This thesis is an exploration of objects and their ability to create a between. Objects are the principal focus of this thesis. Objects arise from a desire to express the richness of three dimensions. Betweens evolve from the relationship between objects. The between is a thing, just as clearly as the object is a thing. It is a hallway, a door or a room. Knowing that a between needs to accommodate a particular function can help shape the relationship of the objects, but does not shape the objects themselves. This thesis is studied in a proposal for the area surrounding Virginia Tech’s School of Architecture, Cowgill Hall. The proposal consists of four primary objects; a series of three classrooms, a new entrance into Cowgill, a gallery above and below Cowgill Plaza, and a stair which extends the Plaza down to the level of Cowgill’s first floor. / Master of Architecture

This thesis is my commitment to this medium of social and personal expression. lt is also, the development of a foundation from which my search for truth, understanding and architecture can continue through time. The study vehicle is the design of an addition to Cowgill Hall, the College of Architecture at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia. The primary determinants which contribute to the addition's form are derived from site, structure and institution. The solution, an infill language of columns, beams and gravity walls, is ordered by interpreting these ideas into architectural elements that express an open and harmonious environment that encourages the creative spirit to flourish. / Master of Architecture

The task of this thesis is the design of a facility that will accommodate both a large workforce in an office environment and a large accompaniment of machines. The entire complex, located in a remote area of a large rural university campus, must establish harmony between the various functional components of the center. / Master of Architecture

A place at a boundary A struggle from reason to poetry A dialogue between thought and object / Master of Architecture

I remember with clarity the day Dennis Kilper and Donna Dunay shared with us their awareness of a site in downtown Blacksburg bound by College Avenue, Draper Road, Roanoke Street and Otey Street. The sight is a locus of interface between the university and the town. A place rich in contextual nuance, movement, rhythm, axis and history interact to create a powerful synergy waiting to be expressed. When the time came to choose a subject for my master's thesis, I found the challenge I was looking for in the puzzle of what to do with such a special opportunity. My design proposal (multi–use in nature) for the above site is a quadrangle made from the repetition of a square-based brick tower in concert with the development of an axis in the field of the quadrangle. The brick tower transforms itself in response to context, as does the pre-existing interior axis. / Master of Architecture

The Student Health Services is located in Henderson Hall, a complex consisting of several buildings constructed at various times. Three other departments share this complex. Because of inadequate space and a building layout which does not easily accommodate the Health Services’ function, a study was completed to determine needs of the facility, and a final design solution was produced to supply the needs of the University, the Health Services and the community. Advantages of the existing location as well as the university master plan indicated keeping the facility in the same area. But problems created by the layout and shape of the present facility necessitate a new facility designed to increase both efficient handling of patient and staff flow as well as creating a positive image. The facility should communicate that it is a place for healing rather than a place for the sick. The new building ties into the existing complex creating a boundary between the University and the community, and creates a front facing the new student activities building. The original residence of the first College president will be restored to its original scale and identity by the removal of its present two additions. / Master of Architecture

A library has always been a doorway into learning. Learning, in today's world, has become a complex and varied process. The built form must therefore embody the vastness of this available knowledge. The building must, through its very structuring, make easy and accessible learning. It must also express the intricacies and inter-relationships of knowledge using an architectural vocabulary. The making of the building is analogous to the development of the individual. lt is from the collective that the individual emerge. The built form encapsulates society in both scale and complexity. lt is an amalgamation of difference, offering opportunity for individualized growth to a collective social education. The building reveals itself slowly through its relationship. It encourages exploration at every level. It is a beginning, an instrument of search, a ground for discovery. The transformation of the process of study into built form is drawn out along its connections. The language of architecture is used to bind together the many strands of learning through universally interpretable metaphors into a coherent reality. / Master of Architecture

Akademiska Hus håller tillsammans med Luleå tekniska universitet på att utveckla ett nytt kvarter på universitetsområdet i Luleå idag. Det nya kvarteret som går under arbetsnamnet Deltakvarteret befinner sig fortfarande i ett tidigt skede i byggprocessen och det finns därmed ingen färdig utformning av kvarteret och den kommande byggnaden idag. I dagsläget finns endast ett flertal skissförslag på hur kvarteret skulle kunna utformas. Syftet med det här examensarbetet var därmed att undersöka hur ett entréområde kan gestaltas samt att ta fram specifika riktlinjer för hur Deltakvarterets nya huvudentré kan utformas. För att besvara forskningsfrågorna och uppfylla studiens syfte utfördes en litteraturstudie samt en platsanalys av den plats där den nya huvudentrén till Deltakvarteret ska placeras. Litteraturstudien hade tre olika perspektiv: entréns betydelse genom tiderna, vilka regelverk som styr utformningen av entréer i Sverige idag samt hur det nordiska klimatet i Sverige påverkar utformningen. Platsanalysen utfördes utifrån Jan Gehls analysmetod 12 kvalitetskriterier vilken bygger på en checklista för att bedöma hur välfungerande och inbjudande det offentliga rummet är. Syftet med platsanalysen var att undersöka de styrkor och svagheter som det blivande entréområdet har idag för att ta fram riktlinjer som kan stärka eventuella svagheter. Litteraturstudien visade på att entréer till byggnader har varit av stor betydelse genom tiderna då den bland annat har fungerat som ett sätt att visa på den status och makt som byggnadens invånare har i samhället. Däremot har dess utseende varierat efter de rådande arkitektoniska stilarna samt byggnadsteknikerna. Litteraturstudien visade även att det finns ett antal regelverk att förhålla sig till vid nybyggnation av en entré i Sverige idag, där framför allt Boverkets föreskrifter och allmänna råd är tillämpningsbara på entréer. Dock är de krav som ställs i BBR inte alltid tillräckliga och det kan därmed krävas ytterligare anpassningar för att uppnå en bra tillgänglighet. I nordiska klimat krävs det att utformningen av både entréer och byggnader i sin helhet tar hänsyn till klimatet för att undvika de negativa aspekter som vinterklimatet annars kan medföra. Tre viktiga aspekter som identifierats var att hålla de varma temperaturerna inomhus och de kalla utomhus, skapa skydd mot kalla vintervindar samt att släppa in vintersolen i byggnaden. Gehl-analysen visade på att den studerade ytan till största del uppnådde en acceptabel nivå för de tolv kvalitetskriterierna enligt metoden, men att vissa åtgärder fortfarande krävs för att uppnå ett lyckat stadsrum. De åtgärder som krävdes var bland annat att skapa mer skydd mot obehagliga sinnesupplevelser samt att skapa fler möjligheter att stå och sitta ned i stadsrummet.  Studiens bidrag är att sammanfatta och lyfta de aspekter som är viktiga att ha i åtanke när en ny huvudentré till en offentlig byggnad utformas i Sverige idag, där såväl styrande regelverk för entréns utformning och de anpassningar som krävs för det nordiska klimatet som entréns betydelse för en byggnad inkluderas. Studien har även bidragit till att ta fram riktlinjer som Deltakvarteret kan förhålla sig till vid utformningen av dess nya huvudentré. / Akademiska Hus, together with Luleå University of Technology, is currently developing a new block on the university campus in Luleå. The new block, which goes by the working name the Delta Block, is still at an early stage in the construction process and thus there is no finished design of the block and the upcoming building today. At present, there are only several sketch proposals on how the block could be designed. The purpose of this thesis was to investigate how an entrance area could be designed and to develop specific guidelines for how the Delta Block's new main entrance could be designed. To answer the research questions and fulfil the purpose of the study, a literature study was performed as well as a site analysis of the place where the new main entrance to the Delta Block will be located. The literature study had three different perspectives: the importance of the entrance through the ages, the regulations that govern the design of entrances in Sweden today, and how the Nordic climate in Sweden affects the design. The site analysis was performed based on Jan Gehl's analysis method 12 quality criteria, which is based on a checklist to assess how well-functioning and inviting the public space is. The purpose of the site analysis was to examine the strengths and weaknesses that the future entrance area has today in order to develop guidelines that can strengthen any weaknesses. The literature study showed that entrances to buildings have been of great importance through the ages as it has, among other things, served as a way to show the status and power that the building's inhabitants have in society. However, its appearance has varied according to the prevailing architectural styles as well as the building techniques. The literature study also showed that there are a number of regulations to comply with when building an entrance in Sweden today, where above all the National Board of Housing, Building and Planning's regulations and general guidelines are applicable to entrances. However, the requirements set in the BBR are not always sufficient and further adjustments may be required to achieve good accessibility. In the Nordic climate, it is required that the design of both entrances and buildings takes the climate into account in order to avoid the negative aspects that the winter climate may otherwise entail. Three important aspects identified were keeping the warm temperatures indoors and the cold outdoors, creating protection against cold winter winds and to let the winter sun into the building. The Gehl analysis showed that the studied area largely achieved an acceptable level for the twelve quality criteria according to the method, but that certain measures are still required to achieve a successful urban space. The measures required included creating more protection against unpleasant sensory experiences and creating more opportunities to stand and sit down in the urban space. The study's contribution is to summarize and highlight the aspects that are important to keep in mind when designing a new main entrance to a public building in Sweden today, where both governing regulations for the design of the entrance and the adaptations required for the Nordic climate and the entrance's significance for a building are included. The study has also helped to develop guidelines that the Delta Block can use when designing its new main entrance.

Master of Architecture

Master of Architecture