published_or_final_version / abstract / Architecture / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

The tremendous increase of population in Egypt has caused the Egyptian government to rethink its settlement policy by planning for the development of new desert communities in remote arid regions outside of the Nile Valley. Presented here is a methodology for generating appropriate energy design guidelines for desert housing in these new communities. The methodology also takes into account the culture, climate and economy of the country. This interdisciplinary study starts by examining the current government national policy for regional and urban development in Egypt with emphasis on the new desert settlement programs in general and on the Sadat City in particular. The criteria which determines human thermal comfort requirements for the indigenous people of Egypt is then presented. This part of the study also includes a climatic analysis of Egypt showing the major climatic components, the factors modifying the climate, the country's major climatic zones, and microclimatic considerations. In the next chapter on energy analysis, the concepts and the mathematical basis of the methodology are presented. The process is based on balancing the incremental cost/benefit of conservation and passive solar designs in an optimum mix yielding the best performance and economic advantages for any given set of weather characteristics. Finally, the method is generalized and reduced to a set of formulas which generate energy guidelines for conservation levels with selected passive solar system(s). A computer model of the method is developed and energy guidelines for six major locations in Egypt are illustrated. In conclusion, a preliminary design for low-energy cluster houses at the new desert community Sadat City is developed using the computer generated guidelines for that region. The energy results are then validated using the CalPas3 energy simulation program, and a matrix is also developed for assessing the socio-cultural aspects of the design model.

The study of changes in the use of domestic space has received little attention in the past despite the implications of such research for everything from archaeology to architecture. This dissertation investigates the relationship between changes in domestic space use and sociocultural factors bearing on space use. A conceptual framework outlining the systemic relationships between domestic space use and various environmental, biological, and sociocultural factors is presented in Chapter 1. In Chapter 2 a set of data expectations is generated to test certain relationships established by the framework. Because of the existence of prior data on space use, the village of Diaz Ordaz, Oaxaca, Mexico was chosen as a study site. In Chapter 3 the village is described and placed in national and regional perspective, while in Chapter 4 demographic, economic, housing, and rural service changes in the village are outlined and viewed in light of similar national and regional changes. Chapter 5 treats changes in domestic space use particularly. A summary of trends of change in village domestic space and pertinent sociocultural variables is presented, followed by a review of the demographic, economic, and political conditions affecting the village today and a discussion of how these conditions relate to the trends of change. Tofts from the sample studied are classified on two scales: (1) the degree of development of space use and (2) the number of changes in space use. Explanatory models for both change in solar quality and the number of changes between two points in time are constructed and tested. It is determined that in the Diaz Ordaz case toft quality dropped with the gradual demise of the household and rose with an increase of income. On the other hand, the number of changes on a toft between two points in time appears to depend on relative wealth. Thus, given the economic, political, and demographic conditions of Mexico today, it appears that in rural villages diachronic change in domestic space use reflects changes in social/demographic and economic factors.

The purpose of this research is to define the architectural development of laird’s houses. The term ‘laird’s house’ can imply, simply, ‘the house of a laird’. Architecturally, it is used to describe a category of dwelling first defined in broad terms by John G. Dunbar in 1966 (The Historic Architecture of Scotland). This thesis seeks to detail, firstly, what is meant by a ‘laird’ in the context of one who is responsible for the building of ‘laird’s houses’ and, secondly, the physical attributes of a ‘laird’s house’. A national overview of the development of laird’s houses is then provided, principally based on the findings of a regionally-based approach. In-depth studies on the Scottish Borders, Shetland, and Skye, the Western Isles, and the Small Isles form Part II. The final part is a gazetteer of the laird’s houses in these three areas together with a suggested format for a national gazetteer. The earliest surviving examples of laird’s houses date to the 1570s and ’80s. However, there is evidence to suggest that they may have first appeared around the mid-16th century. Through the compilation and analysis of samples, and the detailed investigation of key examples through fieldwork, documentary and comparative research, two types of laird’s house are discernible and are defined in this thesis as ‘Type I’ and ‘Type II’. Dunbar’s hypotheses that: 1) the laird’s house developed from the tower-house; and 2) a new type of laird’s house was introduced in the 1680s or ’90s, are tested and developed. It is proposed here that the two-storey Type I laird’s house could equally have developed up from single-storey dwellings as down from the tower-house. Also, rather than ‘hybrid’ examples representing a transition from tower-house to laird’s house, a similar Renaissance vocabulary could have been applied to houses of different scales. The Type II seems to have derived both from its direct predecessor and, from the 1670s, was influenced by new classical ideas and, later, the widespread availability of pattern books. The most important conclusion developed from the regional studies is that many buildings which have been identified by others as ‘bastle houses’ are, rather, better described as ‘laird’s houses’. In addition to defining the Type I and Type II laird’s house therefore, this thesis seeks to provide: 1) the first detailed national overview of laird’s houses; 2) a greater understanding of them through regional studies focused on their emergence (1560– 1645), the development of the Type I (1589–1730), and the development of the Type II (1670–1770); and 3) a framework for a Scotland-wide gazetteer of this building type.

This study is concerned with describing the changing concepts of space utilization in Japanese house design and the cultural forces producing the changes. Sources of information include literature spanning approximately one hundred years, a Japanese student of interior design, and-the Japanese Trade Commission in Dallas, Texas. A description of concepts of space design that were very stable for centuries in the Japanese house. The changes in architecture following World War II, and a contemporary house design by a noted Japanese architect are related to concurrent religious, philosophical, and economic forces. The influence of western culture upon Japanese life-style and design solutions to space problems is either indicated or inferred.

The purpose of this study is to develop a guide to inform individuals concerned with the building of a home, suggesting the proper procedures to follow in financing, planning and constructing. The study is also designed to help the potential home builder in the selection of various artisans and the purchasing of building materials, along with the basic structure of a home.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Architecture,1985.

Thesis (M.Arch.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1980. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCH. / Bibliography: p. 50-54. / by Jon William Alff. / M.Arch.

Thesis (M. Arch.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1982. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCH. / Includes bibliographical references. / The importance of contextually sensitive design is once again becoming recognized by the architectural profession. A contextual design is based upon an understanding of historical and social factors as well as the physical context of the project. This thesis is an exploration of the relationship between an existing environment and the design for a contemporary building. The design will be set on Boston's Beacon Hill, an architecturally rich area that has been designated as a National Historical Landmark by the National Parks Service. The site itself is a relatively large parcel of land located on the Hill's North Slope, an area of somewhat dilapidated houses, now undergoing considerable rehabilitation. The program chosen, that of a residential community for the area's older residents, will take advantage of the site's relatively large size to develop collective facilities as well as approximately 70-80 apartments. While the overall size and collective nature of this project distinguish it from the prevailing pattern of house size and organization on Beacon Hill, they serve to emphasize the need for traditional patterns to be modified and adapted to serve contemporary needs and lifestyles. The design exploration will be preceded by an examination of the historical, social, and physical features of Beacon Hill. Ways in which these aspects of the environment have been used to create contextually successful buildings will be briefly explored. Then the programmatic principles of congregate living environments for older people will be considered. Contextual decisions will be traced from site planning to building organization, focusing on the development of a formal vocabulary for the building exterior. The goal will be to create a new building, modern in execution, but compatible with the traditional forms of Beacon Hill. / by Donna L. Harris. / M.Arch.

Thesis. 1976. M.Arch.--Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Architecture. / Microfiche copy available in Archives and Rotch. / M.Arch.