How could public institutions like art museums open up a conversation with their audience? The intent of the project was to explore the influence and potential of digitalization in the physical space of a non-commercial public institution, if the audience and the institution would both benefit from technology, if the political structure of the institution would become more democratic and if the audience would take the initiative and be willing to generate their own voice in the institution. The project took an explorative approach starting with questioning the status-quo, understanding the design context, analyzing, proposing and validating design directions in the end. The result was considered as the very first proposal and suggestion of how art museums could keep themselves relevant in the digital era. The result is a service called <open studio>. It enables visitors to contribute to and interact with a virtual exhibition constructed by the creations they made in workshop programs in the art museum. It provides an overtime engagement with the visitors by illustrating the invisible dimension of time in tangible creations on a digital canvas. Project website: http://www.openstudio.io

Studies have been done on contemporary non-traditional quilts in the larger quilting context in Alabama (Arnett et al., 2002; Callahan, 1987), Arizona (Hazard, 1993), Arkansas (Benberry, 2000), and Kentucky (Benberry, 1992). However, from my examination of the literature no intensive study had been done on contemporary, non-traditional African American quilts in Florida. This study examined the quilts and quilting processes of three African American contemporary non-traditional women quilters in Florida. Although there are African American male quilters my focus was on women quilt artists. For this study I defined traditional quilts as those quilts that utilized long-established patterns, designs and exacting construction techniques and that were usually used as bedcoverings. Contemporary non-traditional quilts were made within the last twenty-five years for artistic purposes, did not largely consist of established patterns, and were without a planned functional use. The study explored the meaning of quilting to the quilters and the overall implications for art education. I began by exploring the general history of quilting and African American traditional quilting and ended with the more recent history of art quilts and African American art quilters. Participants were sought through a combination of online and mail-in surveys. The surveys or survey links were sent to Internet quilting groups, Florida quilting guilds, and quilt shops in an attempt to locate members of the African American quilting population in Florida. Of the quilters interested in participating in the study I selected three African American quilters based on their survey information that reflected the diversity in experience and quilting I sought. The quilters were from different areas of the state, represented different age ranges, and quilting techniques. Quilters were videotaped and photographed as I interviewed and observed them. The report takes narrative form (Eisner, 1998) and addresses themes that arose during the study as well as the research questions. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Art Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Degree Awarded: Spring Semester, 2009. / Date of Defense: November 7, 2008. / Quilting, African American Quilting, Contemporary Quilt Artists, Art Quilts, Women Artists / Includes bibliographical references. / Tom Anderson, Professor Directing Dissertation; Maxine Jones, Outside Committee Member; David Gussak, Committee Member; Pat Villeneuve, Committee Member.

Distinguishing a company or product through a brand has become increasingly significant as competition and similarity of products have amplified. Fundamental brands, still in existence today, characterized the forward-thinking that has led to the use of business branding to distinguish a product or service. This branding became based on the connection the brand would form by knowing the consumer in order to offer not only functional but also emotional value. Over time the emotional value would create a lifelong relationship between brand and customers, making top brands now global household names throughout America (de Swaan Arons, 2011). The downside is that globalized branding can create a lack of individuality that can diminish the identity consumers feel while experiencing the brand (Park & Petrick, 2006). Maintaining identity within a local community is essential because invested individuals are more likely to participate in volunteering and civic engagement, leading them to develop a greater sense of local pride (Tiesdell, Oc, & Heath, 1996). This project explores the role local branding plays within a location’s sense of place and how it impacts the community’s identity and feeling of place attachment. The final solution is the design of a hospitality food and beverage venue tailored to the needs of the local users and their desire for a sense of place. The project is placed in a heritage building in Savannah, Georgia. The research included both a qualitative and quantitative focus group study which examined how understanding sense of place can lead to the creation of a local brand. This method involved a one-hour focus group study, which was comprised of members of the Savannah Chamber of Commerce who were primary stakeholders in the community. The principal investigator developed three distinct branding packages that were utilized for this research. The brand package designs were founded on theory adapted from Kwon’s (1998) four principles of sense of place. The survey questions addressed the site location, building type, space function, fare, and pricing and how these factors of location were informed by the four principles of sense of place: criticality, authenticity, site-specificity, and inclusivity. This focus group method allowed members of the group to interact and influence each other during the discussion. The research obtained through the focus group study was analyzed by the principal investigator to produce qualitative and quantitative data. The audio portion of the study was transcribed and allowed the principal investigator to revisit and glean data from the discussion portion of the focus group study. The questionnaire responses were coded by the principal investigator and analyzed against the four principles of sense of place. The data revealed that participants gravitated towards designs that felt humanistic and appeared to have been crafted by hand. There were nuanced differences in the general perception of the brand packages. Common themes which emerged from the study informed design guidelines that assisted the principal investigator in creating a local brand for a food and beverage hospitality project, located in a heritage building that supports sense of place. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of Interior Architecture and Design in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts. / Summer Semester 2018. / July 10, 2018. / Adaptive Reuse, Brand, Community, Hospitality, Local, Sense of Place / Includes bibliographical references. / Kenan A. Fishburne, Professor Directing Thesis; James D. Dawkins, Committee Member; Marlo A. Ransdell, Committee Member.

The purpose of this study was to explore hotel design features and amenities that provide opportunities for business travelers to complete essential tasks, reduce stress, and enhance their travel experience. In this global economy, travel to conduct business negotiations, facilitate inter-organizational knowledge transfers, and other important company operations have become essential (Mäkelä, Kinnunen, & Suutari, 2015; Demel & Mayrhofer, 2010). Rates of business travel are expected to continue rising, impacting more people as they strive to meet the demands of their careers (Statistica, 2017). Stress related to business travel often leads to health concerns, such as sleep deprivation, unhealthy diet, anxiety, weight gain, susceptibility to allergies and illness, and depression (Chen, 2017; Demel & Mayrhofer, 2010). Business travel stress occurs during three travel phases: pre-trip, destination, and post-trip (Chen, 2017; Carlson Wagonlit Travel Solutions Group, 2012). This research and design solution placed an emphasis on the destination phase of business travel, and how the design of hotels plays an influential role on business traveler well-being. Through the improvement of hotel interior environments, designers may be able to help reduce stress and improve travel well-being by enhancing the travel experience for business travelers during their destination phase of travel. By conducting a literature review, original research in the form of a survey and interviews, and onsite observations of two different hotels, the preferences of business travelers provided insights that formed the foundation of design guidelines for the thesis project. The survey targeted business travelers and was designed to gather information on business traveler preferences, travel stress triggers, valued hotel attributes, amenities, and design features. Interviews with business travelers provided further elaboration on answers from the survey. Interviews and observations were conducted in two hotels in San Antonio, Texas, a business traveler hub infused with deep history and culture. To better understand the spaces, interviews with hotel management, and observations of the hotels’ social spaces using behavioral mapping techniques were conducted. The hotel was also evaluated through the lens of the WELL Building Standard, which was used as a benchmark to explore how each hotel is considering the well-being of their guests. Findings from these research methods show that the most valued hotel attributes by business travelers are cleanliness followed by sleep quality; the most valued hotel amenities are the restaurant, fitness center, and café; the most valued design features are a meaningful integration of art and a celebration of local culture through art and building materials. Most business travelers expressed their preference for chain hotels over boutique hotels, but they desire a chain hotel that blends boutique hotel characteristics such as unique amenities and design features. The research culminated in the design of a hotel space in San Antonio, Texas, that utilizes the research to create a space that enhances the business traveler experience. Concepts from the WELL Building Standard provided by the International WELL Building Institute were also incorporated for guiding design decisions throughout the hotel that promote physical and mental well-being. The results of this study have the potential to positively impact hotel design to better accommodate the needs of business travelers. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of Interior Architecture and Design in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts. / Summer Semester 2018. / July 9, 2018. / Business Travelers, Experience, Hotels, Interior Design, Stress, Well-Being / Includes bibliographical references. / Lisa K. Waxman, Professor Directing Thesis; Amy Huber, Committee Member; Marlo Ransdell, Committee Member; Yelena McLane, Committee Member.

How form translates as it moves between the physical and the digital has caught my interest. I collect data through different types of 3d scanning exploring a range of technologies. In the digital realm, the information captured presents itself as a messy abstraction to the original where some information is added while other is lost. Developing the material, I adopt complex content aware auto fill algorithms - a strategy that becomes essential for the project.  In my installation visitors can explore thresholds between the real and the virtual. My firm belief is that the traces from the physical and digital wear and tear add value in that they unpack my process, birthing something strange while familiar. / Hur form översätts när den rör sig mellan det fysiska och det digitala har fångat mitt intresse. Jag samlar in data genom olika typer av 3d-skanning och utforskar en rad olika tekniker. I det digitala rummet redovisas den dokumenterade datan som en rörig abstraktion till sitt original, där viss information adderas medan annan förloras. Jag antar i min designprocess komplexa content aware auto fill-algoritmer - en strategi som blir central för projektet. I min installation bjuds besökare att utforska möten mellan det verkliga och det virtuella. Det är min övertygelse att spåren från det fysiska och det digitala slitaget adderar mervärden genom att de packar upp min process samtidigt som något märkligt men bekant materialiseras.

The purpose of this study was to explore the design of the contemporary Kuwaiti home to determine if it meets the needs of the contemporary Kuwaiti women in terms of privacy, social interaction, and aesthetic preferences, as well as connection to the past. To this end, a case study was conducted in a Kuwaiti house which included architectural and interior elements common in contemporary Kuwaiti homes. The research techniques of observation, visual documentation, and interview were used to explore how the home was used, with specific focus on three historical architectural features including the guest salon, the screen, and the courtyard. This exploration revealed that modern design failed to respond to meet many of the Kuwaiti women's needs for privacy, contact with nature, free movement within the home, and social interaction with family members. The study offers design recommendations that better meet the needs of Kuwaiti women in their homes. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of Interior Design in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts. / Degree Awarded: Summer Semester, 2007. / Date of Defense: June 27, 2007. / Architecture, Woman, Lattice, Screen, Courtyard, Kuwait, Traditional House, Interior Design, Contemporary / Includes bibliographical references. / Lisa Waxman, Professor Directing Thesis; Eric Wiedegreen, Committee Member; Jill Pable, Committee Member.

The Girl Scout organization's mission is to build "girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place." The organization often lacks adequate facilities to fully cater to girls and the issues they face today. Most properties owned by the Girl Scouts are located in rural areas which are not easily accessible by the majority of the members to fulfill their mission. These facilities do not help the organization challenge the stereotype that Girl Scouts is only about selling cookies and camping. Furthermore, the image that the Girl Scout organization is a progressive and innovative one is not portrayed to the communities they are in through the facilities they occupy. This is because, as mentioned before, most of the facilities are located in rural areas and revolve around outdoor activities and connecting girls with nature. In no way does this thesis argue that this connection with nature is somehow unimportant or unneeded. However, this thesis does make the case that the majority of the Girl Scout owned buildings located within city and urban areas lack inclusive functions and appeal to draw in new members and offer existing members facilities to be proud of. To rectify this situation, this thesis has proposed that Girl Scout councils design and construct Girl Scout Urban Campuses. As defined in this thesis, a Girl Scout Urban Campus is, "a facility utilized by Girl Scout members for the purposes of education and fun. These properties are similar to camps and can be used in many of the same ways camps are utilized. However, campuses seek to combine the spaces essential to the functioning of any council (such as program spaces, service spaces, meeting spaces, camping places and council shops) to a central location while also providing programs geared towards urban lifestyles. These are additional programs offered as a contrast to the rural/ outdoor centered programming offered at the camps." The idea for building these facilities came from Girl Scout facilities around the country, several of which were specifically given the name "urban campus". Other ideas came from Girl Scout buildings whose innovative features were worth consideration. The objective of this thesis was to prepare design programming for one specific Girl Scout council, the Girl Scout Council of the Florida Panhandle. The profiles and requirements of the members were examined in this study. The specific ideas taken from the members of the council were then translated into individual spaces. The spaces were broken down into a programming format to determine the specific aspects and design features which were required within each individual space. Further, the spaces were grouped into categories based on user access. Each space reviewed various aspects of design such as atmosphere, security, approximate square footage and design characteristics. Ideas for design features were proposed and explained for each space. Many of the spaces were given bubble flow diagrams to show circulation, as well as images to help the reader understand how the space might look. The compilation of these individual spaces can later be translated into an actual design. It is the hope that this thesis will provide the Girl Scout Council of the Florida Panhandle with a springboard to continue with the design and fundraising processes in order to fulfill this vision. Furthermore, it is the hope that other councils around the United States will use the information in this thesis to begin to create their own Girl Scout Urban Campuses. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of Interior Design in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts. / Degree Awarded: Summer Semester, 2010. / Date of Defense: April 28, 2010. / Urban Campus, Girl Scouts, Girl Scout, Design, Design Program, Trefoil Effect, Camp, Juliette Gordon Low / Includes bibliographical references. / Tasuku Ohazama, Professor Directing Thesis; Jill Pable, Committee Member; Lisa K. Waxman, Committee Member.

'The Aesthetics of Exile' seeks to understand and represent a condition of exile through visual practice. The following text comprises two parts. Part one is divided into three sections, and serves to outline the form of the project, as well as the thinking behind it. Section 1 introduces the visual exploration and reasoning within the practice, Section 2 summarises its contextual and conceptual grounding, and Section 3 describes the visual material to be viewed, focussing on the processes behind each individual series of work. In Part two an essay on the artwork written by Jonathan Miles is reproduced in full to provide a further reading of the practice. The text is by way of introduction and reference but, ultimately, the evidence and outcome of the research lies in the artwork itself, which is presented here in a series of ten folios. These folios document chronologically the visual exploration and progression of the project. Each series of work selected for reproduction is represented by an edition of unbound c-prints and/or DVD, individually housed and titled. The final folio documents the concluding exhibition of the research project, as it was installed and assessed in the gallery setting.

現有不同種類的二進位邏輯(布林)轉換技術，用以改善二進位邏輯電路之各個範疇，包括面積、速度、耗電量及軟性錯誤率等等。有些邏輯轉換技術是基於代數運算，也有一些是基於邏輯理論。重新佈線是邏輯轉換技術的一種，特點是強而穩定且靈活。這種邏輯轉換技術的概念在於「以線換線」，即通過加入一些新電線(代替線），去移除電路內某些固有電線(目標線）。由於今天設計及製造電路之程序，已採用納米技術，電線之大小長短及布局均極影響電路的性能。因此，重新佈線技術很適用於現代的集成電路製作流程。本論文目的為研究傳統及新穎以誤差抵消為基礎的重新佈線技術之理論和應用，並試圖以其改善集成電路的耗電量與容錯能力。首先，我們研究採用重新佈線技術，去改善經過時鐘聞控技術處理的電路，減少其面積及耗電量。其次，我們結合以誤差抵消為基礎的重新佈線技術和傳統時鐘閘控技術，發展出新類型的時鐘閘控技術。最後，我們嘗試通過加添冗餘的電線來達到更佳的容錯能力。 / Various logic transformation techniques have been developed to optimize different aspects of Boolean circuit designs, such as area, speed, power and soft error rate. They range from algebraic operations to Boolean operations. Among the Boolean optimization techniques, rewiring is known to be as robust and flexible as others. Its idea is to replace a set of existing wires (target wires) in a circuit with another set of additional wires (alternative wires) which do not exist in the circuit originally. Hence, it is suitable for the design and manufacturing processes in today's nano-metre era in which wiring has become a dominating factor. In this thesis, a more general rewiring scheme based on the concepts of error cancellation as well as the traditional rewiring schemes were studied. Applications of rewiring and error cancellation concepts on power reduction and fault tolerance were experimented. Firstly, rewiring was adopted as a tool to minimize the area and power of clock gated circuits. Secondly, error-cancellation-based rewiring and traditional clock gating were integrated as a new kind of clock gating scheme. Lastly, a fault tolerance scheme based on redundant wire addition was developed. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Lam, Tak Kei. / Thesis (Ph.D.) Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2014. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 118-130). / Abstracts also in Chinese. / Lam, Tak Kei.

This research investigates how new manufacturing concepts can be developed by individual practitioners and small manufacturing companies facilitated by an increased diffusion of digital fabrication tools and knowledge resources. Within this innovation scenario the study is particularly focused on exploring the early stages of research and development, rather than phases concerning product testing and marketing. This thesis provides data from a practice-based study with a technical focus on the development of fabrication concepts based on an underutilised fabrication concept known as Reconfigurable Pin Tooling (RPT). This manufacturing idea has also been described as ‘universal’ or ‘ideal’ tooling and has attracted interest from a number of researchers and inventors since the mid nineteen century (Munro and Walczyk, 2007). Although presenting potential advantages compared with conventional production systems, the concept has only been used in very few practical and commercial applications. Developments in digital technologies are now providing the technical foundations for developing new RPT systems and applications. The practice element of this study features two strands of enquiry. One concerns the development of an RPT system for the production of glass bowls within the researchers' own creative practice. The other practice strand was guided by interaction with a local furniture company, MARK Product, and focussed on the development of an RPT system for shaping upholstery foam. In combination, the two practice elements served to investigate tools, factors, and approaches that are involved when independent practitioners engage in innovation in the context of digital fabrication. Results from both investigations provide new insights into the independent innovation in this field. Original knowledge contributions from this research include the development of two novel RPT applications with a number of new technical solutions also having been established as a result of this study. Equally, the exploration of the glass RPT concept led to the productions of original artistic output, which is presented as evidence for the creative potential of this RPT concept. Furthermore, the study resulted in the development of a new approach for recording research data in rich II media format via an IOS database template. Conceptual knowledge contributions concern concepts and aspects that are relevant to independent innovators operating in the context of digital fabrication, building on the work of Smith and Von Hipple (2005; 2005). Reflections of this study in relation to S-curve theory (Christensen, 1997; Foster, 1986) are also included. The insights from this research have resulted in a concluding argument which proposes that an innovation toolset, which is combined by several facilitating aspects, can be seen as enabling individual practitioners to shift from operating within an individual innovation sphere to a position where they are able to make a valuable contribution in sectors beyond their own practice.