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DescriptionThe goal of this creative thesis is to construct and implement an outdoor learning environment for the students who currently attend AIM's homework club. The project is underway and will be undergoing construction over the next few months.
ContributorsPeralta, Crystal Diane (Author) / Coseo, Paul (Thesis director) / Cook, Edward (Committee member) / The Design School (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
This research and design project proposes an active (resilient/adaptive) architecture to address the problem of natural disasters in developing communities. Natural disasters are the outcome created when mankind stops listening and learning to the surrounding environment. They are like any other natural hazard created by the environment, or human activity, the only difference is that natural disasters are destructive, claiming lives and damaging economies of affected areas. Research shows that it is more expensive for a community to recover from a disaster than it is to prevent it from happening in the first place or trying to prevent factors that might increase fatality. Therefore, rather than dealing with the after-effects, this project proposes solutions for the prevention of the adverse effects of natural disasters during the process of building rural communities \u2014 to better adapt for those events. Furthermore, research has shown that natural disasters have little power in taking lives and weakening economies alone. In his book, 2000 Years of Mayan Literature, Professor of Anthropology Dennis Tedlock, explains that many historical civilizations collapsed in part due to the inadequate relationship between society and the environmental conditions upon which societies rely. He compares this situation with our own, pointing to the parallel between the isolation of Easter Island, set apart by the vast wastes of the Pacific Ocean, with the isolation of the Earth in space. Tedlock's statement remains relevant in our time, yet mankind still turns a blind eye, and together with unprepared infrastructure, natural disasters can become exceedingly devastating and have long-term destructive effects. Active Architecture is the form of architecture that adapts to challenges and reacts to them accordingly and repeatedly, according to challenges introduces and forces present. Architecture plays a huge role in how natural disasters are dealt handled. In an interview with Arbuckle Industries, architect and humanitarian Shigeru Ban argues that natural disasters are manmade. He says that the earthquake alone cannot kill a person, the collapse of a building does. The actions of mankind are implicit in the massive destruction when a disaster occurs. Ban stresses it is the responsibility of an architect to make safe spaces. My proposal is that safe spaces can be created through active architecture. One example of active architecture is the civilization created by the people of Badjao, a 21st-century sea people. They are a relevant case study in my research because of their five (5) core technics in creating their active architecture: 1) architecture can be collective initiative, 2) adaptability goes beyond the building, 3) successful design can be born from fragility instead of stability, 4) listen to their environment, and 5) use surroundings and ecological impact as the defining qualities of their work in the long-term. In this paper, I will discuss the techniques of active architecture through a study of natural disasters in the form of landslides that occur often in my native country, Rwanda. Landslides, floods, droughts and heavy rain all routinely affect the country, however, landslides are the most urgent problem to be dealt with. In the final section of my paper, I use my research to develop an architectural solution to the issue of landslides in Rwanda and I project what the future of the country could look like if the proposal is implemented. The proposal describes a more active form of architecture that is responsive to the site and offers a resilient yet solid infrastructural solution to the problem of landslides.
ContributorsKarenzi, Emery (Author) / Vekstein, Claudio (Thesis director) / Hejduk, Renata (Committee member) / Mesa, Felipe (Committee member) / The Design School (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
The trends of products made by today’s companies follow a traditional linear economy where materials for products and services are taken, made, and then used until they are disposed of. In this model cheap materials are relied on in large amounts and our current rate of usage is unsustainable. Pollution and climate change are effects of this linear economy, and in order to secure a sustainable future for life on this planet, this model is not fit. A circular business model is the future for companies and products. Circular design and biomimicry are at the forefront of this transition. In conjuncture with the InnovationSpace program, I have developed a product for, and sponsored by, Adidas. The product utilizes a circular business model and a sustainable product ecosystem after using biomimicry as a tool for inspiration. The project was driven by this primary research question presented by Adidas: How can we embrace a true circular economy with far more reuse and recycling incorporated, while ensuring that all products travel from factory to foot in a more sustainable way while providing an engaging consumer experience? The goal
of this project was to generate solutions that can be applied to a broad range of products at Adidas.
The product developed is called Neomod, a modular shoe system. People buy shoes both for fashion and function, with the average American owning nineteen pairs. However, countless numbers of partially worn shoes end up in landfills because the materials they are made of are difficult to separate and replace. This is why we designed Neomod; a modular shoe made with interchangeable parts. It makes recycling shoes simpler, but at the same time, provides users with a variety of styles to mix and match to fit their lifestyle. Neomod’s goal is to minimize the amount of waste created and allows all parts of the shoe to be used until its end of life. As consumers buy, recycle, and reuse Neomod shoes, they will help the world work towards a more circular economy.
The product developed is called Neomod, a modular shoe system. People buy shoes both for fashion and function, with the average American owning nineteen pairs. However, countless numbers of partially worn shoes end up in landfills because the materials they are made of are difficult to separate and replace. This is why we designed Neomod; a modular shoe made with interchangeable parts. It makes recycling shoes simpler, but at the same time, provides users with a variety of styles to mix and match to fit their lifestyle. Neomod’s goal is to minimize the amount of waste created and allows all parts of the shoe to be used until its end of life. As consumers buy, recycle, and reuse Neomod shoes, they will help the world work towards a more circular economy.
ContributorsReniewicki, Johnathan Robert (Author) / Sanft, Alfred (Thesis director) / Boradkar, Prasad (Committee member) / The Design School (Contributor) / Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
Humans are undeniably a part of nature. Without Earth's and her resources, we cease to exist. However, in recent years society has lacked the foresight or possibly care to understand the impact of our actions both on the planet and ourselves. Resources that industrialized societies are based on are dwindling in reserves and the impact of our actions in getting such resources has been largely harmful. In order to change cycles of overexertion both in our selves and the planet, we must change the ways we think. I propose that humans, very much like the Earth, have limited resources and need to be more mindful in our choices. Wellness and sustainability are two branches of sustaining a larger system and our collective future. On an individual scale, wellness is sustaining our individual resources (i.e. time, energy, thoughts), and can be aided through simple practices to encourage healthy patterns and processes. Sustainability in terms of the planet is sustaining our common resources. This requires a change in our individual selves as well as cooperation to change the larger systems that we are parts of. I separated wellness into three components, core values, positivity, and time management. Sustainability is separated into lifestyle, systems thinking, and learning from life. For each of the six components, I briefly describe their importance and benefits.
ContributorsShamas, Ariel Judith (Author) / Sanft, Al (Thesis director) / Heywood, William (Committee member) / The Design School (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Description
This thesis is a study of the potential of the contemporary Catholic church building in suburban Phoenix. The project seeks to develop a church that responds to the values of Pope Francis and to typical suburban development issues of modern cities. Through research, case studies, writing, and design, the project makes proposals about how our churches should be designed and built today and in the future.
ContributorsDuplantier, Rene Roy (Author) / Underhill, Michael (Thesis director) / Hejduk, Renata (Committee member) / Debartolo, Jack (Committee member) / The Design School (Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Description
As it currently stands, implementation of the bicycle into urban conditions is an afterthought. Cyclists face numerous safety concerns on a daily basis that are avoidable. Congestion within cities increases as available space within cities decreases. In addition, the energy and environmental crisis mandates the resolution of personal transportation methods. The opportunity for implementation of the bicycle is now, however the current infrastructure of the city of Tempe cannot sustain the bicyclist. Through the proposal of an architectural solution to the addition of the bicycle as a means of transportation in Tempe, this project aims to resolve the aforementioned issues of lack of space for cyclists, safety for cyclists, congestion and space availability in cities, as well as the environmental/energy crisis. This project questions where does the architect fit into the solution to Tempe's, transportation and energy crisis, in what way does the bicycle become the resolution to this issue, and how does a model of an architectural and infrastructural solution to the integration of the bicycle in the city of Tempe adapt to and work with the in-place system to positively effect the nature of which cities are designed in the United States. In addition, how does the architecture of a city resolve these issues? Focused on downtown Tempe, Cyclescape aims to resolve the aforementioned issues within Tempe, as well as have implications towards other US current and future cities with their strategies and philosophies on architecture, infrastructure, and the bicycle.
ContributorsGulinson, Jacob Michael (Author) / Ryan, Mark (Thesis director) / Hejduk, Renata (Committee member) / LeBlanc, Michael (Committee member) / School of Sustainability (Contributor) / The Design School (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Description
This project has the intent of redefining the learning experience of children ages 11-13 through student-centered design that of provides a beneficial environment for emotional, social, and physical health in which students can become more independent in both accountability of actions and in their thinking to see the larger picture and real-world application of each topic they learn and to foster thinking at a global scale. This is to be completed through the focus on the cognitive development and physical needs of the children at this age, a combination of the pedagogical models of inquiry-based, project-based, and community-based learning, connection to resources, implementation of design completed with understanding and testing of learning and working collaborative spaces, emphasizing the biophilic experience.
ContributorsRaisanen, Olivia Brita (Author) / Zingoni, Milagros (Thesis director) / Hejduk, Renata (Committee member) / Rogic, Tinka (Committee member) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / The Design School (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Description
As the move towards sustainable urbanism grows, understanding how the city has previously been envisioned and designed will be useful to moving forward. This work examines the legacy of urban design theories, what these theories have implied about what the city should be, and their sustainability consequences. Noticing three prominent urban design visions of the city, the technological city (as proposed in 1922 by Le Corbusier's Ville contemporaine and later in 1933 by his Ville Radieuse (The Radiant City), and in 1935 by Frank Lloyd Wright's' Broadacre City), the social city (as explored in 1961 by Jane Jacobs and in 1976 by Edward Relph of the University of Chicago), and the ecological city (as expounded upon in 1924 by both Lewis Mumford and in 1969 by Ian McHarg), I have newly applied the social-ecological-technical systems framework (SETS) to help classify and analyze these urban design theories and how they have mixed to create hybrid perspectives in more recent urban design theory. Lastly, I have proposed an urban design theory that envisions the sustainable city as an ongoing process. Hopefully, this vision that will hopefully be useful to the future of sustainable development in cities, as will a more organized understanding of urban design theories and their sustainability outcomes.
ContributorsWeber, Martha Stewart (Author) / Coseo, Paul (Thesis director) / Larson, Kelli (Committee member) / Industrial, Systems and Operations Engineering Program (Contributor) / The Design School (Contributor) / School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning (Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
The suburbs provoke a deeply polarized reaction, more so than most other components of the urban landscape. Those who live in the suburbs often love them for their quietude and their spaciousness, even while urban designers lament suburban sprawl. Regardless, suburbs are deeply entrenched in patterns of American urban land use, so an evolution to more sustainable land use will require incremental changes to suburban landscapes. The purpose of this project is twofold: one, to design a transition to a more sustainable landscape for an HOA in Gilbert, Arizona; and two, to abstract the process of designing this transition so that it can be applied on a larger scale.
ContributorsRonczy, Patricia Sophia (Author) / Coseo, Paul (Thesis director) / Hargrove, Allyce (Committee member) / The Design School (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
In early 2026, the NASA Discovery Program will fall into orbit with a metal asteroid named Psyche. Through discovery and interaction, this exploration will give us insight into an asteroid that we cannot see or interpret. From a certain view, you can look at how this mission mimics that discovery with experimentation of our own senses. As a part of a team of eight seniors, we were tasked to help develop a mobile application that reflects the Psyche mission and shows the future of the project ten years from now. Since this is also a government funded project, it is pertinent to adhere to the ADA compliance guidelines required to make digital applications accessible to the larger public. As a designer, I wanted to push this concept further to showcase that accessibility is not something that should be stereotyped or discouraged from a design perspective. Each person that interacts with the application will have a different experience but it is this collaboration between the object and it's audience that creates this sense of discovery. Taking the mission's core values one step further, this application was designed and explored to uphold the foundations of what Universal Design is about. It is about connecting interested parties to the material they are looking for without unrealistic access that is dependent on ability.
ContributorsSchaecher, Lauren Allison (Author) / Sanft, Alfred (Thesis director) / Heywood, William (Committee member) / The Design School (Contributor) / Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05