Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1991. / Odd-number pages numbered; even number pages blank. Pages 170 and 171 blank. / Includes bibliographical references. / The intent of this work was to explore an additive working method as a way to generate building form. It was initiated without any preconceived ideas about the project's final outcome. Instead, it focused on observations, associations, and attitudes of existing experiences and information. Working from the position that "one perception must immediately and directly lead to a further perception," a decisions were made. The design of an elementary school was the vehicle for the process. / by Mark Daley. / M.S.

Space perceived and experienced through movement presents an interesting array of imagery which blends together to form a comprehensive whole. My thesis explores this dimension of spatial complexity through the public ritual of pilgrimage. This profound and deeply significant human activity connects the individual places to form an integrated sacred network. The practice of pilgrimage has developed over centuries across the globe and continues to grow and influence a huge cross section of society to come together and move en-masse towards religious centres and personal enlightenment. Public spaces demand a simultaneous co-existence of people, activities and their setting. The phenomenon of pilgrimage is central to the public realm. Its study involves an intricate layering of beliefs, customs, traditions and religion which collectively govern the people-space relationship. The transformation of a space to a place, from static to dynamic, from passive to active occurs during this activity, maintaining the traditional usage while simultaneously evolving as a product of interaction between people, rituals and spaces. In this thesis, I examine the experiential shaping of space which occurs through pilgrims' activities and their impacts on the given urban and architectural conditions. The research is based on my study of the Alandi-Pandharpur Pilgrimage in India. It is an outcome of my participation in the ritual as, both, an architect and a pilgrim. I focus on the existing public spaces and their spontaneous response to the unplanned activity of the Pilgrimage. The spatial experience transcends the criteria of aesthetics and functionality of a public space to a deeper exploration of human characteristics and convictions. From this perspective, the thesis considers the broader role of designed public spaces, the extent of inclusion of community rituals and their significance in the shaping of built environment.

Many dangerous or tragic events such as airplane crashes and medical errors are often the result of human errors, and these errors are often the result of a professional worker being interrupted during a critical task. Although their impact can be serious, the ways that interruptions are affected by the physical environment have rarely been examined in the study of architecture. Therefore, this thesis investigates how the physical environment helps manage the interruptions by observing the process of medication administration by nurses in hospital units. Nurse shadowing observation data showed that the level of visibility of work areas in and around nurse stations significantly contributed to the number of interruptions initiated by others. Therefore, this thesis concludes that the physical environment affects interruption events and discusses the design implications of observation-based findings and the potential impact of the physical environment on major clinical errors. As for future directions for investigation, this thesis suggests that interruptions become a more prominent subject for consideration in architecture, and the physical environment as a subject for analyzing interruption and performance in human factors and health care.

The urban architectural environment in modern day life places a variety of additional unnecessary stresses upon people which affects social interaction and well-being. This dissertation is aimed at developing an understanding of what social interaction and well-being is in architecture and how important it is to design architectural environments that enhance these two principles. The research investigates the benefits and design tools of a more appropriate approach to the built environment through the exploration of the theories of Biophilia, Image Of The City and New Urbanism. The theories seek to provide architects and the designers of the built environment with tools that can be used to create architectural environments that enhance social interaction and the well-being of building users. It further endeavours to highlight the destructive qualities that affect well-being and social interaction in the architectural environment on both a macro (city context) and a micro level (the building) to create an awareness in those responsible for the design of these environments and the impact they have on society. The designers of the built environment should consider the social and well-being needs of the people as this will convert architectural environments into spaces that have physical and physiological benefits to its users. / Thesis (M.Arch.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2012.

Hospitals are constantly evolving to keep pace with the latest medical technologies. Whether it is a refurbishment of an existing facility or the addition of a new unit, the design process usually focuses on the technological requirements rather than the human elements of such an undertaking. The Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis presents an architectural opportunity to incorporate psychology of the environment into the design and construction of a new Cancer Unit. By balancing the technological requirements with the physical and psychological needs of the pediatric bone marrow transplant and hematology/oncology patients, one can create a healing environment more conducive to a rapid recovery. / Department of Architecture

Space perceived and experienced through movement presents an interesting array of imagery which blends together to form a comprehensive whole. My thesis explores this dimension of spatial complexity through the public ritual of pilgrimage. This profound and deeply significant human activity connects the individual places to form an integrated sacred network. The practice of pilgrimage has developed over centuries across the globe and continues to grow and influence a huge cross section of society to come together and move en-masse towards religious centres and personal enlightenment. Public spaces demand a simultaneous co-existence of people, activities and their setting. The phenomenon of pilgrimage is central to the public realm. Its study involves an intricate layering of beliefs, customs, traditions and religion which collectively govern the people-space relationship. The transformation of a space to a place, from static to dynamic, from passive to active occurs during this activity, maintaining the traditional usage while simultaneously evolving as a product of interaction between people, rituals and spaces. In this thesis, I examine the experiential shaping of space which occurs through pilgrims' activities and their impacts on the given urban and architectural conditions. The research is based on my study of the Alandi-Pandharpur Pilgrimage in India. It is an outcome of my participation in the ritual as, both, an architect and a pilgrim. I focus on the existing public spaces and their spontaneous response to the unplanned activity of the Pilgrimage. The spatial experience transcends the criteria of aesthetics and functionality of a public space to a deeper exploration of human characteristics and convictions. From this perspective, the thesis considers the broader role of designed public spaces, the extent of inclusion of community rituals and their significance in the shaping of built environment.

High-rise residential tower is an inevitable and prevalent building type in high-density areas such as China. Because of the large population such buildings accommodate, improving the quality of people's lives in these towers has significant meaning. One of the important problems in such environments is the loss of identity of individual homes. This occurs because living spaces cannot fit individual families' unique and changing physical and spiritual needs. People can identify their lives and express their individual values in their homes in only the most meager ways. Consequently, people and their communities suffer deeply for the loss of identity of individual homes.The first focus of this thesis is to bring the question of individual control into light with the issue of identity of individual homes. Identity of any built environment results from the interplay of both shared values and individual values. In an identifiable and accommodating environment, both value sets should be in balance, over time. In high-rise residential towers, individual values are hardly presented because of the lack of individual control. So the radical way to establish identity of individual homes is to enable individual control in the building process.The second focus of this thesis is a study in architectural design of the distribution of control in such high-rise environments. Two kinds of individual controls are assumed and distributed: the control of the dwelling layouts and the control of dwelling unit facades. To enable these tow configurations of parts to be subject to individual control, propositions for setting up a new balance between centrally controlled parts and individually controlled parts in high-rise residential towers are put forward.To demonstrate these propositions, a specific high-rise residential tower in Beijing is redesigned to the solution of technical problems, regulatory issues and conventions when control is distributed. Individual control of both the dwelling layouts and the facades are simulated in a methodical way.Finally, notes about supportive products and management techniques, broader developments in other types of high-rise buildings, and the cultivation of shared values out of individual values are offered. / Department of Architecture