Vision Of Wcu’S Landscape Master Plan: A Panel Discussion, Josh Braid, Rodney Mader, Bradley Flamm

Sustainability Research & Practice Seminar Presentations

Bradley Flamm, WCU Office of Sustainability (Moderator), with Josh Braid, WCU Grounds Department, and Rodney Mader, WCU Campus Tree Committee Chair - Panel discussion: Realizing the Vision of WCU’s Landscape Master Plan