Architectural History and Criticism Commons^™

Exploring Bim Capabilities For Life Cycle Assessment In Structural Projects: A Valencian Barraca Case Study For Sustainable Material Choices, Oscar Selfa, Barry Mcauley, Kieran Lakhera O'Shea

Conference Papers

The construction sector significantly contributes to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, resource consumption, and waste generation, with structural materials accounting for up to 40% of embedded carbon. This study investigates the integration of Building Information Modelling (BIM), Finite Element Analysis (FEA), and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) tools to promote sustainable structural design. Using a BIM model of a Valencian barraca, three scenarios were evaluated: traditional materials (adobe and wood), concrete with steel, and concrete with Cross- Laminated Timber (CLT). Results show that natural materials generate lower impacts, while steel and concrete exhibit higher emissions. This work proposes a workflow integrating BIM, …

Balancing Sustainability With Preservation In Historic Italian Architecture, Maya A. Bruno

CISLA Senior Integrative Projects

This research examines the intersection of historic preservation and sustainability in Italian architecture, analyzing how architects and contractors adapt historic structures to modern energy efficiency standards while maintaining cultural integrity. Using three Italian case studies—Ex-STA.VE.CO in Bologna, Sant’Apollinare in Perugia, and Castelvecchio in Verona—the study explores common challenges in regulatory compliance, material constraints, energy efficiency, seismic resilience, and adaptive reuse. Each case illustrates how sustainability measures interact with Italy’s stringent conservation laws and how historic buildings, inherently designed for climate adaptability, can be innovatively retrofitted. The findings provide insights into reconciling preservation principles with sustainable interventions, offering policy recommendations for …

Humans Among Giants: Urban Vitality And Implications Of Vertical Development In Hong Kong, Laura Jaramillo

Pomona Senior Theses

This thesis explores the complex relationship between vertical urbanism and street life, using Hong Kong as a case study to investigate how human-scale urbanism persists and adapts amidst the dominance of skyscrapers. While vertical structures symbolize modernity, economic growth, and global influence, they often overshadow the vibrancy and social connectivity that characterize ground-level spaces. This research draws on the theoretical frameworks of Jane Jacobs, David Harvey, and David Sibley to examine the interplay between vertical urbanism and street life, focusing on how spatial design impacts community engagement and cultural vibrancy. By analyzing the coexistence of modern skyscrapers and traditional street-level …

Natural Lighting As A Strategy For Sustainable Design, Grace Holdsworth

2024 Fall Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

Modern buildings are increasingly reliant on artificial light to illuminate interior spaces, decreasing the importance of natural light in architectural design. However, the adverse effects of climate change, catalyzing blackouts and rising energy costs, have made this reliance a significant issue. This study aimed to analyze the benefits of daylighting in architectural design and its ability to improve buildings’ sustainability. To examine the impact of sunlight on the perception of a space, a light box study model was constructed, and the interior was photographed periodically from sunrise to sunset. This study highlighted the dynamic quality of sunlight, and its ability …

Water Relations, Understanding Our Relationship To Water: Through Research, Diagrams, And Glass, Tian Li

Masters Theses

As I observe the different ways human civilization interacts with water, I reflect on how I have interacted with it personally, in Califronia and Hawai’i. I also learn about the largest water-controlling infrastructure in China and its effects on the land and people. In Providence, I notice the infrastructure around the canal that keeps the water in. This relationship to water is unique to a post-colonial world where water is a commodity in which we spectate. What relationships did people have with water before we polluted the waters and created all this concrete infrastructure around it?

Through listening to Lorén …

Biodive, Morgana Faucett

Graduate Theses

Humans exist among an intertwined series of ecosystems and environments. As a species, we curate the spaces, these environments, that surround us to suit our internalized visions of the world. While such curation is not inherently negative, humanity’s industrial process of constructing our visions is not always handled with sustainable methods. This paper analyzes my creative work through the framework of architecture’s role in climate change and human impact, highlighting past and present building practices. Solutions for future practices will also be considered, specifically targeting the questions of construction material, building function, and repurposing of older buildings to achieve a …

Transparency In Architecture: Reflecting The Practice Of Democracy In City Halls, Ana Mendoza

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

The last election cycles of 2016 and 2020 became a tumultuous time for many Americans. More than ever, Democracy has been tested through recent events and has had many doubting the integrity of our governmental structures and the strength of our civic buildings. The events of January 6th unfolded before all of America’s eyes as we witnessed the breaching of the United States Capitol, which was supposed to be the most secure and honored building in Washington. America’s cultural diversity brings different opportunities within distinct contexts. So how do we reflect our ideals and necessities into the city halls that …

Eulogy To Architecture: The Three-Dimensional Collage City Of Nostalgia, Molly A. Evans

Architecture Undergraduate Honors Theses

In our time of existence on the Earth, human beings have designed and realized beautiful things. As we face the challenges that confront us today, we begin to understand the fragility of humankind’s creations. Many of the world’s cities and buildings lie in ruins, gazed at by tourists, studied by scholars, while more lie buried in the ground for hundreds of years, some never to be rediscovered. Everything around us is an accumulation of knowledge and ideas built upon for centuries, now facing questionable circumstances. Of course, the more recent Aleppo and other Middle Eastern cities have fallen subject to …

Revitalizing Cities: Adaptive Reuse Of Historic Structures, Sara E. Sharpe

Mid-America College Art Association Conference 2012 Digital Publications

Adaptive reuse is employed when revitalizing an existing infrastructure while maintaining important aspects of the cultural architectural heritage and promoting sustainability. The option to turn away from older structures and build new is a large problem in cities such as Detroit. Historic preservationists are trained to observe a structure’s potential before walking away. Meanwhile interior designers obtain the skills to rejuvenate such buildings for a new use. Case studies have shown the benefits of these two professions teaming up to apply adaptive reuse on historic structures for modern purposes. By studying the creative space planning methods and historic preservations standards …