Architecture Commons^™

Origami Lunar Habitation Unfolding A Future Colony In Space, Andrew Fields

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

What is origami? Origami is the ancient Japanese art of folding paper into decorative pieces. Today we use origami as a way to compact things for better storage or transportation and still to create decorative pieces of art. Origami is a must in space travel as it allows for large satellites to be folded and compacted down into a rocket and then unfolded in space to allow for the most surface area for solar absorption.

How can origami help? By making it possible to create lightweight, expandable structures that can be used in alien environments and by enabling the repair …

Revitalizing Oncology By Transforming Treatment Environments By Reconnecting To Life, Lindsey Garcia

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

There is a growing consensus among researchers that human activities have profoundly reshaped the Earth's environment, to the point that our modes of living and their ecological footprint have given rise to new conditions of habitability. This transformation marks not merely the continuation of human dominance, but the emergence of a new era in which human and non-human actors are linked in shaping the future of life on Earth. Our collective actions from urban expansion to industrial processes exert influence not only on the built environment but also on the health and vitality of all species. A critical example of …

Wheelchair Worlds: [Re]Imagining Architecture For A Mobility-Centered Society, Stephanie Kim Le

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

This thesis reimagines architecture from the perspective of wheelchair users, proposing a mobility-centered design approach where ramps, movement, and sensory experience are the foundation of form — not afterthoughts. Rather than adding accessibility features to an able-bodied norm, the project designs entirely from the experience of wheeled movement. Through the creation of a Wellness and Recreation Center at East Montlake Park in Seattle, the thesis investigates how ramps can become architectural generators, how sensory-responsive materials can shape spatial dignity, and how buildings can welcome all bodies through seamless, inclusive circulation.

Drawing from both research and real-world challenges, the design replaces …

Viewing From The Sidelines: Tackling Temporality Impacting Displaced Refugees By Humanizing Border Design, Robinson Badell-Garcia

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Every day, you follow a routine that brings comfort- be it work, errands, or family care. Now, imagine the unthinkable: your stable world collapses around you, leaving you homeless and adrift. Stripped of job and shelter, what’s the best option? To leave and seek answers in unfamiliar places while grappling with the profound isolation and discrimination that comes from being displaced.

As architects, our role is to communicate people's dreams and realities, striving for a sustainable future while fostering dialogue and care. This thesis focuses on the architectural response to the increasing displacement along the Türkiye-Syria border, exacerbated by ongoing …

Weaving Of Spaces: Designing Spaces That Create Opportunities For Communication And Freedom Though Ease Of Access., Fiona Louise Duvall

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Suburban environments frequently experience spatial and temporal, fragmentation, resulting in disjointed landscapes, limited social interaction, and a weakened sense of place. This thesis explores how the strategic design and integration of interconnected destinations can counteract these issues by fostering continuous, accessible, and engaging public spaces. Focusing on an area just outside Marietta Square in Georgia, the project proposes a network of vibrant, multipurpose nodes linked through walkable corridors and green infrastructure. By enhancing physical and social connectivity, the design aims to create rhythms of use that span different times of day and appeal to a diverse range of residents. Through …

A Work[Play]Ce For All: Working Hard And Playing Hard Shouldn't Be This Hard, Mary E. Caldwell

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

62% of the United States Labor Force goes to an office every day. That means that nearly 6 out of every 10 Americans spend most of their days experiencing an ordinary office environment every week. Children, on the other hand, spend most of their days in school, where they are constantly given playful and enjoyable tasks to promote their learning. Why does this concept of promoting pleasant emotions in a person’s everyday life seem to disappear as we become older and our everyday life becomes more critical to well-being? Imagine if offices were designed to promote pleasant experiences.

This thesis …

Reclaiming Space: Addressing Urban Stratification In Atlanta's Bankhead Neighborhood, Maci J. Sims

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Picture Bankhead, Atlanta, a neighborhood woven with Black cultural history, where generations of families have shaped a strong, resilient community. But now, that fabric is fraying. Luxury developments rise where community landmarks once stood, coffee shops replace local staples, and long-time residents are priced out. At the center of this transformation is the Atlanta Beltline, originally envisioned as a unifying greenway, now a powerful catalyst for displacement in neighborhoods like Bankhead. The root of this crisis is not just affordability, but a deep housing imbalance: a polarized system of luxury high-rises and clustered affordable housing, leaving middle-income residents without space …

Tensile Techonics, Jesus A. Vielma

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Architecture has traditionally responded to seismic threats with mass, rigidity, and fortification. However, in an era of increasing seismic volatility and material innovation, the architectural response must evolve from resisting nature to coexisting with it.

This thesis reimagines earthquake-resilient design through the framework of tensile technicism — the strategic use of tension-based systems, lightweight materials, and dynamic structural strategies to create flexible, adaptive environments that breathe with the earth’s movements rather than fracture under them.

By integrating structural engineering principles with emerging material technologies, this approach offers a lighter, more sustainable, and more resilient architecture for seismic zones. Tensile systems …

Skid Row To Recuperation Constellation, Nafisa Azad

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

California suffers from more homelessness than any other state in the U.S. This is also true of chronic homelessness – a critical category of homelessness that captures the intersection of homelessness and disability. Indeed, homelessness and disability – both physical and mental - often occur together. This intersection is especially prevalent in Los Angeles. Current approaches to homelessness focus on housing, with insufficient attention paid to the oft equally troublesome disabilities that follow suit. The dearth of attention paid to the intersection between homelessness and disability represents a crucial gap to be filled. This thesis aims to demonstrate how community …

Dust To Dream, Brenda Meloto De Oliveira

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

This thesis explores the design and implementation of a holistic housing initiative to address the needs of economically disadvantaged populations in Sertão do Moxotó, Pernambuco. Situated in an arid region with limited resources, the project provides not only shelter but also community spaces, educational opportunities, and essential services to improve local living standards.

The region’s history of resilience is reflected in its vernacular architecture, which uses materials like adobe, rammed earth, and thatch—offering sustainable, climate-adapted solutions. Yet, basic amenities remain out of reach for many. Community-led initiatives, non-monetary systems, and vocational training help bridge these gaps and empower individuals to …

The Slice / Revitalizing Space For Bushwick's Creatives, Nadabya Lorick

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Bushwick has an underlying heritage of being a vital, diverse, energetic neighborhood. Declining infrastructure, fragmented social networks, and a lack of attention to residents’ needs have contributed to the area’s struggles. Despite these challenges, the neighborhood’s vibrant street art culture has emerged as a powerful force for renewal, fostering a sense of identity and drawing widespread appreciation. Reconfiguring a person’s relationship with their existence in Bushwick, NY, sits at the intersection of the wider well-being of humans, which includes intrinsic elements and more social interaction. This looks like repurposing buildings to highlight Bushwick’s unique blend of historical heritage, artistic energy, …

Sardis - The Agonist: A Monument To The Resurrection Of A Dormant Cultural & Commercial Center, Inocencio Ruiz

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

The rural American Southeast is a region of deep cultural significance that is shaped by resilience, adaptation, and an ever-evolving relationship with the land. Sardis, like many crossroad towns in Georgia, bears the imprint of shifting economies, environmental forces, and the enduring spirit of its people. This thesis combines a familiar vernacular of place that is integrated with a neo-cultural sophistication to explore how material details become the foundation for composing and proposing a neo-narrative architecture that represents a people, a region, and its rural southern heritage.

Sardis, Georgia is a complex and historically important small town... the materiality that …

Eos Wellness Center: Rethinking Inpatient Mental Health Facility Design, Emily Simms

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

The design of mental health facilities significantly impacts patient outcomes, especially for individuals with depression. Environmental factors such as lighting, thermal comfort, and access to nature influence mental health. This research explores how architectural design can reduce self-harm incidents and enhance recovery outcomes for patients with depression. The project hypothesizes that synchronizing light patterns and thermal comfort with patients’ circadian rhythms will reduce self-harm incidents and improve recovery. The problem established in the research is that disruptions to circadian rhythms increase the risk of depression, PTSD, and anxiety by 30% (Burns et al., 2022). Suicide is also the second leading …

Invisible Scholars, Emmaline Payne

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

In the United States, every year, there are approximately 1.3 million students who experience homelessness, an individual who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. Homelessness among students has a significant impact on their academic performance, mental health, and behavior. Factors like higher absenteeism, constant movement, and lack of support can all contribute to decreased academic achievement. Ultimately, this leads to students having to repeat grades or not graduating high school, compromising their abilities to succeed in the future. In addition to the decrease in academic achievement, behavioral and mental challenges exacerbated by the stress of housing instability also …

Aquatic Boundaries: Reimagining BeléN, A City Carried By Water And Resilience., Kassidy R. Mcclain

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Rising water levels are not a distant threat. It is a reality that many cities already face. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the global mean sea level has risen approximately 8–9 inches since 1880. The rising sea levels affect not only coastal cities but also cities along rivers and lakes attached to the sea by causing baseline water levels along rivers to increase. The rise in baseline water levels reduces the river's ability to drain effectively, thus causing riverside areas to become more susceptible to flooding. Traditional building methods meant to keep water out of buildings often …

Architecture Through Modularity, Jafet Estrada

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Globally, an estimated 1.8 billion people lack access to adequate housing with an included 150 million people who live in permanent homelessness. Additionally, Housing costs have significantly outpaced income growth globally. Between 2014 and 2022, house price-to-income ratios have risen, with the global median ratio now at 6.1 (up from around 5 in 2014). Architecture through modularity could transform these lives with low-cost solutions. Modularity more broadly refers to a system’s ability to be broken down into smaller, self-contained, and interchangeable parts or modules. These modules function independently but are designed to work together as part of a cohesive whole. …

Interactive Bodies: Creating A Haptic Dialogue, Evan R. Haller

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

BUILDINGS ARE BORING. The majority of modern buildings often fail to have meaningful engagements with their occupants, resulting in static spaces that prioritize function over experience. If we continue to design for pure functionality, are we any different from machines? My thesis, “Interactive Bodies: Creating a Haptic Dialogue,” explores a shift in architectural design where spaces can adapt and change depending on the users’ ability to interact with them.

Through various case studies on kinetic architecture and interactive design experiments, as well as inspiration from Archigram, my research investigates how kinetic components can foster a more meaningful relationship between people …

Balancing Act: Retrofitting Office Design To Enrich Communities, Luke A. Griffith

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

The office workplace has shifted tremendously in the last decade. The world is adapting quickly to new technology and culture changes, but office buildings seem to be stuck in the past. COVID-19 has brought the world to a stand still and moved the way to do business to our homes. This shift has taught the workforce that most work can be done as efficiently at home than in the office. This leads to existing office buildings becoming rapidly vacant due to the lack of consistent occupancy throughout the work week. Where does that leave the future of the existing office …

Big-Box Stores To Refuge: Transforming Commercial Spaces Into Modular Emergency Shelters, Garrett Byrne

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

As sea levels rise and climate disasters become more prevalent, this will displace residents. The importance of a scalable adaptable emergency shelter solution is vital. By proposing an renovation of existing big-box warehouses, such as Walmart, into refuge centers that can accommodate large number of displaced individuals. These refuge centers with their elevated platforms, strategic geographic distribution, and proximity to their flood zones, were well suited for elevated, climate resilient shelters. The design uses modular construction systems that uses kit-of-part beds that can be deployed for personal spaces and modules, enabling rapid assembly, flexible layouts, and efficient transportation. Elevated platforms …

Debunking The Past - A Descent Through Memory, Architecture, And Ruin, Nili Karaj

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Albania’s landscape is etched with the remnants of a totalitarian past, most notably through its widespread network of bunkers constructed at the peak of the Cold War under Dictator Enver Hoxha. Among them, the "Big Bunker," situated in the Ceraunian Mountains overlooking the Ionian Sea, stands as both a monumental relic and a spatial threshold between past and future.

This thesis reimagines the Big Bunker not merely as an object of preservation but as a site of transformation: an architectural journey through memory, ideology, and renewal. Through a qualitative case study combining on-site observation, architectural analysis, and historical research, the …

Crosswing Hall: A Biophilic Student Hub For Well-Being And Connection, Marianna Sanchez

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

The Marietta campus of Kennesaw State University has long been perceived as disconnected and lacking vibrancy compared to its counterpart in Kennesaw. This project seeks to transform that narrative by creating Crosswing Hall, a dynamic student hub that fosters campus pride, interdisciplinary collaboration, and lasting connections. Grounded in biophilic design principles, Crosswing Hall utilizes natural materials and thoughtful spatial planning to reduce student stress, enhance well-being, and create a welcoming environment where students feel supported and engaged.

Current student spaces on the Marietta campus prioritize capacity over adaptability, often leading to overcrowding and diminished effectiveness in fostering a sense of …

Reviving Humanity, Ana Gomez

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

The surge in female incarceration rates in the United States has heightened concerns about the mental health challenges faced by women within correctional facilities. This thesis research explores the intersection of women’s incarceration, mental health, and sustainable architectural design aimed at improving outcomes for female inmates. Factors contributing to the increase in female incarceration rates, including changes in sentencing policies and socioeconomic disparities, are discussed. Research indicates a high prevalence of mental health disorders among female inmates, often linked to past trauma and exacerbated by the prison environment. Despite this, the prison system often fails to adequately address the mental …

Pathways To Possibilities : Montessori, Re-Imagined And Expanded - For Every Path In Life, Melanie Nin

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Pathways to Possibilities explores the importance of establishing a Montessori pre-k through 8th grade school for a large population of children, highlighting the unique challenges they face in accessing an education that meets their fundamental needs. The Montessori model can be expanded to serve more children by adapting its principles to a large school structure. Incorporating Montessori design principles and learning theories will create an inclusive, supporting environment that fosters self-directed learning, creativity, and social engagement. By scaling the Montessori model, this thesis aims to create a more accessible and innovative multi-sensory environment that supports the diverse learning needs of …

Subjective Evaluation Of Place Environmental Quality In Conference And Exhibition Buildings In Small- And Medium-Sized Cities: An Empirical Case Study, Yuchen Xie, Jianhe Luo, Peng Du

College of Architecture and the Built Environment Faculty Papers

The environmental quality of conference and exhibition places in small- and medium-sized cities plays a crucial role in attracting exhibitors, fostering the growth of the conference and exhibition industry and enhancing the market competitiveness of these places. However, past decision makers have often adopted planning models from large cities, neglecting the interaction between conference and exhibition places in smaller cities and local lifestyles as well as urban environments. From an “environment-behavior” per- spective, this study reveals the unique interaction mechanisms between exhibitors and the built environment within such venues. Moving beyond the limitations of traditional research that focused solely on …

The Architectural Identity Of Jeddah, Lujain M. Abulzawaid, Mervat El-Shafie

Effat Undergraduate Research Journal

Urban design is the psychology behind the course of action, presence and usefulness of urban areas and cities. The Urban plan combines development, scenic engineering and public management to make metropolitan spaces viable and engaging. This paper presents a brief insight of Jeddah 's architectural identity. Comparative case studies are assessed to measure the effects of architecture on the urban context and its influence on social and cultural lifestyles. In this work, four case studies were analysed, which are Dr. Bakhsh Hospitals Group (BHS), Souk Al Shatea, Golden Tulip Hotel and City Center. This has been done to understand how …

The Aesthetic Of Buildings’ Envelope And Its Effect On Social Consciousness, Lujain Merdad, Mervat El-Shafie

Effat Undergraduate Research Journal

Buildings have been part of human life and community development since ancient times. With the advancement of architecture technology, building designs, especially building envelopes have evolved with various design features. These elements have its own influence of the user perspective in terms of social consciousness. Thus, this paper has presented a brief overview of the aesthetics of building’s envelope and its effect on social consciousness. This paper begins with the brief introduction of building envelopes and how it functions, Next, the paper discusses the characteristics of building envelopes. Next, the paper has presented the common materials used as building façade …

Architecture Center Of Excellence, Rawan Al-Badri, Aida Nayer

Effat Undergraduate Research Journal

Architects are an important part of society in terms of technology, service and development around the world. Currently in Saudi Arabia, for groups of architects, students and lecturers in the field of architecture, there is no designated place for them to gather, discuss and share their experience in the field of architecture. Thus, this work presents a proposal on developing architecture center of excellence in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. In this work, two cases were analysed. Based on the case studies, for the proposed architecture center of excellence, he estimated gross floor area is 9876 m² and the net floor …

The Interlace: Creating Suburban Connections, Annikka Fairfield

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Many cities in the United States are designed based on suburban sprawl, which contributes to excessive automobile-dependency and unwelcoming streets for pedestrians, and metro Atlanta is no exception. Alpharetta, Georgia is a growing city with the potential to become a more walkable suburban city. Alpharetta can be invigorated along specific corridors at the human scale to increase both walkability and connectivity by focusing on pedestrian wellbeing. Research shows that Biophilia's various facets have the power to improve human wellbeing. Prospect, refuge, and presence of water were selected to guide the thesis design. Urban-scale precedents like the Beltline in Atlanta, Georgia …

Variant Minds: Designing For Neurodiversity In Office Spaces, Maya Schiltz

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

By recognizing and accommodating the natural diversity in human cognition, neurodiversity, Variant Minds proposes an inclusive office design strategy that supports both neurotypical and neurodivergent individuals alike.

Originally used in reference to Autism, the term “neurodiversity” now encompasses a broader range of conditions, including ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, Alzheimer’s, depression, epilepsy, bipolar disorder, and Tourette’s syndrome. With an estimated 1 in 5 of the global population being neurodivergent, designing for inclusivity is both a moral imperative and a strategic advantage. Neurodiverse individuals bring unique strengths to the workplace, such as innovative thinking, strong pattern recognition, and heightened attention to detail. Studies …

Road Rage Or Road Cage: A Study Of The Ecological Impacts Of Roads On Wildlife Corridors And The Resultant Habitat Fragmentation, Addie Bagot

Design Research

As global road networks continue to expand, the resulting habitat fragmentation poses a significant threat to wildlife populations and ecological connectivity. In the United States, wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVCs) account for approximately 10 million animal deaths and 40,000 human fatalities annually, with incidents increasing by 50% over the past 15 years. This research investigates the ecological impacts of transportation infrastructure through a case study of Interstate 10 in Louisiana, specifically a 15-mile segment between Sorrento and LaPlace that cuts through the Maurepas Swamp Wildlife Management Area. This forested wetland, home to a rich diversity of species including the American alligator, has …