Contemporary design and construction methods often entail large amounts of wastage, high construction costs, high energy consumption for heating and cooling, and thus a large carbon footprint, which limits their sustainability. While South Africaâs granting of much-needed houses to the indigent population is noteworthy, the quality of these houses sometimes leaves much to be desired. In addition, the cultural identity of the inhabitants of these houses is being lost. The purpose of this study is to determine if vernacular architecture and building techniques could be a possible solution to the above-mentioned problems concerning contemporary design in the Eastern Cape. Five case studies were conducted for this research. The first involved a perception analysis â through a questionnaire â of inhabitants of vernacular and contemporary homes in uMasizakhe, Graaff-Reinet. The next two case studies involved documenting the now-demolished Luxolweni community on the outskirts of Hofmeyr and three now-demolished rondavels surrounding Hofmeyr. The last two case studies are of recently-built contemporary designs. The first is a vernacular building in rural Centane and the second is a building steeped in innovations for sustainability in East London. The main results from the study revealed that the material properties of vernacular buildings are in many ways superior to their contemporary counterparts (these houses are cooler in summer and warmer in winter), vernacular homes are considered socio-culturally acceptable by their inhabitants, vernacular techniques can be successfully incorporated into contemporary architecture and that innovations can be incorporated within vernacular architecture for longevity. It was concluded that vernacular architecture has the potential to improve human settlements and the sustainability of the built environment, as well as strengthening the cultural identity of the local populace. This research is relevant in a country where buildings are often unsustainable and housing is lacking, as it offers a potential solution to these problems.

The aim of this study is to determine the extent of successful adaptations of church buildings in Bloemfontein. The reasons behind successful adaptation and behind the demolition of other churches are analysed through case studies. A background on the socio-political history, geographic location and the development of the design of religious architecture provides the context for the case study analysis. It was found that centralised auditorium churches, especially those designed for the Afrikaans Reformed Churches, between the 1930s and late 1950s are most likely to be demolished rather than be adapted. Modern designs, with linear elements and basic plans are more easily adapted to fulfil completely new functions. Less inherent symbolism in the design further improves the possibility of adaptation. The design of future buildings for religious worship should not necessarily abandon the symbolism associated with churches. The focus should rather be on designing buildings that can provide the atmosphere that facilitates the attention and sense of reverence needed in these spaces, whilst planned to be adaptable to different functions.

Urban infrastructure has long been regarded as the lifeblood to any city, essential to urban communities. A successful city cannot exist without a successful infrastructure, and as a city matures, its system must adapt. <br /><br /> Modern urban development and, in particular, the proliferation of urban expressways over the past half a century, has led to a greater fragmentation, and even segregation, of certain parts of the city, as well as unprecedented traffic growth that has strained the capacity of urban transportation systems. Cities around the world now confronted by the consequences of urban expressways must begin to rectify their situations. <br /><br /> In Downtown Toronto stands the Gardiner Expressway. Envisioned in the 1950s as part of a larger highway network, resistance to highway planning and growing interest in public transit a decade later left the Gardiner a liability in the urban infrastructure ? well traveled but disjointed, isolated from the waterfront, which is its immediate context, and congested with automobiles. On many levels, it continues to be a detriment to the city as a whole. <br /><br /> This thesis recognizes transportation infrastructure as vital to Toronto's overall development and looks to enhance that development by transforming the Gardiner Expressway into a viable and responsive transit interface, stimulating new, integrated systems of mobility. Conceived within the parameters of Toronto's Official Plan, the project uses a ten-year phasing strategy that involves policy planning, urban transit coordination, and includes the implementation of Personal Rapid Transportation [PRT] technology and a 7. 5 km elevated bicycle path. Seamless movement is achieved by inter-modal transit nodes and direct waterfront access. Bridging the city and the waterfront, the proposed transit initiatives specifically respond at various urban scales to increasing waterfront density, commuting patterns, land uses, and new developments. It is anticipated that the success of this revitalized system will lead other cities to reassess the capabilities of their own urban infrastructures.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, February 2011. / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 87-88). / Recently, creativity has received increased attention for educational programs from primary to tertiary levels. This research examines the intricacies of the creative process to understand what creativity is and how an educational environment can nurture creative learning through seeing and doing. I argue that the architectural design studio deserves further attention for its pedagogy that trains students to see and act at a faster pace. Based upon my teaching experience and research with students who excelled and struggled in the design studio, I designed a case study to examine the design studio through a working educational program, NuVu, which is a multidisciplinary program for high school students. The NuVu case study offers surprising successes and challenges of modifying the architectural studio for both students and instructors; namely to adapt to the studio culture with its critiques and prototyping and to balance the 'seeing' and 'doing.' The main contribution of this work is to shed light upon how the design studio cultivates creative thinking and how it can be adapted successfully for a different context outside of its architectural confinement. / by Saeed Arida. / Ph.D.

This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections. / Thesis: M. Arch., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Architecture, 2019 / Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis. / Reading has a long history, marked with shifts in inscription and language and with evolutions in the architectural typology of the library and reading room. How - and what - we read changes over time. Towards a New Art of Reading imagines a future state of readership, affective reading - capturing and illustrating instances of affective reading through the creation of five reading rooms. These speculations do not aim to predict a singular future of reading, but rather position a possible one - alluding to and depicting a reality based on reciprocities identified in past and present forms of reading. These series of instances, or reading rooms, outline a possible, expanding universe of affective reading. / by Anne M. Graziano. / M. Arch. / M.Arch. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Architecture

This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections. / Thesis: M. Arch., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Architecture, 2019 / Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (pages 129-131). / The United States has a long history of harsh and discriminatory immigration policies, which has often been in tension with those who believe in the nation's promise to take in the "tired, . . . poor, . . . huddled masses." This tension has led to a growing Sanctuary Movement across the country, as people have joined together to protect their undocumented neighbors from the increasingly severe deportation tactics of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. As part of this movement, several states, counties, and cities around the country have declared themselves "sanctuaries" and have limited their cooperation with federal government efforts to enforce immigration law. Although the notion of sanctuary in the U.S. has centered on immigration policies, it should also be considered as an architectural and spatial phenomenon. The spaces in which ICE raids take place, such as the home, the workplace, and the courthouse, have been complicit in allowing for the transgression of rights during immigration arrests. Thus, there is a need for architectural interventions to resist this injustice. Through the exploration of multiple narrative outcomes of raids at the home, the workplace, and the courthouse, this thesis aims to demonstrate the capacity of architecture to change a sequence of events, while also recognizing the unpredictability of design decisions. This approach tests the limits of architectural agency in resisting injustice as part of the Sanctuary Movement--not by providing solutions, but rather by speculating on the many ways that Architecture can participate in producing social change by engaging with other disciplines, such as Law. / by Noora Aljabi. / M. Arch. / M.Arch. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Architecture

This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections. / Thesis: M. Arch., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Architecture, 2019 / Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (pages 135-139). / A passage within architectural discourse refers to a narrow space which leads from one place to another. It is the intermediary zone between two defined programmes. It is a moment of transition, where the ambiguity of its claim facilitates for multiple crossings which lead to unexpected interactions and transactions. This thesis explores the current and projected intersection of passages within the context of the Mediterranean Sea. In particular, the intersection between the passage of migrants and that of renewable energy is investigated. The speculation of this thesis is to ask if architecture can aid in producing a platform from which a mutually beneficial relationship can form between that of irregular migrants and the renewable energy sector. Following the peak of irregular migrants crossing by sea in 2015 new policies, which have included the closing of national borders have lead to migrants attempting more dangerous passages. / As a result, fatalities have increased, simultaneously search and rescue responses have become more political in nature. The sea in the eyes of the migrant has become a barrier. In the eyes of renewable energy corporations and policy makers the sea is awaiting harvest. There lies the potential for a hybrid form of infrastructure, one in which a mutually beneficial relationship can exist between the social and technological agendas. The proposal is for a network of energy stations, which provide a physical as well as financial platform for which response to search and rescues may take place. From initial processing, to optional skills training in renewable energies and graduation to a paid year-long field placement, the network is an advocate of connectivity and productivity. With funding from NGO and non profit organizations, units for living can be subsequently brought to site and reinstalled elsewhere as migration and unemployment patterns continue to fluctuate. / In such a way the human scale may find itself within the vast expansion of our technological landscapes. / by Natalie K. Bellefleur. / M. Arch. / M.Arch. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Architecture

This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections. / Thesis: M. Arch., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Architecture, 2019 / Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (pages 116-118). / This thesis proposes a methodology for the speculation of futures in architecture. The title "Ad Astra" translates as "to the stars", a romantic harkening to the human ambition and desire to interrogate and surpass the physical and intellectual boundaries of our world. The subtitle, "Designing Future Archaeologies" alludes to a method of producing these futures and the design knowledge available in them. This architecture is a story. It takes place aboard a spaceship carrying 800 passengers travelling for 800 years to the Trappist 1 system. This story is told through a narrative, describing a fictional history of a speculated future. The narrative is driven by three contrived events; pressure points that propel the plot of the story of the Theseus II; a ship/architecture that remakes itself from within in response to the changing social priorities and characters of its inhabitants. This architecture is an imagined future, born from the contingencies, variabilities and randomness of its speculated history. This future is designed; a future that seeks to produce knowledge even in an isolated time capsule of humanity in which "knowledge" is expected to atrophy. The knowledge produced aboard the Theseus II comes from within its isolated condition. Each of the scenarios has a speculated physical response, a disturbance to the status quo that is formed by the shifting material, social and epistemological priorities of the crew. Ultimately, this future is one of many possible futures; each the consequence of accumulated events whose physical and social consequences cannot be predicted. It is in this landscape of instability and randomness that there is a knowledge available to architecture and it is type of knowledge that will be necessary to design futures beyond human lifespans. The future is, fundamentally, contingent. / by Alexander Kobald. / M. Arch. / M.Arch. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Architecture

This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections. / Thesis: M. Arch., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Architecture, 2019 / Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (pages 77-80). / Today's debate on the car is a paradox, where the car is absent from its own future. Yet cities appear to be experiencing the opposite; there has been growth in the number of cars. Multiple discourses of the car - self-driving cars, fossil fuel alternative vehicles, a shift to public transit - circumvent or obscure the fact that today people are increasingly reliant on car usage, and this trend domestically and abroad is only increasing. Boston could be seen as an example of this schizophrenic condition; it is identified as being a pedestrian-friendly city, one that at the same time continually experiences more and more cars every day. Over the last ten years, commuting time has increased into Boston by 10%, and is only expected to get worse as up to 80,000 more drivers are expected to join the commute in the coming decade. Cars are somehow seen as a solution of the past, current-time responses to car usage - parking facilities, access, etc. - are lagging behind, as if the city fails to take cognizance of its own behavior. My thesis examines this existential problem of the car. It presumes that the current tradition of vehicle usage will persist and even grow in the future, and sees this as a fundamental challenge to the future of Boston's urban quality. Taking up the wide 'chasm' opened by the i-90 as its site, this thesis proposes to reconnect a fractured city and assuage the surrounding form the congestion of the car. Spanning the freeway, to open new land in the city, it will integrate a separate circulation for the car; aiming to relieve the pressures of an overburdened downtown. The result is a place for the car in the center of the city, but separate from it; a quarantine for the car. / by Paul Luis Short. / M. Arch. / M.Arch. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Architecture

This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections. / Thesis: M. Arch., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Architecture, 2019 / "February 2019." Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (page 92). / Since the economic reform in 1978, urban planning in China has shifted from spatial manifestation of economic planning to projective planning. This rapid mode of policy-driven urbanization has instrumentalized infrastructural development using the master plan as tools to promote urbanization for economic growth. The transformation of Beijing has epitomized how the master plan has replaced urban block as a spatial tool for the making of the city. The result of this practice is Le Corbusier's radiant city in a dystopian state: parallel blocks of residential towers enclosed in gated communities that are detached from the city. Currently, Beijing has a migrant population of 8 million, who called themselves "Bei Piao", literally translated as "floating in Beijing". The exclusive policy to cap population and exorbitant housing price further exclude migrants to live in the city. As Beijing continued to expand with the construction of new infrastructure, I will argue that development of infrastructure will not solve the problems of the city and make it more inclusive. Through the reading of the historical context of Beijing, the idea of collectivity is manifested, seen through historical urban forms of courtyard house and Hutong (alley). This thesis uses the vocabulary of historical neighborhood of Beijing, and investigates how collectivity can be formed through relational aspects of elements of architecture, such as courtyard, alley, window, balcony and terrace. This project intends to use key elements of architecture from the contextual reading to make a neighborhood of collective living in central Beijing. Rather than proposing a solution to reverse socio-spatial exclusiveness, the project intends to set up a framework, and imagine how it can be appropriated by future residents. / by Wenxin Cai. / M. Arch. / M.Arch. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Architecture