Architecture Commons^™

Foster Grandparents, Claire Bunnell, Robin Puttock

Symposium of Student Scholars

Can designing a connection between independent living facilities and the foster care system increase companionship, physical and mental health for older adults and foster care children?

While independent living communities are often ideal for older adults in generally good health, studies indicate that over one-third of older adults report feelings of loneliness and a lack of meaningful companionship. This sense of isolation has profound consequences, as research shows that socially isolated seniors are 59% more likely to experience physical and mental health decline. Furthermore, many seniors residing in nursing homes face a troubling paradox: while these facilities are intended to …

Crosswing Hall- A Biophilic Student Hub For Connection, Community, And Growth, Marianna Sanchez, Robin Puttock, M. Uddin

Symposium of Student Scholars

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 …

Reimagining Recovery: The Role Of Architecture In Sobriety, Teagan Littleton, Robin Puttock

Symposium of Student Scholars

Alcoholism recovery housing often overlooks the profound impact that architecture has on the rehabilitation process. Many sober living houses fail to consider how design elements influence healing, leaving a gap between the physical and mental spaces necessary for recovery. This thesis explores the design of a sober living house in Atlanta that integrates biophilic principles, choice architecture, and WELL Building Standards to create a healing environment that fosters community integration, resilience, and well-being. Situated in an urban context, the project addresses social and environmental challenges by providing therapeutic spaces that support recovery while acknowledging the financial and emotional realities of …

Reviving Humanity, Ana Gomez

Symposium of Student Scholars

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, socioeconomic disparities, and the criminalization of mental illness and substance abuse, are critically examined. Research indicates a disproportionately high prevalence of mental health disorders among female inmates, often rooted in past trauma, domestic violence, and systemic inequalities. These issues are …

Designing For Adhd In The Workplace, Nayeli Gonzalez

Symposium of Student Scholars

The post-pandemic era has left the United States with nearly one billion square feet of vacant office space, creating significant economic and social challenges. Alongside this, many employees continue to work from home, often experiencing adverse effects on their physical and mental well-being due to environments that are not conducive to long-term productivity. Addressing these issues, this thesis explores how outdated and underutilized office spaces can be revived, reinvented, and renovated to not only attract employees back to the workplace but also to accommodate the unique needs of neurodivergent individuals. Neurodivergent people, representing millions globally, often encounter sensory overstimulation and …

Eos Wellness Center: Circadian Rhythm & Mental Health Facility Design, Emily Simms

Symposium of Student Scholars

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 …

Transforming Meaning: Reinterpretation Of Riau Architectural Identities, Miftahul Karima, Agus S. Ekomadyo, Alfathri Adlin, Zahrul Atharinafi

ARSNET

The study explores the reinterpretation of local architectural identities through understanding Barthes' semiotic system. After decentralisation, Indonesian provinces were encouraged to translate their local culture into their local provincial identity and integrate it within their built environment. The Riau province is largely dominated by Malay culture, imprinting such culture as the basis of Riau architectural identity. In Pekanbaru, as capital of Riau, many contemporary buildings reflect Malay traditional architecture. This paper aims to address the transformation of meaning and identities of Malay architecture in Pekanbaru, utilising Roland Barthes' semiotics approach. Using Soeman HS Library as a case study, the study …

Creating Playful Urban Interiors Through Community-Based Traditional Games, Muhammad Amir Akram, Arnis Rochma Harani, Syahrul Nizam Kamaruzzaman

ARSNET

This paper explores the design process of the 'magic circle' as a form of a playful urban interior, inspired by traditional games as a form of ludic or play activity. Traditional games reflect the intersection of culture and social activities, offering elements and rules adaptable to create an inclusive and creative public interior. The research analyses the process and spatialities of traditional games, mapping common play areas, frequently encountered games, and how communities preserve these traditions in an urban context. This paper explores such spatialities in the play-event conducted by the Hong community, an urban community focusing on the preservation …

Pengembangan Pabrik Gula Banjaratma Sebagai Heritage Rest Area: Persepsi Terhadap Nilai-Nilai Pentingnya, Hasna Alya, Agi Ginanjar

Multikultura

The Banjaratma Heritage Rest Area is a form of development of the Banjaratma Sugar Factory with the concept of adaptation and revitalization. Until it was inaugurated as a rest area in 2019, the Banjaratma Sugar Factory still had the status of an Alleged Cultural Heritage Object (ODCB). This research reviews the suitability of the form of adaptation and revitalization of the Banjaratma Sugar Factory to UU No.11 of 2010 concerning Cultural Heritage and the perception of the significant values of the Banjaratma Sugar Factory. The method used is an archaeological research method, includes seven steps, including formulation, implementation, data collection, …

Translating The Architectural Language Of Localities, Kristanti Dewi Paramita

ARSNET

Architecture operates and conveys meaning through language, using such means to build spatial experience as well as invite new propositions and reconfiguration of spatialities. The collection of articles in this ARSNET issue explores the various contexts and applications of language in defining architectural localities. Exploring settings such as urban spaces and urban facilities, workplace environment, and even entirely new terrain, the architectural language of localities manifests through cultural and material practices, aesthetic embodiments, and speculative inquiries. Through this issue's investigation of language as creative methods of designing and experiencing space, the idea of localities becomes more dynamic, continuously speculated and …

Exploring The Aesthetic Representation Of Pinisi As The Basis Of Urban Experience, Imtihan Hanom, I Gede Mugi Raharja, I Made Pande Artadi, I Ketut Sida Arsa

ARSNET

This study explores the aesthetic representation of the Pinisi ship as the basis of an attractive urban space. In particular, it focuses on the aesthetic of a pedestrian bridge in the Sudirman Central Business District (SCBD), Jakarta. The study argues that the visual representation of the Pinisi ship as the epitome of indigenous sailing craft in Indonesia provides a cultural experience that attracts pedestrians, creating relations between the aesthetics of urban space and the overall visitor interest. This study aims to identify the elements of the Pinisi ship that are represented through aesthetic principles and analyse the relationship between representation …

Speculating A Swarm-Based Symbiotic Architecture In The Era Of Mothering Nature, Heidy Sekardini, Rini Suryantini

ARSNET

This experimental design study explores forms of adaptive architecture that reflect the symbiotic connection between humans and nature. Responding to the growing ecological between human and nature, this paper speculates how architecture can be an entity that coexists and co-evolves with nature. Instead of positioning architecture as a static entity, this symbiotic architecture introduces the conceptual figure of Homo botanicus as human species that grows and regenerates nature as its imperative, initiating the era of Mothering Nature. The study starts by investigating the adaptive strategy of plants that grow symbiotically within their natural biomes. The biological growth mechanism of plants …

Constructing The Sustainable Workplace Interior Through Material Practices, Audrey Natasya, Phebe Valencia, Agnes Satyawati Azarja, Bambang Tutuka Adi Nugroho

ARSNET

This study discusses the design development of a sustainable workplace interior, using PITA office—a furniture company in Indonesia—as the context of study. The design aims to create a sustainable office environment that reflects the company's commitment to sustainability, particularly in relation to various interior material practices. This study applies Nirmal Kishnani's six principles of sustainable design within the Asian context to the interior design of the PITA office, encompassing the principles of efficacy, ecology, wellness, embeddedness, advocacy, and integration. A qualitative approach was implemented through observation, documentation, and interviews to analyse the context based on the six sustainable design principles …

Plantation Museums, Public Memory, And Historical Narratives: A Comparative Analysis Of Slavery Interpretation At Oak Alley And Lakeport, Gabrielle M. Stockand

ATU Scholars Symposium

Plantation museum sites are important in the public's understanding of the complex sociopolitical labor systems that dominated antebellum lifeways. This study examines modern museums' dilemmas when exploring expansive site narratives at plantation museum sites, using Oak Alley and Lakeport Plantations as case studies. Plantation Museum sites construct historical narratives using comparative exhibit analysis, critical discourse analysis of labor narratives, and landscape archaeology. Specific analysis of interpretive language, narrative construction, and site structure demonstrates a stark contrast: while one site marginalizes slavery in its guided tour with non-inclusive language and a self-guided slavery exhibit, the other integrates extensive research on enslaved …

Detecting Ideological Bias In Trump's Tweets: Trump's Peace Plan As A Case Study, Amer Qasem Dr

Middle East Journal of Communication Studies

This study aims to explore the extent of ideological bias in the discourse of elected U.S. President Donald Trump on social media platforms, specifically Twitter (now known as X), regarding his peace plan, commonly referred to as the "Deal of the Century." The study employs Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to examine all of Trump’s tweets related to the Deal of the Century, seeking to answer the following research questions: How did Trump portray the parties affected by the deal in his tweets? What rhetorical strategies did he employ to present the deal? The analysis spans the period from the announcement …

The Use Of Artificial Intelligence Applications By Media Students In Palestinian Universities And Their Achieved Gratifications “A Field Study”, Said Shaheen Allani Dr, Ahmad Al Sallaq

Middle East Journal of Communication Studies

The study aimed to identify the extent to which media students in Palestinian universities use artificial intelligence applications and the achieved gratifications from it. The study belongs to the descriptive studies approach utilizing questionnaire as a tool for collecting data, for an available sample of (165) individuals that were distributed in five Palestinian universities. The study reached to; (54.5%) of media students in Palestinian universities use artificial intelligence applications, they use it for several reasons, the most important phrase is “it helps me to produce good digital content,” with a relative weight of (47.4%), it also achieves a number of …

Media Frameworks In Addressing Environmental Issues On Al Jazeera Net Website: An Analytical Study, Sabah Al Harahsheh Dr

Middle East Journal of Communication Studies

This study aimed to recognize the media frameworks used to address environmental issues on (Al Jazeera Net) between 2009 and 2024. The study relied on the descriptive survey method, the theory of media frames, and the content analysis as a method and tool. The study population consisted of all articles, reports and interviews published on the (Al Jazeera Net) throughout the period specified by the study. A purposive sample was selected from the articles, reports and interviews interested in environmental issues only, which numbered eighteen journalistic works. The study identified the most important frameworks that presented the environmental issues during …

The Mediating Role Of Remote Communication On The Relationship Between Electronic Human Resource Management Practices And Organizational Performance In Iraqi Commercial Banks, Shuhub Basel Ahmad Taqa

Middle East Journal of Communication Studies

This study aimed to measure the impact of remote communication as a mediating variable on the relationship between electronic human resources (e-HRM) and organizational performance in Iraqi commercial banks. The study adopted a descriptive-analytical approach, with the study population consisting of managers, their deputies, and department heads in Iraqi commercial banks, totaling 242 individuals distributed across 24 commercial banks by the end of 2023. A total of 234 questionnaires were analyzed, achieving a response rate of 96.7%. The study employed Smart PLS software for data analysis and result extraction. The study revealed several key findings, the most significant of which …

Form Follows Function: An Analysis Of De Architectura And Its Influence, Weston Klein

Young Historians Conference

Over 2000 years ago, the Roman architect and engineer, Marcus Vitruvius Pollio, scribed De Architectura, a multi-volume work unearthed in the 15th century, in St. Gallen, Switzerland. As the only surviving architectural source from antiquity, the book has been indispensable in the study of Greco-Roman architecture, positioning Vitruvian and Greco-Roman architectural concepts in many ways as one in the same. Additionally, Vitruvian ideas, as expressed in De Architectura, regarding architectural form, materials, location, and process have been foundational to the evolution of Western architecture. This paper explores De Architectura’s impact on Western architectural theory and practice spanning the Early Middle …

The Oaks Vs. Other University Dining Facilities: Does Architecture Affect Food Waste?, Sydney Bezich

Honors Projects

The purpose of this study was to find a connection between food waste and architecture and determine how food waste can be mitigated using architectural solutions and methods. Food waste is an important issue worldwide and is present in university dining facilities. This study focuses on university dining facilities’ preventable food waste at both the pre-consumer and post-consumer levels. Architecture, in this project, is defined as all aspects of the built environment. This includes, but is not limited to, design and layout, materials, systems, building operations, marketing displays, and sustainability. Methods for this study included researching sustainability, architecture, and food …

Edra 56: Bibliography, Tamara Karr

Bibliographies

EDRA 56: Designing Communities for Climate Action and Resilience

Design Solutions For Common Problems In Senior Living Facilities, Mary Schmidt

Senior Honors Theses

With the aging population of the United States, the prevalence of dementia rises along with its challenges for individuals in long-term care facilities. As cognitive function deteriorates, dementia patients face growing difficulties in performing daily activities. Common issues such as wayfinding, wandering, exit attempts, agitation, and a generally low quality of life plague most dementia patients at long-term care facilities. Design features can improve quality of life, safety, and coherence for residents with dementia at assisted living facilities. This paper examines existing research to present various design strategies that can enhance daily life for dementia patients in long-term care facilities. …

How Biophilic Design Impacts Office Spaces, Addison Carter

Honors Projects

Many working individuals experience burnout and dissatisfaction in their jobs. Although is this a result of individual mental strain, or are there other environmental factors contributing to the problem? This study investigates the impact of design on well-being and examines how biophilic design can serve as a solution to the negative effects certain architectural features may have on occupants. A literature review was conducted; it analyzed existing research on topics such as office design, biophilic design, and the influence of architecture on comfort and wellness. To explore how biophilic design can be applied in all settings, not just new construction, …

Shelving Stigma: A Grocery Store Client Choice Pantry Model - A Solution To Food Insecurity In Young Adults Of Marginalized Communities While Eradicating The Stigmatization Of Food Pantry Services, Anna C. Buckley

Honors Theses

An increasing number of young adults, age 18 to 35, are becoming food insecure across America, but disproportionately in urban and people of color communities. However, food pantries have remained a social stigma causing food insecure persons to avoid using a food pantry for hunger relief. Research has shown that the grocery store model for food pantries is most beneficial for staff, while also minimizing the stigma and increasing accessibility for pantry clientele. The purpose of this program proposal is to highlight the feasibility of implementation of a client choice grocery store pantry model at the NY Common Pantry (NYCP) …

Vacationing In The City: The Local Impacts Of Contemporary Tourism In Three European Cities, Julia Clarke

College Honors Program

This thesis critically analyzes the local impacts of urban tourism in contemporary Venice, Italy, Lisbon, Portugal, and Valencia, Spain. The analysis focuses on the cities’ varying stages of over-tourism crises and hones in on one aspect of tourism’s impacts on each city. Venice serves as a case study of an evident over-tourism crisis with specific consideration for Venice’s economic dependence on tourism. Lisbon acts as an example of an imminent tourism crisis with an emphasis on the social consequences of tourism. Finally, Valencia showcases proactive tourism management as a means to prevent tourism-induced crises altogether, with particular focus on the …

Energy Efficient Dorms, Antonio Soares, Zachary Nassar, Aidan O'Neill

Earth Day Symposium on Climate and Sustainablity

No abstract provided.

Dry Paths, Safe Steps, Andrew Gamper

Earth Day Symposium on Climate and Sustainablity

No abstract provided.

Uta Datathon 2025 Challenges (Archive), Rubab Shahzad, Srinivasa Sai Abhijit Challapalli, Ghanbarian Behzad, Mei Yang, Clivin Geju, Zecil Yogeshkumar Jain, Jay Mahavirkumar Shah, Sai Nikhitha Chandana

2025 Datathon Challenges-Archive

Timed and Model Challenges from the UTA Datathon 2025

The Translucent Fortress: Improving The Design Of Rural Domestic Violence Shelters, Owen Baker Phillips

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Domestic violence is a nationwide social plague that effects millions of women each year and has increased in severity since Covid-19 (2020-2022). In the state of Georgia, 37.4% of women report experiencing some sort of physical violence by an intimate partner (NCADV, 2020). Severity and frequency of domestic violence increases drastically if the victim is living in a rural location. Qualitative studies conducted in Iowa, North Carolina, and Virginia all report that on average, women living in rural areas report 150% more domestic violence experiences at a higher severity than their urban counterparts and must travel on average 300% further …

Climate Change Resilience In Historic Cairo: Risk Management Strategies For Built Cultural Heritage Preservation, Noha Abdelmohsen Shaheen Noha.A.Shaheen, Khaled Khaled Khaled Dewidar, Gehan Nagy G. Nagy, Ashraf Ali Nessim Ashraf Ali Nessim

Architectural Engineering

As the globe grapples with the profound consequences of climate change, its impact on built cultural heritage has emerged as a critical concern. Rising global temperature and unpredictable weather patterns threaten the integrity of historical sites, consequently, jeopardizing our collective identity and historical narratives. This paper focuses on Historic Cairo, Egypt identifying the risks associated with climate change based on the Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 8.5 outlined by the IPCC. The study aims to develop risk response resilience strategies to provide a comprehensive treatment plan for the impacts of the climate change risks affecting Historic Cairo. The research methodology comprises …