Architecture Commons^™

Sacred Pleasures : A Patronage Festival Of The Erotic And Play, David Dávila

Masters Theses

Sacred Pleasures emphasizes human connection and experience. The transcalar use of the erotic and play in spatial design can redefine the current cultural value of production and capital. The proposal addresses three scales of these socioeconomic and spatial conditions: system, architectural, and human scale. The erotic is used as power and resistance. Play is used as a method to achieve agency and to mediate human connection.

The thesis resists from within the context of Puerto Rico, an island product of colonization by two entities, Spain and the United States of America. It addresses the relationship between Puerto Rico and the …

Reengineer Value, Maxwell Altman

Masters Theses

Through adaptive reuse an equitable densified inhabitation solution can be instituted for the Broad Street Synagogue, using a doctrine of value defined by emotion instead of economics to generate positive experience through materiality.

An initial investigation into dwelling and the concept of value has instigated a desire to redefine value from the traditional economic stance. Value in living currently suggests a focus on qualities that directly influence and maintain aspects of monetary value, however value can be placed instead in what influences emotional well being. Equity becomes a powerful motivator for the inclusion of positive influences, even when not directly …

Anybody Home? Figural Studies In Architectural Representation, David Auerbach

Masters Theses

Architectural figures are charged with the task of bringing an architectural drawing, rendering, or model to life. They speak to us in ways that other elements of a drawing cannot, or rarely ever do. This is their charge, their vitality, their animacy, which can turn without moment’s notice, from the opening of a projective narrative in the tune of an invitation to live, to the swallowing of this extradimensionality by the overdeterminations of scale, proportion, order. I don’t want to assume that architectural figures serve a completely transparent, banal, self-evident role in architectural representation — the trope of human-as-scale. Instead, …

A Thesis On The Entanglement Of Art And Design, Racquel Clarke

Masters Theses

Design exists in the realm of functionality while art is used to invoke creativity heightened by one’s passion. Rather than perfect art and design as separate entities, we should find ways to entangle art, design, and visual graphics to create new languages that solve problems. Addressing color, and hybridity as it relates to form and identity allows for one to come to a foreground that heightens their experience to elevate. Utilizing the entanglement of art and design can birth a new language while altering the paradigm of how one receives and conveys an idea. Using graphic design as a tool, …

Rising To The Occasion : A Resiliency Strategy For Brickell, Miami, Stephanie Gottlieb

Masters Theses

As a result of climate change, there has been an increase in flooding all over the world, especially in coastal areas. The coastal city of Miami, Florida is about seventeen feet above sea level at its highest point, with much of the city at five feet or less above sea level. This study is focused in the neighborhood of Brickell. The neighborhood is on the coast and thus acts as a barrier between the Atlantic and other neighborhoods in Miami. The neighborhood has also been the center of a lot of recent growth and development and has become a cultural …

Youkoso Tokyo : Guidebook To A New Cybercity, Evelyn Ehgotz

Masters Theses

Tokyo exists in an urban Feedback Loop, a concept that takes from theories of post-urbanism and cybernetics. Essentially, there is a loop between the physical city and the image or representations of the city. Both versions of the city are accepted as valid, but by analyzing the image versions as heterotopias, there is a view into the social constructs and conceptions of the city. East Asian cities are especially impacted because of techno-orientalist tendencies of the West. Tokyo, being one of the most well-documented and temporal, has been imagined and reimagined as simultaneously high-tech and mysteriously ancient. This is most …

Towards A New Immersion, Kaijie Huang

Masters Theses

The rapid development of informational technologies and computational technologies in the past few decades had made previously expensive computational devices affordable for the general public. Personal computers in the 1990s and 2000s, Smartphones in the 2010s, and Virtual Reality (VR) headsets especially in recent years(2020s). The extraordinary immersive qualities of VR had sparked a new wave of exploration of this newly developed media.

The immersive medium has a long history in human society even before the invention of computers. It can take as many forms as literature, drama, painting, sculpture, photography, film, digital media and so much more. Depending on …

A Digital Surreal, Michael Garel-Martorana

Masters Theses

As architects, much of our work lives within our various computer softwares. Rendering within architectural practice allows us to fabricate highly calculated, realistic representations of our work- a method by which we place ourselves within a space, inhabit it, or make it familiar.

“A Digital Surreal” seeks to explore how rendering can be employed as a space for the production of narratives that instead challenge our perceptions of space. Drawing from artwork from the Surrealist movement, the project considers the characteristics of work by artists including Rene Magritte, Kay Sage, and Conroy Maddox, amongst others, along with contemporary architectural precedents, …

Astoria Houses: A Resilient Community, James Juscik

Masters Theses

As climate change leads to more intense and frequent storms throughout the northeast, architecture needs to adapt to be able to protect life and property. As we can see from Superstorm Sandy, and the more recent Hurricanes Ida, and Henri the current architecture and infrastructure is failing its purpose. Nowhere is this more true than in Astoria Queens.Among the New York City neighborhoods most impacted by climate change, Astoria has received little investment to make it more resilient. The Astoria Houses public housing complex becomes the perfect site to design a new mixed density, resilient neighborhood of the future.

Astoria …

With Water, Kt Mcleod

Masters Theses

Focusing on the coastal areas of Maine and the existing water conditions, this thesis proposes the integration of architecture to engage with and help facilitate a micro-climate while serving the surrounding natural environments.

Reference: A Field Guide For New Practices, Eric Mason

Masters Theses

The following work is an experimentation within architecture to promote a social ideology of reuse, where we must first re-frame and dismantle the traditional perceptions of building materials, in order for the discipline of architecture to utilize the practice of unbuilding.The thesis analyzes the suburban condition and its relationship to big box stores like Home Depot and Lowes. Through a re-imagining of this relationship the question of material longevity centers itself as the main design motive for the project and how a new understanding of this potential can be extruded through community engagement. This new depot which the work understands …

An Atlas Of Speculating Flooded Futures ; Water Keeps Rising, Victoria Barlay

Masters Theses

This thesis is a study of the histories; past, present, and future, concerning scenarios the landscape of Charleston South Carolina might take through the next 200 years. The focus of this visualization is on the sea level rise of the Atlantic ocean and the river deltas that feed into it. Charleston is a city in one of the earliest colonized American cities and thus carries a deep history of prosperity and suffering. A gateway for British colonization in the early colonies, Charleston was also a port for the sale of enslaved peoples. The many generations of people who call this …

Regional Growth Concept To Promote Densification And Mixed Land-Use In The Suburbs Of The Portland Metropolitan Area, Sangwan Lee

Hatfield Graduate Journal of Public Affairs

This study attempts to address two questions. First, what factors influence the categorization of neighborhoods into regional and town centers under a regional planning framework (the 2040 Growth Concept) for the Portland Metropolitan region? Second, have the regional and town centers fulfilled their goals of fostering densification and diverse land use, as indicated in their strategic plans, or have they fallen short of these goals? The multinomial logit model was used to answer the first research question, and propensity score matching and a paired t-test were used to answer the second research question in this study. This paper found that …

Designs Of Abrasion Resistant And Durable Concrete Pavements Made With Scms For Cold Climates, Diane Murph, Jun Liu, Jenny Liu

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Rutting from studded tire wear is a typical pavement distress in cold climates such as that of Alaska and other northern states. Current state-of-the-art advancements in material technology and concrete pavement design have allowed for implementation of improved materials and concrete pavement sections that are more resistant to rutting. The addition of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) has been identified as one effective way to produce concrete pavements with better abrasion resistance. The objective of this study was to identify and develop concrete pavement mix designs containing SCMs that can provide excellent abrasion resistance and durability to address rutting from studded …

Comparing Oranges Versus Grapes As A Metaphor Of The Nurse+Engineer, Daniel B. Oerther, Sarah Oerther

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Mechanisms Affecting Viscosity Of Cement Paste Made With Microfines Of Manufactured Sand, Jiang Zhu, Jiaping Liu, Kamal Khayat, Xin Shu, Qianping Ran, Zhen Li

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Viscosity of cement-based materials incorporating manufactured sand is affected by the content and physical properties of the microfines in the sand. However, some of the mechanisms affecting the viscosity remain unclear. This paper investigates the effect of microfine type and content on the apparent viscosity (ηapp) and residual viscosity in/near pseudo-Newtonian regime (ηrespse−New) of cement pastes. Limestone (LS), slate (ST), and tuff (TF) microfines with different specific surface areas were investigated. Test results showed that, by deducting the greater contribution of yield stress to ηapp when using finer microfines, the increase of ηrespse−New at a given PCE dosage was mainly …

Cultural Resources Survey And Fema Section 106 Condition Survey Of The Jacksonville State University Main Campus, Stacey L. Griffin

Histories, Biographies & Miscellanea

This architectural and condition survey of JSU's main campus (Survey PA-04-AL-4632-PW-00065) was prepared for the Federal Emergency Management Agency Environmental Planning & Historic Preservation section by Panamerican Consultants, a part of the Commonwealth Heritage Group, at the request of the Alabama Historic Commission. The impetus for the survey was the demolition of Alumni House and the former Merrill Hall, both damaged by the EF-3 tornado that struck JSU's campus March 19, 2018.

The report contains historical contextual information (e.g., campus growth from 1883-present), an architectural survey of all relevant buildings, and findings and recommendations regarding Angle Hall (formerly Bibb Graves …

A City Planning Card Game, Francisco Alfarozierten

City and Regional Planning

This senior project aimed to create a card game based on the concept and professional practice of city & regional planning. It consists of 103 unique cards, being separated in the following manner:

• 1 City Center card
• 6 Unique Zoning cards
• 74 unique Development cards
• 22 unique Action cards

Crissy Field Improvement Project, Giselle Huan Beld

City and Regional Planning

This senior project report is an exploratory analysis of the National Park Service’s passively-managed lands at Crissy Field.

There are always multiple alternatives to a new development project and the priorities established at the beginning of a process can have a major impact on the final outcomes. This senior project report investigates implications of reconnecting the city with the northern waterfront and investigates key recommendations related to transportation, environmental, and historic planning.

The Mustang Bridge, Dominic Loreto, Jacob Bulotti

City and Regional Planning

The purpose of this project is to develop a pedestrian overpass in San Luis Obispo, California at the entry of the city that will successfully provide crossing and safety on Boysen Ave. and Santa Rosa Street connecting Mustang village to university square. The current circulation routes have a significant impact on a community’s pedestrians, cyclists, and automobile drivers. Safety becomes a growing concern when the streets are illegally crossed in unsafe sections, putting everybody at risk. The planned environment will be revised and accurately assessed to provide safety, flexibility, and proper use of the circulation route in place. The community’s …

The Tragedy Of The Commons: A Podcast Exploring Solutions To The Housing Crisis In California, Delaney Li-Ming Faherty

City and Regional Planning

Affordable housing has become increasingly inaccessible across the United States, particularly in California. Because of its long history and far-reaching span, California’s housing crisis is a complexity that affects individuals at most income levels. Accordingly, opinions on solving the crisis vary among each public.

A popular solution is increasing the amount and scale of housing, however, barriers, such as single-family zoning, exist at the state and local level. While statewide legislation is working to counteract municipal zoning codes, local opposition is rampant. Because of this pushback, and the slow pace at which housing reliant on individual action is built, today’s …

Feasibility Study On Novel Fire-Resistant Coating Materials, Anyou Zhu, Hanli Wu, Jenny Liu

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Over the last few decades, wildfires in the United States have caused severe damage and property losses. As more houses are being built in areas prone to wildfire, enhancing the fire resistance of structures and buildings is critical and in great need. This paper presents a preliminary study to explore and develop some innovative surface-bonded fire-resistant coating materials for this purpose. The feasibility of these materials [i.e., high performance cement mortar (HPCM), geopolymer mortar (GPM), and magnesium phosphate cement mortar (MPCM)] was assessed considering the workability, adhesion to structure surface, and fire property. The Taguchi-based mix designs of HPCM, GPM, …

Feasibility Report On Water Recycling And The Housing Crisis, Tally A. Perry

City and Regional Planning

The western United States is experiencing increasing population, a housing shortage, and a drought. These challenges demand creative and unprecedented changes to development. Water recycling is slowly emerging as a viable solution for developers, home owners, and cities as a way to continue much-needed housing development while mitigating unnecessary water depletion. With all change, policy, feasibility, and awareness can be the largest influencers. Drought-ridden western-American states require additional and revised regulatory requirements to promote recycled water in new development. Currently, water reuse is largely used for agricultural and industrial purposes. To motivate and encourage housing development, water recycling needs to …

On Internal Resonance Analysis Of A Double-Cable-Stayed Shallow-Arch Model With Elastic Supports At Both Ends, Xiaoyang Su, Houjun Kang, Tieding Guo, Guirong Grace Yan

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In previous research on the nonlinear dynamics of cable-stayed bridges, boundary conditions were not properly modeled in the modeling. In order to obtain the nonlinear dynamics of cable-stayed bridges more accurately, a double-cable-stayed shallow-arch model with elastic supports at both ends and the initial configuration of bridge deck included in the modeling is developed in this study. The in-plane eigenvalue problems of the model are solved by dividing the shallow arch (SA) into three partitions according to the number of cables and the piecewise functions are taken as trial functions of the SA. Then, the in-plane one-to-one-to-one internal resonance among …

Basic Concepts Of Structural Design For Architecture Students, Anahita Khodadadi

PDXOpen: Open Educational Resources

This book aims to narrate fundamental concepts of structural design to architecture students such that they have minimum involvement with math problem-solving. Within this book, students learn about different types of loads, forces and vector addition, the concept of equilibrium, internal forces, geometrical and material properties of structural elements, and rules of thumb for estimating the proportion of some structural systems such as catenary cables and arches, trusses, and frame structures.

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Machine Learning Enabled Closed-Form Models To Predict Strength Of Alkali-Activated Systems, Taihao Han, Eslam Gomaa, Ahmed Gheni, Jie Huang, Mohamed Elgawady, Aditya Kumar

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Alkali-activated mortar (AAM) is an emerging eco-friendly construction material, which can complement ordinary Portland cement (OPC) mortars. Prediction of properties of AAMs—albeit much needed to complement experiments—is difficult, owing to substantive batch-to-batch variations in physicochemical properties of their precursors (i.e., aluminosilicate and activator solution). In this study, a machine learning (ML) model is employed; and it is shown that the model—once trained and optimized—can reliably predict compressive strength of AAMs solely from their initial physicochemical attributes. Prediction performance of the model improves when multiple compositional descriptors of the aluminosilicate are combined into a singular, composite chemostructural descriptor (i.e., network ratio …

Designing With Force-Transfer Shear Walls: A Stiff Task To Achieve Better Performance And Cost Savings, Michael Deigert, John W. Lawson

Architectural Engineering

Wood-framed structural panel shear walls designed using the Force Transfer Around Openings (FTAO) method have become a very popular option for engineers, especially in areas with high lateral force requirements. The need for more affordable housing in metropolitan areas is leading to larger and taller multi-family residential buildings, and these typically wood-framed structures can benefit from the innovative approach behind FTAO design methodology. But do engineers have all the tools they need to accurately determine the stiffness of these walls and the associated lateral force required for their design.

Center For Centering: Analysis Of A Modular Timber Dome, Lucas J. Brown

Architectural Engineering

Analysis of a modular timber dome with focus on inductive, sensory, social, and environmental aspects.

Same Polytechnic College Tanzania Build 2022, Paulina Robles, Anna Yamauchi, Surina Marwaha, Tia Kelly, Dillon Schneider, Audrey Hoang, Connor Gilligan, Jennifer Viveros, Jenna Beutelschies, Robert Hardwick

Architectural Engineering

In collaboration with The Mbesese Initiative for Sustainable Design, the Cal Poly senior project team has designed, engineered, and prepared construction documents for a new vocational training college in Same, Tanzania, a rural area in the Mt. Kilimanjaro region. Upon its completion, the college will offer quality and practical educational opportunities for up to 1,200 students; in the interim, individual structures will be occupied immediately, adding value to the community throughout the construction process. The campus will house continuing educational programs, sports and agriculture fields, as well as hotels and other community-facing structures.

Structural Design Of A New Reaction Frame For High Bay Laboratory, Cassidy A. Sutton, Adelaide Albro

Architectural Engineering

The Cal Poly High Bay Testing Lab recently acquired hydraulic actuators for structural testing. The actuators are used for performing force and displacement tests on structural specimens designed and built by students and faculty. The existing frame that the old actuators mount to did not have enough capacity to accommodate the amount of force that the new actuators are capable of. New reaction frames were needed to be designed and constructed so the new actuators could be used to their full potential. The following report explores two different options for possible reaction frames in the lab. Both options have a …