Urban renewal promised rejuvenation of cities--cites that were increasingly losing inhabitants to the perceived security and safety of the suburbs. In its purest form, it was designed to sustain and support a metropolis, helping reduce the exodus of inhabitants in the population battle with the...
The day Domino magazine folded in January of 2009, a silence was heard throughout the design community. This marked yet another design magazine that had fallen victim to declining advertisement sales in recent years. Until this point, magazines were at the forefront of identifying design trends...
Architecture and interiors often play a central role in works of literature, but what happens when the roles are reversed? Interiors inspired by literature are often superficial or fantastic. A true translation of literary work to architectural form is not merely aesthetic in scope, but...
"Where there are no meaningful differences, brands become interchangeable commodities." This statement represents what many department stores have become, according to Paco Underhill, who calls himself a "shopping anthropologist." Mr. Underhill also complains about the "homogeneity of intention"...
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...
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...
This thesis reclaims the transformative power and significance of birth through the transformation of Battery Park's long abandoned Beaux-Arts style "Pier A" into a freestanding birthing center and commercial multi-use space that is devoted to nurturing women and their families; inspired by the...
In May 2009 the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority approved the plan recommending completion of Phase II of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project. The project is an 11.5 mile extension of the Silver Line which begins from the metrorail Orange Line at East Falls Church station in Fairfax...
The project is a model for a food store that is economical, convenient, and healthy while supporting local sustainable agricultural techniques, utilizing responsible growth tactics in urban environments; and working with government programs to educate people about the importance of a nutritious...
AbstractThis paper proposes the creation and design of a visitor center at the Viminacium archeological site in Southeastern Europe, present day Serbia. Viminacium was a major urban and a military center from the Roman era; at the height of its development, it had a population of over thirty...
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...
The development of relationship and community is significantly predicated upon the differences the various participants bring to the process. Aligning one's belief system to work toward a respectful celebration of those differences is critical to the success of the relationships formed. Putting...
ABSTRACT: An Urban Training Facility for 2-Wheeled VehiclesIt's just another day in commuter traffic going across town. While waiting for the light to change at a grid locked intersection, I see a scooter in the bicycle lane approaching quickly. A parked car jumps off the curb and the scooter...
Since 1947, designers in the United States have been working to preserve important historical buildings through preservation and conservation methods. Even so, the narrative of a building's complete past, its various uses and human interactions over time, is often lost to an ideal vision of what...
Between December 2007 and June 2009, the United States experienced its longest, and by most measures worst, economic recession since the Great Depression. Today, fifty-one years after the publication of Jane Jacob's The Death and Life of Great American Cities, the U.S. is marked by cities losing...
Many American small towns are in deep crisis. Facing an exodus of young generations as well as economic depression, Northeastern Pennsylvania's post-industrial communities are hollowing out. The coal mining industry that once employed families for generations aregone, leaving vacant store fronts,...
Nearly one-quarter of Americans live alone, a number expected to increase as the elderly population grows. The fastest growing family type is the single-parent household. This thesis project, the co unItY project, addresses the isolation of the growing elderly, single and single parent urban...
Recent trends in the hospitality industry indicate that an increasing number of travelers are seeking boutique hotels. The growth of this sector within the hospitality industry has been spurred by an increasing population with discerning tastes, who value sustainability and who frequent hip,...
The human definition of space is crafted from individual sensory experience. How a particular space appears is the result of how one or a combination of the five senses interprets the built environment. Each sensory element contributes to the definition, translation and meaning ascribed to the...
Have you ever noticed teens huddled at a local mall, loitering by the convenience stores, congregated on busy streets, or just looking out of place? This is a typical scenario of many teens who want to socialize with no place to go in cities across the United States. With billions of dollars...
This thesis project establishes that textiles are an important means of communication and an expression of individual and group identity. The study of two typologies form the backbone of the project, African kitenge cloth and Maija Isola's patterns for Marimekko. This proposal identifies specific...
An inspirational dance space was designed that encouraged teachers, students and visitors to explore innovation in dance and to achieve new heights of creativity in choreography, movement and performance, and that promoted a deeper appreciation for the art of dance. Dancespiration creates an area...
This thesis introduces the Pop-Up Studio, an unfoldable dwelling derivedthrough the examination of conceptual spaces as instruments of architectural progress. The Pop-Up Studio is an intentionally whimsical building that can best be described as Imaginary Architecture, a label created, defined...
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...
The year 2009 marked 75 years since hostels were first introduced in the United States. Despite its long existence in the country, the concept of hostelling is still greatly misunderstood by the public, or their existence throughout American communities is simply unknown to the public. This...
American multigenerational (MG) households are on the rise and in response, homebuilders are designing homes that emphasize privacy and separation. In line with the American cultural value of the individual, privacy and separation suggest ideas of division, exclusion, and fragmentation of the...
This project explores and applies principles of Biomimicry in the design and development of a cultural arts center along the Potomac River. The center features both a nineteenth-century historic canal tavern and a modern pavilion addition that overlooks the river and is integrated into the...
Gentrification is a phenomenon that has changed the cultural and architectural landscape of Washington, D.C. The effects of gentrification are apparent in the cultural shift that has occurred over the past 30 years. the racial make up of the city is separated by neighborhoods that have or have...
Craters, mountains, rivers and footprints are all natural phenomena which tell the story of a moment in time where a landscape has been permanently altered. The journey of life leaves a mark, and with these marks an identity is formed. This applies to both nature and people where a natural event...
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...
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...
Historically, public markets served as the economic, cultural and social foundation of many cities such as Leadenhall Market in London, United Kingdom, Jardin Juarez and Market Hall in Juchitan, Mexico, and West Side Market in Cleveland, OH. With the rise of chain grocery stores and supermarkets,...
Bangkok was once known as the Venice of the East. Thai people and their architecture lived symbiotically with nature, natural occurrences and functions of the land. Over the years, Westernization brought about industrialization that led to large population shifts to cities and the emergence of...
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...
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...
Art education in the American public school system has been declining for many years due to budget cuts and legislation changes, leaving students with little exposure to art and the creative process. In addition to this educational decline, Washington, D.C. has little outreach to citizens in...
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...
A brain fitness facility designed to develop brain's executive functions, enhancememory and advance personal performances. We exercise our body to stay strong, healthy and in shape, so why shouldn't we exercise our brain to stay mentally fit? It is now possible to locate and observe complex...
This research presents an interior design study on the continuation of the architectural skin through to interior walls and partitions. The extension of the exterior skin must develop an inner transition between the public and private areas that is both accommodating and beneficial to the needs...