Architecture Commons^™

Essen(Ce)Tially Authentic: Contemporary Design Within A Historical Context And The Parameters Of The “Preserved”, Danielle Ciccone

Architecture Thesis Prep

"Contemporary architecture needs to solidify its role amongst the pressures of preservation. It is crucial to build reflective of our time, even within a historical area. Though the past should be appreciated, it cannot be revived. Architectural design should exhibit a successive evolution instead of white washing its progression. The essence of a place must be interpreted, distilling and capturing its characteristics while establishing a more authentic architecture of the present. Identity endures not in appearance but with the culture, tradition, technology and people of a particular time."

Distributed Workplace For Facebook. Inc: A New Office Typology For The 21st Century Workstyle, Haotian Liu

Architecture Thesis Prep

No abstract provided.

Twenty First Century Form: Disrupted Continous Surface, Wiqas Ahmed

Architecture Thesis Prep

"In order to respond to the needs and demands of the twenty-first century, dual architectural thinking must be abandoned in favor of form & multiplicity. Here form should act as a canopy under which multiple functional aspects including programmatic, performative, cultural, economic, historical, geographic, infrastructural, and climate considerations can coexist simultaneously. Form can no longer be thought of as a counter argument to function, visa versa, but rather as an independent medium in which function operates. Since function is now defined as multiplicity, consequently, form becomes the study of the method of articulating multiple conditions. There may be several ways …

Housing Indeterminacy: Responsive Design For Diverse And Changing Households, Mark Sousa

Architecture Thesis Prep

"This project hopes to create a new outlook on the future of housing design. Ray Forrest wrote, “The pace of demographic change need not be that dynamic to outpace the capacity of markets or states to provide appropriate dwellings in appropriate locations. […] Dwelling placement or adaptation is always likely to lag.”2 The preceding statement reflects the belief that housing is static and rigid, and that dwelling replacement or major structural adaptation is necessary to accommodate a continually evolving population. On the contrary, responsive housing can release significant pressure on housing systems by anticipating change and providing a lower cost …

School As Community Center: Redefining The Relationship Between The Community And The School In Minsk, Belarus, Kate Talkachova

Architecture Thesis Prep

"A society that values education should place emphasis on the facilities and incorporate in them the values and progress, not blindly stick to the traditional. For a country fighting to regain its identity, it is important that the divisions between the neighborhoods are blurred and a sense of a whole is created. With the school as community center, education remains the central focus, as well as provides the necessary link to the surrounding neighborhoods, becoming more than just a physical center, but an activity center as well."

Sourcing Scarcity, Muneerah Alrabe

Architecture Thesis Prep

"Water is an essential element to human development and urban vitality. As a response to future oil depletion in cities, a new appearance of water emerges in cities: Hydro-urbanism. Through rethinking the potential of water infrastructure in cities, HydroUrbanism situates itself as a spectacular functional event that aims to collect, purify, store, and generate energy within a city. The project reconsiders the production process of water on the periphery of the city and hypothesizes for an integrated process of the production of water to work within the city at an urban scale. Exposing the water infrastructure, fantasizing water, and re-connecting …

Beyond The Object: The Phenomenon Of Memory In Architecture, Greg Bencivengo

Architecture Thesis Prep

"The goal is not to replace our understanding of collective memory, but through fostering an awareness of self and one’s relationship to the past and site, to distinguish memory as an entity distinct from representation and objectification."

Waiting And The Architecture Of Pre-Occupation, Grant Davis Foster

Architecture Thesis Prep

"Architecture can accommodate the condition of queuing by spatially translating the factors that make it a positive experience, ultimately increasing human psychology and curing the city of toxic waiting space."

The Tectonics Of Turning The Corner: A New City Hall For Boston, Massachusetts, Hilary Barlow

Architecture Thesis Prep

"In today’s society, the relationship between architecture and political

behavior is largely undetected. Such is the case with Boston, Massachusetts’

present City Hall, where the brutalist structure was once believed to broadcast

Boston’s power and importance however time has shown it to be an unengaged

object in Boston’s historical landscape with a plaza devoid of activity. This

project proposes a new city hall and plaza design for Boston that proves through

the lens of the corner, physical architectural attributes can make Boston’s City

Hall a successful civic space that embodies Boston’s history, democracy and

public."

Re-Thinking The Green Belt: Sustainability And Development In Growing Cities, Maria Saavedra

Architecture Thesis Prep

"One of the major goals of this research is to study the relationship between nature and technology as urban generators. I agree with Lisa Tilder and Beth Bostein, who state that instead of using architectural technology to return nature to some impossible, pre-human pristine state, we should consider fully employing the power of architecture to produce new forms of nature. Instead of thinking about the River’s edge as a natural and physical barrier between the water and the city, we should consider it as an opportunity to challenge the image of nature, exploring how it limits or furthers our social …

Simultaneous City, Robert George Little

Architecture Thesis Prep

"The description of something happening, often of significance, can be understood by the word ‘event.’ I am not interested in the notion of a large gathering with cocktails and food on toothpicks; instead the kind of event that shapes the city. Since the beginning of man’s conscious creation of the built environment, there has been a combative relationship between the human and physical world. “There is no architecture without action, no architecture without events, no architecture without program. By extension, there is no architecture without violence.” Bernard Tschumi discusses notions of event in his essay “Violence of Architecture.” He describes …

Rurality Within The City: A Study Of The Interrelationship Between Urban And Rural Areas, Suho Lee

Architecture Thesis Prep

"My project proposal is to produce a new type of contemporary self-sufficient architectural place to deal not only with the economic and education issues that the rurals are lacking in but also with environmental and unemployment issues that the big cities are lacking in. While it is important to retain the countryside feel in the current suburbs, some issues to improve on for the new city area are to cater towards a younger generation’s needs. As opposed to those who are retired and are looking for a quiet place to settle down for the rest of their life in the …

Los Osos Strategic Design Plan, Fall 2012, Crp 341 Urban Design Studio

City and Regional Planning Studios and Projects

In the 2012 Fall Quarter, Cal Poly City and Regional Planning Department’s Community Design Lab worked with the community of Los Osos to develop design proposals for four different areas within Los Osos and for general wayfinding and circulation within. The design areas were: Baywood, South Bay Blvd, Los Osos Valley Road East and Los Osos Valley Road West.

Lincoln-Juarez Land Port Of Entry Vehicle Processing Facility, Nathan Clifford, Dylan Morgan, Chad Norvell, Chris Kline, Raul Bayoan Cal, Matthew S. Melius, Tha Architecture

Research-Based Design Initiative

PROJECT OVERVIEW:

The indoor environmental quality of a building has a significant impact on occupant health, comfort, and productivity. Exposure to the exhaust fumes of idling vehicles is a dangerous but avoidable toxic hazard. Proper ventilation of vehicle inspection areas is essential, and to the maximum possible means, should be accomplished by natural ventilation. We intend to research the extent to which it is possible to use passive ventilation strategies to alleviate the auto exhaust exposure of officers and travelers using the Port of Laredo entry.

Sustainable Water Management On Brownfields Sites, Ryan Fenwick, New England Environmental Finance Center

Sustainable Communities Capacity Building

This practice guide was developed by the Environmental Finance Center Network (EFCN) through the Capacity Building for Sustainable Communities program funded by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development and the US Environmental Protection Agency. Through a cooperative agreement with HUD, EFCN is providing capacity building and technical assistance to recipients of grants from the federal Partnership for Sustainable Communities, an interagency collaboration that aims to help towns, cities, and regions develop in more economically, environmentally, and socially sustainable ways.

Inclusive Excellence: Compilation Of Information, David Conn

City and Regional Planning

No abstract provided.

Osu Teaching And Learning Facility, Portland State University. School Of Architecture

Research-Based Design Initiative

OSU Teaching and Learning Facility

Balancing Optimal Daylight And Optimal Solar Gain Using Climate-Based Daylight Modeling, B. Deines, Corey T. Griffin

Research-Based Design Initiative

Designing an envelope that optimizes the solar radiation entering a building is critical to the quality of interior spaces. Some of this radiation is necessary for illumination. This decreases the need for electric lighting and significantly contributes to the quality of architectural space. In contrast, direct solar radiation can heat a space. In large buildings this heating often contributes to the cooling load and decreases overall energy performance. This study analyzes the daylighting potential of a five-story children’s hospital in Kentucky. It was an ideal candidate for a building which required both high quality daylight and minimal solar gain.

Improving The Integration Of Sustainable Strategies In Schematic Design: Developing A Multi-Faceted Tool To Improve Thermal Resistance In Architectural Enclosure Systems, M. Boyce Postma, Jacob Spence

Research-Based Design Initiative

This study seeks to develop a tool that can be quickly and easily used by schematic designers to set a thermal resistance target for the complete enclosure system and receive options in a variety of variables to achieve that goal.

Developing A Restorable Wetland Index For Rainwater Basin Wetlands In South-Central Nebraska: A Multi-Criteria Spatial Analysis, Zhenghong Tang, Xu Li, Nan Zhao, Ruopu Li, F. Edwin Harvey

Community and Regional Planning Program: Faculty Scholarly and Creative Activity

It is always challenging for decision makers to prioritize wetland conservation programs at the landscape scale. This study employed a GIS-based multi-criteria spatial decision support tool that identified locations with the highest restoration potential for wetland conservation programs in the Rainwater Basin in south-central Nebraska. Five indicators were considered to assess wetland restoration potential: (1) Vegetation characteristics; (2) Soil characteristics; (3) Water volume released from hydrological modification of agricultural irrigation pits; (4) Topographical depression status; and (5) Habitat condition. The results suggested 192 (1.6% of the total) hydric soil footprints as the highest prioritized locations for future wetland restoration programs. …

Drinking Water Resource Directory, New England Environmental Finance Center

Sustainable Communities Capacity Building

This document is intended to help local and regional planning agencies, and their constituent water utilities, integrate drinking water infrastructure planning and investments into plans for sustainable development. Resources listed here provide guidance on making land use decisions that protect water resources, setting adequate and sustainable drinking water rates, controlling water loss, funding water infrastructure projects, and managing water utilities.

The directory was developed by the Environmental Finance Center Network through the Capacity Building for Sustainable Communities program funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Environmental Protection Agency. Through this program, EFCN is providing capacity …

Park Avenue & Us 50 Redevelopment Streetscape Performance Benefits Assessment, Bo Yang, Yue Zhang, Pamela Blackmore

Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning Faculty Publications

The town of South Lake Tahoe experienced undisciplined development, which created traffic congestion, limited connectivity to recreational assets, and negatively impacted the scenic and environmental quality of Lake Tahoe and the region. In response, strict environmental regulations were developed, which subsequently ceased development activities. Faced with serious environmental and economic problems, residents, officials, and developers jointly revised development regulations and worked to strategically deploy development monies to give the town a new future. Today, the town's Park Avenue Corridor with its wide sidewalks, interconnected plazas, consistent architecture, gondola, intermodal transit center, street furniture, and integrated stormwater management is a national …

Architecture News: The Newsletter Of The Syracuse School Of Architecture, N.13 Fall 2012, Randall Korman

Newsletters from School of Architecture - ArchitectureNews

Architecture News: The Newsletter of the Syracuse University School of Architecture No. 13, Fall 2012.

Connection Through Discontinuity: Tactical Urbanism In Yongsan, Du Young Yoon

Architecture Thesis Prep

No abstract provided.

The New Human Branch: Architecture's Role In Planetary Exploration, Brian Luce

Architecture Thesis Prep

"This is the story of the New Human Branch Project.

The project led to the first self sustaining and self

propagating branch of the human species on Mars

making humans the first multi planetary species and

the ambassadors of life on a new world. In the early

2000s private aerospace companies started to work

where only national governments traditionally did. By

2012 several major events, including the first private

company docking with the international space station,

took place that assured that private companies would

be the future of space exploration. The New Human

Branch project started in 2012, 10 years …

What Happens In Vegas: Addressing The Freshwater Crisis, Hannah Miller

Architecture Thesis Prep

"The situation in Las Vegas is startling. The population has continued to grow without restraint in almost disregard of the ongoing drought diminishing the Colorado River and the lakes it supplies. The age old saying, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas,” has made its way into the attitude towards water consumption. There is a careless concern towards the limited supply of fresh water in the Great Basin region. Exploring new ways to provide water for this growing demand will not only help Vegas and the Southwest region of the States, but areas across the globe in similar drought situations …

Forum Contemperanueus: Re-Connecting Society Through Public Interaction, Jonathan Bruno

Architecture Thesis Prep

"This new typology will serve a great social significance

in any city it is placed in. Its ability to gather and withhold a

large number of people is its fundamental importance. Today’s

society has lost its interactivity. Through digital technologies,

more and more of us are glued to smartphones, laptops and

tablets. If this trend continues without any intervention, it will

result in us living “along together.” The public forum was the first

feature of any and all forms of “civitas” for thousands of years.

We are responsible for bringing this urban feature back to our

contemporary cities before it …

Informatting Architecture: Incorporating Urban Public Space Into Private Infrastructures To Create Didactic Environments In The Information Age, Lionel Camacho

Architecture Thesis Prep

"inFormatted ARCHITECTURE incorporates public spaces into the data

center’s existing infrastructure to create didactic environments in the

information age"

Political Space: An Opportunity Within The Lima Food System, Santiago A. Dammert

Architecture Thesis Prep

“I propose a more complex project composed of hybrid programs that reflect a deeper analysis of the site and its relations to the city and its food system, as well as programmatic interfaces that result in interactions between the different users to be located there, without compromising the market’s need for efficient transactions. An other important factor is time. Since market activities tend to take place at different times than more generic office hours within which most people work, it is important to design program with time slots in mind, generating not only spatial interfaces but chronographic interfaces”

(Re)Creating The Worldgame: An Architectural Exploration Of Risk, Lynsie Cantwell

Architecture Thesis Prep

"The ultimate goal of the project is to create a "game stadium" where all the risk factors and building methods can be tested one by one or all at once on real buildings and building components. A stadium of this nature will allow the United Nations to test its structures on a country by country basis in order to aid the nations most at threat before a risk becomes realized, while still keeping the facility itself safe from harm. In this way, the project will live up to Fuller's own approach of being comprehensive, anticipatory, a design strategy, and a …