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- All Subjects: Architecture
- Creators: Zingoni, Milagros
Through an investigation of agriculture and cuisine and its consequential influence on culture, education, and design, the following project intends to reconceptualize the learning environment in order facilitate place-based practices. Challenging our cognitive dissonant relationship with food, the design proposal establishes a food identity through an imposition of urban agriculture and culinary design onto the school environment. Working in conjunction with the New American University’s mission, the design serves as a didactic medium between food, education, and architecture in designing the way we eat.
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.
The first paper is based on a systematic literature review where evidence from morphological mitigation strategies in HUDs were critically reviewed, synthesized and integrated. Metrics, measurements, and methods were extracted to examine the applicability of the different strategies, and a content synthesis identified the levels of strategy success. Collective challenges and uncertainties were interpreted to compare aspirational goals from actualities of morphological mitigation strategies.
The second paper unpacks the relationship of urban morphological attributes in influencing thermal conditions to assess latent magnitudes of heat amelioration strategies. Mindful of the challenges presented in the first study, a 92-day summer field-measurement campaign captured system dynamics of urban thermal stimuli within sub-diurnal phenomena. A composite data set of sub-hourly air temperature measurements with sub-meter morphological attributes was built, statistically analyzed, and modeled. Morphological mediation effects were found to vary hourly with different patterns under varying weather conditions in non-linear associations. Results suggest mitigation interventions be investigated and later tested on a site- use and time-use basis.
The third paper concludes with a simulation-based study to conform on the collective findings of the earlier studies. The microclimate model ENVI-met 4.4, combined with field measurements, was used to simulate the effect of rooftop shade-sails in cooling the near ground thermal environment. Results showed significant cooling effects and thus presented a novel shading approach that challenges orthodox mitigation strategies in HUDs.
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.
Wildfires are rapidly becoming one of the biggest issues that California has to face. Every year, fire season gets longer as lack of rain, high winds and faulty power lines combine in a recipe for disaster. Nearly the entire state, north to south, has been affected by at least one major firestorm since the fall of 2017. They have become the new normal, razing towns in hours and leaving nothing but wreckage in their wake. Because of this growing problem, solutions for fire-proofing existing towns and strategies for rebuilding those affected are more important than ever. Using design as a lens with which to address this problem, this thesis explores materials that have been tested and proven to be more fire-resistant, as well as outlines through case studies how communities and designers can implement these strategies to create safer communities in wildfire-prone areas. The case studies paint a variety of pictures of what fire-resistant architecture and design can be, offering a comprehensive set of guidelines for both community members and designers to move forward with building or rebuilding structures in a wildland urban interface zone. Researching homes built in both California and Australia widens the perspective of how large the problem of wildfire truly is in terms of building destruction. Solutions such as prefab modular home construction are also becoming a popular option as they are fast and inherently more fire-resistant than traditionally rebuilt homes. At the urban and regional level, research has revealed the importance of planning homes and communities in a way which integrates with the natural topography of the site and minimizes surrounding fuel loads. In addition, building materials such as concrete, straw bale and heavy timber are the most fire-resistant, especially when clad with an outer layer of tile, brick or other noncombustible material and with protected vent openings. Interior materials should minimize the usage of wood detailing, unless using certain products that have the appearance of wood but are actually created by non-combustible materials. Homes should have more compartmentalization to slow down a fire from spreading should one occur in the structure. Fire detection/suppression systems should be up to date and using the latest technology.