The known population of earth sheltered houses in Warren County, Kentucky were studied (a) to document building materials and techniques utilized, (b) to describe the residents demographically and document their attitudes regarding satisfaction with earth sheltered housing, and (c) to determine reasons for building and resources utilized in financing and planning, as well as problems encountered in regard to the earth sheltered house. Data on 21 housing units were collected through personal interviews. Data analysis was accomplished using contingency tables, chi-squares, Pearson's product-moment correlation, and multiple stepwise regression. The earth sheltered house found to provide residents with high satisfaction was generally a chambered elevational structure which had cast-in-place concrete walls at the earth contact points with an exposed wood frame roof and a concrete floor. Amounts of soil coverage on the exterior varied, as did the use of insulation below grade. Waterproofing systems usually included drainage tile, swale(s), plastic sheeting, and a built-up asphalt or pitch coating applied to the exterior walls. A wood stove and central heating system were the most frequently used sources of heat. Air conditioning was utilized by most residents in the summer, although a window air conditioning unit often provided adequate cooling of the entire house. Ventilation was not a concern and dehumidification was seldom a concern for the residents. All 19 original owners (90% of the house owners in the study) acted as their own contractors, hiring professionals for such tasks as soil testing and subcontracting, and most reported no difficulty with financing and planning the earth sheltered house. Information on building the earth sheltered house was most often obtained from family and friends. The most common reasons for choosing this housing alternative were energy conservation and low cost. Resident satisfaction was high for most aspects of the earth sheltered house included in the study. All residents reported high overall satisfaction with the earth sheltered house and most of the housing systems investigated. Significant (p < .01) contributors to residents' computed total satisfaction score (TSS) were satisfaction with lack of mildew and satisfaction with natural lighting in the house (90% of variance explained). The addition of satisfaction with lack of condensation on windows, satisfaction with exterior appearance, and satisfaction with performance of the waterproofing system to the regression equation brought the explained variance to 98%. Significant (p < .01) to residents' self-reported overall satisfaction with their earth sheltered houses were satisfaction with heating and cooling expenses and satisfaction with interior surface temperature (59% variance explained). None of the other variables, housing related or demographic, added significantly to explained variance in the TSS or self-reported overall satisfaction with earth sheltered housing.

The way in which we approach building design is constantly being influenced by evolving economic, environmental and social parameters. These factors have implications on both pragmatic and aesthetic facets of design. The built environment is not autonomous from its immediate site or the ecologies of the region in which it is located, rather, the former must be designed to symbiotically exist within and enhance the latter. The term ecology is defined as “a branch of science that deals with the relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings.” Although this typically relates to biology, the term can be expanded to include economic or social ecology. It has been proposed that architectural design can be informed through and should evolve in relation to; environmental, economic and social ecologies. This thesis will examine the relationships between these “ecologies” and how they can inform the adaptive reuse of a vacant industrial site. It will include an examination of the paradigm shift from large-scale industrial manufacturing to Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) at the economic and social level. It will further discuss the evolution of environmental awareness within this shift and how these values can drive architectural design while allowing for long term flexibility in adaptive reuse.

The objective of this thesis is to explore BIM, IPD and their implementation into a building project contract. The Integrated Delivery Processes is comprised of a collaborative team of Designers, Constructors, and Owners working side by side to create a successful project. BIM has been introduced as a technology into the industry, as a tool that these parties can use for better understanding the project. Through case studies of IPD projects using BIM are observed, it was determined that although BIM was used, one problem faced is the lack of BIM standards included initially in a contract for in an IPD project. There are templates available by the AIA, AGC, and USACE, but they are not all standalone documents. A guideline for the parities to discuss will be introduced as conversation piece that would help segue into what might be included in the contract documents.

The current study gathers thermoplastics professionals’ perceptions on the implementation of lean-manufacturing in the Thermoplastics-manufacturing industry through Qualtrics, which is a survey website. From the professionals’ perceptions, the current study infers the current status of lean-manufacturing implementation in the thermoplastic-manufacturing industry and identifies the best lean theories and tools for the industry. However, the results of the current study are not generalizable to the entire thermoplastic-manufacturing industry. The current study reviews thermoplastic-manufacturing processes from the house of lean’s perspective. The foundations of the house are stability and standardization, the pillars are Just-In-Time (JIT) and Jidoka, the roof is customer focus, and the heart is employee involvement. Thermoplastic-manufacturing processes include extrusion, fiber spinning, film casting, film blowing, and injection molding. The questionnaire of this survey includes six rating-scale, two multiple-choice (multiple-answer), and three closed-ended questions. The questionnaire was distributed to the respondents through email, LinkedIn, and Society of Plastic Engineers (SPE). The expected responses’ quantity was 35. Since some of the respondents did not complete the whole survey, the actual responses’ quantity for each question was between 39 and 45. Based on the respondents’ perceptions, the implementation of lean manufacturing in the thermoplastic-manufacturing industry is incomplete. The industry professionals should put more attention and effort on the implementation of JIT and Jidoka. To fully implement JIT and Jidoka, thermoplastic-manufacturing companies should use lean tools that are related to JIT and Jidoka, such as kanban, takt time, heijunka, Value Stream Mapping (VSM), and poka-yoke, more often. Additionally, the thermoplasticmanufacturing industry practitioners perceived that the best lean theories for the industry were standardization, involvement, and stability, and the best lean tools were 5S, Total Production Maintenance (TPM), and poka-yoke

Many people in Mithi, Tharparkar do not have proper housing, face an unhygienic water supply, and have no sanitation facilities. These factors contribute to disease, suffering and the inability to rise above their destitute existence. The idea for building portable houses for the people of Mithi is presented to provide them with better living conditions and where they can feel a sense of security, ownership and sanitation. Research on existing building systems and materials showed that the most feasible structure for the desert environment is modular panels attached to a core unit that contains all the basic plumbing and electrical fixtures. The unit can be expanded based on family needs. Discussion with government officials showed that these could be used for the immediate needs of the people who have been suffering more acutely the last several years due to a drought. They could also be a permanent solution to the housing crisis if the "Chelson Shelter" communities worked well for ten years. The infrastructure in the Tharparker Desert is inadequate to support typical housing. These shelters have low environmental impact, use little water and electricity and would be a good solution to make a community of people that can support each other and provide security.

The recent revolution in digital design tools is having a sea-change effect on the way buildings are designed. As the design process becomes increasingly automated, the focus of architectural expertise is shifting from the execution of drawings to the parametric definition of space and form. In other words, the architect will define a complex set of rules that, when entered into a program, create a building. This design process, coupled with digital fabrication, allows for control of the final product in ways that were previously impossible for designers. However, there is still much to learn about the ways these new tools can be integrated into the architectural design and construction process, and their effect on that process. This thesis proposes that there are five levels of parametric design, varying in level of integration and complexity. The three most complex and visionary levels of integration were tested in three full-scale design-build projects to explore the ramifications of a computational process on design. A freestanding lamp, a chair for a teacher and a barn for two donkeys were designed using parametric tools at three levels of integration. Throughout each project, particular attention was paid to the steps in the design process, the effect of parametric integration on designer agency, and the role of labor in design and construction.

To master any type of process, it is estimated ten thousand hours is needed to finely tune your craft. Whether it is wood joinery, music, culinary arts or glass-blowing, it is about making something that can be seen, heard, touched and/or used. Society seems to be losing an appreciation for craft as an idea. Especially in the US, materialism has reduced quality and craftsmanship to merely a luxury to those who can afford it. It seems that while mainstream society continues to "progress", the craftsmen see their client's loss of comprehension and appreciation of the true quality in their workmanship. While many schools and guilds around the country aim to keep "the crafts", i.e. material based mediums alive, each craft brings potential processes and applications to the architectural realm. The art of glassblowing and others hold something unique to be implemented into architecture. The primary goal of the project is to study of craftsmanship within the art of glassblowing vs. how it can be translated into an architect's design process as well as his or her product. I also wanted to look at how specific craft schools pedagogies use the process of glassblowing to exemplify craft as a "making" process. Structuring my Thesis around craft and its survival in today's contemporary world, I want to address three sub-topics: First, to create a cohesive ‘genus loci’, second, to propose program additions to help redefine the artisan agenda, and lastly how to accomplish this with a low impact/ biophilic architectural tool, that functions not only at an environmental level but also as an educational component. I have chosen the Pilchuck Glass School in the Pacific Northwest as the site of my investigation. Pilchuck Glass School is an international center for glass art education, nestled into the foothills of the Cascade Mountains on a former tree farm in Stanwood, Washington. Pilchuck offers a series of courses and residencies for established artists in all media. Combining a deep focus on glass, access to a variety of resources, and an ever-expanding international community of artists, Pilchuck is the most comprehensive educational center in the world for glass artists.

The purpose of my thesis is to discover a logical way to connect the ideas of Rudolf Steiner, developer of the Waldorf Education Method, and current theories of education and psychology with the architectural design of an educational facility while maintaining Massachusetts Department of Education standards. With this purpose in mind, I studied a school, built in 1973 in Amherst: the Fort River Elementary School. The current school structure is in architectural conflict with many of the ideas extolled by the Waldorf Method. Among the questions, I wish to address in my thesis are: “What is the role of architecture in enhancing the quality of education?”, “What are the design elements which inspire learning?” “Can a Waldorf Method based design be compliant with Massachusetts Standards?”

The architecture of Airport terminals is unique in nature as it is linked with a wide range of concerns that go hand in hand to demonstrate the efficient functioning of the building. From an inconvenient mode of travel to the city center to the congestions in the security screening, concerns varying from urban design to systems engineering have an impact on the user experience. Along with these concerns, the spatial organization of the airport terminals accommodates various commercial, leisure, retail, and service-based spaces in addition to the core function of aviation. Where the guiding parameters for determining the spatial requirements are dependent on the projected life span, security restrictions, and other socio-political influences. An airport terminal is bound to maintain a stable balance between all of the above parameters and disruption in any of the above can cause major fluctuations in the performance of the airport terminals. According to the United States department of transportation, federal aviation administration(advisory circular 2014) the initial stages of the design for any existing or new airport are derived from the ‘Master planning report’. This report is comprised of airport layout, environmental studies, analysis of runway orientation, land use plans, activity forecasts, capacity analysis, estimates of facilities, and more. To achieve a balanced environment capable of satisfying the concerns of various institutions it is important that the positioning of each amenity is carefully curated and is designed to perform as expected for several years. The vulnerability of terminal buildings to the technological and infrastructural changes is one of the main problems with the airports. This thesis attempts to analyze different components that cause airport terminals to be rigid to the changes. Following the performance analysis for airport terminals, this project proposed a design solution that exhibits a potential way of increasing the efficiency and life span of the airport terminals. While the flexibility of physical infrastructure is one of the ways to absorb the increasing congestions in the building, it also needs to be organized so that it can ease the tensions in a positive way and do not cause unnecessary complexities. To acknowledge this circumstance and find a fact-based resolution to this issue, this project proposes to work out a system of constants and variables where a series of elements can be retained for a comparatively longer period and be more stationary than the variables of the design that can be changed over a shorter period. Based on the analysis of airport terminals in general and a focused analysis of one particular location this project will propose a unique design solution for the medium hub airport terminals and provide a proof of concept by re-imagining the design of Bradley airport at Hartford.

The project suggests an alternative means for living in Qatar. It proposes the development of a transient, floating community a man-made, transitory archipelago of floating housing units located at the ‘soon to be abandoned’ docks a short distance from the Museum of Islamic Art and the Doha Corniche. The design, through a variety of bespoke dwelling options, can provide both more and less nomadic housing to accommodate a variety of dif- ferent lifestyles and social units. Clustered around three permanent islands (containing a cultural/activity center, three adaptable ‘work-unit’ towers, and a park/commercial area), the design provides a wide set of adaptive layout patterns within which the mobile units can be arrayed. Directly plugged into the city, the community functions as a floating appendix to downtown Doha: an adaptable and flexible city-supplement that can expand or contract ac- cording to need, whether to aid in the accommodation of guests for various large-scale sporting or other events, or merely to provide an alternative locale for long or short stay visitors to Doha alike.