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Two computer models, namely MOBILE2 and PAL were utilized to estimate the air pollution emissions and concentrations due to traffic to and in the Central Florida Research Park. Since the Park is under construction, there are no actual existing data. Generally accepted engineering techniques were adopted to estimate traffic flow used for the study. Sensitivity analyses were conducted on the results, and it was found that changing the number of lanes for the roads - with different volumes of traffic on each lane - does not change the results significantly . But changing the dimensions of area sources (the parking lots in this study) did change the results. Therefore, accurate dimensions of those area sources are important to an accurate model. For areas with prevailing wind directions, long rectangular parking lots can be designed with their lengths perpendicular to the wind direction to get low pollutant concentrations. The results indicate that the carbon monoxide concentrations generated by vehicles in the Research Park will be within the Ambient Air Quality Standards for all cases studied.

This thesis seeks to investigate how architecture can utilize different techniques to introduce people to landscape, specifically those who have an uncomfortable relationship with nature due to inequities in access to quality green space, a cultural distancing from nature due to historical acts of violence, or an increasingly urban and work focused lifestyle. A proposed Visitor Center in Rock Creek Park, in Washington, DC, acts as a slow transition from park to city and back again, breaking the landscape into more digestible pieces before putting it back together as a whole. The building's strategy for introduction can be broken up into two categories, what the building reveals to visitors, and what it tells visitors. The building reveals the surrounding landscape in a rhythmic way of spaces of rest and spaces of activity, utilizing entrances on different levels, screened views, and glass corners to frame the landscape and topography. It is also designed to reveal the power of the environment, the sun, the rain, and the snow, in weathering the materials and creating a dynamic appearance and exposing the ways in which water runs through the site. In addition to showing the park, the building also is responsible for educating visitors about the important cultural and natural history of the park. The architecture supports the education of visitors in a flexible and non-technological way, using a variety of surfaces to display information to be seen and touched, to encourage the slowing down of minds and bodies to facilitate the transition from the bustling city to the restorative nature of the park. The proposed building utilizes design concepts present in nature and integrates them into the architecture of the building, to create an introductory experience into the landscape that touches the senses and the mind, preparing the visitors to enjoy the park. / Master of Architecture / This thesis, Taking Root, seeks to investigate how architecture can utilize different techniques to introduce people to a landscape, specifically those who have an uncomfortable relationship with nature due to inequities in access to quality green space, a cultural distancing from nature due to historical acts of violence, or an increasingly urban and work focused lifestyle. Research shows that time spent in nature improves mental and physical health outcomes, and the disparity of access or quality creates an issue of injustice. A proposed Visitor Center in Rock Creek Park, in Washington, DC, seeks to remedy that by acting as a slow transition from park to city and back again, and down into the canyon and back again. The building’s strategy for facilitating an introduction can be broken up into three categories: how the building relates to the environment, what the building reveals to visitors, and what it tells visitors. First, the building is designed to reveal the power of the environment, the sun, the rain, and the snow, on the façade through the careful selection of materials specifically for their weathering properties. In addition, the use of a native vine allows the building to change colors through the four seasons of the park, and mirror the forest that surrounds it. The combination of these techniques, plus minimizing the environmental impact of the building through stormwater management, a green roof for local pollinators, bird-safe glass, and reducing solar gain exposes the critical relationship between architecture and environment. Secondly, the visitor center reveals the landscape through the adoption of techniques found in nature that facilitate a powerful introduction to a place, and formalizes them into the architecture of the building and experience of the visitors. The techniques to promote familiarity with the park include controlling the pace with a series of long, curving paths and embracing the rhythm of the topography with ramps and the seasons with a pattern of spaces for activity and rest, teasing with glimpses through the tree-like screen and through the glass gills, framing the view into the park. In addition, the building strives to amplify liminal space, a threshold between the old and new, architecture and nature, which exists in the glass corner gills. These corners jutting into the park, lit by a skylight, and fed fresh air by automated ventilation louvers, allows for a person to have a more intimate experience, in a way that really exists outside of the building, but in a way that provides the comfort of familiarity and not being quite all the way in nature either. Finally, the building also is responsible for telling the visitors what they need to know by educating them on the important cultural and natural history of the park. The architecture supports the education of visitors in a flexible and non-technological way, using a variety of surfaces to display information to be seen and touched, to encourage the slowing down of minds and bodies to facilitate the transition from the bustling city to the restorative nature of the park. The proposed building utilizes its interaction with the physical environment, design concepts present in nature to reveal the landscape, and conveys information in a way and pace that is reflective of the way time moves in the park. All three strategies combine to create an introductory experience into the landscape that touches the senses and the mind, preparing the visitors to enjoy and appreciate Rock Creek Park.

This is an exploration of the circle through the lens of the African vernacular. The geometric circle is inherently rule based and requires only objective, geometric manipulation. The archetypal circle is subjective, an interpretation based on given characteristics of roundness. The archetypal circle is where abstraction and exploration occur. The plan of traditional African vernacular architecture is a circle, and as such, was the starting point. Rational manipulations of the geometric circle made the building. The mandala studies were subjective manipulations of the archetypal circle made to explore and develop the architecture. This became a Market in Nairobi. / Master of Architecture

A methodology was developed for determining the economic feasibility of a wood products industrial park. The methodology consists of twelve steps that address the goals of park owners, the feasibility of secondary manufacturing alternatives, the feasibility of the development corporation, and the financial areas needing management attention. Prerequisites to the financial analysis include market and technical analyses. Community impact analysis was also acknowledged as an important component of an overall feasibility analysis. A case study was performed that consisted of an economic feasibility analysis for a wood products industrial park in Southwest Virginia. The case study assumed private ownership and found that the best mix of park tenants included: an edge-glued dimension panel manufacturer, a solid dimension lumber manufacturer, a custom millwork manufacturer, and a pallet manufacturer. Primary manufacturing and marketing services were included in the preferred park formation as subsidiaries of the park development corporation. The park was predicted to have a strong positive impact on the regional economy. / Master of Science