Architecture has the power to reveal the complexities of man in nature through the degree of control in the process of form making. This process offers the opportunity to create different physical and psychological experiences dependent on its articulation. This is a study that explores the introduction of chance into the making process. Through a series of model studies, I explored how basic platonic solids, more specifically cube define spatial boundaries and how asymmetrical space could challenge its regularity and symmetry. Through chemical reactions randomized organic cavities were achieved that exposed contrast between regular exterior form and irregular interior form. This visual accent is embedded in irregular forms and is unrepeatable. The act of making exposes the intricate patterns created that replicate nature and the manifestation of material decay. With this in mind, as part of my thesis, I would like to apply the above discoveries into an observation tower. The orthogonal prisms, once deconstructed, draw attention to newly generated cavities and decay, revealing different conditions throughout from where visitors can enjoy views of Mallacoota's landscape. / Master of Architecture / Nature offers diverse design elements that architects can tap into to enhance human habitation. Building materials play a vital role in shaping visual and structural design in the built environment. Through the act of making, the process revealed the question of aesthetics in architecture through intricate forms and how architectural principles of spatial qualities interplay in creating inhabitable environments. As a part of the climate change investigation, I explored different production methodologies for visualizing the climatic crisis. This research investigates the nature of irregularity resulting from the subtraction of a platonic form. The deterioration process questions whether existing climatic changes are caused by nature or result from man-made actions. Intricate openings captured within defined geometrical boundaries trace the absence of the dissolved material, revealing that components introduced and their chemical reactions can build forms for people to inhabit. By leveraging the site and model studies, the proposed program addresses the local context, climate predictions, and scale and explores architecture performance in varying global warming conditions in the form of the observation tower.

Innovation is a necessary part of construction business operations as a means to remain competitive in a dynamic environment, and yet, as a whole the construction industry continues to be labeled as laggard. Innovation and the processes surrounding innovation involve layers of complexity and are therefore often misunderstood. In order for industry stakeholders to better derive benefits from the innovation process, they must first understand the drivers of innovation within their own organizations, including relationships to other organizations and actions of contributing individuals. Utilizing a flexible design methodology of literature review, a modified Delphi technique and a survey instrument, this work aims to develop and present an initial validation of a framework of individual and organizational change by which such characteristics of innovativeness can be categorized. As a basis of this work, categories of innovativeness are those defined by Rogers (2003), and then expanded by parameters of innovativeness extracted from scholarly literature. The overarching goal of this research endeavor is to better understand the behavior of individual and organizational change through specific categories of innovativeness that can be used to build a tangible set of tools for use in the construction industry. However, ultimate validation and translation will be the effort of future work. In gaining innovativeness knowledge, industry stakeholders will understand their own strengths and weaknesses, better arming them with the tools to initiate and succeed at organizational change. / Master of Science

The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the factors that contribute to client behavior change and motivation during residential treatment for adolescent females on probation. Data were obtained through retrospective individual interviews with residents of a residential treatment center in Northern Virginia. Semi-structured, open-ended questions were asked in order to obtain a rich description of each girl's experience of change. The results illuminated specific aspects of the treatment program that were most helpful to the participants. By analyzing these data, a specific process of change was developed for this unique population. Participants in the current study reported relationships with staff and their families as very important in terms of making changes. It seems the attachments they were able to establish were a significant factor in change. Through the lens of attachment theory, it is hypothesized that participants' relationships with staff were instrumental in helping them to make changes, as these relationships offered a secure base from which to explore themselves. In the context of an alternative attachment, the current study could be beneficial in helping counselors view themselves as alternative attachment figures, and help them to be more intentional about how they use this in treatment. / Master of Science

There never comes a point at which we can declare any building "finished", and never touch it again; if we were to do this it would signal a sad sort of death and the end of the building's use, because it is by a continual process of revision that they fulfill our ever-changing needs and tastes. However, acknowledging this dynamic aspect of the nature of buildings brings the role of the architect into question; how can we design a building, make drawings and reach practical completion on a building site whilst being aware of the looming future, with its eternal punch list of alterations? Or, how can an awareness of passing time as a gradual tweaker, weatherer, and alterer of buildings be seen not as a problem or annoyance for the architect, but as a generous and reliable source of inspiration, a giver of richness, even a generator of good design? The project aims to answer this question by suggesting a way of building slowly, over decades, always looking forward and back. / Master of Architecture

The impacts of climate change on agriculture have been observable for years, particularly with declining yields and reduced productivity. Much research has been performed to examine the relationships between yield and climatic variables, especially temperature and precipitation. By comparison, little research has been conducted to assess the impact that climate change has on the nutrition, particularly the antioxidant content and capacity, of crops. This research project aims to fulfill this knowledge gap. Solanum lycopersicum cv. Micro-Tom plants were cultivated in five growth chambers with different temperatures, hours of light, and watering regimes to simulate different environments. The three temperature regimes were 25°, 32°, and 40°C during the day. The two chosen light durations were 12 and 16 hours (h), and the selected watering frequencies were 3 and 5 days (d). Lycopene and phenolics were quantified via spectrophotometry. Color was assessed via the CIELAB color space, specifically the a* value. The ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP) assay assessed the ability of the compounds in each tomato sample to serve as antioxidants. Upon analysis, the highest lycopene concentration (72.68 mg per kg fresh weight) was found in tomatoes exposed to 32°C, three days between irrigation cycles, and 16 hours of light. The highest level of phenolics (0.41660 mg gallic acid equivalent per g fresh weight) was observed in tomatoes exposed to 32°C with three days between watering cycles. The largest a* value (11.21), which corresponds to an intense red hue, was seen in tomatoes exposed to 32°C with 16 hours of light. The greatest level of antioxidant capacity [162.12 micromolar Fe(II)] as measured by the FRAP assay occurred in tomatoes exposed to 32°C with three days between irrigation cycles. Overall, antioxidant content and capacity increased the most at 32°C with three days between watering periods. Photoperiod was unimportant. By varying environmental conditions, “designer crops” with specific antioxidant content can seemingly be produced without genetic manipulation. This work enhances the body of knowledge concerning effects of abiotic stress on food crop antioxidants, which is important given the gravity of climate change.

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Many rural communities in the United States are experiencing a transition away from traditional conceptions of agrarian lifestyles and landscapes, and are increasingly faced with a new set of values, desires, and perspectives being brought in by new residents. This change in land use and land ownership presents opportunities as well as challenges to rural areas. This paper explores the some of the grounds behind some of the changes taking place, specifically in a political economic context, and the effect these changes are having on rural landscapes and the communities they support. In the face of a changing perception of "rural", I argue that it is important to acknowledge and foster respect for a plurality of values and desires for the land, both in how productivity of the land is conceptualized, as well as the approaches taken to manage these changes into a sustainable future. Community Landcare is one approach emerging in the United States, and presents a model to foster a sense of community in a multifunctional landscape, while providing the forum for landowners to maintain their individual values while coming together with a shared interest in "caring for the land". A case study of the Catawba Valley and its developing Catawba Landcare group illustrates these connections. / Master of Arts

Juhani Pallasmaa writes, "We have the mental need to experience the reality that we are rooted in the continuity of time and in the man-made world, it is the task of architecture to facilitate this experience." (Eyes of the Skin: Architecture and the Senses, p. 22) It is the intent of this thesis to investigate how to facilitate this experience through conscious perception and active participation in the changes that occur in a building over the course of a day and through environmental cycles. Participating, both physically and mentally, in the changes that occur around and within the built environment create a dynamic and engaging environment that allows people to further their enjoyment and delight in being in the space. This thesis investigates these ideas through the programmatic elements and educational ideas of The Washington Waldorf School and the site conditions of a "transition site" between Rock Creek Park and the Woodly Park area of Washington DC. / Master of Architecture

The objective of this study is to gain an understanding of how change leaders and managers affect a change implementation in a municipality. To help increase the understanding, the study examines the change project Skolplattformen which was implemented in Sweden's largest municipality Stockholms stad. This to uncover areas that possibly could improve change initiatives in the public sphere. The literature review of the study examines the concepts of public sector related change, change management and change leadership in order to help answer our research questions. This qualitative single case study is conducted primarily through 13 semi-structured interviews with five interviewees, combined with data from publicly published documents. The findings are analyzed through subcategories derived from the theoretical concepts and suggest that the scale of the change project was too complex to implement smoothly in a municipal environment. Hence, lack of communication was shown, the timeframe prolonged and strategic changes in structure was at times unexplained. In the end, Skolplattformen did not meet expectations in relation to time and cost spent.