Architecture Commons^™

Proposal For A Signage And Wayfinding System For The City Of Parlier, Alejandra Janeth Alvarez

City and Regional Planning

Signage and wayfinding is a system of visuals that guide people throughout a built environment in a concise manner. It also adds to people’s understanding and experiences of the space they are in. As stated by the name, Signage and Wayfinding is comprised of two parts, physical signage and wayfinding system. Signage is the physical visuals you see on buildings and the side of streets. Whereas, wayfinding is the systematic way that these signs are placed in order to follow human intuition of following a route to a destination.

Planning Methods For A Sustainable Future, Anthony Jay Herrington

City and Regional Planning

Today, climate change, pollution, poor health, and economic crisis pose a threat to Earth and its inhabitants. If these global threats are left unmitigated, serious economic, environmental, and social consequences will occur. Earth’s future currently rests in the hands of urban planners and policy makers. It is their responsibility to develop and implement methods that ensure a sustainable future. Sustainability is defined as meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The current effort to achieve global sustainability needs to be improved as conditions continue to decline. Urban planners and …

Investigation Of Grout - A Comparison Of Standard Grout Mix To Self-Consolidating Grout Mix, Rachel Garcia Chandler

Architectural Engineering

Masonry is a major structural material for low rise buildings, however the design of masonry buildings is rarely taught as a formal course at most universities. As part of the educational experience and to become familiar with the specifications and testing procedures for grouted masonry, a student run experiment on varying the water to cement ratio of masonry grout was conducted. The purpose is to report on the effects of changing the water-to-cement (W/C) ratios in a standard grout mix. The typical W/C ratio is approximately 0.80:1.00. In order to show the effects of increasing water in a grout mix, …

Cable Suspended Structure-Antanas Panavas, Roger Pena, Dean Seydel Becker, Tracy Destiny Doan

Architectural Engineering

This project is based on a roof system designed by Antanas Panavas. The design of the structure is a cable supported roof system that includes nonprismatic glulam beams. The structure itself is a self stressed system that has never been constructed and is still in the analysis stage.

Project included analysis of the structure and a detailed process of how to model cables using SAP2000.

Topology And Form Finding Via Genetic Algorithms, Michael Goldenberg, Nick Coburn

Architectural Engineering

The following presents an approach to early applications of the Galapagos program as a means to optimize structural forms. The process was conducted with Rhino’s Grasshopper program, the structural analysis plug-in, Karamba, and the genetic algorithm solver, Galapagos. This topological form finding process was based on flexible parameters that modified brace and column locations, and diaphragm size and positions.

This process worked by having Galapagos modify a parametric model which had initial randomly generated variables for the genomes. After structural analysis, Galapagos was tasked with changing the form in order to minimize overall displacement of the structure. Being an evolutionary …

Axial Testing Of Makeshift Buckling Restrained Braces, Daniel T. Item, Corey Huang

Architectural Engineering

The testing of lateral force resisting systems is a concept that is very open to discussion and optimization. We seek to find the bounds of different materials as they act in a buckling restrained brace system in hopes of providing new methods of design for future structural engineering communities. By balancing budget, customization, and material availability we are able to determine what factors may benefit, or lack to benefit, the system at hand.

Timber-Strong Design Build Senior Project, Corbin S. Morisada

Architectural Engineering

The 2019 Timber-Strong Design Build Competition was developed by the American Wood Council, Simpson Strong-Tie Company Inc, and APA - The Engineered Wood Association to cultivate timber design, building, and sustainability experience for students. Participating students gained exposure to performance analysis, construction management, building practices, and project bid preparation while practicing as a design construction firm. In the process of this hands-on experience, students were expected to procure all building materials and tools themselves.

The Timber Strong senior project consisted of participating in the Timber-Strong competition, then re-purposing the structure for use as a playhouse in a pre-school. The intent …

Bridge House Restoration, Adam Mcpherson Pruitt, Ben Christopher Sykes, Samantha Sophia Solow, Christopher Ryan Levy, Severin Bechtel Elste

Architectural Engineering

Bridge House was severely neglected for years since its creation. Our team’s primary objective was to rejuvenate the structure and once again make it a priority destination for the public when visiting the Experimental Structures Laboratory. With this goal in mind, we replaced the plywood barricades with guard railings designed and fabricated by the team to complement those installed on the structure by the previous group. With the elimination of the plywood barricades, the Bridge House could once again be a sense of pride in the rich historical landscape of our Cal Poly community.

In addition, our team hoped to …

Measuring Up: A Case For Redrawing The System Boundaries Of Sustainability At The University Of Kentucky, Brent Sturlaugson, Rebekah Radtke, Anita Lee-Post

Architecture Faculty Publications

The primary goal of this paper is to examine the role that sustainability assessment and reporting plays in creating a sustainable campus for academic excellence. A prototype sustainability assessment and reporting system is developed for triple bottom line impact analysis of the built environment of the newly expanded and renovated Gatton College of Business and Economics at the University of Kentucky. The prototype system utilizes a toolkit to collect environmental, social, and economic data of the building's built environment for sustainable design performance analyses. The system also employs a comprehensive set of sustainability metrics to measure and report the building's …

Application Of Hazus-Mh Flood Model In Developing Countries: The Case Of Piura, Peru, Wan Chantavilasvong, Leo Guerrero

NAKHARA (Journal of Environmental Design and Planning)

This research looks at the U.S.'s HAZUS-MH Flood Model and adapts some of its methodologies to Piura, Peru, as an example of many regions around the world with limited technical and capital capacity to estimate inundation risks. Thus, this research proposes a methodology for accessible and achievable flood risk estimation which takes into account limited available data. The proposed methodology will produce maps of potential inundation areas and monetized damage values from flood scenarios. These outputs can further help local authorities design, decide, and prepare their risk mitigation and adaptation plans for the future.

Effects Of Growth On Urban Morphology And Land Use Pattern In Mymensingh: A Historic Town Of Bangladesh, Naimul Aziz, Farida Nilufar

NAKHARA (Journal of Environmental Design and Planning)

This study explores the effects of growth on the urban morphology and the land use pattern of a historic town Mymensingh, by analyzing the morphological transformation through Space Syntax along with the changes of land-use pattern. Mymensingh is one of the oldest and historic towns of Bangladesh that lies along the river Brahmaputra. This town was developed as an urban conglomeration during the period of the British colonists more than two hundred years ago. Through the juxtaposition of different establishments by the British colonists, local land-lords and local inhabitants at different time periods, a unique type of morphological pattern was …

Serial Cultural Heritage: Concept, Applications, Categorization And Its Roles In Present Day Contexts, Saowalux Poshyanandana

NAKHARA (Journal of Environmental Design and Planning)

Serial cultural heritage is a category of cultural heritage that is characterized by its formation of several cultural heritage sites which have shared meaning and values. The first recognition of serial cultural heritage was part of the World Heritage Convention and its subsequent Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention, 1980. Since that time, cultural heritage series have been nominated and inscribed as World Heritage Sites continuously.In general context, serial cultural heritage has been known and remembered since ancient times. Seven Wonders of the World is an example, although they are not called 'serial cultural heritage'. Apart …

How Grants Improve Public Health In Sanger, California, Emily A. Rudger, Tabitha J. Tolsma, Jamie L. Mosler

City and Regional Planning

This report analyzes public health needs in Sanger, California. Gathering research from the community and generating a background using Healthy People 2020, the project outlines potential grants the community could benefit from, now and in the future. The grant chosen focuses on parks, as physical activity is an important factor and need for the community.

Placemaking & Augmented Reality: A Theoretical Exploration, Erick Sebastian Gomez

City and Regional Planning

Augmented reality is a technology that has the potential to greatly impact current approaches placemaking. Place is an abstract term that refers to the ability of a physical space to have a deeper, more subjective level of meaning for an individual or group of people. Traditional placemaking strategies can impact physical space but their adaptability is often limited by cultural changes or local needs. Augmented reality is a reactive technology through which people are able to manipulate their environments to more closely reflect personal values and communicate ideas. This paper explores current trends and potential applications of augmented reality in …

Chrysalis Creek 2019 Bank Of America Merrill Lynch Low Income Housing, Ivy Zhao

City and Regional Planning

Chrysalis Creek provides 40 affordable housing units for very low- and low-income families in Templeton, California. A chrysalis refers to the third stage of growth, where a caterpillar metamorphose into a butterfly. The project name represents the transformative stage in life for families grow in strength, independence, and stability. Chrysalis Creek is the place where families will thrive and be well supported with resources for success.

Chrysalis Creek is a collaborative effort between architecture, planning and business administration students from Cal Poly. The Cal Poly team is working with Peoples’ Self-Help Housing as the development partner. Peoples’ Self-Help Housing is …

Enhancing Dublin's Emergency Road Network For Hazard Preparedness In The Event Of Natural Disaster, Ritu Muralidharan

City and Regional Planning

The purpose of this study is to assess and analyze the City of Dublin’s current emergency road network and provide recommendations to improve emergency evacuation in the event of natural disasters in the City of Dublin, California.

Planning for emergency preparedness, especially in the aftermath of the wildfires in Paradise and Montecito, California, is more relevant than ever. Learning from these disasters highlight the importance of preparedness, as well as the consideration of roadway capacity and conditions to evacuate during emergencies. This study analyzes the volume, capacity, density, and travel time to determine the capability of a mass evacuation in …

A Proposal For An Adu Incentive Program For The City Of Mill Valley, Emi D. Sugiyama

City and Regional Planning

The development of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) is an important option for responding to increases in housing demand, increasing the diversity in housing options, broadening the range of space available, addressing varied financial needs, and increasing density.

Women, Architecture And Representation In Mamluk Cairo, Amina Karam

Theses and Dissertations

Of the hundreds of documented religious monuments of Mamluk Cairo, known for its intense and often competitive building activity, about twenty are known to be associated with women, at least ten of which still exist in some form. This thesis discusses women's participation in the Mamluk culture of patronage and construction, looking at monuments associated with women not only as a body of work but as the architecture of individual players within the larger building context of Mamluk Cairo. Relying on architectural evidence as well as topographical literature and historical sources, this thesis offers a chronological narrative of women's architecture, …

Rationalizing Public Transport System Of Dhaka City: Proposal Of Creating A Multimodal Hierarchical Transport Network To Reduce Traffic Congestion, Maher Niger

NAKHARA (Journal of Environmental Design and Planning)

The concept of rationalization can be defined as a structured process to increase effectiveness througha maximize use of existing resources. Rationalization in terms of road infrastructure or systems can be achieved in various ways; establishing hierarchy of routes, optimize bus-stop points with density distribution changes, proper integration of motorized and non-motorized transport and providing policy framework. In the highly densely populated city of Dhaka, rationalizing public transport is one way to minimize the mismatch between demand and supply.This paper is concerned with the following issues: providing a general description of the city transport system, identifying problems and demands analysis in …

Anti-Democratic Spaces And Impoverishment: Role Of Roads In Low-Income Residential Areas, Allison John, Mabel Allison, Dennis Ejike Amadi, Crispin Allison

NAKHARA (Journal of Environmental Design and Planning)

This article identifies the low-income group as eco-friendly in terms of their favoured transit systems. Despite the group's eco-friendly and sustainable attributes, they suffer the most in their use of urban spaces, in low-cost housings and in transportation planning, in particular the roads. There is corruption among others who push for road dominance in the infrastructure. There is a call for action in developing the following: greater transparency, democratic approaches, and compact developments with a rich juxtaposition of greenery enhancing pedestrian corridors. Community spaces connecting working areas with the Central Business Districts (CBD) and high densities residencies to be developed …

Transformation Of Cultural Landscape Through Resilience Lens: A Case Study Of Mae Kampong Village, Chiang Mai, Thailand, Teranetr Tienthavorn

NAKHARA (Journal of Environmental Design and Planning)

This study aims to understand the dynamics of the Mae Kampong's cultural landscape through two intervening approaches. The study includes the cultural landscape and the community resilience. Both are examined to determine the transformations. An analysis was made of capital sources and management of resources. The methodology includes literary reviews, site observations, and interviews. The findings illustrate three periods; resilience, adaptation, and transformation. In the last phase, the community utilized their opportunities to transform into entrepreneurs. New activities emerged that included: rental houses, cafes, innovative mixed-use spaces and artisan-based shops located within the living museum sites. Sources of capital and …

A Proxemic Study Of Waterfront Shophouses At The Hua Takhe Market, Bangkok, Thailand, Waricha Wongphyat

NAKHARA (Journal of Environmental Design and Planning)

Given that a physical environment is a manifestation of its socio-cultural context, this paper seeks to examine the development of the Hua Takhe settlement, the physical components of the community, the socio-spatial interconnection, and the spatial essences of the waterfront shophouses in relation to the ownership patterns. Based on field surveys, oral histories, and observations, the research employs Hall's theory of space to extricate the anthropological aspects of the case studies. It is noted that different types of ownership, i.e. inherited and long-term rental, affect the physical and spatial transformations as well as the social proxemics of the shophouses. This …

Transformation Of Housing In Low-Income Settlement: A Study Of Domestic Spaces In Ershad Nagar Resettlement Camp, Masud Ur Rashid

NAKHARA (Journal of Environmental Design and Planning)

Housing transformation is a major strategy among low-income households in formal and informal settlements. Domestic spaces are produced for social unity. This study illustrates the analysis ofdomestic spaces in a low-income settlement and their impact on the inhabitants' ways of life. The factors that affect the physical organization of spaces and its quality are evaluated with respect to the survival strategy of the low-income dwellers. The space organization of the dwelling units illustrates different structures and forms that may not fit the conventional understanding of modern urban housing. The space organization of a dwelling reflects the user's needs and space …

A Structural Approach To Architecture (With An Emphasis On Thin-Shell Forms), Ansel Man

Architectural Engineering

This portfolio includes various projects I have focused on throughout this quarter in ARCE 453 as well as a deep dive study into thin-concrete shells. The overall theme of the portfolio and of this class revolves around how we, as engineers and architects, can achieve a better balance between our two fields of study. I delve into how architecture can be approached from a structural, rational point of view; how a structure's form can be optimized by studying its funicular geometry; and ultimately, the irreplaceable importance of form when designing a structure.

Reduce, Reuse, Reengineer, Neil Ryan Robertson, Anthony James Beers

Architectural Engineering

Our senior project is a research exploration of renewable energy. We recognized there is a major need in the world for the advancement of green power sources. For our project, we wanted to go beyond what we have learned in our Cal Poly architectural engineering classes and to use some of our own creativity to investigate the possibilities of renewable energy from a structural perspective. The guiding question we asked ourselves was, “as architectural engineering students, how could we shift our world to use more renewable energy?” To start our journey off, was the original inspiration from the work of …

Retrofit Of Concrete Moment Frames With Masonry Infill In High Seismic Zones, Patricia Francis Pope, Madeleine Rasmussen, Zorana Tat

Architectural Engineering

Seismic events happen all throughout the world and each country has a slightly different way of handling the design of structures subjected to seismic forces. The goal of this project is to provide citizens of the Philippines with an effective way to retrofit their potentially unsafe buildings in the event of an earthquake. However, this retrofit manual will be able to help globally in other third world countries that have similar building techniques. In order to achieve this type of solution, we had to come up with options that took into account the lack of access to tools, materials, and …

Form Finding Architecture, Anna Eliza B. Sy

Architectural Engineering

More often than not an engineer takes an architects idea and tries to make it structural sound. However, an engineer can also use his or her analytical tools to determine the shape of a building. This is a portfolio of various exercise that explores using the load flow and internal forces of a structure to determine and improve its architecture. SAP2000 is the primary program used for analysis. The topics covered are: the Mueller Breslau Method, Trusses, Three-Hinged Arches, Castiglione’s Elementary School, Fisac's design for the Jorba Laboratories, and Otto's Institute for Lightweight Structures.

Pedestrian Bridge In Tanzania, Maja Sagaser, Karina Rosales

Architectural Engineering

This senior project originated to address the need of the community of Same, Tanzania. There is a deep and wide ravine which floods, making the path many adults and children take to the Majevu Primary School increasingly difficult and dangerous. This report encapsulates all of the steps taken to complete an approved final design for a footbridge to be constructed over this ravine. It includes the project overview, the architectural and structural design process, as well as the important considerations. There are also structural drawings that include plans, elevations, and details.

An Exploration Into Structurally Rational Architecture, Bridget M. Healey

Architectural Engineering

This project is a series of small explorations into modern examples of structurally rational architecture. Each investigation looks at different methods of analyzing or designing structures that combine aesthetics and economy.

Characteristics Of A Viscous Damper: Finding The Damping Coefficient, Roman Lara Iv, Tiffany Wang

Architectural Engineering

The authors of this report are undergraduate Architectural Engineering students at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. This report documents the implementation, design, and experimentation of a damper with unknown properties. This experimentation data will be used to find the damping coefficient of a viscous damper alongside damping characteristics. Using knowledge from previous courses, this report focuses on dynamic responses through an assumed viscous damper. Through forced oscillatory motion testing with specified frequency and amplitude using the seismic shake table and equipment, compactDAQ instrumentation, and damper, values can be pulled from the data experimentation, which can be used …