Architecture Commons^™

Investigating Self-Cooling Effects Of Ventilated Attics Under Different Roof And Ambient Temperatures In Summer, Zhigang Shen, Shimin Wang

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

An unsteady computational fluid dynamics model is employed to simulate summer-time buoyancy-driven turbulent ventilation in gable-roof attics of residential buildings. The energy performance of vented attics is assessed by comparing their performance to sealed attics with the same geometry and insulation configurations. The simulated boundary conditions of the roof-top temperature ranging between 295.15 K and 345.15 K, coupled with an ambient temperature ranging between 295.15 K and 315.15 K, resemble the summer attic conditions with effects of solar irradiance on the roofs. Simulation results indicate that both the vented and sealed attics are dominated by thermal stratification. The cooling load …

Cal Viva: Assessing The Seismic Vulnerablility Of California's State-Owned Buildings, James Guthrie, Jill Nelson

Architectural Engineering

In the last 20 years, agencies and departments in the State of California have initiated seismic vulnerability programs for state-owned buildings with goals ranging from life safety to reduced post-earthquake disruption. Until now, there has not been an assessment of all state-owned buildings with the goal of identifying and assessing the seismic vulnerability of those buildings needed for response and recovery efforts after an earthquake.

The California Vital Infrastructure Vulnerability Assessment Project (Cal VIVA), sponsored by the California Emergency Management Agency (Cal EMA) and funded through FEMA, has developed a statewide approach to assessing the vulnerability of the state-owned building …

Dendrochemistry Of Multiple Releases Of Chlorinated Solvents At A Former Industrial Site, Jean Christophe Balouet, Joel Gerard Burken, Frank Karg, Don Vroblesky, Kevin T. Smith, Håkan Grudd, Anders Rindby, François Beaujard, Michel Chalot

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Trees Can Take Up and Assimilate Contaminants from the Soil, Subsurface, and Groundwater. Contaminants in the Transpiration Stream Can Become Bound or Incorporated into the Annual Rings Formed in Trees of the Temperate Zones. the Chemical Analysis of Precisely Dated Tree Rings, Called Dendrochemistry, Can Be Used to Interpret Past Plant Interactions with Contaminants. This Investigation Demonstrates that Dendrochemistry Can Be Used to Generate Historical Scenarios of Past Contamination of Groundwater by Chlorinated Solvents at a Site in Verl, Germany. Increment Cores from Trees at the Verl Site Were Collected and Analyzed by Energy-Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence (EDXRF) Line Scanning. the …

Framework For Formative Assessment Learning Strategies In Built Environment Higher Education Programmes, Lloyd Scott, Christopher Fortune

Conference papers

Formative assessment has begun to be recognized as a driving force for enhancing student learning. This paper addresses the context of Built Environment (BE) undergraduate programmes and the findings from a research project in the context of the changing Higher Education (HE) environment. The analysis of the literature on formative assessment shows that there is a common concern among the educational researchers about the function and position of assessment in HE today. The overall aim of this research is to contribute to an improvement in the quality of student learning in BE undergraduate education through the development of a theoretical …

Review Of Richard Longstreth, The American Department Store Transformed, 1920-1960, Bruno Giberti

Architecture

No abstract provided.

The Real, The Spectacle, And The In-Between: Architecture As A Stage For Reality, Chelsea Adelson

Architecture Theses and Projects

The goal of the project is to explore the space in between as a place of activity. The project will compare the spectacle and reality through a theater and public plaza near Chinatown and the theater district of Boston. The theater is accompanied by a small acting school that uses both an interior venue and the plaza as stages. The theater is focused on the awareness of reality through the spectacle of performance while the public plaza can “turn the artificiality of everyday situations into a theatrical situation” and bring life to the streets. Everyday life is put on display.

Bs News September/October

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Magnetic Field Design Reliable Data For Magnetic Field Design In Magnetorheological Elastomer Damping Applications Is Essential For Accurate And Cost-Efficient Operation, Dave Gorman, Stephen Jerrams, Ray Ekins, Niall Murphy

Conference Papers

No abstract provided.

Behavior Of Segmental Precast Posttensioned Bridge Piers Under Lateral Loads, Haitham Dawood, Mohamed Elgawady, Joshua Hewes

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Abstract a segmental precast posttensioned (SPPT) bridge pier is an economic recentering structural system. Understanding the seismic behavior of a SPPT system is an important step toward its application in high seismic zones. This paper presents a detailed three-dimensional finite-element (FE) model that was developed using the ABAQUS platform. a brief description and discussion of cyclic tests on eight large-scale SPPT piers is also presented. Four of the piers were constructed and tested to a predefined degree of damage. Then, these piers were retrofitted and retested. the FE models developed and presented in this paper predicted the backbone curves of …

An Experimental Study On Bond Strength Of Reinforcing Steel In Self-Consolidating Concrete, Trevor J. Looney, Mahdi Arezoumandi, Jeffery S. Volz, John J. Myers

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

An experimental investigation was conducted to compare the bond strength of reinforcing steel in self-consolidating concrete (SCC) with conventional concrete (CC). This study investigated two different compressive strengths of SCC as well as CC. the experimental program consisted of 24 pull-out specimens as well as 12 full-scale beams (three for each concrete type and strength). the pull-out specimens were based on RILEM recommendations, and the beam specimens were tested under a simply supported four-point loading condition. the CC test results served as a control and were used to evaluate the results from the SCC pull-out and beam specimen tests. Furthermore, …

Wheeler Field, Winterholter Field, Cross Country Course (2012), Taylor University

Buildings and Grounds of Taylor University

The program for the 2012 Wheeler Field, Winterholter Field, and Cross Country Course dedication.

An Innovative Solution Set Of Algorithm For Converting Architectural Drawings To Vector-Based Computer Graphics, Yuye Peng

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Appraisal Floor Plan Sketch (AFPS) as a simplified architectural floor plan shows the bird's eye view of a building’s spatial arrangement. An efficient automated vectorization system of AFPS not only fulfills AFPS’s preservation and dissemination purposes but also helps extract the building’s geometric information, which can be used to create 3D models of the building and improve building energy efficiency. The purpose of this study is to develop an automated system for converting scanned AFPS into vector based computer graphics.

Text/graphic separation and corner detection are two essential components in this vectorization system. Text/graphic separation ensures that only graphic data …

Instruction Manual: Photogrammetry As A Non-Contact Measurement System In Large Scale Structural Testing, Anahid A. Behrouzi, Rhu Li

Architectural Engineering

Photogrammetry is a non-contact measurement method that is being used in large scale structural experimentation to extract information about the overall geometry of the specimen as well as the XYZ motion of select points on the structure during testing. This is possible through the use of high-resolution still cameras that capture several photographs of the specimen and are processed using photogrammetric software. The following document will focus specifically on the application of PhotoModeler® as the image post-processing tool. This instruction manual aims to provide guidance to researchers who would like to adopt photogrammetric techniques to acquire experimental test data, especially …

Understanding Land Use Grain: An Evaluation Of Meaning And Measurement, Benjamin N. Williams

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Land use grain is a commonly-used measure of the mixture of land uses in the urban environment in transportation planning and public health, but there is no standard measurement practice in place. This thesis examines the meaning and common measurements of land use grain in these subfields. The entropy-based equation, the jobs-to-housing ratio, and the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) are among the most common measures of land use grain, but results from these metrics differ depending upon how researchers choose a sample area and upon how land use categories are defined. All three metrics are performed, in a single context with …

Technology Portal For Energy Efficient Buildings, Larry D. Hermanson, Daniel Studer, Annie Mroz

STAR Program Research Presentations

Project: Technology Portal for Energy Efficient Buildings

Date: August 2, 2012

Author: Larry Hermanson

Mentor: Daniel Studer

Cohort: Annie Mroz

Lab site: National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)

Buildings account for 71% of the electricity demand and 39% of the primary energy consumption in the United States. The Commercial Buildings Group at NREL provides builders, designers and building owners accurate information to significantly improve the energy efficiency of new and existing buildings. The Technology Portal for Energy Efficient Buildings will increase the accessibility of standardized and credible energy performance data for all building systems, thereby allowing building owners to better evaluate …

Historic Preservation At Nevada City, Montana, Paul Hart

Trades and Technical

Primary emphasis this summer was placed on restoring the Richards Cabin however, the first week was spent priming and painting the interior of the Iron Rod Post Office. All the buildings within the Nevada City Outdoor Museum complex are historically significant, some more than others. Some have been used as sets on major Hollywood productions such as, "The MissouriBreaks"," Little Big Man", "Return to Lonesome Dove", "Thousand Pieces of Gold" and "The Left Handed Gun". Others have more historical significance. Some are from Yellowstone National Park. One specifically built for a County Sheriff's Department eventually accommodated a legal …

Experimental Determination Of The Stiffness And Strength Of Continuity Tie Connections In Large Wood Roof Dipahragms, And Impact On The Collective Chord Model, Caroline Nicole Yarber

Master's Theses

The goal of this thesis is to determine whether continuity ties in large wood diaphragms are stiff enough to engage and provide diaphragm flexural stiffness in a collective chord model. Four series of continuity tie assemblies using Simpson Strong-Tie steel connectors were tested to determine the stiffness of each assembly. The results found from testing were applied to an example building and then analyzed using both the traditional chord method and the collective chord method.

The completed analysis on a typical size warehouse building showed that the collective chord model will act inadvertently on an existing building designed with a …

The Self-Conscious Gentrifier: The Paradox Of Authenticity And Impact Among "First-Wave Neo-Bohemians" In 2 Changing Neighborhoods, Naomi Bartz, Gordon Douglas

Faculty Publications, Urban and Regional Planning

Gentrification has been a major factor reshaping North American cities for at least four decades, as well as a vital concern of sociological research. In recent years, there appears to be an increasing awareness of the process among contemporary gentrifiers themselves. This self-conscoiusness is significant on two levels: (1) it is unanticipated by or at least unaccounted for in much of the canonical literature on gentrification, having only recently gained acknowledgement (most notably work by Brown-Saracino that explores aspects of a particular type of self-aware gentrifiier); (2) it is complicating the way many gentrifiers or would-be gentrifiers frame and actively …

Charles City Permeable Streetscape Phase I Landscape Performance Benefits Assessment, Bo Yang, Yue Zhang, Pamela Blackmore

Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning Faculty Publications

The Charles City, Iowa, Green Street project addressed serious issues with street deterioration and nuisance street and adjacent yard flooding for a 16-block residential area. The project combines durable permeable paving materials with sustainable stormwater Best Management Practices, while maintaining the historical character of the neighborhood. By integrating stormwater management, the City was able to leverage additional funding that would not be available for conventional street reconstruction. Because of the success and the lessons learned in design and maintenance, the project has spurred additional phases in adjacent neighborhoods and serves as an important blueprint for others considering similar sustainable stormwater …

Cherry Creek North Improvements And Fillmore Plaza Landscape Performance Benefits Assessment, Bo Yang, Yue Zhang

Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning Faculty Publications

The 16-block Cherry Creek North retail district was designed to be Denver's premier outdoor shopping area. Yet deteriorating infrastructure, tired aesthetics and competition from an adjacent indoor mall had led to steady decline. Fillmore Plaza in the heart of the district was no longer a desirable public space since being closed to vehicular traffic in 1987. The new streetscape strengthens the retail environment, preserves the district's history and character, improves identity, beautifies the area, provides new lighting, improves signage, and adds 20 "Art and Garden Places" for shoppers to relax and linger. The redesigned Fillmore Plaza is now a vibrant …

Guidelines For Healthcare Design In Mozambique, Custodia Dengo

All Theses

The network of healthcare facilities in Mozambique is made up of facilities that are old and do not meet the current healthcare needs of the country. Many facilities have already existed well beyond their useful life of, with approximately 50 to 75 years, and continue to operate without considerable maintenance. The access to care is very low. According to the Ministry of Health, the ratio of population at the primary level of care delivery (health centers) is an average of 17,000 people per each healthcare unit and for the secondary level (district and rural hospitals) is 501,000 people per each …

Planning For Crime: Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design In Bishop Arts District Neighborhood, Oak Cliff, Dallas., Sharmila Gurung, Ardeshir Anjomani

Planning Masters Professional Reports - Archive

There is a lack of emphasis in the planning world, both academically and in the field, on preventing crime. Defensible Space and Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) has been the two main approaches taken by planners and criminal justice officials that is design-based and that has brought some level of collaboration between the two professions. This study analyzes the built environment of select crime hotspots in the Bishop Arts District Neighborhood from a design-based crime prevention perspective in order to draw correlations between high crime areas and elements of design-based theories. Using GIS software, crime map is plotted to …

Rhyme Or Reason:That Is The Question?, Jim Roche

Articles

Noting that “the aesthetic should not be limited merely to the way things look” the organisers of this conference sought “in part to address the discursive limitation in architecture and related subjects by broadening the aesthetic discourse beyond questions relating to purely visual phenomena in order to include those derived from all facets of human experience”.

So where does etchics come in? Well, the introductory brochure noted that most philosophical trained aestheticians will say that “the aesthetic is everything” hinting perhaps of the necessity for a more haptic experience of architecture. It also drew on Wittgenstein’s quote that “ethics and …

The Latest Homebond House Building Manual : A Critique, Joseph Little

Articles

The Homebond House Building Manual had the distinction of being called the ‘bible’ for many building during the boom. It was a commonly‐used reference book, even for many builders and architects who never built housing estates and therefore had little need of a Homebond guarantee. One might design a construction detail of a dwelling differently, but one did it with an awareness of what the manual showed. It gave the insurance scheme great credibility and standing. This architect remembers reluctantly getting involved with an external wall insulation self‐build project in rural Ireland in 2006 (far beyond his normal travel distance) …

Zoning Barriers To The Implementation Of New Urbanist Land Use Principles In Lincoln, Nebraska, Rachel K. Jones

Community and Regional Planning Program: Theses

Euclidean land use regulations that segregate different kinds of uses from one another can present significant barriers to achieving the land use-related principles of New Urbanism on a foundational level. This research evaluated the zoning ordinance of the city of Lincoln, Nebraska, with a special focus on the Community Unit Plan and Planned Unit Development processes, in order to determine its openness to mixed housing and mixed uses, using a combination of policy analysis and Geographic Information System (GIS). It was found that a number of Lincoln’s zoning districts as well as a significant amount of land are restricted in …

Effects Of Short Noise Bursts On Human Performance And Perception, Christopher Ainley

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The goal of this research project is to better quantify human reactions to short bursts of noise, to complement research at NASA Langley Research Center on evaluating human response inside buildings to low-level sonic booms. The project involved exposing participants over 30-minute sessions to a number of 250 ms broadband noise bursts of certain levels, presented in a controlled yet randomized fashion throughout the session, and gathering responses on human perception and performance on an arithmetic task dealing with short-term memory. While previous research has demonstrated effects of noise bursts of varying amplitudes on other types of tasks that study …

Unintentional Home Injury Risks Among The Elderly In Southern Nevada, Michelle Echauz Ching

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The elderly population (65 years of age and older) is one of the fastest growing populations in the US. A major public health concern involving the elderly population is unintentional injuries in the home. Since elderly adults typically spend the majority of their time in the home, minimizing unintentional home injury hazards is crucial for this population. The Nevada Healthy Homes Partnership (NHHP) program is a grant funded effort that helps to improve the quality and availability of safe and healthy homes in Nevada. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of the NHHP program interventions …

The Effectiveness Of Distance Delivery Studios In Interior Design Education, Tracy A. Fichera

Interior Design Program: Student Creative Activity

Technology has affected the way in which we live and work and many Interior Design programs have transitioned at least a portion of their curriculum to an online format; however, for many reasons most have been hesitant to convert the studio. One concern many faculty have is that distance education cannot facilitate the same environment or provide the individualized attention that face-to-face studio offers. In this study, the effectiveness of distance delivery studio courses in interior design education will be explored to find out if they can be as successful as face-to-face studio courses. Standards set forth by the Council …

Effects Of Acoustic Environments On Speech Comprehension By Native-English-Speaking Listeners, Zhao Peng, Lily M. Wang, Siu Kit Lau

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

This study investigates the effects of acoustic conditions on speech comprehension, rather than speech intelligibility as often reported in existing literature. Sets of 15-minute-long listening comprehension tests were developed based on the format of the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC). Each test set includes four types of tasks: matching aural phrases to photographs, selecting appropriate responses to aural questions, and answering questions after listening to conversations (between two talkers) and talks (single talker). Within the Nebraska acoustics test chamber, native-English-speaking participants are asked to perform these tests under 15 acoustic conditions, from combinations of three background noise levels …

Community Reclamation: The Hybrid Building, Laura Maynard

Architecture Theses and Projects

Reclamation of a city involves reusing abandoned buildings in conjunction with new construction. These negative spaces of disuse generated by a changing infrastructure are often overlooked or destroyed. If they are instead viewed as positive spaces for reuse, a city’s infrastructure and its residents can adapt and grow.

Recognizing these newly positive spaces produces a chance to examine what social needs of the community are not being met. Pushing the modern concept of the hybrid building creates a unique opportunity; flexibility of use derived from flexibility of space. A community building can best serve the social needs of its residents …