In 1941, German architect Konrad Wachsmann (1901–1980) emigrated to the U.S. to escape the Second World War. Erstwhile a trained cabinetmaker, the chief architect of one of the largest prefabricated construction companies in Europe, and a private practitioner, Wachsmann brought a particular line of prefabricated timber construction knowledge to the U.S., which he utilized in the development of military technologies as well as for the development of an ambitious prefabricated kit-of-parts house known as the Packaged House (1941-47), developed in collaboration with Walter Gropius (1883–1969). Later, he transferred to academia and developed an algorithmic teaching system, which he employed in his teaching posts in the U.S. and his state-sponsored workshops around the world. With two novel architectural research institutes, which he supported with military and government commissions that became the subject of design inquiry at these programs, Wachsmann envisioned a transformation of architectural education within the university system and the larger order of society. Through Wachsmann's post-emigration oeuvre, covering his projects, collaborations, and pedagogy, this dissertation delves into the post-war transatlantic exchange of architectural and intellectual capital and the influence of production technologies and cybernetics on architectural imagination and theory. / Doctor of Philosophy / In 1941, German architect Konrad Wachsmann emigrated to the United States, seeking refuge from the turmoil of the Second World War. With a background as a trained cabinetmaker, the chief architect for a major European prefabricated timber construction company and an architect who practiced on his own, Wachsmann brought with him a wealth of knowledge in prefabricated timber construction. His expertise found diverse applications in the U.S., ranging from military technologies to the development of an ambitious prefabricated housing system called the Packaged House (1941-47), created in collaboration with renowned architect Walter Gropius. Transitioning to academia, Wachsmann pioneered an algorithmic teaching system that choreographed the movement of students, information, and tasks within the studio. He employed this system in in his teaching posts in the U.S. and his state-sponsored workshops around the world. He envisioned a transformation of architectural education within universities and society at large, exemplified by two innovative architectural research institutes he founded. These institutions were financially supported by military and government commissions, which became the subject of design exploration. This dissertation examines Wachsmann's post-emigration body of work, encompassing his projects, collaborations, and pedagogical approach. It delves into the profound influence of production technologies and cybernetics on architectural imagination and theory, shedding light on the dynamic transatlantic exchange that shaped the architectural landscape in the post-war era.

The matrix power series method of inversion is impractical, since the series diverges, or converges extremely slowly, except in the analysis of very special and, usually, impractical frames. Dwyer’s method, Zurmuhl’s method, and the method of partitioning, used with discrimination, suffice to invert any stiffness matrix with satisfactory rapidity. These methods are rapid enough to compete with moment distribution when a frame is to be analyzed for many loading conditions. This condition is met frequently enough to make a study of matrix algebra worth while for the structural engineer. Both Dwyer’s method and Zurmuhl’s method yield reasonable accuracy when four significant figures are used in the original stiffness matrix and four decimals are used throughout the computations, provided the stiffnesses of the frame members do not differ extremely. / Master of Science

Thesis (M. Arch.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1964. / MIT Institute Archives copy bound with three title pages at the beginning of text block; MIT Rotch Library copy has title pages bound with appropriate theses. -- Rotch Library copy missing 16 leaves of plates. / Title from half-title page. Three individual thesis titles bound together with a collective title and an introduction. Compiled, with an introduction, by Prof. Eduardo F. Catalano. / Includes bibliographical references. / Preface: "The three individual theses are presented with a common introductory discussion on systems in general, the use of systems in architecture, and the overall goals and requirements for a building system. It is hoped that a better understanding of systems is attained as well as a more extensive background for the individual thesis material." / Hershdorfer, Selma Abigadol. The development of a building unit which is structurally and mechanically integrated and which allows maximum flexibility in internal rearrangement and lateral growth. (1964) -- Hook, Charles Burton. A research and development building for science and technology suitable for both academic and non-academic use. (1964) -- Hoover, George Norman. An academic/research and development building for science and technology. (1964). / M.Arch.

The use of temporary, prefabricated buildings in Britain during the twentieth century arose from wartime need to provide better, and perhaps more importantly, portable shelter for troops and equipment. This thesis provides the first comprehensive list of hut designs for the First and Second World Wars. The full lists and descriptions of each hut are given in the appendices. These lists, 20 types for the First World War and 52 from the Second World War, show the huge range and scope of the huts used and is the major contribution of this thesis. The concentration here is on generic types. Some huts were designed as one-offs and there is no possible way to catalogue these. This thesis has focused instead on those designs or industrially-produced types, which were meant to be produced en-masse as generic solutions to the problem: the sort of hut that might justifiably be given a name (such as a ‘Tarran’, a ‘Seco’, etc.). This thesis provides essential information enabling historians to be able to identify these types. It uses primary and secondary sources to trace the development of these huts and the effect that wartime shortages had on their design. Beginning with the earliest examples of temporary military building, it then focuses on the huts of the First and Second World Wars followed by a study of huts grouped in chapters by material. This research shows that the wartime period pushed industry to make giant leaps forward with construction methods and materials in just a few short years, where otherwise it may have taken decades. This thesis aims to provide the first overview of this process and to enable future researchers to identify and understand the development of these important wartime structures, many of which survive to this day.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / This dissertation analyzes the development of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), a Muslim-American religious association, from the Iranian Revolution to the inauguration of our nation's first African-American president. This case study of ISNA, the largest Muslim-American organization in North America, examines the organization's institution-building and governance as a way to illustrate Muslim-American civic and religious participation. Using nonprofit research and theory related to issues of diversity, legitimacy, power, and nonprofit governance and management, I challenge misconceptions about ISNA and dispel a number of myths about Muslim Americans and their institutions. In addition, I investigate the experiences of Muslim-Americans as they attempted to translate faith into practice within the framework of the American religious and civic experience. I arrive at three main conclusions. First, because of their incredible diversity, Muslim-Americans are largely cultural pluralists. They draw from each other and our national culture to develop their religious identity and values. Second, a nonprofit association that embraces the values of a liberal democracy by establishing itself as an open organization will include members that may damage the organization's reputation. I argue that ISNA's values should be assessed in light of its programs and actions rather than the views of a small portion of its membership. Reviewing the organization's actions and programs helps us discover a religious association that is centered on American civic and religious values. Third, ISNA's leaders were unable to balance their desire for an open, consensus-based organization with a strong nonprofit management power structure. Effective nonprofit associations need their boards, volunteers and staff to have well-defined roles and authority. ISNA's leaders failed to adopt such a management and governance structure because of their suspicion of an empowered chief executive officer.