Architectural Engineering Commons^™

Hidden Systems, Samuel Choi

Masters Theses

Across buildings and cities, moisture is managed, concealed, and discharged through convoluted systems of containment. Still, water ultimately resists this framework. It reveals itself as leaks, puddles, condensation—moments typically understood as technical failure. Hidden Systems reframes these conditions as architectural knowledge, one that becomes evidence of water’s material capacity, limits of infrastructure, and a record of time.

NYC is constructed on, powered by, and profiting from water. Although it hosts a robust network, seepages disrupt control, allowing systems to be traced across scales. As pipes expand, contract, and freeze, the project unfolds seasonally, moving through water’s three states: solid, liquid, …

Building Ecologies: Maintaining Land, Working With Wood, Taylor Jais

Masters Theses

This thesis critiques contemporary architecture and building practices for their fundamentally unsustainable and place-less assemblies that rely on extracting finite resources that generate significant emissions while simultaneously neglecting to consider the needs and existence of humans and non-human species with in the built environment. Through experimental material research that diverts “wood” waste streams and integrates land and multispecies care, this work demonstrates how maintenance-based approaches to construction can transform built assemblies into ecological systems. By deconstructing wood to its cellular components and recombining these elements in novel ways, this research reveals possibilities for collaborative, materials-driven, place-based building practices. This thesis …

Architecture As A Carbon-Based Practice, Qixin Yu

Masters Theses

Carbon serves as both a silent protagonist and a looming antagonist in the narrative of architecture, shaping not only the physical structures we inhabit but also the ecological legacy we leave behind.

Centuries of human exploitation of the environment have led to climate and material crises. Shifting this dynamic requires action at micro (matter), meso (material), and macro (materiality) levels. Biogenic materials offer significant potential for carbon sequestration and present opportunities for the building industry to collaborate with nature rather than merely extract from it.

This thesis establishes a research and manufacturing practice that prioritizes material innovation, carbon sequestration, environmental …

What Does Water Want?, Julia Woznicki

Masters Theses

This thesis begins with an exploration of our relationship with water at multiple scales, from microscopic study of desert moss to macroscopic research of freshwater resources. It evolves to embody a methodology of holistic, bioregional design that interweaves systems of ecology, economy, material landscape, and reconsideration of temporality in our built environment. This project also explores how that methodology may adapt between the Global North and the Global South.

No new plastic has been used in the process of this thesis. Material innovation using hemp hurd guides the exploration of how biomimetic principles can be achieved not only through form …

Sustainable Seismic Architecture: Exploring The Synergy Of Mortise-And-Tenon Joinery And Modern Timber Construction For Reducing Embodied Carbon, Cong Li

Masters Theses

Abstract

This design thesis explores the potential of combining ancient Mortise-and-Tenon joinery techniques with modern timber construction to create sustainable seismic architecture that simultaneously reduces embodied carbon. By studying the enduring qualities of Mortise-and-Tenon structures and their ability to withstand earthquakes, this research uncovers a synergistic relationship between traditional joinery methods and contemporary building materials, unlocking significant opportunities for embodied carbon reduction ranging from 7 to 40% compared to other modern architecture construction.

The research reveals that Mortise-and-Tenon structures commonly incorporate large roof systems, acting as mass dampers that provide flexibility and distribute weight evenly to columns. By transferring the …

Wast3d Potential, Andrew Larsen

Masters Theses

Waste is obsolete. Standard building industry practices are harmful to the environment. Non-traditional construction methods were examined as alternatives. Circular design logic was the guiding principle in material choice. Additive manufacturing is a proven modern method for building construction. Research on 3D printing case studies revealed that recycled plastic is a proven material and readily available. Removing plastic waste from the environment and sequestering it in architectural components gives the material a new purpose. The component of focus was a building block for a wall assembly. Inspiration was taken from the hexagonal Basalt rock formations found near volcanic fault lines. …

The Steel Yard, Architecture Department, Sculpture Department, Bruner Foundation

Rudy Bruner Award | 30 Years of Urban Excellence

The Steel Yard redeveloped a historic steel fabrication facility into a campus for arts education, job training, and small-scale manufacturing in Providence, Rhode Island. The 3.5-acre property in the city’s Industrial Valley required extensive environmental remediation to meet regulatory requirements while retaining the industrial urban character of the site. The Steel Yard offers classes, workforce training, and fabrication space for local artists, creating an industrial arts incubator where they can share ideas, materials, and space. It has become a center for creative activity, bridging the gap between the traditional arts community on the affluent east side of Providence with manufacturing …

The Providence River Relocation Project, Architecture Department, Bruner Foundation

Rudy Bruner Award | 30 Years of Urban Excellence

The Providence River Relocation project in Rhode Island’s capital city redirected rivers, overhauled transit infrastructure, and created a new riverfront downtown. Thirty years in the making, the relocation of the Woonasquatucket and Moshassuck rivers, construction of a new rail station, highway interchanges, and twelve bridges restored historical links among Providence’s Capital Center, College Hill, and downtown. The project improved traffic flow in and through downtown and added pedestrian-friendly spaces, including 1.5 miles of river walks, along with a new urban park including a restaurant, amphitheater, fountain, and boat landing.

Redirecting the rivers created new, marketable commercial land without demolishing …