Architecture Commons^™

Performative Design: Investigating Form In The Natural And Capitalist Environment, John M. Santoro

Architecture Senior Theses

"Rethinking the design process from conception and allowing natural forces, such as wind, solar exposure, and rainfall to drive the initial design will generate a structurally and environmentally efficient form."

Didactic Architecture: A Tectonic Response, Elizabeth Kankainen

Architecture Senior Theses

"Using the tectonic nature of architecture as the vehicle, architecture can educate its users of material life cycles., Through revealing particular stages of production by exposing, exaggerating and juxtaposing the connections between materials, the physical process of a buildings formation can be understood, along with architecture's inherent connection to nature."

Material Sustainability, Jessica Meadows, Natasha Morris

Architectural Engineering

This paper addresses the sustainability of the materials used to construct buildings today. Timber, concrete and steel are analyzed for carbon output, cost, and recyclable-ability.

Green Can Bring Green: An Evaluation And Comparison Of The Economic Effects Of Sustainable And Economic Redevelopment, Kathryn Young

All Theses

The process of redevelopment is a relied upon method of breathing new life into downtowns and urban areas. Though several common redevelopment approaches contribute to a sustainable atmosphere, more significant environmentally- and ecologically- sustainable approaches can be implemented in redevelopments to repair and support the environment and ecology of an area. But do economic and sustainable redevelopment models have similar impacts on the surrounding economies? This report conducted an evaluation and comparison of the economic effects of sustainable redevelopments and economic redevelopments. Though research is considered exploratory, the results demonstrate that sustainable and economic redevelopments are both viable options for …

Sustainable Commercial Interior Design, Órla Keane

Dissertations

This dissertation looks at the environmental benefits of 3 key areas in relation to interior design: Energy, Water and Air; energy efficient lighting, water efficient plumbing fixtures and the effects of interior materials and finishes on indoor air quality.

Qualitative research methodology: Extensive literature review of texts available on these topics, and also of the relevant building codes and environmental legislation applicable to Irish interior designers and the built environment.

Quantitative research methodology: A comprehensive survey of then currently practicing Irish interior designers, and their use of sustainable design strategies (or lack thereof). The survey was conducted in conjunction with …

Planning For Climate Change Mitigation And Adaptation In North Central Texas: A Roundtable Discussion, Jeff Howard, Kent Hurst

School of Urban and Public Affairs Publications - Archive

On July 16, 2009, the School of Urban and Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Arlington hosted a daylong roundtable on how “climate leader” municipalities of North Central Texas—and urban planners in those communities—are responding to the looming challenge of climate change. The organizers invited the planning directors in selected North Central Texas communities to send staff members to participate. The targeted municipalities were those who are members of Cities for Climate Protection (ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability) or whose mayors have signed the Climate Protection Agreement (U.S. Conference of Mayors). Of the 17 such communities in the …

The Fundability And Marketability Of Green Buildings At Public Universities: Transcending The Funding Paradigm At Cal Poly, Eileen E. Joseph

Master's Theses

While in recent years Cal Poly has moved in the direction of sustainable building, my research indicates that where other CSU’s have succeeded, Cal Poly has been challenged in developing the type of green buildings that would truly make new construction projects more sustainable. The most commonly cited barriers are cost and lack of funding. The outcome however (as evidenced by other CSU’s) is not just driven by the state’s capital outlay process that has historically supported new construction on CSU campuses. It is determined by the priorities, perceptions and values that have influenced Cal Poly’s decision makers and driven …

The Poetry Of Sustainability: Inhabiting The Landscape Through Sustainable Design, Sarahjo Bellissimo

Architecture Thesis Prep

"Our society is a dependent of the inevitably doomed industry of fossil fuels. We rely heavily on nonrenewable resources to maintain our lifestyles. Ethically, our relationship to the earth is unbalanced. In order to balance the scales of our future in architecture we must look toward sustainability through technology."

Analysis Of Stabilized Adobe In Rural East Africa, Grace Ying Yu Chen

Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

ANALYSIS OF STABILIZED ADOBE IN RURAL EAST AFRICA

Grace Ying Yu Chen

This project seeks to assist people in rural East Africa by proposing sustainable building methods which implement affordable and durable adobe bricks for construction. Adobe, one of the oldest sustainable building materials in the world, is strong when dry but lacks structural integrity when exposed to moisture. Chemical additives such as cement and lime are added into the adobe mix to protect the brick against moisture decomposition. Once the chemicals are added and the mix is formed into a brick, a stabilized adobe brick is formed.

Cement, …

The Very Basics Of Sustainability - An Alternative Viewpoint (Slides With Audio) (Large File! To Speed Up Download, Right-Click On "Download" Link To Save To Own Pc.), Jim Mcgovern

Other resources

This presentation sets out the very basics of ‘sustainability’, although a definition of sustainability is not attempted. Some of the very basics are the context in which the Earth and humankind exist in space and time, the Earth’s climate, the Earth’s population and humankind’s options and choices. The author advocates keeping an open mind on all available options, including the use of oil, gas, coal, tar sands, carbon capture and sequestration, nuclear power etc., as well as the technologies that are more widely considered ‘green’. The author also argues that, in addressing the challenges that humankind faces, globally concerted effort …

City Of Patterson Sustainability Plan, Colin Brian Clarke

Master's Theses

This Master’s Thesis / Professional Project is a Sustainability Plan developed for the City of Patterson, California. The Patterson Sustainability Plan (PSP) was developed concurrently with the General Plan Update, and will be presented to the City for adoption within a year. The Sustainability Plan will help inform decision-making by way of its Goals and Actions for implementation to improve community sustainability. Before the plan was developed, background research was conducted that included a Best Practices Review to assess what other cities are doing to address sustainability, a Needs Assessment to evaluate existing conditions in Patterson and determine its unique …

Application Of Pv Panels In Large Multi-Story Buildings, Sara Kayal

Master's Theses

Application of PV Panels in Large Multi-Story Buildings Feasibility Study Sara Kayal

The awareness of global warming along with an ever increasing demand for a new source of energy has brought a strong interest in harnessing natural resources such as solar energy. This thesis evaluates the viability of applying photovoltaic (PV) panels in high-rise commercial buildings of around 20 stories. Specifically, the thesis is intended to provide a pre-planning tool during the early design stage for architects and designers who are considering the deployment of PV panels in new multi-story construction.

The first three chapters cover a comprehensive literature review …

No Child Left Inside: Environmental Education Through A Reciprocal Relationship Between Architecture And The Natural World, Leah Kleinman

Architecture Senior Theses

"Through a reciprocal relationship between architecture and the natural world, this thesis contends that environmental education programs can teach children to appreciate and preserve our natural environment. Architecture becomes an instructional tool itself and a way of experiencing the natural world while sustaining it and providing a healthy and comfortable setting in which to learn and have fun."

{Perm] House: Performance Of Recycled Materials, Cristina Alonso

Architecture Senior Theses

"The construction of single-family housing units will prodive an opportunity to design using recycled materials. This thesis seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of the unit's performance in a tropical climate, through means of passive cooling; in particular the promotion of comfort ventilation during the daytime."

Leaving A Smaller Footprint: Optimizing Passive Systems For Single Family Attached Housing, David J. Silver

Architecture Senior Theses

"Creating the best internal comfort conditions for the resident, while using little to zero non-renewable energy, is ideal in creating a sustainable, innovative, and contemporary structure that embraces both a flexible and efficient lifestyle and, at the same time, addresses important energy issues that will be a solid foundation for a new modern world."

Lovington Dpac Master Plan, Petra Morris, Julia Oliver, Dominique Hinds Dupont, Jessica Dunn, Kristina Guist, Ron Guistinella, Yekaterina Yushmanova, Jessica Medrano, Chance Munns, Matthew Bollinger, Cesar Cruz, Robert Frankis, Cristel Haught, Sam George

Design and Planning Assistance Center - Projects

DPAC partners with New Mexico Main Street, a national nonprofit community organization that is administered in the State of New Mexico through the New Mexico Economic Development Department. Main Street's goal is to revitalize downtown centers. This revitalization comes in terms of physical infrastructure and aesthetic improvements, as well as economic stimulation. Thirteen students from the 2009 DPAC Studio were given the opportunity to work with the community of Lovington, NM.

Learning Through Nature: Mount Holyoke Environmental Research And Education Center, Sari M. Lipnick

Architecture Theses and Projects

I plan on doing this by creating an area located along a river or body of water that people will be able to interact and learn from its ecosystem and wildlife. I would like this to be a space that allows for the public to come and learn either indoors or outdoors with a variety of tools. By creating two defined areas functioning as elementary learning and university learning it would allow the variety of participants to come into the space and even interact with each other. One goal of mine would be to explore this interaction and control it, …

Bridging The Gap: A Symbiotic Approach, Nicholas Czarniecki

Architecture Theses and Projects

Some architectural themes to be explored in this project have to deal with sustainability, passive environment systems, the play between new and old, and public and private. These themes are important because of the obvious need for solutions for energy usage when it comes to building sustainably. The goal of the thesis is to creat a culture that is sustainable through the interaction of young and old people in a built environment.

Corporate Social Responsibility Of Architectural Design Firms Towards Sustainable Built Environment In South Africa, Ayman Ahmed Ezzat Othman

Architectural Engineering

The construction industry makes a vital contribution to the social and economic development of every country. Buildings provide their users with places for housing, education, culture, medication, business, leisure and entertainment. None of these buildings will perform its function unless supported with efficient road networks, superlative telecommunications facilities, water and electricity. On the other hand, the construction industry has major impacts on the environment. It is a very large consumer of non-renewable resources, a substantial source of waste, pollution, land dereliction and energy consumption. This highlights the responsibility of present generations to use the available resources in a way that …

The Quiet Revolution Revived: Sustainable Design, Land Use Regulation, And The States, Sara C. Bronin

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

Thirty-seven years ago, a book called The Quiet Revolution in Land Use Control argued that states would soon take over localities' long-held power over land use regulation. In the authors' view, this quiet revolution would occur when policymakers and the public recognized that certain problems - like environmental destruction - were too big for localities to handle on their own. Although the quiet revolution has not yet occurred, this Article suggests that it will, and should, occur alongside the ever-growing green building movement. This movement presents practical and ideological challenges to our current system of regulating land use. This Article …

Sparsification And The Reconsideration Of Contemporary Rural Living, Eric Murphy

Architecture Thesis Prep

"This thesis asserts that architecture and agriculture must form a symbiotic relationship united by sustainability to redefine contemporary rural living. By challenging outdated traditions, idyllic visions, and preconceived notions of the rural paradigm, it is also possible to reprove a diminishing agrarian lifestyle. Rural architecture must become as productive as the ground it replaces, and as integrated as the crop to the soil. A new model needs to be established to facilitate these assertions and reconsider contemporary rural living."

Pushing The Green Envelope: Education & Research Center For Sustainability, Emma Fischer

Architecture Theses and Projects

I propose to design a Center for Sustainability that serves as a place to educate students and the public, as well as provide a place to research and experiment, in an effort to further the developing technologies of this ecological study. While living in a perpetually changing world, I believe a place is needed to teach about these changes as well as adapt to them. I propose to build a center that both educates people about the background of the subject as well as teaching them the present, practical aspects of sustainability. Classes and exhibits will give visitors the education …

Tips For Going Green, City Of Las Vegas, Nevada

Publications (SD)

No abstract provided.

Mountain Megas: America's Newest Metropolitan Places And A Federal Leadership To Help Them Prosper, Robert E. Lang, Andrea Sarzynski, Mark Muro

Brookings Mountain West Publications

The Initiative The Brookings Institution and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, are collaborating to bring Brookings’ high-quality, independent and impactful research to the issues facing the dynamic and fast-growing Mountain West region: the states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. Every year, Brookings will send scholars from each of its five research programs to spend three weeks at UNLV to conduct research, meet with faculty, and deliver lectures and seminars. The project begins September 8, 2009, with presentations on national and local trends. The new initiative builds upon the work of Brookings’ Metropolitan Policy Program, which focuses …

Crossection: An Exploration Into Assembling Sustainability, Brian Goehle

Architecture Thesis Prep

"The field of architecture sits at a crossroad today, we have an opportunity to rethink the way we design using new materials and building techniques to reduce the negative impact architecture has on the wider environment. As architects, we must critically look at our constructions methods and question whether they are appropriate and the best choices we could be making for the environment. My thesis has generated a framework that used a set of sustainable materials that outperform their conventional alternatives, to produce affordable and highly efficiently built homes that leave a neutral impact on the environment."

Identity And German Architecture : Views Of A German Architect, Marcus Hackel

NAKHARA (Journal of Environmental Design and Planning)

Since 1989 the author has designed and managed architectural projects in Europe, Middle East, South, Southeast and East Asia. In his overseas architectural practice, he was often confronted with the question of what is German architecture or why his architectural design shows unique German Identity.

Building A Sustainable Housing Environment, Shanna Telesco

Architecture Thesis Prep

"There are three major factors being studied throughout this exploration: sustainability, housing, and the environment. Each factor can be carefully examined separately under its own terms, but ultimately, the goal of this thesis is to gain a better understanding of their possible integration within the processes of architecture.

My housing project seeks to integrate and improve the existing methods of sustainability that have evolved in architecture by carefully considering renewable resources found in nature, especially the sun, air, and water."

A Sustainable Foundation, Mark K. Wizeman

Architecture Thesis Prep

"My intentions of this project are to investigate the potential of architecture to augment its efforts of sustainable strategies with aspirations of achieving a socially sustainable foundation in the urban setting. Within the context of Trenton, the understanding of the local communities, the capital and business districts, the education system, and the areas of renewal efforts can reveal solutions to the rebuilding of the city's community by way of reconnecting these now divided forces. What makes architecture critical in this application is its ability to effectively address the very tangible aspects of sustainable practice and the potential for it to …

Fta And The City: Imagineering Sustainable Urban Development, John Ratcliffe, Elzbieta Krawczyk, Ruth Kelly

Articles

This paper argues that urban planners and policy-makers lack an effective future-oriented approach enabling them to comprehend current complexity, anticipate impending change and shape a preferred future condition. In doing so it: - reviews the performance of contemporary city planning; - examines the need to chart and navigate the city technosphere by reference to city capital; - explores ways in which planning can benefit from a futures studies approach; - describes generally how futures-oriented thinking can produce effective city prospective; and, - poses specifically a number of questions regarding the concept of the intelligent city’. The paper concludes by calling …

Green Reintroducing Nature To The City, Andrew Cunneen

Architecture Thesis Prep

"The architecture of present day America reflects the way in which we give little consideration to the impact that built forms have on the environment. American cities are expanding beyond their former limits into the natural environment previously untouched by built form. It is important for us to foster a sense of environmental concerns in an age of increasing development and advancements. While technology continues to progress it seems that these advancements are applied to everything but architecture. We have designed ways to get more mileage out of a tank of gas, and created appliances that reduce our electric consumption, …