Thesis (M. Arch.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1983. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCH / Includes bibliographical references (p. 152-155). / This thesis deals with a process of analyzing specific examples in traditional Chinese architecture in an attempt to understand and identify the underlying principles that make it essentially Chinese. The basic intent is that the development of this process of observation would later inform a process of design that would generate a 'new' architecture which could be worthily referred to as a continuum of the traditional architecture. The examples studied range from Palace and Temple architecture to Chinese gardens. To varying degrees, these places have been analyzed in terms of their spatial organization, degrees of public and private, structural systems, use of light, method of composition, system of proportions and system of circulation. / by Pamela Grace Chang Sing. / M.Arch.

Thesis (M. Arch.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1988. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 156-159). / This thesis describes the development of new concepts in acoustical analysis from their inception to implementation as a computer design tool. Research is focused on a computer program which aids the designer to visually conceive the interactions of acoustics within a geometrical~y defined environment by synthesizing the propagation of sound in a three dimensional space over time. Information is communicated through a unique use of images that are better suited for interfacing with the design process. The first part of this thesis describes the concepts behind the development of a graphic acoustical rendering program to a working level. This involves the development of a computer ray tracing prototype that is sufficiently powerful to explore the issues facing this new design and analysis methodology. The second part uses this program to evaluate existing performance spaces in order to establish qualitative criteria in a new visual format. Representational issues relating to the visual perception of acoustic spaces are also explored. In the third part, the program is integrated into the design process. I apply this acoustical tool to an actual design situation by remodeling a large performance hall in Medford, Massachusetts. Chevalier Auditorium is a real project, commissioned by the city of Medford, whose program requirements closely match my intentions in scope, scale and nature of a design for exploring this new acoustical analysis and design methodology. Finally, I summarize this program's effectiveness and discuss its potential in more sophisticated future design environments. / by Philip R.Z. Thompson. / M.Arch.

Thesis (M. Arch.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 77-79). / An airport terminal building celebrates arrival and departure as the gate to a city and the sky. However, many contemporary airport terminals do not play the role as a gate. Circulation is often uninspiring and monotonous, and as a result disengages the city from the sky. These terminals adopt the "Uniform Circulation" which let passengers simply move from one side to· the other. This circulation comes from not site conditions but operational requirements. This thesis explores airport terminal design with an alternative circulation coming from site conditions. In Kagoshima, Japan, I propose an airport terminal building designed as a gate. Kagoshima City is located close to Sakurajima, an active volcano visible from the site. The volcano offers a contrasting marker between sky and ground, a natural counterpart to the man-made gate that is the airport. / by Yoshiyuki Watanabe. / M.Arch.

Thesis (M.Arch)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1960. / Accompanying drawings held by MIT Museum. / Includes bibliographical references. / by Radoslav Zuk. / M.Arch

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1987. / Bibliography: leaves 102-105. / by William Adam Swiacki, Jr. / M.S.

Thesis (M. Arch.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 49). / A research and design study was instigated to rethink the phenomenon of storage in relation to contemporary living spheres. Although few historical traces of personal storage remain, the study of the evolution of commercial storage revealed a progression from spaces for hoarding goods to spaces for housing activities of production. Zooming in on site, City of Industry, in Los Angeles, California, an island of warehouse typologies was found in the midst of diverse residential neighborhoods facing increasing housing pressures. Furthermore, mappings of "big box" warehouse spaces within Industry revealed inefficiencies in storage practices and the potential for remaking the City into a more porous oasis of living/working. It would not only be made more porous simply in terms of providing mulit-use living spaces, but in terms of providing living accommodations for a range of constituents, ranging from laborers, students, to recent immigrants who have not yet assimilated to typical suburban single-detached housing. As a test case, one warehouse building exemplifying typical construction/use of Industry was examined in more detail and strategies of conversion from storage to living were illustrated. / by Tony H. Su. / M.Arch.

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 2012. / This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections. / Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 86-90). / The Urban Resilience and Chronic Violence project at MIT extends the scientific concept of resilience to the analysis of chronic conflict. This thesis builds upon the project by testing the usefulness of a socio-spatial capital resilience model for cities confronting persistent violence, which offers alternative strategies for thinking about a violence-resistant city. The first test of the socio-spatial capital model is through the analysis of resilience theory -- how does the definition of resilience change in each discipline? The literature review concludes that the idea of stability is the foundation of any resilience definition, which is problematic for cities suffering from chronic violence. The second test of the model is the examination of violence in Karachi. Using the Orangi Pilot Project (OPP) as a strategy of socio-spatial capital formation, the Karachi case study explores the relationship between the expansion of the OPP in the last 30 years and the levels and types of violence in Orangi, an informal settlement in Karachi. Lyari, which also suffers from violence and poor access to sanitation, is its comparison. This thesis finds that in both towns, residents have found innovative ways to cope with violence and poor development at different scales, therefore making both towns resilient. This thesis concludes by arguing that conceptualizing a city resilient against violence does not move a violent city towards peace, and proposes that the field of conflict transformation may be better suited to the study of chronic conflict than resilience. / by Prassanna Raman. / S.M.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Architecture. Thesis. 1974. M.Arch.A.S. / MICROFICHE COPY ALSO AVAILABLE IN ROTCH LIBRARY. / Bibliography: leaves 94-95. / M.Arch.A.S.

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 2013. / This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections. / Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 96-97). / The walled communities, emerged as a result of rapid urbanization in the 80s, presents a unique typological settlement in the urban areas of Nanjing, China. These walled communities not only enclosed the housing clusters to provide sense of privacy, but also close off valuable city features adjacent to the walls of the communities and prevent the public from accessing these city features, such as water system, ancient city wall, and mountain. Therefore, making these resources within the walled communities open to the public should be highly prioritized during the process of the old town's renewal and renovation. However, to keep the privacy of the housing within the community presents a challenge in the process of making the resources available to the public and hence the main issue to tackle in this thesis. This thesis contains three parts. The first part defines the main issue and proposes the basic strategies as solutions. Through case study and drawing analysis, the second part defines the theoretical framework for the design issues and outlines the spatial composition and section design as the organizational solutions to open up the closeness of walled communities. The third part identifies appropriate walled communities in the old town area as sites to test out the new design strategies. The overall objective of this thesis is to open up the walled communities and return the once-enclosed resources to the public in hope to make the city features better connected to the urban space while maintaining the privacy for the housing itself. / by Menglin Jiang. / S.M.

Thesis: M. Arch., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Architecture, 2014. / This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections. / Page 169 blank. Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (pages 166-168). / Textiles have always played a critical role in the spaces we inhabit. Although textiles are often in opposition to what we consider to be architecture. Architecture is permanent, grounded, fixed; textiles are temporary, flexible, and portable. It is precisely those qualities of variation that allow us to directly modulate our surroundings, which is something we have long relied on textiles to do--not only as clothing, but also very much so in architectural contexts. Even the most iconic of modern architecture with its great expanses of glass and even greater claims of eliminating boundaries is nearly always accompanied by a curtain. In the realm of architectural textiles, curtains in particular go beyond the decorative. They are an essential element to the functionality of the architecture. Curtains have the ability to mediate light, sound, temperature, create spatial boundaries, and allow for direct and tactile interactivity. In taking on the curtain as an architectural element equal to any other, my goal is to employ the functionality and flexibility of textiles along with the language of curtains and expand it to design boundaries that can mediate between programs, but with their embedded variability, emphasize choice in the control of our environment. / by Daniela Covarrubias. / M. Arch.