Landscape Architecture Commons^™

Modern Instructional Science, Ai Integrated Pedagogy & Innovation In Higher Education, Yasmeen Ahmed

Presentations and Posters

The rapid evolution of digital technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping teaching, learning, and knowledge production across higher education. This one-day faculty development workshop, Modern Instructional Science, AI-Integrated Pedagogy & Innovation in Higher Education, explores contemporary approaches to designing, delivering, and enhancing student-centered learning experiences in both face-to-face and online environments. The workshop introduces key principles of instructional science, course design, active learning, formative assessment, and learner engagement, supported by established educational theories and evidence-based best practices. Participants examine strategies for developing well-organized, outcome-aligned courses; fostering collaboration and meaningful interaction; and enhancing student success through effective instructional planning …

Where The Walls Came Down: Reimagining The Disaster-Induced Modern Ruin, Zhenmi Tang

Masters Theses

In contemporary society, large-scale destructive events are continuously generating a new architectural condition: the modern ruin. Unlike historical ruins shaped and legitimized through time, the remnants left by war, wildfires, and other natural disasters remain embedded in lived reality and collective memory. These environments are not distant artifacts of the past, but recently inhabited spaces whose material presence and social meaning remain active. However, prevailing reconstruction practices tend to prioritize complete demolition and site clearance, followed by rebuilding on restored empty ground. While this approach provides reliability in terms of safety, engineering, and regulation, it often interrupts the material and …

After Yellow Horse: From Passive Shelter To A Self-Sustaining Cycle, Xinyuan Liu

Masters Theses

Spatial flexibility—specifically, the ability of a single building to shift between therapeutic and productive use—offers a critical alternative to the institutional passivity of conventional care facilities, repositioning architecture as an active agent in both the financial sustainability of nonprofit organizations and the social recovery of their patients.

During my time volunteering at Yellow Horse Equine Therapy Center in Ashaway, Rhode Island, the core contradictions of the traditional equine therapy model became visible firsthand. Yellow Horse had operated for years on goodwill and volunteers. The daily reality of the facility was one of persistent understaffing: barn chores, groundskeeping, and routine maintenance …

Household Hegemon: Domestic And Affective Traces Of Us Influence In Mexico In The 1950s And 1990s, Edgar Solórzano

Masters Theses

“Household Hegemon: Domestic and Affective Traces of US Influence in Mexico in the 1950s and 1990s” is a collection of personal essays, historical research, and fictional texts that examine the impact of US-American soft power on Mexican society. This project expands and deepens the research and work developed during my two-year MFA in Sculpture at RISD, evolving material investigations into a comprehensive written and visual record of the 1950s post-WWII boom and the 1990s post-NAFTA transition. These two decades not only represent the most significant in terms of American influence but also the years in which my parents and I …

Restoration Of Rogers Hall, Patsy Glenn

Documents

History and information on much needed repairs of Rogers Hall at UNA, 2006

Welcome Mat's Out, Susan C. Taylor

Documents

Open House for Rogers Hall, 1985

A New Chapter, Ty West

Documents

Rededication of Coby Hall, 2005

*Article from The TimesDaily

Room To Grow, Sunny Xiang

Documents

Article from The TimesDaily about the new off campus residence hall apartments, Appleby East and West. These were built were the old Coffee High School and Appleby Jr. High School buildings were located.

Edra 57: Bibliography, Tamara Karr

Bibliographies

edra 57: Embracing Regional Sustainability: Networks for People and Places

Within The Ruin: A Modern Brewery Rebirth, Karim Asarzadeh

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis project focuses on the revitalization of the historic ruins of the James River Steam Brewery in Richmond, Virginia. The project transforms the forgotten industrial structure into a modern brewery with a second-floor restaurant addition and community gathering spaces while preserving the historic masonry ruins. It showcases a holistic design approach that considers all aspects of the building, including its connection to the urban context and landscape, as well as its architecture, interiors, and furniture. The project demonstrates how a holistic design approach can create stronger spatial connections and more cohesive environments. In particular, it offers a strategy for …

Feeling At Home Outdoors: The Courtyard Of The Rozes House, Marta García-Casabán

Interiority

Although the courtyard was not a central element in the early stages of the Modernist movement, it later became a key transitional space between the interior and the exterior. This concept was reinterpreted in Spain through a balance between modernity and tradition, particularly in holiday homes along the Costa Brava. This research explores the role of the outdoor room in modern Mediterranean architecture and its relationship with the environment, using José Antonio Coderch's Rozes House as a case study. Through redrawing, the text aims to analyse how the 'outdoor room' in Rozes House enhances spatial continuity and strengthens the relationship …

Silent Witnesses: Reconnecting Landscape Through Lost Narratives, Abeer Aljohani

Masters Theses

In the heart of the vast Arabian desert, a forgotten tale of tragic love unfolds. Aja and Salma, figures from two different tribes in pre-Islamic Arabia, embody a romance that has long faded into obscurity. The two mountain ranges in Hail, Saudi Arabia, bear their names, standing as silent witnesses to a love story that ends in tragedy—one in which each is killed on separate peaks. Over time, the story has faded, leaving a gap between the landscape and its cultural significance. Could a narrative-based tourism experience revive this link, blending the mountains’ natural beauty with their forgotten story?

This …

Immersive Stillness In Poetic Space: Textiles For An Uncertain World, Dora Hyunjung Kim

Masters Theses

In an era shaped by environmental crises, the erosion of seasonal rhythms, cultural uncertainty, and the accelerating pace of technological shifts, this thesis explores how textiles—through their tactility, atmosphere, and quiet presence—can serve as vessels for meditative and emotional spaces, which I refer to as "poetic spaces." In the midst of countless unpredictable variables and a rapidly evolving cultural landscape, there is a growing need for environments where silence and quiet reflection can unfold. Within this broader context, poetic space functions not merely as an aesthetic concept, but as a vital site for emotional grounding and inner restoration.

This research …

Curated: The Impact Of Architectural Sequence On The Journey Through The Art Museum, Zairis Padilla

Architecture Undergraduate Honors Theses

The museum is a culturally significant institution used for learning, thought, and contemplation from its conceptualization in The Enlightenment Movement of the 17th century. The art museum has the potential to create a powerful relationship between the art and the architecture that houses it. The architecture of an art museum becomes a critical participant in the experience of art and affects the spaces in a dramatic way. If the art or architecture overpowers the other, the user experience is impacted; therefore, the connection created between the two within the museum is one of great importance. When a symbiotic connection, or …

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 …

Edra 56: Bibliography, Tamara Karr

Bibliographies

EDRA 56: Designing Communities for Climate Action and Resilience

The Impact Of Visual Stimuli And The Properties Of Green Walls On Human Well-Being In Built And Immersive Virtual Environments, Alireza Sedghikhanshir

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The built environment significantly influences human well-being, particularly in the context of stress recovery and cognitive restoration. This dissertation investigates the impact of visual stimuli, particularly green walls, on human responses related to stress, restoration, and thermal comfort. The research is guided by three primary objectives: (1) examining the role of visual stimuli and their properties in promoting stress recovery and restoration, (2) evaluating the potential of Immersive Virtual Environments (IVEs) as tools for delivering and studying restorative environments, and (3) investigating the influence of green walls on indoor environmental conditions.

A series of experimental studies were carried out to …

Cohen-Lasry: The Architectural History, Jennifer Krulisz-Hossain

Strassler Center Archival Collection Finding Aids

This collection contains images, newspapers and architectural plans related to the current Strassler Center for Holocaust & Genocide Studies at 11 Hawthorne Street in Worcester, MA

Campus Connect, Katie Coates, Bella Wengappuly, Annabelle Brown, Kyie Salerno

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

This paper examines how university campus design can be strategically utilized to support student mental health, drawing on global examples to inspire improvements in the University of Montana’s (UM) campus planning. The University of Montana, like most college campuses worldwide, is currently facing pressing mental health challenges among the student body. College can be a highly stressful experience, where students encounter unique pressures that, without adequate support, can lead to mental health crises. Many universities across the globe have recognized the role of campus design in promoting mental well-being, and they have adopted innovative, student-centered design strategies to foster positive …

Reclaimed By Roots, Dongyang Chen

Masters Theses

Within the context of the symbiotic relationship between architecture and natural plants, as greenery intertwines with manmade spaces over time, creating what I define as a 'Gray Space'.

My thesis seeks to explore the diverse forms this 'Gray Space' can assume at the intersection of architectural forms and natural entities through human intervention. I focus on converting an abandoned factory building, where camphor trees were intentionally transplanted and have since flourished, into a hotel.

I propose a balanced adaptive reuse strategy that combines architectural reinforcement with managed tree growth, preserving the historical significance of the building while integrating the natural …

Space Between: Navigating Openness, Torie Stotz

Masters Theses

In a predominantly human-made, constructed world, I am exploring how I can manifest the natural world with a hand made screen divider system, based on form and structure, that replicates that of a work of nature, more specifically simulating dappled light. Questioning sustainability through the limitations of terracotta clay, while introducing a passive, bioclimatic design, I explore how a fragile, rounded, hollow fired system impacts its structural integrity and its ability to embed nature like qualities in modular form. Clay is brittle when thin, dry, or water absorbing material is added; it absorbs water slowly, needs to be a certain …

Revitalizing Decay, Owen Carey

Masters Theses

Revitalizing Decay focuses to reimagine brick design, diverging from the conventional standardized brick, to introduce a crafted brick integrated with flora. Through the exploration of innovative sustainable solutions, this research aims to breathe new life into buildings facing advanced decay by embedding flora within the very structure of the brick. Buildings slotted for demolition typically go through a long process of approvals, signatures, etc. This thesis also aims to address the long process and instead pose an intervention that would streamline a typical demolition plan. With a primary focus on enhancing air quality, ensuring cost efficiency, and offering a temporary …

Celestella Resonance, Xuanren Wang

Masters Theses

The Nanjing city wall was initially built during the 14th century, shortly after the foundation of the Ming empire of China. Its unique city layout and meticulous planning, modeled after the constellation of the Northern and Southern Dippers, was exceptional in the city planning of China if compared to other typical cities, which were all modeled after the idea city illustrated in Zhou Li (The Rites of Zhou), a book served as a social hierarchy guide to build an ideal kingly, or autocratic city ruled by the emperor. Hence, the city wall of Nanjing, though its shape may be far …

Edra 55: Bibliography, Tamara Karr

Bibliographies

edra 55: Human-Centric Environments

Asylum Architecture: The Brick-By-Brick Development Of Patient Treatment, Kris D. Sass

The Purdue Historian

The following research and analysis will investigate the intersection of architecture and treatment in asylums with a specific interest on the time period of the late 19^th century to mid-20^th century in the United States. Not only were specific environmental demands key to some treatment methodologies, such as rural environments to moral therapy, but the architecture of mental hospitals were integral parts of patient’s experiences. Here three specific hospital designs will be analyzed: the Kirkbride Plan, the Cottage Plan, and Kiyoshi Izumi’s Socio-Petal. The following analysis will be built on a series of blueprints, building notes, secondary histories, …

Analyse Permeability And Integration In Architectural Landscapes To Create A Seamless Environment, Ensuring Ease Of Movement And Blending With The Surrounding Environment., Amira Fawzy Helmy Almaz

Journal of Engineering Research

The study explores the understanding of connectedness, integration, and axial route selection in urban parks using space syntax. It uses the Theory of Space Syntax to analyze georeferenced photographs and urban morphology data. The findings suggest that creating rules for integration and linkage that directly influence users' decision-making processes could lead to significant improvements in urban parks.

The study discusses space syntax as an architectural concept that views architecture as an interface between public and private spaces, analyzing landscapes through mirroring and focusing on internal configurations and exteriors. The study proposes a method to measure permeability and integration in urban …

Creating An Index To Graduate Theses To Support Their Discoverability, Ellen Petraits

Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students

As a Research and Instruction Librarian, one of the most frequent questions I'm asked is how to find past theses on a particular topic or theme. There is an active thesis culture at RISD that goes beyond writing and binding a text. An exhibition is held in the graduate gallery to celebrate a curated selection of theses at the beginning of the academic year. (See Book of Thesis Books) Theses can range in format from an artist book to a loose-leaf portfolio. Many emphasize the visual and are a bridge to the student’s studio work. They may include unusual or …

Nature As Material, Time As Tool, Chuchu Chen

Masters Theses

No building stands forever. Over time, the natural environment acts upon the outer surface of the building, leading to the failure of materials and the final dissolution of the structure itself, leading to ruin. In order to prevent this or retard its occurrence, we constantly maintain and renew the things we build. Nature seems to stand in opposition to architecture. The passage of time is constantly subtracting from the building. However, what differentiates nature from architecture? This thesis questions whether these two are not opposed, but on a continuous spectrum. Approaching the building as part of the overall environment that …

Beyond Burial - Transforming Death: A New Ritual Of Farewell And The Ecological Return Of The Body To Nature, Chang Xie

Masters Theses

Burial and funeral culture have been shaped by human self-awareness and reflect an anthropocentric worldview. The modern funeral industry's multi-billion-dollar enterprise is based on the principle of protecting, sanitizing, and beautifying the corpse to promote the idea of human exceptionalism. However, this practice overlooks the natural process of decay and the potential beauty in returning the body to the earth, with which the body shares the same chemical basis as the earth itself. Modern science has provided Eco-friendly green burial methods, such as soil modification, ice burial, and water burial, making it suitable to contribute to natural ecology using human …

Glowing Under The Bridge—A Healing Space For Wounded Souls, Ruier Zhao

Masters Theses

The suicide rate among Chinese adolescents is significantly higher than the world average, with academic stress and family relationships being the major causes. This thesis focuses on building a place for Chinese students from upper elementary school to high school, where they can regulate their psychology, relax, and ideally reduce the rate of impulsive suicides.

In Chongqing, the percentage of students who attempt or commit suicide is close to 25%. The proposed site for this place of rest is under the bridge of one of Chongqing’s most crowded monorail stations, which is a semi-abandoned park with a beautiful view of …