Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1981. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCH. / Bibliography: p. 167-172. / It is the opinion of this writer that the success or failure of a "place" or space as defined by architectural or urban design terms is linked not only to its physical boundaries and the reality of its elements and their material composition, but also to the divergent meanings and the associations that they invoke within the observer. It is further my opinion that in the past, in a time when the "individual" was more directly involved, better able and more willing to take part in affecting the shaping of our environment, through the craft of building, the quality of "meaning" of which I speak was achieved as a natural by-product of this process. Because of this integration the meaning and quality of a place was better perceived "commonly" or generally by the larger public audience. The users felt more directly connected to the environment in which they lived. As the "individual" was removed from the process of creation and construction his absence was perceivable in the product of those activities, our built environment. As a result our spaces and places for living, our architecture, became more and more removed from the collective experience, more barren, less related to, or grounded in, the human experience and the human functions they were to support. The results were that the places we live in, work in, play in, were perceived as, and thereby often became, alienating and cold. The fact is, that while in many cases our newly constructed physical boundaries or objects, their functions, and their activities were still as the old, the places did not work nor do they work today. They work neither at all, or, as well as one might expect if evaluating only their physical elements. It is the intention of this thesis to attempt to analyze and describe the process, the ways in which meaning can be designed into or added to the environment and its architecture through acquiring an understanding of the process by which it occurs, or has occurred, naturally. I wish to study how this process can be integrated into our current practices of design and construction, and determine when, where, and how our current practices should be changed to accommodate what I see as an imperative to re-introduce "meaning" into our built environment. / by Ronald Thomas Reed. / M.S.

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Thesis (M. S.)--Architecture, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009. / Committee Chair: Economou, Athanassios; Committee Co-Chair: Eastman, Charles; Committee Member: Do, Ellen; Committee Member: Knight, Terry; Committee Member: Peponis, John

Thesis (M.A.)--Miami University, Dept. of Architecture and Interior Design, 2007. / Title from first page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 21-24).

published_or_final_version / Architecture / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

No description available.

No description available.

This thesis addresses the evolution of supermarket architecture in the UK from the period following the Second World War up to the present day. It records the history of this phenomenon and explores the relationship between the developing architectural design styles of supermarket buildings and the social economic and political changes that have influenced their design. Focusing on the main objectives the research progressed through interview, observation and the analysis of archive material towards an inquiry into the nature, and particular significance, of these buildings and their place in the field of retail commerce. In order to examine in depth the concept of supermarket architectural design, four case studies are presented, both to illustrate the evolution of store design and to demonstrate the complex processes involved in the design and the completion of specific developments. These studies of individual stores together present a clear picture of the many variable elements that must be considered in the design and construction of a supermarket building. The discussion and conclusions drawn from the research material, in particular the four case studies, records and demonstrates the substance and meaning of these and other supermarket buildings and the influences, both mandatory and elective, that are important and significant in their design and the design of the sites they occupy. The review of relevant literature supports the conclusion that this research presents new knowledge in a field as yet unexplored by academic study.

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Thesis (M. Arch.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1982. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCH. / Includes bibliographical references. / Geometries and geometric systems are not architecture, though architecture is geometric. Geometries and geometric systems, because of their autonomous nature, are generally understandable and can serve as the basis of communicable patterns expressed in architectural form, even though they are not necessarily at the base of man's structural understanding of environmental order. As a method of illustration, this study focuses on the geometry of the square, realizing its persistent and valued use in architectural works of all peoples, in all cultures, throughout all of history. The square is considered as the basic geometric unit which generates the cube, the grid, and the frame. The square and its derivatives are examined with regard to their inherent quantitative, qualitative, and structural properties. The square/orthogonal organization is compared both to concentric and to topological organizations and is shown to have special value as a structure for man's physical/architectural environment. The observance of orthogonal and concentric organizations as experiential phenomena in nature is found to have a major influence on the meanings and symbolic significance which these systems have historically held. Some historical examples are shown to illustrate the functional and symbolic roles that the square/cube, circle/sphere, and grid/frame have played in the structuring of architectural space and form. Some architectural compositions within a square plan, by a number of modern and contemporary architects, are analyzed, focusing on: (1) the descriptive nature of the relationship between functional/formal organization and the geometric structure of the square, and (2) the value that the square holds in these architects' work. Finally, the square is shown to be the basis for two general systems of measure: (1) open grids, and (2) grids of symmetry. The character of these systems are illustrated through their appearance in the structuring of natural form. Historical examples are then presented to show these systems' use and value in architecture. / by Alan Royal Joslin. / M.Arch.