No description available.

No description available.

No abstract available. / Thesis (M.Arch.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2011.

No description available.

The objective of the above project is to present a tool that can be used by educators in landscape architecture and architecture to affect how students, as designers, gather and manipulate poetic and descriptive material used in designing landscapes and places. The design tool, a set of skill sheets, each of which uses language, literature, and metaphorical thinking as primary components, is designed to exercise a way of seeing and thinking about landscapes that provides access to potential design material. The ultimate intended effect of the use of this tool is to enhance the descriptive significance of student work. Within the context of this project, descriptive significance is defined as work that is 1) original, i.e., an expression of individual insight as a result of the process of engaging one's critical faculties of observation, perception, thought, and imagination; 2) context-related, i.e., related to the specifics of place including thenatural, physical/environmental, cultural, and historic context; 3) environmentally sound, i.e., respecting sensitive natural and environmental interrelationships; 4) wellcrafted i.e., attentive to the inherent. qualities of the design materials used; and work that 5) contributes to an understanding of the specifics of place, i.e., reveals something significant about a particular landscape or place. / Department of Landscape Architecture

"The essence of architecture is the power of adaptation to fresh facts.” Berthold LubetkinThis creative project was my way of exploring if a convergence of art and technology in architecture can exist today.This exploration involved two focus points: one was movement and the other was glass technology.Movement was used for the exploration of the spatial relationships within an interpretation of our society today: the movement on the site as well as the inner motion of the single building elements.Glass was my modern technology tool for translating artistic ideas within architecture. It acts as a mediator between inside and outside space, between art and technology and creates a connection to the ‘understanding’ of our society.This paper is presented in five parts. The first part is the introduction to my thesis and the theoretical research about art and technology. Second is the process which I used for this project. The project is the third part. The fourth part is about glass, which represents my way of exploring the convergence of art and technology within architecture today. The last part of this paper is the overall conclusion. / Department of Architecture

This creative project involved preparation of a cultural landscape report for Lindenwood Cemetery in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Using methodologies adapted from the National Park Service and National Register of Historic Places, the report sought to define the existing conditions, historic significance, and appropriate treatment approach for the historic cemetery. Report chapters include site history and contextual documentation, existing conditions assessment, analysis of historic significance and integrity, treatment recommendations, and recommendations for further study. Lindenwood Cemetery was found to be significant for its association with the major four American cemetery design movements and its ability to display all four eras in a single landscape. Overall, Lindenwood retained a high level of integrity from its historic periods of significance advocating a minimally-invasive rehabilitation treatment approach. Treatment recommendations focused on maintenance and repair, guidelines for implementing new uses, and restoration of certain sunken garden elements. / Department of Landscape Architecture

An effort to understand the basic contextual foundation of environmental art design in relation to site-specific context. As a result of this understanding, environmental artwork designs will be developed based upon the context of chosen sites on the Ball State University's campus with a view toward the development of greater visual literacy. The work effort includes a preliminary exploration of the methods and approaches followed by contemporary designers (including artists, landscape architects, landscape designers, and architects) in the design and execution of environmental art works that have a contextual relationship to a site. This exploration focuses upon Post World War II outdoor installations intended for public viewing and/or interaction. Context of Project WorkThe first step consists of information gathering about professional designers, including landscape architects, artists, landscape designers, and architects, who design outdoor environmental artworks based upon the context of a site. This information will include literature search, site visits, case studies, and possible interviews with designers.This information will then be distilled into sketch designs of environmental art pieces that can be sited on the Ball State University's campus. The designs produced for the artworks will be based upon the information gathered about various designers with attention to the preservation of the stylistic influences from the artists while deleting the possibility of repetition of previous artworks.The work of research on artists and projects will result in an expanded knowledge base from which a group of three or four designers will be selected to serve as exemplars or a case study foundation for the design effort.It is expected that the entire effort will serve as a model of an apprenticeship in outdoor art and site design for a non-art major pursuing a Master of Landscape Architecture degree. In addition, the work effort will serve to promote visual literacy in the Ball State University campus as well as to provide suggestions for physical designers on the placement and execution of site specific outdoor art. / Department of Landscape Architecture

This creative project focuses on the research, planning, design and field-testing of a kit of basic architectural elements that can be used to build simple spaces and small constructions. These elements are reusable, easy to handle, and allow for a nearly infinite number of configurations.The environment in which the system was developed is a setting of an improvisational outdoor theatre, called 'Live-Action-Role-playing-Games'- (LARP). Therefore the system does not provide a high quality indoor space, but rather focuses on the critical requirements of theatrical stages, such as flexibility, ease of erection and variety. Additionally, the system dealt with the pragmatic issues of affordability and cost-effectiveness.The design process commenced with great attention being paid to the very special requirements of LARP and attempting to test initial assumptions. It included two surveys of LARP participants and use of charrettes to incorporate users input into the design process. Prototype elements were then constructed and field-tested during a full-scale replication of an actual LARP-event over afour-day testing period.Following this an evaluation was made, lessons were learned, and the information gained was incorporated in to the final design.This document then records the entire design process and concludes with extensive documentation of the system. / Department of Architecture

In this study, Multidimensional Scaling of a reperatory grid using five point scale was found to be a flexible, precise and sensitive method of measuring visual quality and preference. The results of the multidimensional scaling were found to be consistent with the arithmetic means of a five point rating scale. Each of the two major dimensions of the spatial configuration gave important insights into the criteria by which Muncie residents (Ball State Students) evaluated townscapes. "Dim 1" revealed the importance of whether the townscapes have dense or little vegetative cover, and "Dim 2" indicated that visual perception of a townscape is influenced by whether it is "old" or "new". In addition the resulting solutions also showed a high positive correlation between visual quality and preference.The dimensions may be used as generalized guidelines for determining characteristics of visual quality and preferred townscapes. / Department of Landscape Architecture