Architecture Commons^™

Feasibility Of A Fiber Reinforced Polymer Retrofit For Non-Ductile Concrete Walls, Rory S. De Sevilla, Jerry Hue Truong Luong, Anahid A. Behrouzi, Peter T. Laursen, Mike J. Deigert

Architectural Engineering

A significant number of pre-1980’s non-ductile reinforced concrete (RC) structures in California have been identified as deficient, many of which utilize RC shear wall systems to resist earthquake lateral forces. These non-ductile wall systems are typically lightly reinforced and lack adequate boundary element detailing. Engineers suspect these walls to susceptible to brittle, compression-controlled failure modes due to damage from concrete crushing and bar buckling. As a result, one approach designers are taking is to seek fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) retrofit solutions that improve the compression capacity of high-stressed wall end zone regions based on effectiveness of these approaches with columns. …

The Five Tribes Of Machine-Learning: A Brief Overview, Jens G. Pohl

Architecture

This paper reviews recent advances in automated computer-based learning capabilities. It briefly describes and examines the strengths and weaknesses of the five principal algorithmic approaches to machine-learning, namely: connectionism; evolutionism; Bayesianism; analogism; and, symbolism. While each of these approaches can demonstrate some degree of learning, a learning capability that is comparable with human learning is still in its infancy and will likely require the combination of multiple algorithmic approaches. However, the current state reached in machine-learning suggests that Artificial General Intelligence and even Artificial Superintelligence may indeed be eventually feasible.

Diversity, Inclusion And The Exceed Teaching Workshop, Allen C. Estes

Architectural Engineering

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Excellence in Civil Engineering Education (ExCEEd) Teaching Workshops are currently in their 20th year of existence and have been highly successful. There is a growing body of literature on creating a multi-cultural classroom that celebrates diversity, accounts for the global differences and experiences of students, and deliberately fosters inclusivity. This paper examines the content of the existing culturally inclusive literature and quantifies how much is already present in the current ETW curriculum. It then suggests how much more could be included if a deliberate effort is made to include diversity and inclusivity into …

E-Learning Tools To Facilitate Instruction Of A Large Enrollment Structural Engineering Course, Maelle Van Thienen, James Boon Piang Lim, Anahid A. Behrouzi, Pablo Garcia, Wyatt Banker-Hix

Architectural Engineering

A significant challenge in teaching large civil engineering courses is engaging and providing feedback to students in a meaningful and timely manner. This paper presents a solution that uses e-learning tool Xorro-Q in the successful instruction of a Structures II course of 250+ second year students since 2016 at a research-intensive university in New Zealand.

During the course, Xorro-Q has been utilized as an online practice-based learning tool where students can repeat questions without penalty and automatically receive detailed instructor-developed feedback (diagrams, text, or link to website/video) in response to specific incorrect answers. Additionally, Xorro-Q permits a variety of questions …

Exposing Undergraduates To Design, Fabrication, And Large-Scale Experimentation In A Structural Steel Design Course, Jenna Williams, Mark William Wright, Michael James Deigert, Anahid A. Behrouzi

Architectural Engineering

During Fall 2017, Spring and Fall 2018 quarters, various hands-on design, fabrication, and large-scale experimental projects were incorporated into a 10-week undergraduate structural steel design course offered in the Department of Architectural Engineering at California Polytechnic State University – San Luis Obispo. Through these projects students investigated one or two unique steel lateral force resisting systems (LFRS) consisting of either: special moment frame (SMF), special concentric braced frame (SCBF), and/or buckling restrained braced frame (BRBF). Students completed design calculations per the American Institute of Steel Construction steel building and seismic codes, visualized their final design using AutoCAD software, constructed and …

Interactive Physical Experiments In An Advanced Undergraduate Structural Dynamics Course, Charles D. Facciolo, Anahid A. Behrouzi

Architectural Engineering

This paper describes a number of physical models and hands-on lab activities incorporated in an advanced undergraduate structural dynamics lecture and laboratory course pairing offered within the Architectural Engineering department at California Polytechnic State University – San Luis Obispo. These course modifications were designed and implemented in the Winter 2018 quarter to enable students to:

-Collect acceleration data during free or forced vibration tests using a smartphone accelerometer application to generate data plots in Matlab; -Conduct free vibration tests on various single-degree of freedom (SDOF) systems to investigate effects of varying mass, stiffness/height, material type, and damping type (pendulum or …

Economy: Life In Paradise, Ali Chen, Killian Angell

Research

This poster describes significant aspects of Paradise’s economy, primarily statistics about income and income sources, as well as major employers in the town.

On the positive side, the cost of living in Paradise is approximately a third less than in California as a whole, housing prices are about half ($200,000 versus $400,000), and the rate of owner-occupied housing is higher (nearly 70% versus 54%). On the negative side, however, Paradise residents earn less than California and US residents: average household incomes are some $15,000 less than the state’s, and $7,000 less than the country’s. One part of this income disparity …

Demographics: Life In Paradise, Elisabeth Frizzell, Victor Hoyos

Research

This poster provides statistical information derived from the US Census Bureau on the town’s population, such as age, race, income, and education levels.

The most salient points derived from this information have to do with the inhabitants’ median age, ethnicity, and income. By these measures and compared to the population of California as a whole, the citizenry of Paradise was generally older (median age of 50 versus 36), whiter (92% versus 72%), and less educated (percentage with a bachelor's degree or higher 25% versus 32%). The town also has fewer households with children (30% versus 46%) and proportionally more people …

Infrastructure: Life In Paradise, Khoa Le, Sabrina Yerena

Research

This poster presents information about the town’s infrastructure, including the many town facilities before the fire: one police station, four fire stations, and Feather River Hospital. There is also information about public services, including transportation, water, gas, sewer, and waste management. Of these, the issues of transportation and sewage treatment are most significant for the future development of the town.

Given the low-density development that prevails in Paradise, public transportation before the fire was severely limited; there were only two bus routes, one along Skyway and the other along Clark Road. Most people had long walks to bus stops, and …

Climate: Life In Paradise, Benjamin Campbell, Natalie Giombi

Research

This poster provides information on climate in Paradise, as well as some passive strategies for heating and cooling buildings given that climate.

Typical of most of California, Paradise’s climate is characterized by wet winters and dry summers but is generally rather benign: residents like to say that the town is located “above the fog line, but below the snow line.” Passive strategies for building design include shading devices to regulate solar heat gain, evaporative cooling to enable venting of hot air within buildings, thermal insulation to trap heat, and south-facing glass to allow heat gain.

History: Life In Paradise, Emma Puryear, Gabrielle Icardo

Research

This poster presents information about the history of Paradise.

In the mid-19th Century, three Native-American tribes, known collectively as the Maidu, inhabited the area around Paradise. Estimates of their pre-contact population hover around 9,000 people. With the discovery of gold at Sutter’s Mill in 1848, the history of modern Paradise begins – with an influx of white settlers and the subsequent near-obliteration of the Native-American people. By 1930, the Maidu numbered less than one hundred.

Other than this calamity, the town’s growth was slow and steady over the course of the next hundred and fifty years – the noteworthy events …

Culture & Education: Life In Paradise, Christian Bernard, Arielle Eleazar, Ryan M. Huddlestun

Research

This poster describes cultural and community life in Paradise before the fire, noting the locations and types of schools, churches, and other civic institutions. The poster also describes several cultural events the town held each year, most of them festivals celebrating its history (Gold Nugget Days) or cuisine (Chocolate Fest).

Land Use Patterns: Life In Paradise, Sophia Smith, Nolan Delgado, Tiana Shiroma

Research

This poster shows a map of the town, depicting the different land uses. As shown here, most of the town was zoned low-density residential. While there were some higher density residential developments, apartment complexes and mobile home parks, for example, single-family homes were the dominant house type. Commercial zones were concentrated on the two main north-south routes, Skyway and Clark Roads.

The map shows the many riparian corridors in the town, as well as various community facilities. Agricultural areas are prevalent on the south side of town, and resource conservation areas are located on the east and west.

Kresge College: Planning Precedent, Benjamin Campbell, Natalie Giombi

Precedents

Kresge College, UC Santa Cruz, California (1971): One of the residential colleges at UC Santa Cruz, Kresge is located in a redwood forest on the edge of campus. Designed by Charles Moore and William Turnbull, the college is intended to be a non-institutional alternative to the traditional type: its several buildings are assembled irregularly along a twisting pedestrian street broken up by a series of outdoor “piazzas” in the manner of an Italian hill town.

The intent behind looking at this precedent was to have the students consider how buildings might be sited in the rugged topography of Paradise.

The Sea Ranch: Planning Precedent, Kaleena Klimeck, Foster Westover

Precedents

The Sea Ranch, California (1960’s): An oceanfront, largely vacation community located some 100 miles north of San Francisco, Sea Ranch is known both for its master plan, which sought to mitigate the impact of buildings in the landscape, and its architecture, which draws from vernacular agrarian building forms and materials. The master plan was devised by the landscape architect Lawrence Halprin. The most notable buildings were by the prominent Bay Area architects Joseph Esherick and MLTW (Moore, Lyndon, Turnbull, and Whittaker).

The purpose of studying this precedent was to spur the students’ thinking about designing in a sensitive landscape.

Radburn, New Jersey: Planning Precedent, Elisabeth Frizzell, Victor Hoyos

Precedents

Radburn, New Jersey (1929): “A town for the motor age,” designed by the architects Clarence Stein and Henry Wright and the landscape architect Marjorie Sewell Cautley. Radburn is best known for its separation of vehicular and pedestrian traffic. The main features in its design are the two main residential superblocks, each comprised of a network of cul-de-sacs surrounding a large semi-public outdoor space, which allow people to walk to school, a rec center, or a commercial center without crossing streets.

The intent behind researching this precedent was to look at ways of developing “walkability” in Paradise.

Lake Anne Village: Planning Precedent, Khoa Le, Sabrina Yerena

Precedents

Lake Anne Village Center, Reston, Virginia (1963-67): Located in rolling terrain outside Washington D.C., Reston was intended to provide a new model of suburban development in post-World War II America. The town as a whole is composed of several discreet communities, all separated by abundant open spaces. Lake Anne Village is the best known of these, primarily due to its center, a mixed-use development of townhouses, apartments, and shops, whose modestly scaled Brutalist buildings are artfully arranged around Washington Plaza, a superb public space overlooking the eponymous lake. James Rossant was the architect/planner.

The purpose of looking at this precedent …

Greenbelt, Maryland: Planning Precedent, Emma Puryear, Gabrielle Icardo

Precedents

Greenbelt, Maryland (1935-38): Greenbelt was one of three so-called “greenbelt towns” built by the federal government as a response to the jobs and housing crises of the Great Depression. Located in forested land on a broad ridge some eight miles from Washington D.C., the town was conceived as a public cooperative community based on ideas promoted by Rexford Guy Tugwell, head of President Roosevelt’s Resettlement Administration. Tugwell wanted the towns to foster community spirit by combining the best of rural life and urban life: woods and open spaces, theaters and shops.

The purpose of studying at this precedent was to …

Hammarby Sjöstad: Planning Precedent, Christian Bernard, Arielle Eleazar, Ryan M. Huddlestun

Precedents

Hammarby Sjöstad, Stockholm, Sweden (2004-16): Located in what had been a dilapidated industrial area close to Stockholm city center, Hammarby Sjöstad was built as a comprehensive infrastructural project with sustainable alternatives for water, energy, and waste management. The district, comprising over 300 acres around the shores of Lake Hammarby, is home to some 25,000 people. The block pattern is based on the traditional urban fabric of Stockholm while the architecture is decidedly modern.

The purpose of investigating this precedent was to interest the students in sustainable features they might incorporate into their own designs, both for Paradise as a whole …

Seaside, Florida: Planning Precedent, Sophia Smith, Nolan Delgado, Tiana Shiroma

Precedents

Seaside, Florida (1985): A resort community on the Gulf Coast of Florida’s panhandle, Seaside was designed by the New Urbanist pioneers, Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk. Arranged on a radiating street pattern, with myriad pedestrian alleyways and public spaces that promote walking and biking, the town is also known for its form-based planning code: this prioritizes the scale, mass, and envelope of buildings – rather than their use – based on lot location. The town also has an architecture code that specifies building elements and materials.

The purpose of looking at this precedent was to get the students thinking about …

Nolli Map: Comparative Study, Nolan Delgado

Precedents

Nolli Map, A Comparative Study: Giambattista Nolli was an Italian architect and surveyor, best known for his very detailed map of Rome, first published in 1748. The map showed the city’s layout in stark contrast: buildings are presented as solid matter, rendered in dark gray, while open spaces, such as streets, plazas, and even the interiors of major buildings, are presented as voids. As James Tice notes in his book, The Nolli Map and Urban Theory, this kind of figure-ground study “provides an immediate and intuitive understanding of the city’s urban form.”

In dense cities like Rome, buildings appear first …

Bo01: Planning Precedent, Ali Chen, Killian Angell

Precedents

Bo01, Malmö, Sweden (2001): Developed on abandoned industrial sites close to the center of Sweden’s third largest city, Bo01 is a high-density urban district completely reliant on renewable energy. It is known also for its innovative recycling of rainwater and wastewater. The dense, irregular street pattern was meant to provide both a pleasant pedestrian character as well as a buffer against strong winds coming off the ocean. Bo01 was designed by prominent architect Renzo Piano, among others.

The purpose of looking at this precedent was to spur the students’ thinking about sustainable features in terms of both planning and architecture.

Re-Envisioning Paradise, Ryan M. Huddlestun, Christian Bernard

Goals

This poster gives a timeline of the students' work over the course of the two-quarters. It began with a research phase in early January, barely six weeks after the fire had been extinguished, and continued with a town planning phase through mid-March. This was followed by a building design phase to the end of the studio in early June.

Throughout this time period, the students made four visits to Paradise, and held numerous public presentations there and in Chico, Sacramento, and San Luis Obispo.

Rethink Housing, Killian Angell, Benjamin Campbell

Goals

As a community of mostly single-family homes, Paradise lacked diverse housing opportunities. The goal of rethinking housing was a proposal for an assortment of higher-density housing and mixed-uses, strategically located, to accommodate a wider range of residents in terms of age, marital status, family situation, and economic position. Such diversity could provide a more stable future for Paradise, allowing younger workers and lower-income families the ability to both live and work there, while still keeping the town’s overall low-density character.

The projects on this poster show a range of housing types and target populations: workforce, co-housing, and senior housing. In …

Rethink Infrastructure, Khoa Le, Arielle Eleazar

Goals

In the Camp Fire, Paradise lost thousands of houses as well as stores, gas stations, and many other private commercial enterprises. But the town also lost many significant civic institutions. The projects on this poster show some of the individual projects intended to replace those institutions. These are ones that could provide renewed focus towards the community’s wellness, sustainability, governance, and education.

Rethink Mobility, Kaleena Klimeck, Foster Westover

Goals

Before the Camp Fire, Paradise was defined by a disorganized street network and a sprawling low-density development pattern, making residents highly reliant on cars. These factors also hampered the residents’ ability to evacuate the town quickly during the Camp Fire.

The goal of rethinking mobility issues in Paradise included a range of initiatives: from increasing street connectivity to improving roadways to encouraging alternative means of transportation, such as biking and walking. All of these had two main purposes: reducing residents’ reliance on cars for everyday travel within the town, and increasing safety, on a day-to-day basis, but primarily in the …

Redefine Economy, Elisabeth Frizzell, Ryan M. Huddlestun

Goals

The students’ individual building proposals in both studios ran the gamut: from housing to cultural amenities, and from civic infrastructure to commercial enterprises. Together, these projects were intended to diversify Paradise’s economy and create a more stable base for current and future residents. They did so by taking advantage of the town’s location: its proximity to Chico and a major state university, and its position as a potential gateway to the Sierra.

A resort lodge, a conference center, a performing arts center, and a “Food Habitat” were all intended as tourist draws. A co-working center and a new biomedical-research facility …

Reconnect Nature, Ryan M. Huddlestun, Victor Hoyos, Natalie Giombi, Sophia Smith, Kaleena Klimeck, Nolan Delgado

Goals

The several initiatives described in “Reconnect Nature” seek to preserve and enhance Paradise’s relationship to its setting in a beautiful, yet all too fragile, pine and oak forest. Limiting sprawl, preserving wildlife and natural vegetation, creating parks, and creating buildings that merge with their surroundings – these were all ways to keep the town’s sylvan character.

At the same time, Paradise needed to make sure that calamities like the Camp Fire do not recur. To that end, the natural environment in and around the town needs to be tended: by clearing vegetation around buildings, by creating fire routes through the …

Reunite Community, Gabrielle Icardo, Victor Hoyos, Nolan Delgado

Goals

While the bulk of Paradise would remain as it was – a single-family community nestled in the pine forest – the students wanted to counter the lack of a sense of place in Paradise. To that end, they proposed creating several areas throughout the town that would have a more village-like or Main Street atmosphere.

The largest of these would be two pedestrian-oriented districts at either end of the main part of Pearson Road, connected by an expanded Paradise Community Park. In these new districts, named East Village and West Village, many of the town’s principal civic, cultural, and commercial …

Re-Envisioning Paradise Map, Ali Chen, Emma Puryear

Goals

This poster is a large-scale version of the map showing the main features of the students' plans for Paradise: the new downtowns (East and West Villages); the neighborhood centers dispersed throughout the town, new road connections out of the town, and locations of the building proposals.