Thesis (M.Arch.) Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Architecture, 1956. / Accompanying drawings held by MIT Museum. / Bibliography: leaf 12. / by Peter G. A. Van Dijk. / M.Arch.

Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 2013. / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 34). / The purpose of this study is to investigate the benefits of adding natural fiber tensile reinforcement to aerated concrete. Concrete is a great composite material which can be created in various proportions and with various materials to alter its strength, density and porosity, amongst other properties. Concrete which is used commonly in construction of columns, beams, and slabs acts well in compression but fails under tension. The common solution is to reinforce the structure in areas where it experiences tension with steel. There are other materials besides steel which also take tension well. Natural fibers for example come in various strengths and types and would create lighter and perhaps more sustainable beam designs. Natural fibers have been used for their availability, workability, and high tensile strengths for centuries. This research discovers how the natural fibers distribute within the mixture and how they affect the aeration of the concrete, as well as how they affect the strength. Multiple samples are cured with different fiber types and in different proportions within the mixture. Furthermore, similar experimentation is conducted to discover an ideal ratio of aggregate to aerated concrete mix. The aggregate gives the concrete greater strength and economy, but could negatively affect the aeration. The various concrete mixes are poured and allowed to cure to maximum strength before indirect tensile tests and compression tests are conducted. The effects of creating smooth aerated concrete molds are also investigated. All experiments conducted are precursory to an ultimate tensile reinforced aerated concrete beam design with an aggregate mix and smooth surfaces. / by Leonidia Maria Garbis. / S.B.

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 101-105). / To propose a new conceptualization of "home", it is necessary to explore the mechanisms that have created this revered icon. Since the industrial revolution, the commercial packaging of the home has continually reinforced its significance as a mass-produced object. From clothing to automobiles, little in our environment escapes considerations of mass-market assumptions, including the typical single-family American Home. The focus of this investigation will examine the expectations we have of "home" and how these expectations have come to inform the design generation of this particular building type. To establish a perspective on the meaning of "home" within today's culture, this investigation will assess a number of facets that have shaped the home in the twentieth century: economic factors, cultural iconography, domestic products, and critical architecture theory. The goal of this research is the development of interactive architectural narratives that allow a participant to explore particular contexts of domestic design and come to an understanding of how these devices have informed our American vision of the house. The dialectic of the investigation will emerge through looking at the way homes are designed and built, and the way they are used. This project is inspired by the House_n vision of new modes of home/technology integration. The domestic program set forth by the House_n necessarily inspires a historical perspective to effectively shape the [near] future of dwelling. Where have we been? Where are we now? We are we going? By examining critical periods of home design, certain trends will surface that indicate shifts in use values. By comparing these changes in use expectation with the resulting mass-marketed form, it will be possible prescribe alternate modes of conceptualizing the design and construction of the home. / by Michael E. Wilcox. / S.M.

Thesis (M. Arch.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1984. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCH. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 99). / This thesis began with the attitude that American suburban neighborhoods have some positive qualities. However, the character of these neighborhoods is changing; it is no longer economically feasible for each family to own its own home, and increasing awareness of land conservation is causing neighborhoods to consolidate. As these neighborhoods become denser it is important that they retain their original character. This thesis is a design exploration for a denser housing prototype on a vacant block in Inman Park, one of Atlanta's original suburbs, which was built at the turn-of-the-century. The attempt was to retain the character of the neighborhood at the street , while adding density to the interior parts of the site. A cluster prototype was developed using the scale and character of the existing buildings. Public access through the site, relationships between the outdoor spaces and their public or private nature, and relationships between open spaces all became important aspects in the- design process. / by Deborah Lee Heidel. / M.Arch.

Thesis (B.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1900. / MIT copy bound with: A public library for a city of 40,000 inhabitants / Rudolph J. Clausen. Accompanying drawings held by MIT Museum. / by C. V. Merrick. / B.S.

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 188-195). / A critical inquiry was undertaken to explore the role that architecture, development, architectural criticism, and urban intervention played, as representational and ideological tools, in the process of British colonial formation in Lucknow, from 1765 to 1858. Results show: (1) Architecture and development played a crucial role in annexation of Lucknow by the British in 1856, (2) Orientalist architectural criticism was an instrument to justify the annexation of the city and the deposition of its rulers, (3) the British government used urban intervention and massive urban surgery to establish their political and social control over Lucknow, and (4) through the representation of the pre-colonial city as an impediment to progress and change, the British colonial enterprise permanently destroyed the indigenous socio-political economy and culture that symbolized the flouring city between 1765 and 1858. Since then, Lucknow has yet to recover. / by Manish Srivastava. / M.S.

Thesis (M.C.P.) Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Architecture, 1956. / Bibliography: leaves 136-137. / by Richard S. Bolan. / M.C.P.

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1989. / Title as it appeared in M.I.T. Graduate List, Sept. 1989: The Canadian developers investment in the U.S. real estate market. / Includes bibliographical references. / by William Richard Evans. / M.S.

Thesis (M.Arch.) Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Architecture, 1956. / Accompanying drawings held by MIT Museum. / Bibliography: leaf 28. / by Walter S. Newman. / M.Arch.

Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Architecture, June 2014. / This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections. / Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis. "June 2014." / Includes bibliographical references (pages 82-83). / After 30 years' fast economic growth and urbanization, the gap between city and village has become one of the biggest challenges of today's China. Large countryside area with distinctive landscape is dying because of poor living conditions and fewer job opportunities. At the same time, the frenzy of Industry Park and Office Park developments, which started in the 1990s, is taking vast farmland from countryside, especially in peri-urban area. The process of land acquisition removes all the famers and existing agriculture elements. Millions of farmers lose their land for life support every year in China. Linpan is a typical agriculture landscape in Sichuan Plain, China. It is charactered by scattered residential settlements enclosed by trees and bamboos distributed in large farmland area with dense irrigation system, which has a history of two thousand years. When Chengdu quickly becomes one of the largest industry cities of West China after 1980s, more than 100km² of Linpan area has been transferred to various of industry parks and office parks and the number is still growing. By taking a typical linpan land as a testing site, the thesis proposes a mutual-beneficial cooperation mode of agriculture and selected industry development. New programs are plugged in within minimum effect on agriculture system. Certain degree of agriculture is maintained till the end of development process. When factories and offices enjoy the benefits from the in-site agriculture production and beauty of landscape, new possiblities of Chinese New Countryside is appearing. / by Fei Hong. / S.M.