Washington D.C. is a high-pressure, fast-paced place to live and work. According to sociologist Ray Oldenburg, urban environments require "third places," informal public gathering spaces that are vital to community development and provide a social way to relieve stress. This project looks at...
This paper and design project pursues the role and value of textiles in interiors. Textiles are an ancient element of domestic life and they remain essential in our environments today. On one hand textiles and their role have not deviated from the basic roles of covering, softening, and...
Pickering Creek Audubon Center is devoted to increasing environmental literacy through education and outreach to the community. The Center's 400 acre property is located on Pickering Creek of the Wye East River, a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay. The Center operates educational programs on and...
It is apparent that the current office workplace often is isolating and stressful, with two-thirds of Americans identifying work as their main cause of stress in a study completed by the American Psychological Association in 2007. Unpleasant working conditions often occurring in dull cubicle...
This thesis investigates the study of subtractive architecture, It examines sight condition to inspire a unique design with a sustainable structure in a harsh environment. The idea of subtractive architecture through a geological mass refers back two thousand years ago, the Nabataeans started to...
The human phenomenon of the Sublime experience in nature is treasured, though difficult to quantify and manufacture. Skyland resort Shenandoah National Park's has the potential to become such a site in which visitors are encouraged to pause and fully experience the Sublime. As the highest point...
More than 500,000 children with autism are entering adulthood, and are faced with "a disjointed adult service provider network, age-related medical issues, developmental regression and an aging parent population"1. According to longitudinal studies, the absence of continued vocational options...
People diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have notbeen acclimated into typical society due to the lack of inclusion with non-ASD classmates in the educational environment of schools and colleges.Through innovative and effective school design utilizing proven beneficialdesign aspects...
An assisted living residence for seniors + animal shelter This thesis proposes to synthesize the need of socialization for animals in shelters and the benefits of interacting with animals for seniors in assisted living residences. By designing a hybrid living facility that is both an assisted...
The youth hostel has been loved as one of the most inexpensive accommodations by travelers for over 100 years. Usually, the purposes of using hostels can be classified roughly into two groups: getting a budget priced room or socializing. However, most hostel designs are based on dormitory...