It is the purpose of this thesis to develop the design of a civic and recreation center for Pulaski County, Virginia, which will to the best or the author's ability satisfy two major requirements. The first requirement is that the building shall fulfill the specific needs of the citizens of Pulaski County in providing them with the facilities to carry on those recreational, social, cultural, and civic activities which a.re so necessary for their individual well being and so necessary for making Pulaski a more progressive, a more enjoyable, and a healthier county in which to live. In order to evolve the plans for a building that will fulfill this requirement, it was necessary for the author to go out into Pulaski County and meet the people for whom he was designing. Only by such a method could the author hope to integrate his planning with the tempo and patterns or their daily lives. In the following section the citizens of Pulaski will be introduced to the reader as the author came to know them, to know their general characteristics, their interests, their present needs, and their future dreams. The second requirement is that through a synthesis of the function, the structure, and the aesthetic qualities of the building, it will reflect the noble character of the Pulaski Perpetual Endowment Fund project and will serve as an inspirational memorial to those citizens who, by their contributions, will make the project a success. / Master of Science

Master of Architecture

published_or_final_version / Architecture / Master / Master of Architecture

"It is one thing to delimit space by structural devices such as walls. It is quite another to infuse the space with a spirit which relates to the activities that take place in it and which stirs the senses and emotions of the people who USC it. Architecture encompasses both." - Edmund N. Bacon, Design of Cities This quote reflects how I feel about architecture and anything I do. A building can be made of four walls and a roof, but that is all it is. Architecture occurs when you as a designer create spaces in which people can experience a whole range of emotions, learn something not only about architecture, but about themselves and go away feeling more in tune with what is around them. I wanted to convey an attitude about architecture: the idea of how architecture can express the function of a building. In this case the government of the Town and Village of Ossining, New York. / Master of Architecture

The richness of my culture is deeply rooted in its history. Its forms change and develop according to the needs of time and place...but its essence is always the same. Its spaces are all defined and limited by boundaries that hold society together and allow development within sets of rules which maintain the general character and the cultural framework of the environment. / Master of Architecture

Americans are going through a radical change in how they build cities. Urban areas across the nation are growing with multiple cores called "Edge Cities." These new centers do not look like our old city downtowns where buildings stood side by side, but rather their low broad outlines dot the landscape like cattle along a forged trail. These office towers, frequently guarded by trees and moats of asphalt peer at each other from respectful distances through reflected bands of glass. On the fringe of the modern city, these displaced spores sprout without relationship to any existing organization, other than the serpentine ribbon of looping, sprawling highways. The formation of spaces rather than the formation of objects is a strategy I explore in the "Eisenhower Metro Center" to combat today's urban sprawl. Architect Steven Holl suggests, "The expanded boundary of the contemporary city calls for the synthesis of new spatial compositions. An intensified urban realm could be a coherent mediator between the extremes of the metropolis and the agrarian plain." Within the scope of my thesis project I hope to define a new synthesis of urban life and urban form. Program, quality of light, and movement will become form generators of this new "Urban Edge". / Master of Architecture

Thesis (MS en S)--Stellenbosch University, 2003. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In South Africa, Multi-Purpose Community Centres (MPCCs) have been identified as the primary approach for the implementation of development communication and information as they potentially offer a wide range of services that communities can utilise for their own empowerment. This affords the community an opportunity to become more self-reliant. The new Local Economic Development (LED) policy paper (2002) highlights the mobilisation of internal resources, capacities and skills consistent with the sustainable development objectives that government is now more aggressively pursuing. Community participation and empowerment play a significant role in any community, therefore, municipalities need to create the conditions for greater public participation and empowerment. It should be done with regards to the disadvantaged or marginalised groups in accordance with the conditions and capacities in a municipality. In the Dwars River region, various services are being planned ranging from skills development to tourism, but these depend on sufficient financial aid. The nature and location of the MPCCs in South Africa makes financial sustainability difficult because the majority of them largely serve historically disadvantaged communities with limited financial resources to pay for services. It is also important to note that economic growth does not necessarily imply poverty alleviation and/or skills development as components of the government's communication and information approach. MPCCs can transform communities but will be time consuming and requires participation from all spheres of government and civil society. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In Suid Afrika was Veeldoenige Gemeenskap Sentrums geidentifiseer as die primêre benadering vir die implementering van informasie en kommunikasie programme, veral omdat hierdie progamme 'n reeks dienste aanbied, wat die gemeenskap kan benut vir hul eie bemagtiging. Dit gee aan die gemeenskap die geleentheid om meer onafhanklik te word. Die nuwe Plaaslike Ekonomiese Ontwikkelings beleidsdokument (2002) beklemtoon die mobilisering van interne hulpbronne, kapasiteit en vaardighede konstant met die volhoubare ontwikkelings objektiewe wat die regering meer aggresief nastreef. Publieke deelname en bemagtiging speel 'n kenmerkende rol in die lewens van die gemeenskap. Verder blyk dit duidelik dat munisipaliteite, publieke deelname en bemagtiging moet bevorder. Munisipaliteite moet ook kondisies vir publieke deelname en bemagtiging skep. Hierdie twee strategieë moet veral toegepas word op vorig benadeelde en gemarginaliseerde groepe en gemeenskappe in lyn met die kondisies en kapasiteit van die betrokke munisipaliteit. Die Dwarsrivier Vallei bied verskeie dienste aan wat vaardigheidsontwikkeling en toerisme insluit. Dit sal grootliks afhang van die streek se finansiële kapasiteit. Die aard en ligging van Veeldoenige Gemeenskap Sentrums in Suid-Afrika maak finansiële volhoubaarheid Gemeenskap Sentrums moeilik, bedien want die meerderheid Veeldoenige grootliks die historiese benadeelde gemeenskappe met hul beperkte finansiële hulpbronne. Dit is ook belangrik om te beklemtoon dat ekonomiese groei nie noodwendig armoede uitwissing impliseer nie, maar so eerder vaardigheidsontwikkeling (bv. Informasie Tegnologie). Veeldoenige Gemeenskap Sentrums kan gemeenskappe transformeer, maar sal baie tydrowend wees en benodig gemeenskap deelname in alle sfere van regering en plaaslike gemeenskap.

As New Paltz grows into the future, the past is blended with the present. Possibilities for understanding the past are available as future plans are developed. Connections between places and between times are an integral part of strengthening the character and identity of this town. Current urban and architectural concerns are studied, explored and presented as possibilities for the future. / Master of Architecture

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)