Environmental Design Commons^™

Model For Analyzing Floorplate Morphology That Optimizes Daylighting And Cost, Andrew Welch, Ermal Shpuza Phd

Symposium of Student Scholars

One of the key ways of improving the energy efficiency of a building is to enhance the daylight levels and reduce the need for artificial lighting. Good daylight levels are also associated with increased productivity and well-being of buildings occupants. Daylight levels are directly linked to the building floorplate depth, whereas shallow floorplate and elongated buildings are usually related to higher daylight levels. However, creating buildings that have more natural light comes with a greater construction cost due to larger envelope areas as well as greater operating costs due to the energy loss through the envelope. This research addresses the …

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 …

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.

Designing To Harmonize With The Environment, Demi Harmon

Student Research Symposium

Architecture has the power to either disrupt or harmonize with the natural environment. This research explores how buildings can be designed to blend seamlessly with their environment through three key principles: form integration, material integration, and site-adaptive design. By studying how natural landscapes shape architectural form, how locally sourced materials create harmony, and how buildings can work with rather than alter topography, this project highlights strategies for designing spaces that feel like an organic part of their surroundings. Through case studies of successful projects, this research demonstrates that thoughtful design can enhance both the built and natural worlds, proving that …

Locally Stranded - Addressing Rural Cases Of Domestic Violence, Owen Phillips, Robin Puttock

Symposium of Student Scholars

Domestic violence is a nationwide crisis affecting millions of women each year and saw an increase in severity during the Covid-19 pandemic (2020-2022). In Georgia, 37.4% of women report experiencing physical violence by an intimate partner. The situation is especially dire in rural areas, where women experience 150% more incidents at a more intense level than their urban counterparts and must travel three times farther to access resources. Rural women are also nearly twice as likely to be turned away from services due to a lack of space, staffing, and resources. Existing shelters often fail to meet victims' needs because …

Thresholds Of Healing: Rethinking Inpatient Mental Health Facility Design, Emily Simms, Robin Puttock

Symposium of Student Scholars

Along Martha Berry Boulevard in the City of Rome, Georgia, is the proposed Tax Allocation District (TAD), which slates redevelopment for blighted areas, including motels that have been a hot spot for criminal activity in the area. Coupled with this blighted area is the need for mental health facilities to serve the needs of the community, specifically long-term facilities for patients with depression and/or self-harm concerns. Suicide is the 2^nd leading cause of death for those aged 10-24 in Georgia according to the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD). A new long-term facility is proposed within the …

Daylighting In Buildings: Investigating The Relationship Between Daylight Levels And Building Compactness In Various Contemporary Architectural Types. [Efficient Typology Classification], Andrew Welch, Ermal Shpuza Phd

Symposium of Student Scholars

One of the key ways of improving the energy efficiency of a building is to enhance the daylight levels and reduce the need for artificial lighting. Good daylight levels are also associated with increased productivity and the well-being of a building's occupants. Daylight levels are often a direct function of the floorplate depth, where locations near the windows receive more daylight, and those deep inside the buildings receive less. As a result, shallow floorplates and elongated buildings are usually related to higher daylight levels. However, shallow buildings that have more natural light are also associated with greater construction costs due …

Architectural Features Of Streetscapes And Aging In Cameron County, Texas: Preliminary Results, Cristian Maestre, Michael Minor, Rosa V. Pirela, Noe Garza, Alvaro Diaz-Badillo, Karla D. Lopez-Lorenzo, Ney Alliey-Rodriguez, Gladys E. Maestre

Research Symposium

The impact of architectural features in urban settings reveals priorities for its residents and the integration of social and natural environments. It has been estimated that 23% of global deaths to the environments in which people live. We aim to characterize the most prevalent architectural features of Cameron County, Texas streetscapes and analyze their role in health promotion and healthy aging.

Scaling Global Urban Greenspace, Kyra J. Liedtke

2023 Midwest Ecology & Evolution Conference

Cites are novel ecosystems. Understanding the complex interactions between urban abiotic and biotic attributes is important for managing future urban expansion. Using urban scaling theory (UST) combined with global datasets raises the prospect of deriving predictive rules for scaling urban greenspace with city size. Aspects of the city, such as greenspace, are influenced by several social and ecological factors that scale with a city's size. Empirical data from European cities showed superlinear scaling, in which greenspace increased disproportionately with city size. However, the comprehension of global greenspace scaling still needs to be understood. A macroecological perspective using a scaling approach …

Landscapes Are Cornerstones Of Sustainability Programs, Don Spence

Sustainability Conference

Typical American landscapes are not sustainable in an economic or biological framework. The essence of the idea of sustainable growth and development are centered on the idea that those activities are not degrading natural resources or that they are outstrip budgets. A significant piece of any sustainable management plan is tied to how we manage our landscapes, how we use plants; specifically, how much grass there is, and how many native plants there are. Sustainable landscapes should require less chemical and financial inputs, which in the end, saves money and increases the biological value of the land and creates a …

B10: Controlling Saltwater Intrusion: Aiding The Recovery Of Freshwater Ecosystems, Willem Maniago, Stefanie Whitmire, Dan Hitchcock

Annual Research Symposium

As sea levels rise, it is imperative to understand the effects of saltwater intrusion on freshwater ecosystems. This is especially true in the coastal wetlands of the SE US, where freshwater forests are dying from exposure to salinity. One management strategy that could prevent salinity intrusion in surface waters are water control structures (WCS). The Great Reserve, located outside of Georgetown, SC, represents a biodiverse freshwater forested wetland affected by saltwater intrusion from the adjacent tidal Black River. Several years ago, scientists and landowners observed the degradation of the ecosystem. The owners of the property installed a WCS at the …

The Hospitality Design Laboratory: Testing A Growing Global Resource For Architectural Planning Research In The Tourism/Resort Industry, Glenn Nowak

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

The HD-Lab at UNLV is an experiment in merging academic research teams with industry leadership to address the ever-changing landscape of global tourism, gaming, and hospitality as it pertains to the built environment. This poster session seeks to share overviews of previous studies, lessons learned, and opportunities for future architectural research. Collaborations amongst diverse teams aim to foster interdisciplinary research and continued contributions to the intellectual capital of hospitality design in Las Vegas and around the world. The presentation is structured across six broad and intertwined areas of foci: 1. Integrated resorts’ future evolutions and innovations, 2. Tourism architecture’s advanced …

3d Procedural Maze & Cave Generation, Jacob Sharp

Student Scholar Showcase

The goal of this project is to generate a maze or cave procedurally so that a player may be able to explore infinitely without a reoccurring pattern. The project also utilizes Virtual Reality (VR); the user will be able to put on a VR Headset and become more immersed in a procedural environment. One of the challenges that needed to be overcome was simple random number generators did not generate natural looking worlds. Introducing VR to the project created the additional challenge of preventing the user from becoming motion sick. These challenges were both addressed through many hours of research …

Climate Futures 1| Climate Futures, Design And The Just Transition, Schedule, Liberal Arts Division, Ncss Graduate Program

Climate Futures Symposia

Schedule of events distributed at the Symposium.

My Catalyst, Gabrielle Gambino Lyon

Celebration of Learning

Over the course of my internship and shadow program with Pepper Lawson Construction and Ziegler Cooper Architects, I was able to explore the various career paths involved in the design, construction, and civil engineering fields. My work on the construction site of a high-rise apartment building located in the heart of Houston, TX allowed me first-hand experience working and learning alongside project engineers, contractors, building developers, and the construction team.

This project was the perfect confluence of my main areas of interest: structural, mechanical, civil, and environmental engineering, as well as architecture. My daily work consisted of on-site walk throughs, …

Architecture: A Tool For Fighting Air Pollution, Ana Lorena Rode Viesca, Khoury Ibrahim

Creative Activity and Research Day - CARD

Air pollution is a threat to cities all across the globe. Architecture surrounds us and shapes our everyday lives; employing architecture to help fight air pollution could have a big impact on the quality of life in both developed and developing countries.

The Operationalizing Of Lynch’S Cognitive Representation Elements Of Large Scale Environments, Jon D. Davey Phd Aia

ASA Multidisciplinary Research Symposium

The result of operationalizing Lynch’s (1960) cognitive representation elements of large scale environments is a set of images that can be employed in a research project identifying the various domains of the brain where each of Lynch’s (1960) elements occur. With such data, designing wayfinding within buildings: in urban habitats, and even within virtual worlds can be better realized.

The research design will use Siegel and White’s (1975) model as a spatial representation of Lynch’s (1960) five elements of large-scale environments’ physical form. These contents of physical form are classified as followed: paths, edges, districts, nodes, and landmarks. It is …

Orland Park Community Center, Jarett Dewitt

ASA Multidisciplinary Research Symposium

Orland Park, a southwest suburb of Chicago, Illinois, has successfully implemented the idea of integration of natural, open space with its residents. However, the recognition and understanding of these spaces can be further executed through community connectivity and education. Educating the public on the sustainable management of natural resources can help create a better appreciation of conservation in their living and natural environment.

Touch Of Nature - Design Build, Katlyn Montague

ASA Multidisciplinary Research Symposium

Touch of Nature, an educational facility that’s goal is to enhance learning of the natural environment, hired our Architecture Building Technology class to design and build several educational kiosks located along the Rocky Ledges Trail. These kiosks included signage that will educate hikers on the environment around them.

Portland State University School Of Business Administration (Sba) Renovation + Personal Comfort Investigation, Abolfazl Mekanik, Corey Griffin, Louise Foster

Student Research Symposium

This poster discusses the results of a field study about indoor thermal comfort, based on investigations in Portland State University`s School of Business (SBA) classrooms. The field study was conducted by physical parameter monitoring and questionnaires. Both field monitoring and occupant surveys were performed at the same time during the regular class period.The measurement campaign consisted of measuring the environmental parameters such as temperature (Ta), relative humidity (RH), CO₂, and sound levels. The outdoor air temperature, humidity, and sound were registered every 2 hour period during class time. The intention for this project is to investigate thermal comfort …

Compression Testing And Failure Modes Of Steel-Concrete Composite (Sc) Structures For Nuclear Containment, Patrick Michael Wanamaker, Amit H. Varma

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Although being able to provide much cleaner power than burning coal and other fossil fuels, nuclear power plants are still a tough sell to the general public due to their history of being spontaneously dangerous. The containment structures surrounding these nuclear plants, however, can play a huge role in reducing the risks associated with them. Relatively new designs for these containment assemblies, known as SC (steel-concrete composite) structures, aim to increase the strength and durability of the containment facilities while keeping costs down. By varying the spacing between shear studs, the ratio of concrete to steel, and the ratio of …

Environmental Monitoring In Preparation For The Installation Of A Green Roof, Andrew N. Martin, Ming Qu

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Green roofs are becoming an increasingly popular way to improve the environmental, economic, and aesthetic performance of both new and existing buildings. Along with the green roofs themselves, it is also common to install sensors to measure various environmental parameters that are affected by or important to the operation of the roof such as precipitation, temperature, and runoff. However, for most of these systems, the sensors are installed at the same time or even after the green roof. Therefore, no before-and-after comparisons can be made for those roofs. To account for this missing data, monitoring equipment was installed on a …

Pre- And Post-Interrvention Perceptions Of Illness, Health, And The Home Environment Among Nevada Healthy Homes Participants, Michelle Ching, Shawn Gerstenberger

Interdisciplinary Research Scholarship Day

The Nevada Healthy Homes Partnership (NVHHP) is a collaborative program between the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD), Rebuilding Together (RBT), HELP of Southern Nevada, and other public/private housing authorities and health agencies in Southern Nevada.

Planting The Right Tree In The Right Place, John D. Stout, Henry Wienholts

Purdue Road School

Coordination of plantings and utilities is a critical issue. Public outreach is important for utilities in this coordination process. With a good campaign, utility companies can make sure the “right tree is planted in the right place.” This sessions discusses the success story of the TREE LINE USA effort in northern Indiana.

Wku-Habitat For Humanity Green Community: A Model For Engagement And Partnerships, Nancy Givens, Rodney Goodman

Education for Sustainability Summer Institute

No abstract provided.

Façade Evaluation Facility, Suresh Sadineni, Wendell Cocina, Robert F. Boehm

Nevada Renewable Energy Consortium Meeting

The second annual Nevada Renewable Energy Consortium meeting took place at UNLV on August 20. The meeting focused on the current three NVREC program areas: Solar, Biomass and Geothermal. Presentations were made by participating entities and a poster session followed.

The Road To Leed Certification: Human Sciences South, Claire Collins, Kim Stockley, Whitney Kirkland

Undergraduate Research Conference

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings a set number of voluntary standards. LEED EB focuses on the performance of a building rather than it’s design.