Thesis: S.B. in Art and Design, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Architecture, 2005. / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (page 28). / The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is home to the oldest architecture school in the United States, yet curiously, this department has sat in the shadow of the other programs at MIT for much of its history. Today, however, the Department of Architecture is one in transition, between presidents, deans, and department heads. At this point it seems crucial to reevaluate the direction of this program. This project is meant to address three problems regarding the identity of the Department of Architecture: a lack of identity as seen by our students, identity as seen by the Institute, and identity as seen by the world of architecture. The goal of this thesis is to redesign the spaces which comprise our home at MIT. Specifically, the project seeks to house entire school together on MIT's main campus. Expanding and transforming the current structure of Bosworth's neoclassical buildings, this new School of Architecture provides for itself, the Institute, and the world, a visible new home for a neglected portion of MIT. / by Stephen Form. / S.B. in Art and Design

Thesis (M. Arch.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 110-111). / This thesis begins with the critique of the current situation of detached, privately owned, multi-family residences and seeks alternative solutions at both the broad scale of the block, and at the scale of the spaces directly adjacent to the interiors. Originally these types of residences were based on the block layout and ideals of equal light, access, and air that were formed at the turn of the century for single family homes. Some of the results of this "equality", and its direct application to multi-family residences, are equally unusable side yards, an abundance of pavement and curb cuts for individual driveways, "private" backyards that all abut, and views from the interiors and porches directly to neighbors' interiors and porches. Though residents might know some of their neighbors directly next door, the feeling of a larger sense of community is lost with in the repetitiveness of the tract block. The intention of th is thesis, based on the assumption that the residents have a variety of needs, and that all of the spaces should not be "equal", is to design a range of outside territories from private to communal. What is an alternative block arrangement that will foster community interaction and provide the framework for the layout and design of these outdoor spaces? How should outdoor sitting areas, parking spots, entrances, entry paths, etc., be designed to reinforce and provide for these different requirements? A set of design principles for these types of spaces will be derived through a combination of analysis of "successful" spaces, and the redesign of an existing neighborhood/ block in Cambridge, Massachusetts. / by Gwynne Darden. / M.Arch.

Thesis (M. Arch.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1994. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 83-85). / The built environment impacts and impresses itself upon the body and spirit. Our senses reveal and interpret these experiences. I am interested in the experiencing of architecture at a point where the material and permanent collide and cooperate with the immaterial and impermanent. Through the design and transformation of a Russian bath in an urban American context this thesis investigates how the elements of building react to and shape the natural elements. Haw together they are assembled and manipulated into an architecture of form and texture, light and dark, scale and rhythm, and sound and silence; thus recreating and reinforcing the body, its senses and rituals, within our environment. / by Christina Eleanor Wasch. / M.Arch.

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1989. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 78-80). / This essay is an application of Ibn Khaldun's theories of culture and civilization to a study of the physical formation of medieval Cairo . The study is based on the premise that the city is an historical process governed by an underlying set of cultural conditions. Those conditions manifest themselves in the physical form of the city. Ibn Khaldun formulated his theories as tools for investigating the nature of social phenomena. He considered such investigation a necessary step towards understanding and recording the historical events. His concept of history, stated in the first part of this study, is based on a cyclical pattern of cultural change which leads to the rise and fall of civilization. The city in his framework becomes an aspect of civilization following the same inevitable evolutionary pattern. The first part of this study examines those theories and focuses on their important aspects. The second part introduces some historical facts about the evolution of medieval Cairo and analyses them using the premises of Ibn Khaldun's theories. The reports of al-Maqrizi - a fifteenth century historian of Cairo - provided the historical information necessary for this investigation. The study raised some issues concerning the use of Ibn Khaldun's theories in pursuing such kind of studies, and the knowledge of the Islamic city which need to be reassessed. Those issues are presented in the last section under Reflections. / by Tawfiq F. Abu-Hantash. / M.S.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Architecture. Thesis. 1967. B.Arch. / MIT copy bound with: A visual arts center for Central Connecticut State College / by Robert C. Chester [1967] Accompanying drawings held by MIT Museum. / Bibliography: leaf 68. / B.Arch.

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1987. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 79-80). / New Delhi, the capital of the British Raj in India, forms with the Mughal walled city of Shahjahanabad, the core of a city that has grown tenfold in the forty years since Independence, from 700,000 in 1947, to 7.5 million today. Tremendous disparities characterize this core comprising of what was the 'native city' and the 'colonial city'. The foremost of these is that of density, which is about 350 persons per acre in Shahjahanabad compared to 20 to 25 persons per acre in colonial Delhi. This thesis questions the validity of this bipolarity and the continued existence of a suburban environment in the heart of the city through a series of design studies on the densification of the colonial city. It deals with urban form and its implications. While the stated goal of the Master Plan has been to achieve a more equitable distribution of densities in this core, the reasons for densification, who it is to benefit, and its formal expression as presented in urban design proposals for the area, are often contradictory. The thesis demonstrates an alternative approach that attempts to address these issues within the scope of a purely formal study. It draws on precedents of urban form that already exist in the context of Delhi : that of Shahjahanabad and the colonial city which contains within its suburban environment, traces of another urban tradition. / Nandinee Phookan. / M.S.

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1987. / Bibliography: leaves 102-105. / by Lisa Susan Verner. / M.S.

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 2005. / This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 128-130). / Contemporary approaches toward the renovation of existing spaces are mainly driven by functional requirements and aesthetic purposes. While this design approach is valid, the purpose of this thesis is to develop a methodology for architects to analyze and evaluate the quality of existing spaces on a periodical basis and improve them with the use of digital media. The first part of this thesis project has a diagnostic purpose where the architect investigates historically and empirically the physical structure as well as the users' perceived imagery of the examined space. The second part uses the diagnosis' findings as a mapping device for the application of specific digital media, deemed appropriate for the task, and the orchestration of time-related events and information flows. The goal of this thesis, which focuses solely on public spaces for the extent of this research, is twofold. On a design level, it seeks to increase the quality of space and its potential to communicate with the users through a synergic, adaptive approach. On a research level, it seeks to bring together three diverse but not distant disciplines, those of architecture, cognitive psychology and information technology, suggesting a multi-disciplinary avenue for a retrospective design inquiry. / by Marianthi Liapi. / S.M.

Thesis (M. Arch.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1958. / Accompanying drawings held by MIT Museum. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves ). / by Vitoids V. Vitols. / M.Arch.

Thesis (M.Arch.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 99-101). / For the last three decades, the capital city of Korea, Seoul, has experienced an explosive increase in population and rapid urbanization. This increase has led to a severe housing shortage in Seoul. The government responded to this urgent demand for housing by building western style high-rise and high-density apartments. In this process, the government disregarded Korean architectural heritage and destroyed the old urban fabric. Today, after thirty years, Seoul is filled with 200 foot high white concrete boxes. Seoul lost many charming characteristics. Many old narrow streets are gone and are replaced by the straight traffic roads. A larger supermarket has replaced a small neighborhood grocery shop. To preserve the old neighborhoods of Seoul, a different planning practice should be implemented. This thesis examines the current housing trend in Seoul and proposes a plan for " Kyunam-dong. " Also, it proposes a representative building that not only respects the existing urban fabric but also provides the modern conveniences to its neighbor. The thesis aims to demonstrate how the alternative planning could preserve the old neighborhood as much as possible and keep people from leaving th is neighborhood. / by Kwanghyun Lee. / M.Arch.