Finding Green: Bringing Emphasis to Inconspicuous Green Spaces in Urban Environments

Description

An exploration of green spaces in urban environments, the mental health impacts of these spaces, and the successfulness of their integration into the city fabric. This project culminates in a video that compares a nature walk through an urban environment to a walk through an urban park.

Date Created
2022-05
Agent

Sacrality of the Real: A Revelation of Architecture’s Sacrality through the Implementation of a Water Structure onto Arizona State University’s Tempe Campus

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Description

Sacred space creates a sacrality of the architecture it resides in. The research paper dissects and answers the thesis question, “what makes a space sacred,” through a research-driven design approach that delivers the thesis prompt, architecture must comprise of intentional

Sacred space creates a sacrality of the architecture it resides in. The research paper dissects and answers the thesis question, “what makes a space sacred,” through a research-driven design approach that delivers the thesis prompt, architecture must comprise of intentional design elements that create a physical, perceptual, and spiritual experience to validate its sacrality. The paper introduces research behind sacred architecture and its design elements, and questions how these design elements contribute to the validity of sacred architecture. The research infers that there must be an intentionality behind these design elements. The research leads to the analysis of three case studies that demonstrate the use of sacred architecture’s design elements and validates their purpose and intention. Peter Zumthor, Swiss architect, and two of his projects, the Bruder Klaus Chapel and the Kolumba Museum, demonstrate the use of intentional design elements through Peter Zumthor’s methodology and intention behind his designs. As well, the personal case study, the Holy Family Shrine, showcases sacred architecture’s design elements through the intentional use of symbolism. The analysis leads to the discussion of two design projects, Tabernacle of Humility and Campo, Sacrality Made Real, exhibit and support the analysis of Peter Zumthor’s methodology and works, along with the intentionality of design elements in sacred architecture. In conclusion, it is understood that with symbolic intentionality behind design elements, the sacrality of architecture is revealed, thus creating a physical, perceptual, and spiritual experience.

Date Created
2022-05
Agent

Architectural Design and the Consumer Mind

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Description

An exploration of how architecture can react to American hyper-consumption of clothing products. With the goal to raise public awareness and create systemic, sustainable change in the fashion industry, this project synthesizes each part of manufacturing, including production, consumption, and

An exploration of how architecture can react to American hyper-consumption of clothing products. With the goal to raise public awareness and create systemic, sustainable change in the fashion industry, this project synthesizes each part of manufacturing, including production, consumption, and post consumption, into one local campus. By bringing manufacturing back into the daily rhythms of an urban context and combining a prototypical mix of fashion related programs, ethically minded consumers are formed.

Date Created
2021-05
Agent

Mystery, Suspense, and the Space of Architecture: Two Rear Window Sequences and the Tempe Transcripts

Description

This thesis seeks to answer, how could architects design for mystery and suspense and how would the perception of those spaces change for the spectators? By looking into production designers, art directors, and screenwriters, specifically the film Rear Window (1954)

This thesis seeks to answer, how could architects design for mystery and suspense and how would the perception of those spaces change for the spectators? By looking into production designers, art directors, and screenwriters, specifically the film Rear Window (1954) by Alfred Hitchcock one can analyze their use of architecture as part of the way that they build mystery and suspense by making movies that can help test if architecture spaces that are originally designed for a different purpose can build mystery and suspense. This research re-creates one scene from the film in four different locations: three on Arizona State University Tempe campus and one in an apartment complex. These short movies tested in different architectural spaces as such as, entering and exiting of buildings, access under a building that restricts individuals from seeing who is coming in or out, enclosed architecture, and by having hallways that lead up to each other and not permitting the occupant/participant to see everything around them. After filming the movies were compared to each other and a set of drawings was made to understand important choices made in each movie. What this thesis comes to investigate are the movies which are tools architects can use in their design process. Instead of starting a project from a sketch, why not start it from a movie. As this thesis reveals the act of choosing a film, dissecting it, and re-creating the experience of the film in their own movies in different locations can create a unique project.

Date Created
2021-05
Agent

Architecture and Its Impact on Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Description

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability that impacts one’s social interaction, communication skills (both verbal and non-verbal), and cognitive function. Autism affects 1 in 60 children. Individuals with autism have trouble understanding facial expressions or social cues, and

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability that impacts one’s social interaction, communication skills (both verbal and non-verbal), and cognitive function. Autism affects 1 in 60 children. Individuals with autism have trouble understanding facial expressions or social cues, and often see the world around them differently than a neurotypical individual (mainly increased sensitivity to sounds, motion, or lighting). As the name implies, autism is a spectrum, and no two individuals are alike. As the saying goes, “When you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism.” Movies such as Rain Man (1988) or The Accountant (2016) showcase autistic individuals who are higher-functioning; they are able to verbally communicate and live somewhat independently. Other autistic individuals, such as my brother, Tyler, are lower-functioning. Tyler is non-verbal and unable to be independent, and our day-to-day life is greatly shaped by this.<br/><br/>One thought that haunts the parents of autistic individuals is, “What happens when they’re older?” Even more scary is the question “What will happen when I’m gone?” My brother is on the autism spectrum, and my mother describes these thoughts as ones that “keep [her] up at night.” She explains, “I think it’s important for him to be completely engaged and productive, and we have that right now because we’re in our little safety bubble...that’s going to end...and it’s kind of scary.” Around 50,000 children with autism turn 18 every year in the United States, and nearly 90% of autistic individuals lose access to the services they have relied on throughout their entire lives. My hope is that architecture can help to answer this question by providing a place for adults on the autism spectrum to learn how to eventually live and work independently in the future. By implementing certain design features and design criteria to minimize the sensory overload issues commonly experienced by individuals with autism, we can create a safe space for learning for young adults on the autism spectrum.

Date Created
2021-05
Agent

Investigating the Impact of Psychological Factors on Thermal Perception and Walking Experience

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Description
This dissertation focuses on thermal comfort and walking as an experiential phenomenon in outdoor urban environments. The goal of the study is to provide a better understanding of the impact of psychological adaptation factors on thermal comfort. The main research

This dissertation focuses on thermal comfort and walking as an experiential phenomenon in outdoor urban environments. The goal of the study is to provide a better understanding of the impact of psychological adaptation factors on thermal comfort. The main research questions included the impact of psychological factors on outdoor thermal comfort as well as the impact of long-term thermal perception on momentary thermal sensation. My research follows a concurrent triangulation strategy as a mixed-method approach, which consisted of a simultaneous collection and analysis of qualitative and quantitative data. Research consisted of five rounds of data collection in different locations beginning February 2018 and continuing through December 2019. During the qualitative phase, I gathered data in the form of an open-ended questionnaire but importantly, self-walking interviews where participants narrated their experience of the environment while recording one-minute long videos. The visual and audible information was first processed using thematic analysis and then further analyzed via Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA). During the quantitative phase, I gathered information from participants in the form of three-step survey questionnaires, that data was analyzed using T-Test regression analysis in STATA. The quantitative data helped explore and address the initial research questions, while the qualitative data helped in addressing and explaining the trends and the experiential aspects of thermal environment.

Results revealed that spatial familiarity (as a psychological adaptation factor) has a significant relationship for both overall comfort and thermal comfort within outdoor environments. Moreover, long term thermal memory influences momentary thermal sensation. The results of qualitative and quantitative data were combined, compared, and contrasted to generate new insights in the design of outdoor urban environments. The depth and breadth of the qualitative data set consisting of more than a thousand minute-long of narrated video segments along with hundreds of pages of transcribed text, demonstrated the subjective aspects of thermal comfort. This research highlights the importance of context-based and human-centric design in any evidence-based design approach for outdoor environments. The implications of the study can provide new insights not only for architects and urban designers, but also for city planners, stakeholders, public officials, and policymakers.
Date Created
2020
Agent

Notre-Dame de Paris: the Illusion of Authorship in Architecture

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Description
Architecture has the distinct quality of creating a legacy both physical as well as intangible; the qualities of which influence, and are influenced by, the great diversity of human culture. While material and structure yield to the passage of time,

Architecture has the distinct quality of creating a legacy both physical as well as intangible; the qualities of which influence, and are influenced by, the great diversity of human culture. While material and structure yield to the passage of time, our collective understanding of the work will change just as significantly, yet less discernibly. How can we best retain the cultural content of architectural works against the passage of time, social change, environmental transformation, and disaster? The issue, while integral to architecture, has only been articulated thusly in relatively modern times, with the rise of the historic conservation movement in Europe. The cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris, a compelling vestige of culture, religion, and architectural form, was concretely compromised by the fire of the 15th of April 2019, which destroyed its spire and much of the roof. The cathedral’s planned restoration has been the subject of impassioned debate, controversy, and conjecture. In this thesis project, I will evaluate different approaches to retaining the cultural content present in architectural works and apply them specifically to the case of Notre-Dame de Paris. The project will culminate in a proposal for the restoration of the cathedral which is consistent with the principles determined to best preserve the legacy of the cathedral.
Date Created
2020-05
Agent

Architectural Natural Measures: Reducing Opportunity for a School Shooting

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Description
Through the study of Biophilic Design, Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design, and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, this thesis investigates how physical characteristics of a space influence human behavior and proposes Architectural Natural Measures to reduce opportunity for a school shooting.

Through the study of Biophilic Design, Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design, and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, this thesis investigates how physical characteristics of a space influence human behavior and proposes Architectural Natural Measures to reduce opportunity for a school shooting. These measures are intended to be a cost effective and holistic alternative to conventional, highly visible security measures that often have an adverse effect on student perception of school safety.
Date Created
2020-05
Agent

Post-Zoo Design: Alternative Futures in the Anthropocene

Description
Public awareness of nature and environmental issues has grown in the last decades and zoos have successfully followed suit by re-branding themselves as key representatives for conservation. However, considering the fast rate of environmental degradation, in the near future, zoos

Public awareness of nature and environmental issues has grown in the last decades and zoos have successfully followed suit by re-branding themselves as key representatives for conservation. However, considering the fast rate of environmental degradation, in the near future, zoos may become the only place left for wildlife. Some scholars argue that we have entered a new epoch titled the “Anthropocene” that postulates the idea that untouched pristine nature is almost nowhere to be found. Many scientists and scholars argue that it is time that we embraced this environmental situation and anticipated the change. Clearly, the impact of urbanization is reaching into the wild, so how can we design for animals in our artificializing world? Using the Manoa School method that argues that every future includes these four, generic, alternatives: growth, discipline, collapse, and transformation , this dissertation explores possible future animal archetypes by considering multiple possibilities of post zoo design.
Date Created
2019
Agent