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Publication Reinvestigation of Culture(2012-09) Zhang, YiDue to the culture revolution, inflation of economy and globalization, China has been suffering from mass unqualified products of architecture, loss of culture and traditions, also unaffordable real estate; causing the instability of the society, in which emptiness, anxiety, uncertainty of people are occupied. Burdons must be released. And culture need to be revitalized. By studying I-Ching and Taoism, the origins of Chinese civilization, finding the philosophy of Tao which can be carried into architecture, the equilibrium between culture and globalization is established. The nation-wide uniformed apartments built under the welfare oriented housing distribution system in the 1980’s, are now either torn down or hidden behind the high rises and forgotten. The ones which are survived from the development of real estate, could be reconstructed to be a nice and affordable community where social interaction is encouraged, virtue of individual is cultivated and culture is renovated. In the philosophy of Tao, when one side is compelling and overwhelming, the counterpart could be perked up by yielding and returning. Therefore, in the design of the reconstruction, deduction is the motion of Tao. Introducing light scoops into the building to created horizontal and vertical courtyard, sunlight, rainwater and wind is able to come into the building. people is able to perceive the nature inside where balance of artificial and the nature is built. Also the light scoop divides the spaces into layers so that people have a private space to think as well as a semi-public space where social interactions are forced to happen. The space of light scoop is functionally blank, though. It is spiritually abondant.Publication Karnaphuli River-Life Recreation & Research Center, Chittagong, Bangladesh(2012-09) Sufian, Hosne ARivers are integral parts of Bangladesh & Bengali people’s life. The whole country is criss-crossed by more than 700 rivers including their tributaries. In other words, rivers formed this country as a delta and have been contributing to spring life to this land with agriculture, food, electricity, transportation, and tranquil beauty, creating opportunity for different occupations, and providing very comfortable moderate climate. Due to over population and urban sprawl, the current development pattern of the country is culminating in filling up wetlands, changing the course of lakes, narrowing down and in some cases killing rivers for urban development leaving great impact on environment. As a consequence, the country is being affected by frequent flood, deforestation, surge, cyclones, and rise of sea level due to global warming. The concern for introducing an adoptive sustainable architecture that interacts with rivers and water, protects environment as well as facilitates new developments has been noticed by scientists and scholars from every sector of development. This thesis will be emphasizing on establishing some unique architectural features that would especially be applicable for riverfront architectures, that leaves least impact on nature and respects the country’s tradition, heritage and lifestyle which are inseparable from rivers.Publication Culture, Community Development, and Sustainability in a Post-Freeway City(2012) Obara, BryanFreeways that once tore through the urban fabric are now reaching the end of their lifespan and raising the question as to whether it is time to rebuild or remove them. The Interstate system has revolutionized transportation, connecting cities nationwide, but at the same time has slashed through existing neighborhoods. The very land from which hundreds of Fox Point residents were evicted for the construction of Interstate 195 through Providence, Rhode Island, now lies barren as a result of the interstate’s realignment. The surplus land, rezoned as the East Side Overlay District (ESOD), connects the Providence River and Narragansett Bay waterfronts. The ESOD is awaiting request for proposals (RFP), presenting an opportunity to redefine sustainable community development for Fox Point’s waterfront. The latest research on sustainable development employs culture as a direction for environmental, economic and social vitality. This project utilizes the historic urban landscape approach as a framework for providing knowledge and planning tools, for a more informed decision making process. In response, a proposal for redevelopment merges cultural development with visitor interaction in a reactivated waterfront. The post-freeway city has an opportunity to rebuild sustainable communities through cultural infrastructure.Publication Environmental Design Research and the Design of Urban Open Space: A Study of Current Practice in Landscape Architecture(2012-09) Masters, JenniferA large and growing body of research exists on how the design of the environment can positively or negatively affect people’s health and well-being, as well as influence their behavior. Researchers in this field, known as “environmental design research,” have long acknowledged the challenge of translating their findings into formats that are accepted and used by practitioners. This study explores how environmental design research on urban open space and the practice-oriented translations of it are used by landscape architects who have been recognized in the profession for their designs of parks, plazas, and streets in urban areas. Through interviews with practitioners, an understanding emerges of the impact of environmental design research on contemporary practice, leading to recommendations that could enhance it in the future. Key findings of the study indicate that translations of the research, specifically in the form of design guidelines, while intended to inform practice, are not widely used by designers. Rather, to understand how design impacts human behavior, practitioners rely primarily on what they refer to as intuition, largely informed by their own direct observations of people in public space. The quality of their personal observations, therefore, is critical to their depth of understanding of human behavior and the environment. The study concludes with recommendations that could improve the skills of design students and practitioners to conduct, interpret, and apply their own direct observations in their designs, using methods and findings from the field of environmental design research to inform and enrich this process.Publication Community School: A Design for Wilmington High School(2012) Jordan, KaitlynOver the past twenty years there has been a major shift in the societal culture of America which has presented many challenges for children, families and the public school system. Being able to adapt to these challenges have not been easy. If future schools are going to keep pace with these changes, then they will have to provide its students with a variety of services which enhance their educational opportunities, while also developing and strengthening their physical, emotional, social and moral competency. One approach to this problem could be a more integrated community based schooling. This thesis will examine this concept of how the public school system will operate when more accessible community features are integrated within the design. The generator for this prototype will be a new design of Wilmington High School which serves ninth through twelfth grade students. This program will support a variety of activities for multiple age groups, helping to build a center piece for community life. A community based approach will enable this age group to become leaders in the community and further strengthen their capabilities to function successfully outside of the educational environment.Publication Fostering Sustainable Behavior Through Design: A Study of the Social, Psychological, and Physical Influences of the Built Environment(2012-05) Cummings, NeilThe ultimate goal of this research paper was to gain a more acute perspective into the relationship between the physical environment and human behavior, so that architectural design may begin to promote and affect environmentally friendly behavior in its users. The three main fields of psychology that were the focus of this paper were social psychology, environmental psychology, and cognitive psychology, all of which were essential to understanding the unique relationship one has with their built environment. The definitive goal of the sustainability movement, or what I at least think it should be, is the creation of an environmentally friendly society. The widespread use of sustainable architectural design practices has been a great step forward, but if this movement is to be successful, I feel we must focus equally on the relationship between people and their physical environments. Ultimately, the sustainability movement depends less on the architectural environments that we create, and more on the cooperation of the people who occupy those environments.Publication Passenger Rail and Development in Small Cities, Towns, and Rural Areas: 21st Century Transit in Holyoke, Massachusetts(2012) Laidlaw, W. ScottThe intent of this thesis is to explore the design challenges and opportunities presented by the reintroduction of passenger rail to a small economically challenged New England city. Central to my thesis is that the advent of more efficient transportation options is not, in itself, enough: the infrastructure built to support those options must provide users with a comfortable, safe, and welcoming experience. The architecture of the rail station is critical in influencing that behavior and moving our society toward greater energy efficiency. Holyoke is a small mill city in western Massachusetts whose fortunes peaked in the early twentieth century and today struggles with decaying buildings and infrastructure, high unemployment, and significant poverty. The city also has many strengths, including relatively inexpensive hydro-electric power, sturdy adaptable mill buildings, an excellent location, strong neighborhood and civic pride, and a rich history on which to build. The city’s boosters feel that it is ripe for a renaissance already being driven by industry, the creative economy, telecommuters escaping the region’s major cities, and tourism. This research component of this thesis will explore: Current and historical demographic, industrial, and commercial context of the city and its passenger rail service, including usage projections, connections with various parts of the city, and Transit Oriented Design implications The needs of the adjacent Flats neighborhood for basic services and community space; strategies for attracting more consistent use of the station throughout its hours of operation by meeting the neighborhood residents’ needs Potential requirements for a station’s future capacity and adaptability – it will consider strategies for creating a flexible and adaptable building so as to meet the needs of the station and city as it changes over time Precedents that include rail stations and public buildings – it will investigate strategies used by effective public buildings The design component of this thesis incorporates the above research in developing site and program plans with a specific focus on design strategies that address accessibility, wayfinding, relevant services, and creating a welcoming gateway into the residential, industrial, and commercial heart of the city.Publication Rebuilding Holyoke: Revitalizing Urban Neighborhoods through Education and Engagement(2012-05) Newman, Jason LIn order for the green movement to be successful, it is necessary for society to be aware and to participate on all levels. Holyoke is a city of the working class and there are several vocational programs available offering job-specific training. Unfortunately, these programs pay little attention to the environmental issues associated with their trade; and, as issues of global warming are becoming more pertinent, the vocational curriculum remains disconnected. To promote sustainable awareness and participation among vocational students in Holyoke, a new campus located in the downtown neighborhood will be introduced to the school system. In this new green vocational school, students from multiple disciplines will come together to engage in the sustainable practice of their trade. Given the decaying state of the downtown neighborhoods, the urban landscape will serve as a canvas for new ideas and projects. Through the collaboration of these vocations, students will be able to demonstrate their knowledge addressing real projects while contributing to the social and physical revitalization of downtown Holyoke.Publication Redesigning Suburbia: Establishing a New Infill Development Model for Existing Suburban Communities(2012) Holt, RichardThe suburb's contribution to natural resource depletion, reliance on the automobile, and disregard for social connections has been well documented in the last 10-20 years. While these depictions are often accurate, many suburbs have successfully addressed these issues by providing walkable streets and accessible communal corridors. Innovative precedents such as Village Homes, in Davis, CA, Eichler Homes, in CA, and Skinny Homes, in Portland, OR, and others, provide examples of successful suburban developments that incorporate renewable energy solutions, passive design features, and limit the development of native landscapes. This thesis aims to design a framework to be used in the redevelopment of existing suburban communities. Using an existing low-density suburban community in Simi Valley, CA, as a site, I have explored compact infill housing as a method of densifying the neighborhood and broadening the housing base. Prefabrication and deconstructable building components ensure minimal waste and a flexible housing system that can adapt to mimic the evolution of a family. Accessible open space serves to draw the community together and provide usable outdoor spaces. In this way the suburban community can begin to operate in a more efficient manner and adequately address the needs of a broader range of residents.Publication Grow Pods: Flexible Design to Regenerate Urban Landscapes(2012-05) Roberts, Rachel KShifts in economics, demographics, and lifestyle in America have lead to changes in this country's urban landscape. Rural and urban populations have migrated toward the suburbs and concentrated metro areas, leaving holes in the urban fabric of small and midsized cities. Often these empty spaces become drivers of blight, crime, and discouragement in the community. The goal of the Grow Pods Project is to transform the negative of vacant urban lots into an opportunity for improving health, building community, and encouraging positive growth. As a tool for integrating the food system directly into the urban context, this project addresses the need for innovative solutions to the complex issues of city land use. Grow Pods aim to help communities redirect a trajectory of decline toward a future that is focused on the health and wellbeing of the urban environment and the people who live in it. Transformation and transportability are intrinsic features of the design, in acknowledgement of the necessity for any component of a contemporary city in flux to be dynamic enough to reinvent itself within its evolving context. The Grow Pod project is focused on the South End Neighborhood of Springfield, MA, a city whose population and industrial base has decreased since much of its infrastructure was designed. Located in the fertile Connecticut River Valley, it is also in a region with a rich agricultural history.Publication Housing for the Aging(2012) Idelkope, Sybil RFuture housing for the elderly should focus more on the psychological stresses of aging, and find solutions for the physical disabilities through this perspective. With design techniques such as biophilic architecture, mixed use and warmer, yet contemporary, materials, elderly housing can feel less institutional, and people can feel like their new home is at least comfortable and supportive of their needs.Publication Performance Space for Niche and Emerging Artists(2012-05) Hutchison, Bradford SWhile large performance spaces fulfill important cultural, civic, architectural and artistic needs, few performing artists begin their careers playing in large halls. As in professional sports, the “minor leagues” play a critical role for professional performing artists by allowing them to both reach out to new audiences and hone their performance skills. Niche and emerging performing artists, therefore, rely on small performance spaces as their principal means exercising their craft. In addition to size, one important difference between large and small performance spaces is the criticality of the social experience. Small performance spaces are often informal, with entertainment being secondary to social functions - as in the case of the neighborhood coffee house, bar or restaurant that offers periodic performances in addition to their standard fare. The hybridization of social and performance functions offers a “ready-made” audience for niche and emerging performing artists, engendering the new and random audience-performer connections that are so critical to nurturing performing artists and the performing arts in general. The disparate social and attentive programmatic functions of these hybrid spaces offer a challenge to architects and designers. Providing a hybrid social/performance space that is optimized for niche and emerging performing artists is the central design problem that this thesis seeks to address.Publication Biomimicry: Using Nature as a Model for Design(2012-05) Maglic, Michael JThe relationship and connection between architecture and nature is one that has brought forth many questions, criticisms, and solutions. Today there is a new form of design that was introduced several years ago which requires modern man to look at the natural processes found in nature for inspiration. These processes have been around for decades but only recently has their true potential begun to emerge. The question is, can we take the philosophy behind natures living organisms and use them to aid in the development of mankind? We can and it is called Biomimicry. This thesis will explore the natural processes found in two specific organisms, the Human Body and the Namaqua Chameleon. These processes will be used to influence the design and function of a medical research, manufacturing, and therapy facility that focuses on advanced robotic prosthetics. By mimicking a variety of elements from nature, the final composition will not only respond to the activities within the building, but also to the surrounding environment. It is intended for this building to relate to both Massachusetts General Hospital and the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. This project displays how Biomimicry can be used as an integrative architectural design component in order to achieve complete unity between the building, the users, and the environment.Publication Enhancing Human Health and Recovery Through Biophilic Design(2012) Blair, Matthew TThe unquestionable human reliance on the natural world throughout history has reinforced the intuition of the human affinity for nature and the notion that human physical, psychological and even moral well being is largely dependent on experiencing a diverse and healthy natural environment. This connection has ultimately influenced the decisions we have made thus far to endure as a species and has resulted in tremendous changes to both our natural and physical framework. This thesis focuses on creating an interconnection between life, nature and the built environment to create architecture that enriches our daily lives through the use of Biophilic Design. The primary goal is to create a Veteran Rehabilitation Center in Rochester, New York where war veterans will be provided with a facility harnessing the essential characteristics necessary for a smoother transition back to their once traditional lifestyles. Occupants of this built environment will be inspired, invigorated and comforted by their surroundings and provided with an innovative soothing ambiance to reflect from the traumatizing effects of war.Publication Children's Cancer and Transplant Hospital: a Micro Town within a Bubble(2012) Samimi, KimiaAs the greatest considerations in health-care design have traditionally been functional —hygiene, efficiency, and flexibility for changing technology— hospitals have evolved to become dehumanizing spaces. In this thesis two specific groups of chronically ill children who have among the longest inpatient stays are studied: cancer and organ transplant patients. Being under immunosuppressive drugs, these children are physically vulnerable thus are kept completely isolated. These long stays and isolation can be very depressing for them. This thesis undertakes the challenge of designing a fully isolated space that doesn’t feel like one or in other words “a micro-town within a bubble”. The author intends to achieve this goal through strong visual connections, natural lighting, and creative space planning.Publication The Building That Learns to Fish: Architecture, Peak Oil, and the Need for Adaptability(2012-05) Pelland, Justin MOil is a finite resource; This much has been established as fact and is commonly agreed upon. We will, some day, find our supplies depleted. The question that remains hotly debated, however, is when this will happen and what impacts it will have on our modern lives. Estimates and forecasts abound, but still no one can answer these questions definitively. As fossil fuels, the energy behind virtually every aspect of our lives, become scarce, our patterns of growth will face a reckoning. We will be forced to adapt and adjust; either shifting our energy demand to more renewable sources, or reducing it by significant amounts. Although there are a plethora of what-if scenarios when predicting the effects of an end to oil, it’s easy to recognize that the peak oil crisis will significantly impact our lives. It will change how we live them and, by extension, where and how we construct our buildings. So what does this mean for buildings - one of the country’s largest consumers of energy? This thesis proposes that a theory of adaptability, when applied properly to the design and construction process, can begin to equip our building to handle the range of possible outcomes that an energy-poor future poses. This thesis also aims to address, in the broadest of terms, how our current approach to design could lead to significant issues in a post-oil, energy hungry world. It does so by encouraging a more holistic approach to problem solving and building design, while outlining how the values of cost efficiency and speed have polarized global construction techniques.Publication Re-Defining the "Cookie-Cutter" Development: Designing the Home Through Adjustable Architecture(2012-05) Koslow, Alexander LThis thesis seeks to explore the architectural transformation of residential space for changes and adjustments as we find our lifestyles altering. With the understanding that change is often unpredictable, we must be prepared for adaptations to new and revised living environments. Change appears in many ways: marriage or cohabitation, having children, empty nesting, aging, caring for elder family members, illness, and death. Too often we design our homes for the present, with little thought of future needs. Universal and adjustable design must become an everyday part of an architectʼs repertoire when embarking on new projects with their clients. Even architects, working on “cookie cutter” projects, must bring a more sustainable approach to their designs. Taking a closer look on said "cookie cutter” projects, adjustable design must start from a broader spectrum, beyond the site, focusing on the development as a whole and its connection with its infrastructure. Within a community, camaraderie and conversation are major factors in the success of a residential development. The central focus of this paper will be the architectural adjustability of the home.Publication Fabricating a Future Architecture(2012-05) Weeks, Kris L.During the Renaissance era, the builder was the master of both design and fabrication. The Industrial Revolution split these two activities in the pursuit of higher efficiency. Now, the ascendance of digital fabrication could bring the two back together. This study explores the current and future use of digital fabrication in architecture. Digital fabrication is increasingly used to manufacture components for other industries, but it is experiencing slower adoption in the building industry due to size and material limitations and a contract process that makes fabricators less willing to take risks on newer digital technology. A design project was undertaken to establish a digital design-to-fabrication workflow that could work on actual building components for a large-scale built environment. The resulting workflow did offer the advantages of design freedom and the elimination of shop drawings, but the absence of large-scale 3D printing still makes it difficult to quickly fabricate and assemble mass-customized, non-uniform 3D designs.Publication City Principles: The Application of the Four Visual Characteristics on Helena, Mt(2012) Cullen, CiennaThe larger architectural context of cities must be understood in order to effectively design buildings. If a building ignores its surroundings, it will not hold up to time and will adversely affect the city in which it stands. This can be seen in multiple of disarrayed cities and their commercial-driven building inventory. So, what makes a good city stand out, and how can this be applied to buildings? There are the four basic principles designers and planners seemed to have forgotten. The first is the layout of basic city components and their influence on current and future identity. The second is the aesthetic principles of scale and proportion. Choosing appropriate material permanence to your location is also important because it enhances or subtracts from the city’s identity. And finally, the experience of the observer must be impactful. If these principles are applied correctly and harmoniously, they can effectively heal the conflicting issues of transportation, pedestrian access, social venues, historic reverence and much more. But most importantly, they can be applied to buildings. Buildings can individually initiate the healing of an urban fabric if they are cognizant to their surroundings. Therefore in this thesis, I want to apply these four basic principles in the rehabilitation of a malfunctioning junction in my hometown of Helena, Montana. By designing a singular building with a guiding master plan, I hope to stimulate a chain reaction. This transformation would take the current issues and interweave these principles into an effective solution that will not only revitalize the area but also become a tourist destination.Publication Transformation of Urban Public Space(2012) Harrison, RuthanneThe concept of my thesis is to employ architectural intervention in residual urban space as a catalyst for transformation. The goal is design of a building and environment that could be used for any combination of purposes, be used freely by all members of the community, be designed so that the art and architecture is interactive, and could be transformed by the users of the space. The project makes use of a residual urban space that would otherwise remain largely inaccessible. The project explores how the space could be designed to give a sense of ownership of it to the community, and how it could be designed to reunify areas of the city that have been severed by urban renewal. The site I have chosen is the Franklin Arterial in Portland, Maine, a four-lane divided surface highway surrounded by parking lots vacant lots, industrial sites and housing projects. Design interventions include a centrally located public market building, which would have a variety of uses throughout any given time period, a bicycle pedestrian path which reconnects the surrounding neighborhoods, and designated sites for art and performance throughout the area.