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.

Thesis (M. Arch.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1980. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCH. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 67-68). / The art of facade design seems to have been lost in the course of adoption of Modern Architectural doctrines. The facades of Casa Batllo by Antonio Gaudi and Chateau de Maisons by Francois Mansart are analyzed for the purpose of exploring alternatives to the functional, inarticulate elevations of Modern Architecture. This study seeks to expose the concepts and methods underlying the facade design of Casa Batllo and Chateau de Maisons so that their principles may be abstracted and applied by the contemporary designer. The criterion governing the selection of these buildings is made explicit in the course of the analysis. / by Valerie Thiel. / M.Arch.

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1981. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCH. / Includes bibliographical references. / by Louis Perouse. / M.S.

No description available.

Thesis (M.Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 87-93)

The notion of seriality describes such relations where each element has a processor. It could be also understood as a condition of sequential translation and transfonnation. This thesis investi gates “seriality” in the relationship to architecture and landscape. I begin my investigation with a criticism of the conventional relationship between architecture and landscape. This relationship is often static and inert while it should be more dynamic and interactive within the design process. Reconsidering the relationship between “research” and “design,” my attempt to connect the two using algorithmic design was instrumental in formulating a new design process. In this thesis, a new design process has been developed and examined in three different sec tions: 1) “Theoretical Approach,” 2) “Technical Approach” and 3) “Case Study.” In the theoretical section, I investigate “rhythm,” which is an underlying series of movements affecting on architecture physically and fundamentally, in both architecture and landscape. In re sponse to this theory, I propose a method known as the “Genetic Grid” to manage grid flexibly by receiving its new identities from “natural conditions.” In the technical approach, I introduce methods in algorithmic design to manage grid flexibly. The basic method is called the ‘UVN generator’ which is based on the algorithmic process com bining the scripting potentiality and flexibility of traditional 3D surface modeling. This technique contributes to a method to generate the “Genetic Grid.” In the third section, I examine this “Genetic grid” more closely throughout a proposed design process called “Condition Linkage.” By embedding “Gene of Place” into architectural elements, I hope to show an underlying harmonious relationship between architecture and landscape.

Thesis (M.S.)--Middle East Technical University, 2003. / Keywords: Metro station, station entrance, building performance.

published_or_final_version / Architecture / Master / Master of Architecture

Just as natural adaptation comes from evolutionary processes that lead to 'fit' of an organism to its environment, adaptive buildings come from design processes that lead to the 'fit' of a building to its environment. A building which 'fits' its environment is considered to be sustainable. The environment is defined to encompass economic, social and ecological context. Buildings are artifacts chosen by a designer from among possible designs based on human value judgements about internal and external constraints. It is hypothesized that a project design process will result in more adaptive buildings when: first, the project team has sufficient relevant information related to the environment; second, the project team is sufficiently motivated to 'fit' the project to its environment; and third, the project team develops specific targets for resource consumption. Design process occurs at both the team level (project design process) and the individual level (design process). A model of design as a complex adaptive system is developed. The model shows creativity as a phenomenon arising from the interplay of two forces: pattern and constraint. In design, a designer transforms the 'chaos' of new and unintegrated input (change agents) into emergent pattern by integrating the input so as to be consistent with existing patterns and responsive to constraints (conservation agents). This integration results in the 'click' which designers experience during design activity. The 'click' signals boundary-breaking between the designer's internal and external (content and context) constraints and patterns. Dynamic equilibrium arises from balancing between change and conservation of input and between integration and differentiation of that input. Total equilibrium arises from combined conservation and differentiation. Further it is suggested that oscillation between integration and differentiation will result in creative breakthroughs. The model is researched in a case study of a built project, tested in a design exercise in a seminar setting with students and professionals, and discussed in an interview with a noted designer. Indicators for sustainable buildings are developed. The model provides a new description of design process and the findings indicate that its use is likely to result in more adaptive buildings as measured by indicators for sustainability.

The method of Design/Build is known for its practicality and skillful designers and builders. However, high quality buildings produced by this method suggest there is an intellectual wealth hidden beneath this technical practicality. To uncover this wealth, a definition for the processes of design used in this method must be constructed to clarify its intellectual aspects. Such a definition begins with the assumption that design is an intelligent process through which people arrange their environment. To uphold the intelligence of design, the interaction between human (designer, tradesperson, client, or inhabitants) and architecture must be maintained throughout the process. The unique conditions in the method of Design/build allow the human intellect to freely interpret and intervene in the processes of architecture. To fully exploit these conditions, a designer must develop a particular view, seeing architecture as combined processes rather than as an end-result. Via this view, it becomes evident that the arrangement of lines, forms, and structures of buildings is just a material manifestation of a deeper reality, i.e. the agreed values that an individual or society holds. These values are translated into two groups of design principles in architecture. The first group is geometrical and includes proportion, symmetry, order, and unity. The second group is relational and leads to consideration of adaptability, nature, need, tradition, and material. These principles define the relationships of architecture, humans, and the environment, expressing the role of intelligence in man-made settings. In Design/Build, these principles can be incorporated into the processes of design far more than in any other method, because architecture is intimately connected to environment (social and natural), and there is a dynamic interaction between designing and building. This method sees architecture as a combination of processes, considering design not as rules and regulations, but as a process that is empowered and motivated by the events of everyday life. This method arrives at the rules and regulation of architecture only after recognizing this fact. Without the attendance of life in an architectural process, the geometrical and relational principles of design are dull and meaningless. By establishing this view, this paper hopes to construct a definition for the design process of Design/Build, a definition that does not deal solely with the technicality and practicality of this method but rather with the intellectual aspects of the process.