Architecture Commons^™

Indigenous Ontologies And Architecture, Reconstructing Interrelational Relationships, Arlene Garcia Guzman

McNair Summer Research Program

Contemporary architecture faces a growing pressure to respond to the socioecological crises with regard to the consequences of design that so often accept environmental systems as separate from the living. In contrast, many Native systems, often referred to as Traditional Knowledge (TK), comprehend cumulative, place-based bodies of knowledge that are developed through extended histories of interaction with specific environments. In this context, Traditional Knowledge encompasses resource use practices, sustainability, spirituality, and an emphasis on a relational worldview. It is characterized in such a framework that different layers of existence, such as humans, animals, plants, water, climate, and materials, are understood …

“I Didn’T Know Architects Do This”: Interventions In The Social Reproduction Of The Architect Figure In Ireland., Miriam Delaney

Doctoral

The architect is widely understood as the producer of architectural artefacts: buildings, feasibility studies, drawings, and specifications. However, architects (as a professional collective identity) are themselves produced by the complex matrix of social relations and structural forces in which they act; the architect is as much a product as the architectural artefacts.

This thesis provides a retrospective critical examination of aspects of my work in expanded forms of architectural practice from 2011 to 2021. My Critical Appraisal of this work focuses less on the content or successes of the Outputs, the products of production, and more on their collective contribution …

The U.S. Shopping Mall: Opportunities For Preservation And Transformation Through Adaptive Reuse, Sophia Janzen

University Honors Theses

The U.S. shopping mall, once an integral part of suburban living and community, has slowly disappeared from cities nationwide. What used to be thousands of malls sprinkled throughout America in the 20th century is estimated to be 900 by 2028. A mall's programming of the past is lacking a place in the future, but their architecture leaves a desolate structure in the midst of our cities. Through adaptive reuse, the intentional redevelopment of a preexisting structure, how can malls be thoughtfully revitalized and given a greater purpose within their surroundings?

This research analyzes successful adaptive reuse strategies implemented in few …

The Wall As Commons, Raveena Deshpande

Masters Theses

Collective infrastructures for informal domesticity 

As urban populations grow, access to affordable housing declines, pushing certain sections of the population to build informal settlements outside legal and formal construction systems. These settlements often lack access to basic living infrastructures - water, sanitation, and electricity- even as they house a large share of the population in developing countries.

Current models of designing for informality exist as top down planning approaches, that ignore lived realities at the scale of the home. These design models are incongruent with informal lifestyles, and undermine the sense of belonging that comes with rituals of self-authorship in …

Fragments Of The Grassland, Zihan Liu

Masters Theses

This thesis investigates Tibetan nomadic pastoralism in the Himalayan region, where habitation is inseparable from seasonal migration and environmental conditions. Focusing on Ganzi County in Sichuan Province, where nomadic and settled lifestyles coexist.

The research positions "documentation" as both method and design driver, provides a possibility that architecture can mediate cultural continuity and coexistence between Tibetan nomadic pastoralism and its surrounding culture. By transforming documentation methodology into a design methodology, the mobility of architecture has become into a spatial strategy. Through a mobile marketplace, the project enables ongoing exchange between nomadic and settled lifestyles and among diverse cultural groups, positioning …

Architecture As Political Symbolism: Power, Authority, & The Built Form, Naomi Minwalla

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

This study examines how architecture functions as a medium of political symbolism, exploring the ways in which built environments communicate authority, ideology, and collective identity. Drawing on theoretical perspectives from Émile Durkheim, Max Weber, and Murray Edelman, the research first establishes how political symbols shape social cohesion, legitimize authority, and construct political meaning. The study then applies architectural interpretation frameworks developed by Martin Warnke, Erwin Panofsky, and Alois Riegl to analyze how symbolic meaning is embedded within architectural form, spatial organization, and ornamentation.

Using a qualitative comparative case study design, the research analyzes two major religious structures: the Seville Cathedral …

Architecture Of Sobriety: Redesigning Rehabilitation Centers Beyond The Institutional Framework, Coraima Perez-Portillo

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

What if alcohol relapse is not only a weakness of will, but a failure of the environment? Addiction recovery is often understood as a clinical process, yet sustained sobriety depends equally on the reorganization of daily habits. Research on alcohol use disorders demonstrates that addictive behaviors are reinforced through spatial triggers and embodied routine. Post-detox recovery is particularly fragile: the body is sober, but the triggers that sustained addiction remain. The question is not only how to treat addiction, but how to design the spaces in which people learn to live without it.

This thesis investigates how architecture can combat …

Can Architecture Save The World?, Stella Majewsky

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

The Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia has been under ongoing threat from mining. It sits at the border between Georgia and Florida in an area with child poverty rates up to 52 %.Heavy reliant on the timber industry, the region has suffered ecologically through hurricanes, mill closures and various other economic forces. The thesis proposes an architectural intervention in the Stephen Foster State Park in the Okefenokee. The objective is to develop an architecture that will help to protect the swamp; an architecture which invites the visitor to follow a trail into the swamp, to learn about the unique landscape, and …

Virtual Matter: Architecture As A Critical Turning Point, Aden Sterchi

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

The materialization of AI infrastructure has outpaced all regulatory frameworks, allowing data centers to proliferate with limited oversight despite their growing environmental and social impacts. Through a review of artificial intelligence’s technological development, the rise of big tech, and contemporary data center expansion, this thesis situates AI infrastructure within a broader pattern of deregulation, delayed accountability, and market-driven governance. Using a qualitative mixed-method approach combining historical analysis, policy critique, regional case studies, and research-through-design, the study examines how existing land use, utility, and environmental frameworks have failed to keep pace with the scale of data center sprawl; The study also …

Skill Yard, Shannon Jones

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Juvenile crime is rising in many U.S. communities, amplifying stress, anxiety, and safety concerns for teens—especially in high-crime neighborhoods where supportive spaces are scarce. This thesis examines whether environmental design practices in teen-focused third spaces—specifically lighting, materials, and restorative views—can measurably reduce stress, anxiety, and violence among youth. Grounded in environmental sociology, trauma-informed design, and biophilic theory, this study centers on creative third-space design that locates maker spaces for cooking, coding, woodworking, welding, and ceramics within a calm common area and an outdoor setting.

The proposed design integrates skill studios, creative labs, and maker spaces connected to shared commons and …

Healing The Gap, Maria Gavriilidou

Honors Projects

This project examines healthcare accessibility in Greece, focusing on the disparities between urban centers and remote island and mountainous communities. It addresses systemic limitations within public healthcare infrastructure, including insufficient facilities, limited medical personnel, and transportation barriers that restrict timely access to medical services. Grounded in personal experience and observational research, particularly from the Cyclades islands and mainland medical contexts, the study highlights how geographic isolation and environmental conditions further intensify these challenges.

The work proposes an architectural response aimed at improving healthcare delivery in underserved regions through the design of sustainable, accessible, and adaptable healthcare facilities. It explores how …

Measuring Urban Space: A Spatial Framework For Transit Stop Siting, Michael R. Leiting

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

Urban investment projects, particularly those related to transit infrastructure, are often evaluated through quantitative metrics that emphasize economic output, proximity, and development potential. While these measures provide useful benchmarks, they offer limited insight into the spatial conditions that shape how environments are structured, navigated, and occupied at the human scale. As a result, sites that appear comparable through conventional metrics may produce fundamentally different spatial experiences.

This thesis develops a drawing-based framework for evaluating spatial conditions across multiple urban sites. Four primary conditions, Urban Form, Threshold, Mobility, and Public Realm, are analyzed through standardized drawings and translated into corresponding indices. …

Real-Time Adaptable Residential Kitchen: A Plug-In Standard, Rachel Fuelberth

Masters in Architecture Program: Theses

This thesis looks at how a real-time adaptable standard could be put in place within the modern kitchen to allow for equitable use of the space by numerous members of the household and their differing physical characteristics. The residential kitchen is a fundamentally exclusionary architectural construction designed around able-bodied, average-height adults. This excludes children, the elderly, anyone outside of the average height, and people with mobility differences. The kitchen has never been a place of equity. It has been designed to be used by an average-height female, and it does not account for the discomfort of those outside this norm. …

Accessibility On Campus: How Universal Design Can Make A Difference, Samantha Wittenberg

Honors Projects

This research is meant to showcase how survey those who self-identify as having a disability so see how feedback they provide can help guide changes to make to the Maurer Center on Bowling Green State University’s campus. By utilizing principles found in Universal Design, much of the feedback was able to be applied. Much of what was found are small modifications to help with general accessibility such as visualization to help with navigation.

The Impact Of Modernism On Contemporary Erbil Architecture, Ashna Abdulqader Hussein, Nassir Sabat Sani

Iraqi Journal of Architecture and Planning

This study focuses on the impact of Modernism on contemporary architecture in Erbil, a city with a history dating back to the fifth millennium B.C. Emphasizing the historical significance of the central ancient citadel and its ties to the third family of the Sumerian empire and transformative Assyrian conquests, the research intricately navigates the discourse surrounding modernist architecture and its effects on Erbil's identity. Using an evaluative lens, it discerns how contemporary architectural trends have influenced the city's historical buildings, urban planning, and local environment. Through a descriptive and interpretive methodology, the study unveils the intricacies of Erbil's architectural transition, …

The Role Of Technology In The Environmental And Formal Response To Architecture, Fatimah Jumah Idan, Ibrahim Jawad Kadhim Al-Yousif, Saad F. Al-Nuaimi

Iraqi Journal of Architecture and Planning

As a result of what the world witnessed in the emergence of technological developments and their irrational use and the resulting environmental crises that affected life, architects must propose architecture capable of responding to environmental influences in local architecture. Thus, the research goal is to identify the multiple levels of environmental response to architecture based on the correlation with changes in concepts, materials used, and apparent forms. There is a gap in knowledge regarding the correlation with changes in concepts, materials used, and apparent forms in achieving multiple levels of environmental response. A comprehensive theoretical framework was built to achieve …

Transformations In Fashion And Architecture (Causes And Mechanisms), Wasan Jawad, Mahdi Saleh A.H. Al-Ataabi

Iraqi Journal of Architecture and Planning

Transformation is one of the common characteristics between fashion and architecture, as the transformation is linked to contemporary intellectual trends that call for change and renewal. The research was based on the study of changes in fashion and architecture, and the research problem was identified with (cognitive deficiency about the causes and mechanisms of transformations in fashion and architecture). Accordingly, the aim of the research was determined by studying the indicators of the causes of transformation in both fashion and architecture and the mechanisms of this transformation. On the practical and symbolic uses of clothing, while exploring the role of …

Impact Of Challenges On Architecture, Hadel Saad Razoki Al Murib, Ibrahim Jawad Kadhim Al-Yousif

Iraqi Journal of Architecture and Planning

Today's world faces rapid global events that have brought about significant transformations in systems (social, economic, political and environmental). That has led to significant challenges and developments in the twenty-first century, leading to research to find ways to meet today's needs and challenges. And various responses to enable them to meet today's needs and challenges. The study classifies the challenges into three pillars, including the social, economic and environmental pillars towards flexibility to achieve a positive response and undermine it with the negative aspect. As a manifestation, the architecture responds to these challenges to present new ones. Therefore, the research …

Sustainability Systems In Architecture, Abdullah Saadoon Salman Almaamoori, Tuqa Mahmood Hameed

Iraqi Journal of Architecture and Planning

The research deals with the concept of sustainable systems as one of the influential concepts in the process of architectural design, as it is defined as "the integration of natural systems with human patterns according to a multi-dimensional design approach to give continuity and exclusivity to the product". The research aims to clarify the strategy of sustainable architecture systems as well as their principles and dimensions. In order to address the research issue and achieve the objectives of the research and to verify its hypothesis, a knowledge framework was first built, then a comprehensive theoretical framework for sustainable architecture systems. …

Ethics Of Architectural Education In Academic Institutions, Abdullah Saadoon Salman Almaamoori

Iraqi Journal of Architecture and Planning

The research deals with the concept of moral education as one of the most influential concepts in the process of teaching the foundations of architectural design. It defines it as "an integrated educational program organized according to the highest moral values ​​within an academic institution concerned with architecture. Its program consists of three main elements: Educational and assessment tools and assessment, and requires reliability and quality Crickshten for the maintenance of architecture as a profession to the level of comprehensive or partial reform, which requires professors to perpetuate the modernization of methods of moral architectural education as well as the …

The Influence Of Identity On The Intellectual Pluralism Of References In Architecture, Ahmed Hashim Hammed El-Eqapy

Iraqi Journal of Architecture and Planning

Contemporary proposals focused on studying the general framework of the qualitative mental effect on the concepts that generally affects in the design process, a need for studying the clear influence of one of concepts representing the ideation which it’s the concept of identity from a pluralistic perspective on an important single specialty in the detailed design framework so the importance of studying intellectual pluralism of reference in Architecture by identity are clarified. This research aims to define the general principles of the concept of ideation by reviewing a clarifying manner for representing it throw the identity to deduce the theoretical …

Wall Between The Structure Of The Intent And Mechanics Of Writing In Architecture, Abdullah Saadoon Salman Almaamoori, Abbas Ali Hamza Al Greiza, Laheib Ali Abdulhussain Al-Sayigh

Iraqi Journal of Architecture and Planning

The current search trying to study deeply the semantic relations generated from the adoption of mechanisms written with a certain intent on the board (the wall), as a means of displaying architectural text which is of semantically cumulative as it described as a traces .Where the Architected text is the writing about a topic not attaching pictures of the past and heritage. To establish by the search the structure of conceptual and assume to that a wall is not physically dividing line between inside and outside of the space but dialogue bridge between the designer and his intellectual reference at …

Excerption And Inclusion In Language And Architecture, Emad Younis Lafi

Iraqi Journal of Architecture and Planning

Excerption and inclusion are two terms in Arabic rhetoric. The excerption is defined as a taking a part of text from Holly Quran or Hadith and put it in a poem, verse line, or put it in a prose text. But the linguistics expand the concept of this term to include taking from another sciences and knowledge, like Grammar, Philology, and Prosody. Inclusion is defined as taking a verse line or part of verse line from another poet to put it in a new poem, it is necessary that the poet who take the text should declare it, and if …

Night Lighting In Architecture, Rana Mazin

Iraqi Journal of Architecture and Planning

Lighting Consider one of the most important subject which is still a productive field for researches and architectural studies, which provides by it's two types (Natural and artificial) and different field which studied throw it's important results participate in supporting architectural movement continuously. Resent studies have show very important sides from lighting caricaturized by night lighting and its rules in adding effective steps for the projects. The beauty of the night seen connected enhance the feelings of place be longing. Good night lighting considered on of the most important criteria which connected to the achievement of architectural identity, so the …

The Relationship Between Theoretical Concepts And Architecture, Khalil Ibrahim Ali, Basim Hasan Al Majid, Ahmed Hashim Hammed El-Eqapy

Iraqi Journal of Architecture and Planning

Throughout history, man has questioned the existence of (phenomenas) that surrounds him, with the intention of finding convincing answers that could verify and generalize these events. His aim was to formulate a mental reality which could frame up these (phenomenas) in a theoretical discourse of his understanding. Architecture was distinguished by utilizing various projections on its reality in order to create its theoretical framework. This rollows a variety of references and sources. As a result, it contained various factors to match the intellectual demands of any period. To understand the influence of variety in the theoretical input of architecture, this …

Strategies Of Addition In Architecture, Ali Haidar Aljameel, Baydaa Hana Saffo

Iraqi Journal of Architecture and Planning

Additions in architecture are regarded an important phenomenon which was handled in new perspective in the literature of post-modem architecture and it's practices as they represent responses to modemism like problems of the destruction of the urban environmentand the negligence of the traditional context in the city. After discussing the state of art of the subject concerning additions in the trends ofpostmodemism period , addition to buildings phenomenon emerged as it is regarded an important aspect of architecture which rvere invested to determine the problem of the research. This is due to their close relationship with products of the architectural …

Machine Learning In Architecture: A Bibliometric Analysis Approach Of Trends, Influential Authorship, And Research Gaps From 2020 To 2024, Emokpae Erebor, Damilola Adesina, Benjamin Moral, Modi Zango

Architecture and Planning Journal (APJ)

This paper presents the findings of the bibliometric analysis investigating how the current research landscape of machine learning in the discipline of architecture has evolved between 2020 and 2024. This study employs a bibliometric methodology, drawing insights from peer-reviewed journal articles from 2020 to 2024, which were sourced from databases such as Web of Science, Scopus and Science Direct. Keywords were refined using Boolean operators to identify dominant trends, key application areas and ongoing research gaps. The goal of this paper is to provide a structured knowledge base that can guide future research by highlighting emerging directions. This study serves …

Step By Step Progress Told On Florence State Building, Florence Times-Florence Astronomy Society

Documents

News article from the Florence Astronomy Society about the progress of the new Planetarium and Observatory for Florence State College.

10 Men Construct, Donate Florence State's Telescope, Florence Picture

Documents

News article focusing on the 10 men who built the telescope for the Florence State College Observatory. These men were a part of the Florence Astronomy Society and built this telescope to donate to the university.

Model For Analyzing Floorplate Morphology That Optimizes Daylighting And Cost, Andrew G. Welch, Ermal Shpuza Phd

The Kennesaw Journal of Undergraduate Research

One key method to improve the energy efficiency of a building is to enhance daylight levels, which reduces the need for artificial lighting. Elevated daylight levels are also associated with increased productivity and well-being of building occupants. Daylight levels are inversely proportional to the building compactness, where shallow floorplates and elongated buildings are associated with higher daylight levels. However, creating buildings that have more natural light comes with a greater construction cost due to larger envelope areas as well as greater operating costs due to the energy loss through the exterior envelope area. This research identifies the basic design strategies …