Architecture Commons^™

Faculty Perceptions About Attributes And Barriers Impacting The Diffusion Of Online Education In Two Saudi Universities, Mohammed Mfarij Alhawiti

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recognizing that faculty are an essential part of the success of any distance education program, this study sought to examine faculty perceptions of attributes and barriers impacting diffusion of online education at two Saudi universities: Taif University and Tabuk University. More specifically, the study intended to (a) give an overview of faculty members’ current stage in the innovation-decision process in regards to online education, (b) examine faculty perceptions about attributes (motivating factors) and barriers (inhibiting factors) impacting diffusion of online education, (c) investigate the relationship between faculty members’ selected personal characteristics (including age, years of teaching, DE experience, gender, academic …

Inform Form Perform, Nathaniel Holland

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

Architecture as a profession has always concerned itself with finding beauty in built forms. In the digital age beauty is changing; information controls our lives and true beauty is found in the way we interpret it. Architects have developed and employed parametric design strategies to both interpret this information and increase their production. Though these strategies have improved architectural design, they are not being used to their full extent in the design process. I propose taking the use of computers in aiding architectural design one step further; site information and program data should INFORM the project, driving the creation of …

The Impact Of Training On Music Therapists’ Songwriting Knowledge, Self-Efficacy, And Behavior, Tracy G. Richardson

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Songwriting has been used as an effective intervention for persons with a wide range of therapeutic needs. However, a literature search revealed that songwriting is underrepresented in the music therapy research literature, indicating that music therapists may perceive they do not have the abilities to effectively use songwriting interventions in therapy sessions. The purposes of this study were: (a) to investigate the impact of a songwriting training session on the songwriting knowledge, self-efficacy, and behavior of music therapists; (b) to evaluate the songwriting training program; and (c) to explore the impact of the training on perceived barriers and clinical practice. …

Days With Dignity: A New Adult Day Services Typology To Support Wellness And Rehabilitation, Heather Bachman

All Theses

Adult Day Services (ADS) facilities have been shown to enable aging in place through the cost-efficient delivery of senior health-related services. However, the most common ADS typologies often work in opposition to the goals of care delivery. The primary intention of this proposal is to envision an Adult Day Services program that is holistically focused on senior wellness and rehabilitation, and which is articulated and reinforced through facility design. A new programmatic and facility typology is proposed and evaluated against a set of design guidelines based on research findings and best practices found in a literature review. In addition, this …

Helping Small Towns With Big Plans, Aaron C. Ledford

Planning Masters Professional Reports - Archive

Small rural towns in Texas are under increasing pressure from state and federal entities to develop a master plan in order to procure funding. Unfortunately, many small towns lack the financial capital or the technical proficiency to create such a plan. By sampling plans of select small towns and analyzing plan elements against the criteria set by experts in their respective fields, assembled in a rubric created for this report, a template will be created utilizing the most effective implementation methods. This template will enable small town administrators to (1) understand the elements of a plan, (2) prioritize elements of …

Develop Energy Dashboard For Real-Time Campus Energy Use Monitoring, Hsui-Lin Winkler, Charlene Hoegler, William Batina

Cornerstone 3 Reports : Interdisciplinary Informatics

No abstract provided.

Mix-Used Building, Hasan Canolli

Theses and Dissertations

Tophane area is historically a very interesting part of Prishtina city. Due to the preservation of the relationship between commercial and residential spaces, proximity to the center and good position in the structure of the city, the development of this neighborhood initiates development of this city. Activity of this gloomy, degraded, area is stirring for a genuine urban development. Currently this area is grim. This project has been designed to fulfill the requirements of contemporary urban standards, identified after analyzing the problems currently facing the Tophane neighborhood.  Advantages of the object are: -Separation of pedestrians from roads, -Enrichment of …

Prishtina’S New Identity, Dardan Metushi

Theses and Dissertations

Designing a new city center for the capital city will enable Prishtina’s growth and development. By interconnecting two urban areas, that of Prishtina and Fushë Kosovë it will create a metropolitan area around Prishtina’s urban center and at the same time it will create an unique identity of the city itself. After the war of Kosova, the capital of Pristina grew rapidly, at a speed that it was nearly impossible to keep the construction under control. Due to this fact, the city’s growth created problems with illegal constructions, over constructions, destruction of green areas, blocking roads and above all with …

Objekt Kulturor “Teatёr”, Afërdita Gjinolli

Theses and Dissertations

Funksioni kryesor i teatrit është t’u plotësoj spektatoreve komoditeti dhe kushte optimal për përceptim sa me të mir të shfaqjeve ndërsa kolektivit të artistëve t’u plotesoj kushte për përgaditjen sa ma të mir për shfaqjet e tyre teatrale. Objektet kulturore paraqesin një mundsi të mir për vedisimin e njerzive për artin dhe kulturen dhe në të njejtën kohe dhe për argëtimin e tyre me ane të shfaqjeve teatral .

Teatri është një deg e artit të interpretimit çdo performancë mund të konsiderohet si teater, megjithate si një art që e kryejne, teateri përqendrohet pothuajse vetëm në krijimin e një interpretuesi …

Interior Designer's Attitudes Toward Sustainable Interior Design Practices And Barriers Encountered When Using Sustainable Interior Design Practices, Leigh Bacon

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

The objectives of this study evaluated whether interior designer’s had a positive or negative attitude toward sustainable interior design practices.  Next, it evaluated the three areas of perceived barriers interior designers encounter when using sustainable interior design practices (project capabilities, transition to sustainability, and knowledge and skills associated with sustainable design).  The final objectives determined if attitudes and barriers affected the use of sustainable interior design practices, and determined whether the attitudes of interior designers and the barriers encountered by interior designers were related.  Overall, attitudes toward sustainable interior design practices were positive.  Barrier scores indicated that factors affecting project …

Walkability, Social Interaction, And Neighborhood Design, Theresa A. Glanz

Community and Regional Planning Program: Theses

Typically suburban neighborhoods within the United States are often not pedestrian friendly especially when it comes to destination walking.  Since the 1980s New Urbanists have been working on developing neighborhoods that not only allow people to walk for leisure but also allow the residents to walk to nearby shopping and public spaces. These increases in opportunities for walking can enhance people’s lives through improved health, reduction in financial outputs for fuels, enhancement of the physical environment through reductions in carbon monoxide, and the potential for increased social capital through accidental and intentional social opportunities. This paper discusses neighborhood design as …

Downtown Clare Historic District Survey, Kenneth Lingaur

Historic Preservation Final Projects

No abstract provided.

Interactive Environments: Redefining Sense Of Place In The ‘Noosphere’, Kathleen Callaghan

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

The rapid growth of the internet and the far-reaching ubiquity of our virtual networks within the last decade have spurred an entirely new generation of interactive devices and technologies; these include the technologies seen in cell phones, video games, televisions and computers. Furthermore, online social networks such as Facebook and our portable Internet devices, mainly the iPhone, have begun to redefine our sense of time and place in a world of global connectivity and instant-access. This phenomenon results in a constant flow of communication and information that blankets the globe and marks a cultural paradigm shift to a much more …

Crisis Expo, Stephen Patrick Klimek

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

The contention of this thesis is that architecture can create a venue for new forms or forums of civic and political engagement in a post industrial urban environment. Executing democratic processes of discussion, debate, and dissent is more important than the resolution to a given crisis. Yet in a world of impending crises architecture has yet to envision a truly contemporary form of assembly for the resolution of these issues by the Phantom Public. There is a politics of space because space is political⁴. Politics needs space. It exploits space as a resource, a site of debate, a …

Infrastructured: Opportunistic Infrastructure, Urban Revitalization, And Socioeconomic Reconciliation At Boundaries In Downtown Syracuse, Ny., Nilus Klingel

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

The contention of this thesis is that large-scale infrastructures, such as highway systems, energy networks, or water supply complexes – as well as more abstract infrastructures, such as the infrastructures of capitalism or mercantilism – have, as the ‘harbingers’ of Modernity, an indelible impact upon the lives of the human beings who exist under their influence. Eradicating the traditional way of life that preceded them, these structures provide only one point of reference: the unknown future, in which the human struggles to find an identity.

Recent recuperations of infrastructures illustrate how the transformation of former agents of alienation can build …

'For Those Who Live In The Sun:' Holocaust Commemoration In The Southeastern United States, Lauren Elizabeth Cannady

All Theses

Holocaust commemoration is a vast, multifaceted enterprise. Diverse styles and forms have continued to emerge, and a chronology of types has evolved throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Holocaust remembrance began with narratives, communicated as oral histories and sermons, published in books, journals, newspapers, and magazines, and presented in dramatic performances. In the 1960s and '70s many Holocaust groups sought something more substantial to represent the horror that the Holocaust wrought. Synagogues, community centers, and Jewish businesses installed plaques, stained glass windows, and displays containing Holocaust relics to commemorate the Shoah. Cemeteries became the appropriate location to dedicate larger structures, …

A Forgotten Typology: The Rediscovery Of The Train Stations On The Oldest Railroad In The Country, Lora Ann Cunningham

All Theses

The Charleston and Hamburg Railroad in South Carolina, when completed in 1833, was the first steam powered railroad in America. It was also the longest in the world at 136 miles. The railroad was initially referred to as the 'Best Friend of Charleston.' On December 25, 1830, the 'Best Friend' engine made its first public run on the freshly laid railroad tracks. This milestone trip shifted the country toward an era of transportation development. With this new form of transportation came a new building type, the train station. The train station was the first building to greet people when they …

In The Fork Of The Road: A Study Of The Burt-Stark House, Abbeville, South Carolina, Grace Naomi Washam

All Theses

The Burt-Stark house, one of the last surviving antebellum townhouses in Abbeville, South Carolina, is a significant residence which, despite its designation as a National Historic Landmark, remains largely unstudied. This thesis examines the design, construction, use, and evolution of the house within the contexts of its setting and past occupants. Measured architectural drawings and exterior and interior paint analyses, along with historical analysis, provides an inclusive documentation of the Burt-Stark house.

'Turning Shambles Into Showcases:' Herbert A. Decosta, Jr.'S Role In The Ansonborough Rehabilitation Project In Charleston, South Carolina, Alissa Clare Keller

All Theses

This thesis examines a portion of the restoration and rehabilitation work Herbert A. DeCosta Jr. and the H. A. DeCosta Company completed in the 1960s and 1970s in Charleston, South Carolina. A third generation, African-American contractor, DeCosta specialized in the restoration of historic structures. A native of the city, he possessed an innate understanding and respect for the city's architectural heritage, and he worked throughout the city and region to promote the preservation of this heritage. Under the direction of Herbert DeCosta, the H. A. DeCosta Company worked with Historic Charleston Foundation on numerous properties in their revolutionary Ansonborough Rehabilitation …

The Fire Houses Of Charleston, South Carolina 1881 - 1943, Rebecca Marie Moffatt

All Theses

From the first Charleston settlement in 1670, fire has posed an ever present threat. For this reason, fire fighting took on an important role even in its earliest forms within the city. As firefighting techniques evolved so did the buildings used to house both the equipment and the men used for such a task.
This thesis studies the architecture of the Charleston Fire Department. From its early beginnings in 1881 when the newly formed department absorbed the former volunteer companies, to the more recent buildings (ending with the structure built in 1943) which were constantly being added as the needs …

Investigations Of The Relationships Between Unoccupied Classroom Acoustical Conditions And Elementary Student Achievement, Lauren M. Ronsse

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

Current building standards recommend specific unoccupied background noise levels and reverberation times for classroom spaces. While clear communication in elementary school classrooms may be critical for successful learning environments, the existing research does not show a consistent connection between the classroom acoustics parameters specified in building standards and student achievement. This research seeks to determine what acoustical conditions should be attained in elementary school classrooms to optimize student achievement.

In this dissertation, acoustical studies in two midwestern United States public school systems are described. Unoccupied background noise level (BNL) and reverberation time (RT) measurements were gathered in a range of …

An Empirical Comparison Of Life Cycle Cost Of Green School Buildings And Non-Green School Buildings, Nitisha Pushpala

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

One of the major economic concerns today of the world is reduction of energy consumption because of depleting energy sources in the world. The construction sector in the United States is also contributing in reducing the energy consumption and construction cost of the buildings by constructing cost and energy efficient buildings with energy efficient materials and techniques. The U.S Department of Energy introduced the Building Technologies Program that develops techniques, tools and technologies for making buildings more energy efficient. Other private bodies like the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), which is developed by the U.S. Green Building Council …

Meeting The Challenges Of Educational Reform Through Spatial Design In The Twenty-First Century, Alwaleed Alshaibi

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This paper looks into the issue of Saudi Arabia becoming an active player within globalization. The context of entering into globalization for Saudi Arabia is harnessing the tenets of higher education. In its history Saudi Arabia traditionally practiced gendersegregated education. Saudi Arabia has made a bold attempt in its education practice to allow coeducation to take place at one of their universities. This university seeks to become a global leader in the area of science and technology, thereby providing Saudi Arabia with the beginnings of a global city. Designing a global city out of a society with a gender-segregated lifestyle …

A Didactic Architecture For Rural Early Education, Vasiliy Lakoba

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

CONTENTION It is possible to create a physical environment which will serve as a didactic tool for both pupils and educators. The tectonic language will be didactic on three levels: that of explicatively detailed timber framing, that of participatory and reconfigurable play modules, and that of demonstrative sustainable resource management. It will merge playground and classroom space, both modulated within a timber frame and allowing reconfiguration of physically and intellectually educational partitions. DESIGN PROBLEM The kindergarten is to be sited in Saranac Lake, NY, at the Jackrabbit Trailhead, near Moody Pond. The building will merge playground and classroom programs for …

Historic And Demographic Changes That Impact The Future Of The Diné And Developing Community-Based Policy, Yolynda Begay

Architecture and Planning ETDs

The history and legacy of Native American relationship with the U.S. government has been marred with policies on termination, assimilation, annihilation, and displacement of Indian communities. The Dawes Act, also known as the General Allotment Act of 1887, was the starting point of enrolling tribal members for land allotments (Spruhan, 2006-2007, p. 2). The act required a population survey of individual persons residing on allotted lands. This, in turn, required Indian agents to conduct census rolls (see glossary). The purpose of the Dawes Act was to turn Indian people into Jeffersonian farmers by breaking up communal landholdings and allotting parcels …

Home/Land: Kiowa, New Mexico- A Grassland's Story, Heather R. Yaryan

Architecture and Planning ETDs

The purpose of this thesis was to illustrate how cultural and natural histories inform place-based community planning. Utilizing both cultural and natural histories, the planner may begin to see patterns of habitancy as they correlate to ecological fluctuations. I focused my research on Kiowa, New Mexico the community my family homesteaded in the grasslands of Northeastern New Mexico and took an auto-ethnographic approach to conducting my research. The story of Kiowa is both unique and universal. The intricacies of the land and people are, indeed, woven into a specific place and times. It is the intersection of Place and of …

The Role Of Indulgences In The Building Of New Saint Peter’S Basilica, Ginny Justice

Master of Liberal Studies Theses

New St. Peter’s Basilica is the second largest church in the world and considered by many to be the most beautiful. Built mainly during the sixteenth century, it took over a century to complete, and withstood corruption, wars, the Reformation, the Counter-Reformation, good popes and evil ones, and inched its way toward completion in 1626. The main funding for the early stages of building New St. Peter’s came from the sale of indulgences. Indulgences did more than help pay for the basilica, however. The abusive means of selling indulgences, including lies from priests and the papacy about their efficacy, resulted …

Planning For Building-Integrated Agriculture In Las Vegas, Robert Vralsted

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

High food prices, concern about food nutrition and safety, and an awareness of commercial farming's environmental impact have generated a renewed interest in sustainable urban agriculture. Advances in controlled environment agriculture (CEA) have made it possible to grow food virtually anywhere in a much more sustainable manner than traditional field-based agriculture. Locating and planning urban farms using retrofitted existing building stock to maximize food production and ease of distribution in Las Vegas requires consideration of multiple barriers related to geography, economics, and the built environment. Consideration of these factors in the planning process informs the design of a successful BIA …

Waterfront Revitalization: Bridgeport Aquarium And Waterfront Promenade, Ryan Devenney

Architecture Theses and Projects

I am proposing a new public institution, a waterfront aquarium, along with a waterfront promenade, to be located in Bridgeport, Connecticut. This new development will be linked to an existing park, ferry terminal, and an Amtrak train station, along with two other proposed parks. This project will help support urban revitalization in the city. It is based off of several similar projects such as the National Aquarium located in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor district, and the Adventure Aquarium located on the Camden Waterfront. These projects include an aquarium as the centerpiece of their waterfront-based renewal scheme. This new public institution will …

Programmatic Overlays: A Park/Cemetery In Jersey City, Nj, Lawrence Zarpaylic

Architecture Theses and Projects

The development of sensory invitation and discovery will be the guiding premise infused within the architectural construct. Allowing one to recognize and identify with their emotions by establishing a heightened sense of ‘place’ and ‘time’ are steps towards realizing ones’ essence. Creating spaces that foster this awareness by using physical forms, textures, and colors that will aid in the manifestation of a building that engages, interacts and touches the soul. As cities expanded, cemeteries would typically be built alongside their development. Today space is limited for burial with the dense urban fabric of the 21st century. Thus, a proposal for …