Thesis (M. Arch)--University of Pretoria, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references.

published_or_final_version / Architecture / Master / Master of Architecture

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Market demand for housing changes over time, in response to the wants and needs of both individuals and society. Changes in socio-demographics highlight the emergence of non-traditional households in Canada and influence the configuration of a house (or product) which meets buyers' individual requirements. In turn, this affects the design approach (or process). At the same time, society today requires sustainability in housing development, since building a house consumes large amounts of energy during construction and after occupancy. / Technology that improves the cost and performance of housing has advanced over time. Although some innovative design and construction systems (or approaches) that attempt to meet societal and individual demands for housing are available in today's market, homebuilders tend not to apply unfamiliar approaches to their housing developments, since their business operation is often based on convention. Another reason, which inhibits a builder's adoption of new housing technology, is the extra cost required for seeking and analysing information. Thus, the homebuilders' decision-making processes for the adoption of 'familiar' and 'unfamiliar' design and construction systems (or housing systems) which affect the configuration of housing need to be well programmed. / Accordingly, this study, composed of four parts, focuses initially on identifying housing market trends and issues in Quebec, as well as introducing the new concept of mass customisation that encourages homebuilders to standardise parts of a house---i.e. the creation of mass custom homes. Then, in consideration of this new concept, as well as a value analysis approach that helps facilitate homebuilders' buying decisions, it proposes a choice model for the design and construction approaches to the delivery of 'lower-cost and higher-performance' housing. Thirdly, to assess its practicality, the proposed decision-making model is demonstrated in collaboration with a selected homebuilder in Quebec. Finally, the results of this study are discussed in depth in order to identify future research opportunities. / In view of the demonstration project conducted in this study, the author concluded that the proposed 'choice model' could function effectively as a practical decision-making support tool (or system) that helps open the door for homebuilders to generate and select alternatives that aid them to produce lower-cost and higher-performance housing. As a consequence of programming the homebuilders' buying decision-making process, the goal identification uncertainty and goal/purchase matching uncertainty, which often hinder their adoption of unfamiliar, innovative housing systems, could be reduced, or eliminated.

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This thesis addresses innovation in affordable housing. Many people face homelessness or suffer from the burden of renting a house that they cannot afford. In Boston, Massachusetts only 35% of the population are homeowners, resulting in more people renting in the city if they manage to find housing there at all. The increasing cost of housing in the United States presents a significant obstacle for immigrant families, many of whom are already struggling to make a living due to language barriers and limited access to employment opportunities. As housing prices continue to rise across the country, immigrant families face mounting challenges in securing safe and affordable housing, which can result in overcrowding, homelessness, and other adverse outcomes that exacerbate existing social and economic inequalities. To address the housing problem this research engages the solution of high-quality affordable housing for immigrant families in Chelsea, MA (a suburban neighborhood of Boston) by analyzing density and methods of prefabrication. Along with the solution of affordability, the intellectual node of the thesis also discusses the importance of suburbia and its advantage vi of providing a nurturing community. This thesis intends to develop certain functional parameters of design using a Prefabricated Panelized Approach. The prefabricated design for affordability approach provides a technique which can save time and money using off-site manufacturing of products and on-site assembly. This kind of development offers an opportunity to optimize the construction process and an efficient way to build affordable housing. Through this approach, the thesis intends to provide opportunities for home ownership, promote a sense of community among immigrant families, and offer language support to facilitate their growth.

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Despite being the world’s second most important low-carbon source of electricity, the development of nuclear capacities is limited and does not comply with the International Energy Agency’s Sustainable Development Scenario. One of the main reasons for this lack of development is high and increasing costs of new nuclear capacities. In fact, capital costs can account for more than 80% of the Levelized Cost of Energy of a new nuclear power plant. Design accounts for about 10% and construction accounts for about 20% of the total capital cost.The importance of design and construction in nuclear power plants’ costs is partly due to limitations of traditional construction methods regarding both technical possibilities and realization schedules. Modular construction methods are proposed to reduce new nuclear power plants’ construction costs, and in particular steel-plate composite structures modular construction. Steel-plate composite structures consist of a structural interaction between thin steel plates and precast concrete. The aim of this thesis was to evaluate the capacity of modular construction, using steel-plate composite panels, to fulfil nuclear safety and functional requirements; as well as to identify potential related gains and opportunities. Advantages and constraints of steel-plate composite modules were identified in scientific literature and intergovernmental opportunity studies, and were related to the specificities of nuclear structures’ design and construction.Steel-plate composite structures modular construction is based on the manufacturing of steel concrete composite modules outside of the civil works site. The higher productivity of workshops and the possible task parallelization may lead to significant construction schedules shortening and capital costs reduction. In addition, steel-plate composite modules offer new technical possibilities which may help solving some constructability issues. However, steel-plate composite structures modular construction requires a reconsideration of the traditional design and construction methods, as they imply new challenges and constraints. In particular, the modularization issue should be addressed as soon as possible in the design, and the module manufacturing capacities should be quickly identified or created in order to deliver properly manufactured modules on-time.Considering the advantages and constraints of steel-plate composite structures modular construction, it appears that steel-plate composite modules may fit advantageously most of the nuclear design requirements. However, due to the lack of feedback, it is proposed that the usage of steel-plate composite modules be limited to critical concrete structures of the containment building. In particular, it appears that the containment dome and the reactor pit construction may benefit from steel-plate composite structures construction methods.

Pro bono work has always appealed to me. The prospect of being able to help those less fortunate with my knowledge and skillset is uplifting and gratifying. There is something truly rewarding about taking the architectural knowledge and training I have received and finding a solution to a problem for a nonprofit or a group of people that could not easily afford to hire someone. It gives me the opportunity to explore creative solutions with a low budget while still making something beautiful and thoughtful, that not only provides the spaces needed but also adds the detailing and uniqueness that gives the place and its users a sense of pride and pleasure. This thesis seeks to present the programmatic needs, local building materials and resources, a study in efficient building, the local needs and customs, and ways to improve people's lives with an orphanage in Savanette, Haiti. The goal is to explore the fundamental needs of an orphanage and a school in a developing country and develop strategies to address these needs. A successful orphanage needs to provide comfortable housing but also a sense of safety and security, a loving environment where orphans can grow and heal, a self-sustaining community that can care for the facility, and a means to train and educate orphans for adulthood and the working world. Since education is such a central need for an orphanage, and since schools are limited in Haiti, it only made sense to open this up to children in the surrounding area as well. The purpose of this thesis is to develop an architectural language of building components that can be utilized to answer the programmatic needs of the orphanage and school. This system creates the overall structural layout and is intended to be an easily constructible and expandable model while providing good design that is culturally sensitive. / Master of Architecture

P.L.U.G. is a prototypical solution to a highly specialized design problem that emerged in support of remote biological field research in the Mahale mountains of Western Tanzania. In collaboration with researchers from the Virginia Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine's (VMRCVM) Bush to Base Bioinformatics(B2B) group a team of students and faculty from the Virginia Tech School of Architecture + Design designed, constructed, tested, and deployed the mobile field laboratory which houses up to four researchers and includes clean laboratory space, living accommodation, autonomous electricity generation, and a satellite-based communications network. P.L.U.G. consists of two primary elements, a rigid enclosed laboratory and fabric super structure that are constructed using a series of functionally-complex building components that are designed to be carried and assembled by two researchers, in one day, without the use of tools. (Kaur etal. 2007) The resulting system can be mass produced and utilized in the establishment of infrastructure in remote, environmentally sensitive, and unstable environments and has implication in disaster relief housing, human heath stations, remote research, mobile educational facilities, and any other environment or event that requires rapidly deployable, self-sufficient infrastructure. The prototype laboratory was successfully deployed during the summer of 2007 and has been field tested by the Virginia Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine (VMRCVM) Bush-2-Base Bioinformatics (B2B) research group. Currently the laboratory program exists as part of a newly developed long-term research initiative surrounding Deployable Infrastructure in Support of Science and Education (DISSed Lab) initiated by the author in response to perceived demand for such accommodation. / Master of Science