Within the bodies of living organisms are multitudes of sustainable design solutions that engineers have yet to master. Through the use of tailored sustainable bioinspired design (BID) tools and methodologies, engineers could access and apply this body of biological knowledge to reduce the environmental impact of engineering designs. However, the underlying theory of BID must be more thoroughly fleshed out – and a clearer understanding of the types of sustainability solutions present in biology must be achieved – before such tools and methodologies can be developed. The goal of this thesis is to tackle both issues and, consequently, lay the foundation for environmentally sustainable BID. The first section of this work critically examines thirteen of the most frequently-cited benefits of BID, using academic literature from both biology and engineering design. This analysis presents a nuanced explanation of the ways BID could improve designs and the conditions in which these improvements are expected. Hence, it provides the theoretical foundation necessary to develop tools and methodologies that capitalize on the design opportunities found in biological organisms. The second section focuses on identifying sustainability-related trends in a pool of existing, sustainable BIDs. The type of environmental impact reduction conferred by the bioinspired feature is delineated using a set of 65 green design guidelines (GDGs) to compare the impact of the BID and a functionally-equivalent comparison product. Additionally, the general design features that impart an environmental impact reduction to the sustainable BIDs are identified, analyzed, and discussed. These results provide insight into the types of sustainability solutions that can be found using biological analogies. / text

The Sustainable Consumption Research and Action initiative, or SCORAI, is an international online dialogue between scholars and practitioners through discussion of current events and theories concerning sustainable consumption. In this research, I use SCORAI as a case study to identify current topics important in the field of sustainable consumption and then synthesize these topics with discourses and actors in sustainable architecture and design. The methods used to achieve this synthesis include analysis of existing foundational SCORAI literature to "ground" the research, data coding of primary SCORAI scholarly conversation, and participatory research and feedback with both SCORAI contributors and designers. First, a theoretical grounding in sustainable consumption literature provided a foundation to interpret data both as an "insider" expert and as well as an analytic observer. Next, building on the foundational insider, or "in-vivo," knowledge, a contemporary segment of the SCORAI mailing list was coded in order to articulate patterns and observations of relevant SCORAI themes. Lastly, SCORAI researchers and architectural practitioners participated in the research in the development and implementation of a focus group in order to identify what SCORAI concepts might mean to design students and practitioners. As a result of this process and focus group, I present two concluding lists: seven research observations, and another eight resulting propositions to inform future research and practice. These observations and propositions are presented in an effort to further understanding on how future sustainable consumption ideas might synthesize with design to address systemic sustainability problems. / text

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Architectural sustainability is ambiguous. The contemporary understanding of sustainability is often debated on the basis of environmental and humanitarian focus. This focus often brings ambiguity when the concept of sustainability is promoted as an end product and not as a perpetual process. For ecologically harmonious and sustainable human survival, sustainable methods and processes are believed to encourage reworking the course of human development.The Component-based design approach is a promising and appropriate method for achieving sustainability. The method involves systems thinking and illustrates characteristics like flexibility, resilience, adaptability and generative system. The focus of design should be in making relationships among these various components and processes, rather than emphasis on end product. This creative project illustrates these conceptual processes using computational logic to create a project for graphics and multimedia presentation. / Department of Architecture

Design is one of the most important stages in product development. Product design has experienced significant changes from concentrating on cost and performance to combining economic, environmental and societal considerations in design process. Sustainability is a new concept to balance economic, social and environmental aspects in product design. This research focuses on sustainable product design. The main challenging problem in the sustainable design is how the sustainable criteria can be used as quantitative metrics to evaluate products. This research integrates Axiomatic Design and Quality Function Deployment (QFD) concepts with Eco-design tools, such as Life cycle Assessment (LCA), to establish the quantitative metrics for sustainable product design. A novel wheelchair is designed as a case study in this research. Modularity is conducted to improve the wheelchair for the end of life cycle management

Thesis (M.Arch.)--University of Massachusetts Amherst, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 66-68).

The project evolved from a series of questions regarding the possibilities/interactions between building and site. The project consists of housing, a chapel and the relationship to the land they occupy. / Master of Architecture

Poster exhibited at GPSC Student Showcase, February 24th, 2016, University of Arizona. 2nd Place Winner of the Creativity Undergraduate Award. / Architecture has the power to create an inclusive society where everyone feels as if they have a voice and responsibility to a sustainable future. With collaboration and dedication, architectural design can have a huge impact on the living conditions of underrepresented communities. Working through the Drachman Design Build Coalition, the scope of the project involves designing and constructing an affordable dwelling for a low-income family in the city of Tucson, Arizona. The overall mission of building affordable housing is to provide under-served families with housing opportunities that would not be otherwise. The house will be designed as a 2-3 bedroom dwelling with 2 bathrooms, and indoor living space, outdoor living area, and a carport. Through research and physical observation, potential sites were explored, sustainable strategies were learned, and affordable housing techniques were studied. Many iterations of housing models were developed based on information gained from local books and journals written on traditional southwestern housing designs. The Notch House starts to develop as a sustainable affordable housing project designed in response to underrepresented families in Tucson.

The design project is an exploration of a design methodology, which builds upon the importance of human behavior in sustainable design, and materializes ideas and theories in spatial forms. The project focus on low income children between ages 6-15 in Meredith Learning Center, built in M Station Apartments, one of the properties of Foundation Communities, Austin. The project aims to foster sustainability education to minimize consumption and waste through interior design elements, make children active recipients of sustainability knowledge and help them to adopt daily sustainable habits by providing access for environmentally friendly choices, and motivating engaging, continuous, and appropriate acts. / text

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