Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 86-93). / This thesis explores Mies van der Rohe's Barcelona Pavilion through the lens of Nelson Goodman's philosophical categories of the autographic and the allographic in order to determine what constitutes the building's identity. The Pavilion was originally designed as a temporary structure for the 1929 International Exposition in Barcelona and rebuilt in 1986 as a permanent building. The reconstruction of this iconic building provokes a complex questioning about the identity of the Barcelona Pavilion in particular and of any architectural work in general. Goodman's notions are unique criteria to deal with issues of identity and authenticity in architecture. The autographic identifies a category of works that cannot be replicated, i.e., every difference between a work and even its closest copy makes a difference to the work's identity. In contrast, the allographic identifies a category of works that can be replicated, i.e., the difference between an original and its duplication is irrelevant to the work's identity. By examining the Barcelona Pavilion through the lens of these notions, this thesis shows that Mies's building is a hybrid case in which the autographic and the allographic criteria are inextricably linked. / (cont.) To consider the 1986 Pavilion simply as a copy does not completely define its identity status; conversely, to conclude that they are two instances of the same work or that they are two different buildings is not accurate, either. This case illustrates the complexity that arises when trying to establish what constitutes the identity of an architectural work in general and, at the same time, allows us to reconsider Goodman's statements regarding architecture. / by Remei Capdevila Werning. / S.M.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Architecture. Thesis. 1968. M.Arch. / Bibliography: leaf 24. / M.Arch.

Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Architecture, 2015. / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (pages 134-141). / The American Small Industries Exhibition was the first instance during the Cold War wherein the USA assembled a solo exhibit outside the framework of an established trade fair. It toured three nonaligned nations between 1958 and 1961: India, Ghana, and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). Ceylon's political climate was suffused with mounting anti-West sentiment, and the exhibition constitutes one of the few moments of sustained interaction between Ceylon and the USA. Using the exhibition's nomenclature as a provocation, this thesis examines the Small Industries Exhibition's aspirations in relation to political realities of 1960s Ceylon. Its aims were apparently clear: to support industrialisation and establish trade ties with three non-aligned, socialist-leaning nations shifting from an agricultural to an industrial economy. It was intended to serve as a clear endorsement of capitalistic modernisation, while refuting the socialist, state-centred models of development embodied in multi-year planning documents released by each of the three host countries. Descriptions of the fair, however, are contradictory and unexpected, commencing with the unusual presentation of the USA as a wellspring of small-scale industry. This thesis disassembles the exhibition into its many components, making a case for studying the very small to illuminate the very large. When examined closely, objects on view project a range of messages and betray a vast array of physical and ideological infrastructures. However, the thesis also examines the slender site of the suture - the manner in which objects and agents are assembled and deployed - not only to understand the composition of these contradictions, but also to read the act of translation. It argues that to dissect these assemblages is to peel away at the constructed line of the 'national' boundary, prompting an examination of knowledge transfers, affinities, and differences that are simultaneously local and transnational in their scope and impact. In particular, the thesis examines the fragmented, contingent, conflicting processes that are gathered together and described as modernisation, and challenges the measures used to divide the globe into 'developed' and 'developing' nations. / by Nushelle de Silva. / S.M.

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 115-117). / Nariman Dossabhai Gandhi, one of the earLiest proponents of organic architecture Taliesin and heaviLy influenced by Frank LLoyd Wright's teachings on the same subj personal understanding of the term: organic, extending it beyond his mentor's architectural rendition. Nari Gandhi defied the Legal and social norms that govern most present day ... Less-known exemplar of the organic ideology. This study of his works is placed in th that saw the emergence of new social thought, culture and architectural ... nation wanting to renew its physical identity. My thesis looks at his Life, unusual working ... and attempts to understand the ramifications of the rarity he embodied. A 37 mln film, researched and shot in India, accompanies this text and is the first like and works. / by Aftab Amirali Jalia. / S.M.

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 67-69). / by Gonzalo G. Cortabarria. / M.S.

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1994. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 67). / by Zisong Feng. / M.S.

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1995. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 81-84). / Displacement ventilation is a form of air-conditioning which provides good air quality and some energy savings. The air quality is better than for a conventional mixed ventilation system. The maximum amount of cooling that displacement ventilation can provide whilst maintaining a comfortable space is between 25 and 40 W/m2. Chilled ceilings can be added to increase the cooling capacity of the system. A scale model study was carried out to determine comfort levels at different conditions, to establish maximum cooling loads and to observe flow patterns in a typical office room with displacement ventilation and a chilled ceiling. Refrigerant R114 was used as the scaling fluid and an existing test box was used as the model room. Heat sources were simulated using electric resistances in aluminum enclosures. A gas and a water circuit were built to supply ventilation and cooling to the room. Flow visualization was carried out by injecting refrigerant laden with ammonium chloride smoke into the supply point. The smoke was lit by a spotlight shone between two pieces of cardboard and images were taken using a video camera. The results showed that for displacement ventilation alone, the temperature distribution was within stringent comfort levels for heat loads up to 25 W/m2 with an air change rate of 7.5. When a chilled ceiling was added, up to 40 W/m2 could be cooled within comfort levels. The refrigerant was radiatively absorbing, so the radiation cooling from the ceiling was reduced. Therefore, this maximum cooling load is probably an underestimate. Some displacement occurred at low levels for this cooling load, which indicated good air quality, but it was below the breathing zone. At higher loads, the flow appeared to be mixed. Therefore, the benefit of enhanced air quality with displacement ventilation was lost when a chilled ceiling was added. The use of a scale model allowed the study of ventilation systems without building a full scale room. It was of limited use for this study because the heat transfer by radiation could not be modelled correctly with this refrigerant. Further experiments could be carried out with lower supply air rates. The experiments could be improved by ensuring more accurate measurement of the water and gas flow rates and temperatures, reducing heat losses. Flow visualization could be improved by injecting smoke at different points within the room and by using a stronger, more focused plane of light. The apparatus could be used for future work on heat transfer that does not involve a significant amount of radiation. It is recommended that a more leak-tight box with a greater height is built and a more environmentally friendly refrigerant is used. / by Katherine J.A. Holden. / M.S.

Thesis (M. Arch.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1992. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 52-53). / Assuming the need to transform industrial culture, one might begin with an attempt to re-value the industrial environment itself. While mistrusting those practices that left behind derelict sites and structures, we inherit these artifacts with the obligation to improvise new forms on the themes they establish. Reoccupation of an abandoned industrial area becomes then, a project of recuperation specific to a particular si te and culture. The area under investigation is known as the Boynton Yards in Somerville Massachusetts. From the early 19th century until recently it had been a vital industrial district. Today, the site is largely abandoned. This project proposes to make a gesture of recognition to those physical and cultural norms that formed the site, with the intention of re-valuing its current status. Its potential to function as a zone of spatial and social orientation is exploited in a design for a series of loading docks at the edge the Yards. / by Scott William Rabiet. / M.Arch.

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1984. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCH. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 191-194). / The work of the Portuguese architect Alvaro Siza (1933), as it developed during the 1970's is an intriguing and dense expression of several contemporary concerns. The thesis focuses on three of Siza's works, the Antonio Carlos Siza house (1976-78), the projects for Kreuzberg commissioned by the International Building Exhibition of Berlin (1979), and the plan for the Malagueira district at Evora (1977- present). The analysis of these projects and Siza's few writings and statements is undertaken in an effort to tentatively articulate the principles which lie behind the forms of his architecture. From the analysis of specific works, two themes, thought to be central to Siza's enterprise, are identified and applied to a wider range of works. This inquiry does not provide a comprehensive account of Siza's ongoing research program. It does suggest a way of approaching the work, and provides a means of placing Siza's architecture within the context of Portuguese architectural culture and the current architectural debate. / by Peter A. Testa. / M.S.

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 40-41). / "A Room in the Room" is a temporary site-specific installation in which I constructed a room inside of my private room, located at 352 Marlborough Street in Boston. The inner room, accessible by the second door of my room, forms an enclosure made out of transparent glass walls. Visitors enter the inner room to share my visual and sound experiences, but not physically to cross the transparent walls. With my performance living between two walls and avoiding any communication with visitors, I expose my private spectacle to the visitors, giving them the sense of strangeness that I am used to in a public space. Reconstructing and revealing the inside space of our spatial, social, psychological boundaries result in an individual and collective narrative. Thus the transparent boundary as a metaphor of physically constructed psycho-social boundaries, examines my strangeness in a room and realizes the invisible walls in our social landscape. / by Jae-Chol Lee. / S.M.