Environmental Design Commons^™

Bike And Pedestrian Safety Planning: Excelsior/Outer Mission District, Alexandra Lee-Gardner

City and Regional Planning

San Francisco’s Outer Mission and Excelsior districts host a vibrant community of small business owners and residents from a variety of backgrounds and cultures. The neighborhood is known for its diversity and sense of community. However, lack of adequate infrastructure and high-speed roadways has created great safety concerns within the community. In the last five years, the Excelsior/Outer Mission area had 828 collisions, nine of which were fatal (Transbase, n.d.). San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) has identified nearly 14 miles of streets in the project area that are on the City’s high injury network, meaning collisions there are highly …

Walkability Of Suburban Retrofits Of The Washington Dc Area: Immersion Into Qualitative Constructs, David Sweere

Architecture Undergraduate Honors Theses

The majority of the United States population is living in the suburbs, and yet the suburban built fabric has developed with spatial conditions that have failed to prove their efficacy on environmental, social or economic terms. Most contemporary architectural and urban theorists agree that the suburban condition is inherently problematic. In a 2010 Ted Talk, architect and urban designer Ellen Dunham-Jones discusses the problematic state of the suburban built condition, citing dependence on the vehicle, sparseness of built form, environmental costs, transportation costs, and even increased obesity rates (Dunham-Jones 2010). Because the suburbs comprise the majority of our “urbanized” areas …

A Functional Escape, Zachary Spero

Architecture Undergraduate Honors Theses

Over the past two decades, the tree house has outgrown its more recent traditional role as a child’s place to play and has served many new functions. I intend to conduct research that questions how the tree house has evolved over the last twenty years based upon changes in program, technology, and relation to the tree itself. As a result of this research, I will deliver a clear understanding of tree house design best practices in the form of a manual.

The City Aetherus An Urban Design Methodology For Energy Use, Anthony Yan, Ermal Shpuza Phd

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

In the last few decades, there has been a growing awareness about the relationship between building design and energy use, environmental impact, and sustainability in general. Now, environmental design is a well-established field of architectural studies and practices. By contrast, it is only recently that the relationship between urban design and energy use has started to get due attention by the designer and planning communities. Due to our increasing energy needs and imminent global urbanization, humanity needs a solution to tackle the largest energy consumer: the city. This thesis is situated within the newly emerging discourse on the relationship between …

The Model Holistic : The Application Of The Adaptive Cycle To Rust-Belt Cities, Marysia Larosa

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

For too long, the relationship between the natural and built environment have been ignored, resulting in a disconnect between humanity, nature, and architecture. Can enforcing this relationship change the way we think about urban design and resiliency? Like ecology, cities act much like an ecosystem, going through four phases; exploitation, conservation, release, and reorganization. Over a slow period, these resources are conserved and protected rather than used for innovation. In the case of a disturbance, the vulnerability of the system at this point leads to eventual collapse and release of resources. Finally, as a result of this release, the system …

Ten Questions Concerning Well-Being In The Built Environment, Sergio Altomonte, Joseph Allen, Philomena M. Bluyssen, Gail Brager, Lisa Heschong, Angela Loder, Stefano Schiavon, Jennifer A. Veitch, Lily M. Wang, Pawel Wargocki

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

Well-being in the built environment is a topic that features frequently in building standards and certification schemes, in scholarly articles and in the general press. However, despite this surge in attention, there are still many questions on how to effectively design, measure, and nurture well-being in the built environment. Bringing together experts from academia and the building industry, this paper aims to demonstrate that the promotion of well-being requires a departure from conventional agendas. The ten questions and answers have been arranged to offer a range of perspectives on the principles and strategies that can better sustain the consideration of …

Eco-Hub, Diego Vazquez De Santos

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Since the dawn of civilization, humans have generated waste. With the age of industrialization came urbanization, and as a result, large populations quickly multiplied within cities. In 1842, a report entitled The Sanitary Condition of the Laboring Population, Edwin Chadwick argued for the need for proper removal and management facilities of waste. This report played an important role in securing the first law addressing waste collection. Today, only 26% of the estimated 75% of recyclable goods get recycled. This problem is more eminent within New York city which currently is the topmost wasteful city. New York City residents throw out …

Analyzation Of Sandpit Lakes In Grand Island, Nebraska, Olena Yarmolyuk, Morgan Davis

Architecture Program: Student Creative Activity

The oxford dictionary defines “dichotomy” as, “noun: a division or contrast between two things that are or are represented as being opposed or entirely different.” In the context of Grand Island, Nebraska, a dichotomy exists in the development of housing. In the 1900s, sand quarrying began along the railroad in Grand Island. When the sand was dredged up from these quarries, the floodplain began to fill in holes over 5 feet deep, creating man-made lakes. As these lakes grew the sand could no longer be quarried, recreation and housing began to develop on their shores. The housing developments, in particular, …

The Siltcatcher: A Sediment-Capture System For Wetland Creation And Coastal Protection In Western Lake Pontchartrain, Andrew M. Wright

LSU Master's Theses

The West Lake Pontchartrain region faces a number of long-term environmental challenges due to anthropogenic climate disturbance and landscape modification, including sea level rise, increased storm surge risk, shoreline erosion, and wetland degradation. In response, this thesis applies recent research in the fields of landscape architecture and civil engineering to propose a dynamic, natural-systems solution for wetland creation and shoreline protection. The project envisions a series of breakwater-like structures in western Lake Pontchartrain positioned to slow water released from the nearby Bonnet Carré Spillway, causing suspended sediment to settle and create self-building and self-sustaining wetlands capable of keeping pace with …

Investigating The Experimental Process For Partial Replacement Of Cement With Sugarcane Bagasse In The Construction Industry, Amany G. Micheal Prof., Rania Moussa, Nadin Dawoud

Centre for Advanced Materials

In the last few decades there has been speedily increasing in the agriculture and industrial wastes. This causes many environmental issues and raises the potential to contaminate the natural resources of living such as water, air and soil. Recently, the amount of organic waste produced daily has been rising, while it is poorly managed. It is either burned or disposed improperly, which effect negatively the environment and public health. On the other hand, during the cement production process many wastes, and pollutants are generated which have major negative impacts on the environment. Cement is considered as a substantial constituent of …

Environmental Justice In Little Village: A Case For Reforming Chicago’S Zoning Law, Charles Isaacs

Northwestern Journal of Law & Social Policy

Chicago’s Little Village community bears the heavy burden of environmental injustice and racism. The residents are mostly immigrants and people of color who live with low levels of income, limited access to healthcare, and disproportionate levels of dangerous air pollution. Before its retirement, Little Village’s Crawford coal-burning power plant was the lead source of air pollution, contributing to 41 deaths, 550 emergency room visits, and 2,800 asthma attacks per year. After the plant’s retirement, community members wanted a say on the future use of the lot, only to be closed out when a corporation, Hilco Redevelopment Partners, bought the lot …

Variables Associated With Thermal Emittance Of Wall Mural Art In Richmond, Virginia, Sarah Kwon, Eugene G. Maurakis

Virginia Journal of Science

The objectives of this research are to determine the factors associated with the minimum, maximum, and average thermal emittance temperatures of wall murals in Richmond, Virginia, and make recommendations for color and location of wall murals. Data for 17 parameters were collected for 64 art murals in downtown Richmond, VA from 28 June 2018 – 19 July 2018. Date, time, solar exposure duration, solar elevation, latitude, longitude, air temperature (C), lux, color, solar cardinal minutes, cardinal direction, minimum, maximum, and average surface thermal emittance temperatures of mural face were recorded for each mural. We reject the hypothesis that minimum, maximum, …

Overcoming Legal And Institutional Barriers To The Implementation Of Innovative Environmental Technologies, David Strifling, Walter Mcdonald, Hannah Hathaway, Joe Naughton

Notre Dame Journal on Emerging Technologies

This paper examines the possible reasons that stormwater management system operators (typically municipalities) have generally been reluctant to adopt RTC technology.

Our interdisciplinary team of law faculty, engineering faculty, and graduate students from both disciplines studied dozens of examples involving RTC implementation in the United States and abroad. We also examined the literature detailing institutional barriers to RTC innovation. Finally, we reviewed numerous legal decisions related to municipal liability for stormwater management (or mismanagement).

From this foundation, we distilled several institutional and legal barriers that prevent municipalities from embracing this particular type of innovation. The paper suggests a variety of …

Optimizing The Environmental And Economic Sustainability Of Contingency Base Infrastructure, Jamie E. Filer

Theses and Dissertations

Contingency bases are often located in remote areas with limited access to established infrastructure grids. This isolation leads to standalone systems comprised of inefficient, resource-dependent infrastructure, which yields a significant logistical burden, creates negative environmental impacts, and increases costs. Planners can mitigate these negative impacts by selecting sustainable technologies. However, such alternatives often come at a higher procurement cost and mobilization requirement. Accordingly, this study aims to develop and implement a novel infrastructure sustainability assessment model capable of optimizing the tradeoffs between environmental and economic performance of infrastructure alternatives.

Elevator Or Stairs? A Dive Into Patron Decision Making, Lucas D. Elliott, Oliver W.A. Wilson, Melissa Bopp

Topics in Exercise Science and Kinesiology

• When put in a situation to get to higher/lower floors of a building, there are many factors that go into play for whether an individual chooses to take the stairs (active) or ride the elevator (sedentary).
• Students were approached at waiting area for the four elevators in a University Library and were asked series of questions regarding their reasoning for taking the stair or elevator to ascend, as well as their thoughts on the stairwell appearance.
• Point of application #1: Stairwell appearance and aesthetics should be considered during the design process in order to increase use and physical activity amongst …

Co-Operative Housing Systems, Jim Roche

Students Learning with Communities

Exploration of alternative systems around the procurement and delivery of housing, particularly, but not exclusively, the cooperative movement. This project was undertaken by; Bébhinn Smith, Camille Escano, Charlotte O’Donnell, Jack Blake, Juliette Bosschaert,Liam Hayes, Liane Sanchez, Ronan Conlon-Dooley, Seamus Sorensen, William Walsh in collaboration with St. Michael’s Estate Regeneration Team as part of their Bachelor of Architecture. It was supervised by lecturer Jim Roche.

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Investigating Multidimensional Characteristics Of Noise Signals With Tones From Building Mechanical Systems And Their Effects On Annoyance, Joonhee Lee, Lily M. Wang

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

This paper investigates multidimensional characteristics of tonal noise from heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems, besides loudness and tonality, to improve prediction of annoyance. Two studies were conducted: multidimensional scaling (MDS) analysis to determine what other perceptual signal characteristics are important and perceptual weight analysis (PWA) to understand the impact of multiple tones in a signal. In the MDS study, paired comparison tasks were conducted to gather similarity and annoyance data. Results show that the latent perceptual dimensions are related to the signal’s tonality, loudness, sharpness, and roughness. Including metrics for these perceptions, except roughness, improves the performance of earlier annoyance …

Development Of Discourse And Criteria In Green Building, Ben Bronstein

Pitzer Senior Theses

The development of sustainable design rating systems and forward-thinking case studies create an increasingly holistic approach to green building that reflects and drives broader changes in sustainability discourse. Introduction of LEED by the U.S. Green Building Council alongside the Adam Joseph Lewis Center at Oberlin College transformed loosely defined notions of environmentally responsible and sustainable architecture into a tangible, comprehensive definition of green building. New rating systems in the late 2000s, Living Building Challenge and SITES, expanded green building to strengthen quantitative benchmarks, introduce qualitative standards such as biophilic design, and provide increased focus on site sustainability. Case studies at …

Quantifying Real Estate Externalities:Evidence On The Whole Foods Effect, Kanis Saengchote

NAKHARA (Journal of Environmental Design and Planning)

Real estate amenities can create both benefits and costs to local community, which economists call externalities. Quantification of externalities is challenging because of potential endogeneity problems that render simple statistical analyses inaccurate, necessitating the use of a more rigorous econometric technique. Exploiting store expansion activities of Whole Foods Market to infer the causal impact of the Whole Foods Effect using the difference-in-differences strategy, we find that property prices within 0.5 mile of a new Whole Foods Market store increase on average by 6.7% after a new store opens.

A Framework Of Design Criteria For Elderly Facilities Using Maslow's Hierarchy Of Needs, Silvana Vásquez Sánchez, Ekkachai Mahaek, Apichoke Lekagul

NAKHARA (Journal of Environmental Design and Planning)

The increase in population ageing worldwide is giving rise to the design of age-friendly cities and facilities. Recognizing elderly needs is essential to promote an active life that enables continued participation in the society. However, there is no precedent that justifies the choices in the design of spaces for the elderly, so this study proposes an evaluative model of physical design that satisfies and fulfills the needs of the elderly. The Design Pyramid is based on the Theory of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs linking the needs of the elderly with architectural attributes. The application of this model allows evaluating the …

Master Planning For Conservation And Development Of Krung Rattanakosin 2032, Wannasilpa Peerapun, Sirirat Sereerat, Peamsook Sanit, Pornsan Vichienpradit

NAKHARA (Journal of Environmental Design and Planning)

This paper presents the research and development of the "Master Plan of Conservation and Development of Krung Rattanakosin 2032," under the vision of "A glorious capital city of Siam Kingdom, dignified by urban heritage, blending with multi-cultural identity of the local community, and contemporary urbanism," that expresses the important stories of the area, including the story of the two capital cities of Thonburi and Krung Rattanakosin, the stories about palaces, and spatial development, through the Krung Rattanakosin urban structure and significant aspects of the cultural heritage. This paper emphasizes the importance of integrated planning through a participatory process. The results …

Development Of Agro-Cultural Tourism Route Based On Spatial Configuration Analysis: The Case Of A Rubber Planting Village, Songkhla Province, Thailand, Tapanee Rattanathavon, Pornchai Jittiwasurat

NAKHARA (Journal of Environmental Design and Planning)

This article proposes an alternative to develop agro-cultural tourism routes based on spatial configuration analysis. A village growing rubber trees in Songkhla Province, Thailand, was taken as the case study. The data analysis involved the theory of urban morphology and the space syntax. Given the characteristics of the area and the planters' socio-cultural characteristics, the results revealed that potential tourist attractions should be charted only on a movement network with high visibility and accessibility whereas those on a movement network with low visibility and accessibility should be left intact. However, some rules and regulations should be imposed to preserve the …

An Investigation Of A Modified Formula Of Daylight Glare And Limiting Daylight Glare Indices In The Thai Elderly, Nuanwan Tuaycharoen

NAKHARA (Journal of Environmental Design and Planning)

Discomfort glare is perceived differently bythe young and the elderly. However, the existing daylight glare formulae do not take the effects of age into account and the current limiting glare index was obtained from non-elderly subjects. To create lighting suitable for the Thai elderly, especially in terms of glare, two objectives were addressed. The first explored a modified formula of daylight glare for the Thai elderly, while the second investigated the limiting daylight glare index for the Thai elderly in particular areas of residential and public buildings. Both laboratory and field studies were undertaken. The former investigated a daylight glare …

A Hedonic Pricing Approach To Value Ecosystem Services Provided By Water Sensitive Urban Design: Comparison Of Geelong, Australia And Singapore, Kim Irvine, Bing Han Choy, Lloyd Hc Chua, Jarrod Gaut, Huu Loc Ho, Nij Tontisirin

NAKHARA (Journal of Environmental Design and Planning)

Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) features are increasingly used for urban water management, green urban design, and improved community liveability, but relatively less data are available on the ecosystem services that WSUD provides. We used hedonic pricing, supported by qualitative surveys, in Geelong, Australia and Singapore, to evaluate benefits related to large WSUD features. For both locations there was a significant (α=0.05) inverse relationship between the sales price of a residence and distance to the WSUD features. Qualitative surveys corroborated the hedonic pricing analysis, as a majority of people appreciated benefits accrued from living near WSUD features.

The Correlation Between Occupant Thermal Comfort And Discomfort Glare In Office Buildings In The Tropics:A Case Study In Thailand, Kittiwoot Chaloeytoy, Masayuki Ichinose

NAKHARA (Journal of Environmental Design and Planning)

A buildings' glazed facades influence their inhabited occupants in terms of thermal comfort and discomfort glare. This study aims to clarify the correlation between them in a tropical context. The field study was performed in office spaces in Thailand using comfort indices evaluation, i.e. the predicted mean vote (PMV) and daylight glare probability (DGP), and questionnaire surveys to investigate local occupants' feedback. The statistical approaches indicated that the agreement between thermal comfort and discomfort glare variables could be observed with a glazing performance rating of the buildings and the occupants' sensation level. However, the usability of comfort indices must be …

Housing Conditions And Improvement Guidelines For The Elderly Living In Urban Areas: Case Studies Of Four Bangkok's Districts, Trirat Jarutach, Nutcha Lertpradit

NAKHARA (Journal of Environmental Design and Planning)

The demographic structure of the Thai population has shifted to an ageing society with an increasing number of elderly people living in urban areas. This research, therefore, is aimed to study and analyze the housing conditions of the elderly as well as relevant behaviors and issues, and provide recommendations for improvement. This research employs interviews and onsite-surveys for data collection. Findings showed that the current conditions are inappropriate; bedroom furniture should be less high; handrails should be installed in bathrooms; stair risers should be shortened, and a common area e.g. a gazebo, should be provided for the elderly to spend …

Materiality And Sensibility:Phenomenological Studies Of Brick As Architectural Material, Tony Sofian, Iwan Sudradjat, Baskoro Tedjo

NAKHARA (Journal of Environmental Design and Planning)

An incessant challenge for the architects nowadays is how to design architectural projects that support the creation of meaningful experiences, benefitting from the interconnection between building materiality and human sensibility. The purpose of this study is to provide a phenomenological understanding of brick as an architectural material and how people perceive its architectural space and interpret its architectural meaning. Method of phenomenological analysis from Moustakas (1994) is adopted to guide the whole research procedures; using in-depth and multiple interviews with the users of three different buildings who shared experiences in inhibiting and interacting with the environment created with brick as …

A Generic Scenario On Urban Sustainability Of A Historical City Center, Simon Chih-Feng Shu, Ching-Kai Lin

NAKHARA (Journal of Environmental Design and Planning)

In discussion on modern urban development issues, many researches have focused on those newly expanded areas, yet few researches have scrutinized what contributes to the vibrant life of the historical Central Business District (CBD) in inner cities. This research has examined a declined old city centre in central Taiwan by deploying Space Syntax analysis to verify possible contributions of parts-whole street network disconnection to the death of CBD in inner cities. The research findings suggest that linearity and critical street segments being properly integrated with the whole arterial street network could be crucial for future city planning.

Experimental Study On Thermal Comfort Towards Increasing Temperature Set-Points In Air-Conditioned Office Spaces In A Tropical Region: A Case Study In Thailand, Tanadej Sikram, Masayuki Ichinose, Rumiko Sasaki

NAKHARA (Journal of Environmental Design and Planning)

Many countries propose indoor temperature set-points of air-conditioned offices to be comfortably sustainable and to reduce energy consumption. Even though there are recommendations for the optimum temperature-set-points, it is questionable how those values could be applied to the actual situation in a tropical region. This study aims to survey thermal performance and estimate thermal comfort in different set-points. In 2019, two air-conditioned office buildings were tested by increasing set-points from the actual value between 23 °C and 25 °C. Data loggers measuring thermal variables were installed in the offices and the questionnaire was distributed to evaluate human response. Considering the …

A Prospect Of Disaster Education And Community Development In Thailand: Learning From Japan, Waricha Wongphyat, Mari Tanaka

NAKHARA (Journal of Environmental Design and Planning)

This paper aims to examine a prospect of disaster education and community development in Thailand focusing on a traditional waterfront community, named Hua Takhe. It explores the program and participation as well as meaning and implication of the Japanese cases through observations. Based on the analysis of questionnaire surveys, the strengths of the Hua Takhe community include solidarity, human, cultural, and educational resources. Its weaknesses are a limitation of disaster prevention-related resources, insufficient interaction between the old and the young generations, a lack of systematic disaster management, and low participation in drills. Collaboration with educational institutions, integrative and inclusive learning, …