Environmental Design Commons^™

Interview With Ron Hays, Eagle Creek Natural Building, 2006 (Audio), Ron Hays

All Sustainability History Project Oral Histories

Interview of Ron Hays by Joe Arbow at SE Portland, Oregon on December 8th, 2006.

The interview index is available for download.

Interview With Dan Lajoie, Departure: Architecture Planning, 2006 (Audio), Dan Lajoie

All Sustainability History Project Oral Histories

Interview of Dan Lajoie by Tirsa Firncrook in SE Portland, Oregon on December 4th, 2006.

The interview index is available for download.

Connective Ecology: Reclaiming The Postindustrial Urban Landscape, Thomas Smith

Architecture Senior Theses

This thesis contends that by considering the urban landscape as an evolving interconnected network, much like an ecosystem, architecture can create flexible, accessible public space as part of a larger scale system which affects as well as responds to specific physical and social forces of the contemporary postindustrial city.

Interview With Greg Sawyer, Providence Builders, 2006 (Audio), Greg Sawyer

All Sustainability History Project Oral Histories

Interview of Greg Sawyer by Amy Evangelista in NE Portland, Oregon on December 1st, 2006.

The interview index is available for download.

Interview With Alisa Kane, Office Of Sustainable Development, 2006 (Audio), Alisa Kane

All Sustainability History Project Oral Histories

Interview of Alisa Kane by Daniel Woodward at City of Portland Office of Sustainable Development, Oregon on November 30th, 2006.

The interview index is available for download.

Interview With Jessica Green, Macdonald Environmental Planning, 2006 (Audio), Jessica Green

All Sustainability History Project Oral Histories

Interview of Jessica Green by Cory Angell in SW Portland, Oregon on November 29th, 2006.

The interview index is available for download.

Interview With Christopher Weaver, Plm, 2006 (Audio), Christopher Weaver

All Sustainability History Project Oral Histories

Interview of Christopher Weaver by Gerald Bones at Hillsboro, Oregon on November 29th, 2006.

The interview index is available for download.

Interview With Dell M. Turner, Green Roofing Contractor, 2006 (Audio), Dell M. Turner

All Sustainability History Project Oral Histories

Interview of Dell M. Turner by Padraic Keene at Portland State University on November 28th, 2006.

The interview index is available for download.

Interview With Chelsea Cochran, Walker Macy, 2006 (Audio), Chelsea Cochran

All Sustainability History Project Oral Histories

Interview of Chelsea Cochran by Cory Angell at Walker Macy, Portland Oregon on November 27th, 2006.

The interview index is available for download.

Policy Tools For Smart Growth In New England, New England Environmental Finance Center

Smart Growth

Across New England communities have been experiencing a rapid outward surge of development away from our community and downtown centers. Effects of sprawl include a loss of wildlife habitat, farm and timber lands; increased costs of community services and higher taxes; auto-dependency, longer commutes, and increased congestion; increases in air and water pollution; a sedentary lifestyle and increased obesity; and losses to one’s sense of place and social ties.

State-level responses to sprawl have surfaced throughout New England in recent years. This report describes 11 examples of these responses, representing all six New England states and a diversity of recent …

Building A Sustainable Housing Environment, Shanna Telesco

Architecture Thesis Prep

"There are three major factors being studied throughout this exploration: sustainability, housing, and the environment. Each factor can be carefully examined separately under its own terms, but ultimately, the goal of this thesis is to gain a better understanding of their possible integration within the processes of architecture.

My housing project seeks to integrate and improve the existing methods of sustainability that have evolved in architecture by carefully considering renewable resources found in nature, especially the sun, air, and water."

Freshwater Slough Histories, Susie Van Kirk

Susie Van Kirk Papers

In 2000, Rick Storre purchased 80 acres from the Roy Fulton Estate for the purpose of developing a native plant nursery, which utilizes the barn, dairy, and adjoining land, but left much of the property in a natural state. Recognizing the value of this former marsh land and Freshwater Slough and its tributary Wood Creek, Storre began working with McBain and Trush, an environmental consulting firm that specializes in aquatic systems, to develop an enhancement plan for his property. The result was the Freshwater Slough Estuary Rehabilitation Project, 2005, which provides the framework for enhancement activities on the estuary, creek …

A Sustainable Foundation, Mark K. Wizeman

Architecture Thesis Prep

"My intentions of this project are to investigate the potential of architecture to augment its efforts of sustainable strategies with aspirations of achieving a socially sustainable foundation in the urban setting. Within the context of Trenton, the understanding of the local communities, the capital and business districts, the education system, and the areas of renewal efforts can reveal solutions to the rebuilding of the city's community by way of reconnecting these now divided forces. What makes architecture critical in this application is its ability to effectively address the very tangible aspects of sustainable practice and the potential for it to …

The Growing Together Guide: A Companion Resource To The New England Environmental Finance Center/Melissa Paly Film, New England Environmental Finance Center

Smart Growth

What local leader or public official wants to be faced with an SOS the “same old story” of public discord and confrontation over growth and development in one’s community? That situation has become a problem for efforts to promote smart growth. Investments are needed in the walkable, compact, traditional‐streetscape and mixed use neighborhoods and developments that are more sustainable and healthy than sprawl, for both people and the landscape. Yet attempts at such change all too often end up mired in costly public controversy and stalemate.

Mansfield Ct: Planning A New Village Center, Maggie Jones, Richard Barringer

Planning

The case follows the development of a plan for a new village center in Storrs, the central village of Mansfield, Connecticut. A process that was transparent and inclusive of the community members yielded a plan that gained the approval of the Town, the landowner (the University of Connecticut), and the citizenry. The process relied on the mending of fences, the leadership of key participants, and an innovative strategy that included development of a nonprofit corporation and creative use of grant money. While zoning changes are still in the works, the first stage of building goes forward.

South Kingstown Ri: New Zoning For An Historic Mill, Maggie Jones, Richard Barringer

Planning

The village of Peace Dale in the town of South Kingstown, Rhode Island, developed around several mills that commenced operations in the 1800s. One mill, known as the Palisades, is still partially active and in excellent condition, but much of its square footage is unutilized. A citizens’ group of artists and business people joined with the mill owners and the town of South Kingstown to develop new zoning regulations to make more flexible the permitted uses for the mill site. The proposed zoning will allow the mill complex to feature a mix of retail, residential, and manufacturing uses, while preserving …

Augusta Me: The New Bridge Begets A New Planned Neighborhood, Molly Pulsifer, Richard Barringer

Planning

Construction of a new Third Bridge over the Kennebec River in Augusta offered the prospect of a new and handsome gateway to the city. Further, the resulting change in traffic patterns offered the City the chance to plan for a pattern of development quite different from what the city had experienced for the past half-century. The case study describes the planning and construction of the new bridge and corridors that re-routed traffic out of Augusta’s downtown and older neighborhoods, and created the opportunity for planned development adjacent to the corridor created by the new bridge. It goes on to describe …

Amherst Ma: A New Village Plan For Atkins Corner, Maggie Jones, Richard Barringer

Planning

The case study describes a successful smart growth initiative in the town of Amherst, Massachusetts, at an intersection known as Atkins Corner. The initiative grew from two motivating factors: the necessity of realigning Route 116, a major north-to-south artery through the town, to decrease traffic accidents at the intersection and improve pedestrian safety; and a desire on the part of Hampshire College and the Town to create a village center at the intersection. Through a consensus-building process involving key town officials, Hampshire College, neighbors, and the design firm of Dodson Associates, agreement on the project was reached with local stakeholders …

Master Trails System For Leeds, Utah, Bart Benjamin Wolthuis

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Many distinctively unique small towns in Southern Utah are facing the challenge of rapid growth rates and dealing with the difficulties an increasing population brings. The Town of Leeds, with its exceptional history and picturesque landscape, is no exception. As land development increases, the town of Leeds and the surrounding area is faced with significant change.

Wellsville City Trails Master Plan, Lindy Bankhead

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Wellsville City is a small, rural community seeking to provide a high quality of life for its citizens. A valuable amenity to accomplish this goal is a trail system, as part of a regional greenway network. Greenways are interconnected linkages between community hubs or open spaces, destinations, parks, neighborhoods and public lands. Trails are a part of greenways, allowing recreational access through the corridors connecting these community hubs. The citizens of Wellsville desire the benefits that are provided by a trails or greenway system.

This document is the Wellsville City Trails Master Plan. Its purpose is to provide information on …

Thermal Performance Of Low Approach Evaporative Cooling Systems In Buildings, Ben Costelloe, Donal Finn

Conference Papers

Meteorological enthalpy analysis of temperate and maritime climates above 45˚N suggests that the water-side evaporative cooling technique has considerable unrealised potential with contemporary "high temperature" building cooling systems - such as chilled ceilings. As low approach conditions are the key to exploiting the cooling potential of the ambient air, thermal performance at such conditions needs to be investigated. To address the research issues a test rig, based on an open cooling tower and plate heat exchanger and designed to maximise evaporative cooling potential, has been constructed at DIT. A combination of experimental measurement and analysis is used in the investigations. …

Perception And Implementation Of Sustainable/Green Design In India, Shalini Nagaraj Magadi

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Profound effects of global warming, species extinction, pollution of air and water, resource depletion, and population growth demand that India, the second most populated country in the world, address the need for ecological responsibility. This phenomenological study explored awareness and perceptions of green/sustainable (G/S) design in India’s design community. Architects in the five geographic regions were interviewed. All were familiar with S/G design and said knowledge was “very important.” However, none felt “well-versed.” They believed lack of client awareness (49%) and materials (28%) were the major problems encountered. Although the vast majority was willing to promote S/G design, none had …

Symbolic Interaction Theory And Architecture, Ronald W. Smith, Valerie Bugni

Sociology Faculty Research

Architectural sociology is receiving renewed attention but still remains a neglected area of investigation. As a major theoretical perspective within sociology, symbolic interaction helps us understand how the designed physical environment and the self are intertwined, with one potentially influencing and finding expression in the other; how architecture contains and communicates our shared symbols; and how we assign agency to some of our designed physical environment, which then invites in a different kind of self-reflection. This article discusses numerous instances of symbolic interaction theory–architecture connections, with applied examples showing how symbolic interactionists and architects can collaborate on projects to the …

A Conceptual Plan For The Detroit Book And Tower Building: Exploration Of The Conjunction Of Historic Preservation And Sustainable Design Concepts, Chi-Ying Luo

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This conceptual project generated an adaptive reuse proposal for the Book and Tower Building in a registered historic district. Louis Kamper designed the thirteen-story Book Building in 1917, in the Beaux Arts style, to create elite shops and offices. In 1926 the thirty-six-story Tower Building extended the leaseable space. This proposal preserved and rehabilitated the historic features in the lobby area and renovated the retail spaces. An Asian Café was designed to contrast, but blend with, the Beaux Arts style. The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation were followed in the lobby area so as to make the renovation …

Selecting Energy Efficient Building Envelope Retrofits To Existing Department Of Defense Building Using Value Focused Thinking, David M. Pratt

Theses and Dissertations

The Department of Defense (DoD) has hundreds of thousands of facilities in its inventory, which consume billions of BTUSs of energy per year. Much of that energy is used to heat and cool the facility, and a great deal of this energy is lost through the building envelope. While new military construction works towards energy efficiency, the majority of DoD facilities were built over forty years ago with little regard to energy efficiency, and it is these facilities that have the greatest potential for energy efficient building envelope retrofits. There are hundreds of various new building envelope technologies available to …

Promoting Low Impact Development In Your Community, New England Environmental Finance Center

Planning

Low Impact Development (LID) is an approach to stormwater management and site development that is gaining popularity throughout the country. Its attractiveness lies in its potential to lessen off-site stormwater impacts, reduce costs to municipalities and developers, and promote development that is “softer on the land” compared with typical traditional development. The approach, which is applicable to residential, commercial and industrial projects, and in urban, suburban and rural settings, often is linked with efforts by governments and citizens to foster more sustainable communities.

Insites, 2006, Utah State University

inSites

The Annual Newsletter of The Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning

Edra 37: Bibliography Of Books On Display, Kathleen Demsky

Bibliographies

edra 37 | Beyond Conflict | Atlanta, GA

Villa Le Lac: Une Petite Maison, Noel Brady

Articles

An exploration of the small villa, Une Petit Maison by le Corbusier, outling the basis for its design and execution and place in its landscape.

The Extraction Of A Road Centre Line From Airborne Laser Scanning Data, Patrick Doyle

Masters

Due to its speed and accuracy the Global Positioning System (GPS) is widely used as a data collection tool. Problems however can occur when this GPS data is used in conjunction with existing National Mapping Agencies (NMA) vector databases that are not of comparable accuracy. Shifts and misalignments of the datasets can occur. In talks with the Irish mapping agency, Ordnance Survey Ireland (OSi), prior to this project, it viewed with interest the possibility of using Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS) data as a general quality indicator of existing vector databases. The aim of this research was to extract the centre …