Architectural responses to climate change often focus on new construction, minimizing non-renewable resources consumed by buildings and/or reducing operational and embodied carbon. However, considering that the building stock is predominantly existing (the New Buildings Institute estimates new construction affects only two percent of building stock annually), incrementally improving performance code mandates for new buildings is not an expedient way of reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions within the larger building stock (DiNola, 2022).

Wider discourse examines whether the appropriate architectural response should be repair or replacement, including the range of interventions within this prospect: from restoration and preservation, recovery, retrofit, reuse, remediation, to new construction. Reliance on cost-benefit analysis ignores myriad contextual considerations informing the design process. While new construction is predictable in its replicability and scalability, repair requires a more nuanced approach and a sensitive assessment of broader existing conditions.

How then, can designers offer responsible guidance when the answer is, “It depends”? Physical characteristics define the parameters of a project, including the age of a building and type of construction. Beyond these, the carbon footprint can be determined, with the risk profile relative to climate change and natural hazards overlaid. Criteria establishing value can be static and tangible. More challenging are the dynamic and intangible criteria: cultural or historical significance, community or kinships, or social equity. In addition, societal considerations weigh preservation in opposition to erasure, acceptability versus suitability, standardization against the mark of handicraft.

This paper will catalog a range of complex factors mitigated in decision-making along the repair–replacement spectrum and a framework for evaluating them, cohesively examining three distinct case studies: repair of a culturally and historically significant landmark, retrofit of multi-family housing through overclad systems, and replacement of low-income housing. The authors identify both universal and specific considerations that architects face when evaluating building-performance-driven solutions.

This paper discusses the energy-efficiency retrofit of an existing multifamily residential complex in Murray, Utah. Funded by the Department of Energy (DOE), the project included two buildings, each comprised of four residential units. The retrofit primarily focused on improvements to the building enclosure and building systems of each unit. The overall goal was to investigate how modular design/construction and automation can be used in energy-efficient retrofit projects, from data capture of existing conditions, modeling, and documentation development to prefabrication of modular facade assemblies and building systems components for heating and cooling. To assess the building's current conditions and identify suitable retrofit strategies, the project team conducted a thorough analysis, incorporating archival data, empirical evidence, and computational modeling. Given the buildings’ age (constructed in the early 1960’s) and limited records, a comprehensive 3D BIM was developed by laser scanning the existing structures and finalizing the model based on in-situ observations and measurements. The model was used for various design studies throughout the retrofit process, including building enclosure design, coordination between architectural and mechanical retrofit strategies, as well as documentation and collaboration. The retrofit project encompassed various energy efficiency measures, including recladding with modular, prefabricated insulated facade components, window replacement, and air sealing. Improvements to building systems were implemented, including new heating and cooling systems, as well as the domestic hot water system. Actual energy consumption data was collected, and energy modeling was conducted to investigate the impacts of energy-, carbon-, and energy-cost-savings of retrofit strategies. The paper captures the characteristics of the multi-family complex (existing conditions), retrofit process (from design to construction), and discusses research that was conducted to evaluate specific retrofit design strategies (building enclosure and building systems) and their impacts on energy performance. It concludes with recommendations on how multi-family residential energy-efficiency retrofit projects can be executed.

as one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, the construction industry faces increasing pressure to adopt more sustainable practices. In this context, Modular Construction (MC) has emerged as a promising sustainable process of industrializing construction activities, where different tasks can be transferred into off-site facilities and automated, regulated, and controlled within a specific environment. The potential benefits of MC extend beyond improved productivity, quality, and cost efficiency, encompassing waste and environmental footprint reduction. This study aims to provide a survey of literature regarding MC techniques and their effects on mitigating buildings' environmental impacts. Using the PRISMA method and relevant keywords in research databases, 30 articles were selected and analyzed. The analysis focused on identifying trends, methodologies, and outcomes reported in recent research on the environmental performance of MC. The results show that Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is commonly employed to evaluate MC's carbon emissions and energy consumption, allowing for a comprehensive evaluation of environmental impacts across various stages of a building's life cycle, from material production to end-of-life scenarios. However, the application of LCA varies significantly across the literature in terms of tools utilized, scopes defined, and datasets employed, among other factors. The findings of this research indicate mixed results regarding the environmental performance of MC. Results reveal that while MC often demonstrates lower environmental impacts than conventional construction, outcomes are inconsistent due to variability in LCA methodologies, material choices, transportation logistics, and project-specific conditions. Key practical implications include the need for standardized LCA frameworks to enable reliable comparisons and the importance of context-specific strategies to maximize MC's sustainability benefits. These outcomes underscore the potential of MC to advance climate goals but emphasize that its environmental efficacy depends on systematic implementation and further innovation in assessment practices across diverse contexts and building types.

This paper explores Belgian architects' perceptions and practices regarding user-client involvement in private dwelling design, based on insights from 15 interviews. We focus on (1) current practices of user-client involvement, (2) expected roles and levels of involvement, and (3) architects' views on participation. Findings show that architects mostly use conversation-based interactions, limiting user-client involvement, but also sometimes employ tools like virtual reality, mood boards, and probes to enhance engagement. While architects emphasize the uniqueness of private housing processes when it comes to user-client involvement, they generally prefer consultation over proactive involvement, gathering feedback without relinquishing control. There is a tension between the desire for collaboration, managing expectations, and maintaining project integrity. This paper highlights both the potential and limitations of user-client involvement, underscoring resistance to participatory approaches and contributing to a nuanced understanding of user-centered architectural design methodologies.

ABSTRACT: Achieving equity in housing for children from low-income families necessitates a deep understanding of their needs and how effectively the built environment addresses them. By focusing the design and planning on these children’s specific needs, we can create housing solutions that not only meet their immediate needs but also contribute to their well-being. Although the negative impacts of substandard housing on children have been documented, a more comprehensive exploration of existing research is required to identify gaps. Therefore, this scoping review aims to synthesize the body of literature that addresses the relationship between the built environments of housing and the needs of children in low-income families, with the goal of identifying current research trends and gaps. Therefore, this review followed PRISMA guidelines, systematically gathering relevant studies from the Web of Science and Scopus databases. Out of the initial pool of 238 studies, 24 were deemed eligible for analysis. Data was extracted and thematically coded, focusing on children’s built environmental needs and the corresponding components of housing. The analysis categorizes children’s built environmental needs into four main areas: usability, enjoyment, comfort, and safety. These needs were considered at two primary scales—the building and the surrounding premises—to capture a more holistic view of the children’s living environment. The findings reveal key patterns in the distribution of studies by population age range, geographic region, and research design, along with trends in housing aspects that address children’s needs, and the types of measurement used. Additionally, notable gaps are identified, particularly regarding the coverage of children’s age groups. Outcomes of the current study offer valuable insights to guide future research and inform architectural practices. The findings aim to contribute to the ongoing discourse on housing equity for children in disadvantaged circumstances, providing a foundation for more inclusive and equitable housing solutions that prioritize children’s needs.

This paper explores the transformative impact of synthetic biology (SynBio) on architecture, focusing on its role in construction materials. It argues that SynBio will influence construction through three significant waves: lab-grown biomaterials, bio-composites, and programmable bio-matter. The first wave involves the rise of lab-grown alternatives to traditional materials, such as bio-concrete, lab-grown wood, and mycelium-based materials. These materials, produced by companies like BioMason and Ecovative, offer sustainable options with reduced environmental impact, but it is argued that these are likely only the first manifestation of biological processes in material science.

The second wave introduces synthetic bio-composites, exemplified by synthetic spider silk and engineered wood. These materials, developed by companies like Spiber Inc. and Strong by Form, combine engineered biological materials with optimized forms to enhance performance beyond that of natural materials. The paper presents an exploration of string structures and algorithmic growth in architectural forms based on these materials and presents the wood construction work developed by the start-up Strong by Form.

The third wave explores programmable living materials (PLMs), which integrate living cells into scaffolds, enabling programmed functionalities such as self-assembly and self-growth. Through studio investigations, the paper presents a Bio-membrane Habitat design that leverages PLMs for a dynamic, self-assembling structure. The paper highlights that while challenges exist in scalability and cost-effectiveness, these innovations are ushering in a new era of architecture that is integrated with natural systems. The paper also emphasizes a shift in architectural thinking, moving from a model of large extraction present in traditional construction materials to one of biological self-growth, adaptation, and eventual reintegration with nature.

Even though buildings contribute 37% of global greenhouse gas emissions, the majority of efforts to reduce their GHG impacts have focused on reducing operational carbon emissions, while solutions for reducing embodied carbon of building materials lag behind. Bricks are a ubiquitous construction material utilized across the globe for their durability and excellent physical and mechanical properties. However, processes of manufacturing and curing most cementitious and clay bricks and plasters have a negative environmental impact, including damage to soil and workers’ health, high consumption of energy, and emission of GHGs.

Biochar is a charcoal-like material made from the thermal decomposition of biomass in the absence of oxygen at up to 800°C. Biochar can also sequester carbon and improve properties and net CO2 reductions in plasters and Portland cement-based concrete, respectively.

After extensive review of existing biochar studies, we conducted experiments in replacing cement, sand and lime with biochar in cementitious and clay mix designs for bricks and plasters. The biochar replacement mix recipes showed promising results and were focused on mix designs which include cement, lime, or clay. The mix designs were fabricated in two batches for testing. The first batch of samples (36) was fabricated with typical brick dimensions (3-⅝” x 2-¼” x 7-⅝”) utilizing a custom-designed reusable and adjustable mold for this project. The concrete bricks were tested for maximum compressive strength and three-point bending load capacities on both their horizontal and vertical axes. The second batch of samples (12) were fabricated as 1” thick plaster applications on two 6”x12” substrates (metal and wood furring strip lath), for testing. Six plaster mix designs applied to two different lath types. Common industry standard mix designs for lime, cement and clay bricks and plasters, without any biochar substitutions, served as a control for the qualitative and quantitative data collection process.

Engineered Living Materials (ELMs) combine synthetic biology and material science to mimic the properties of natural living materials. This new material category embeds living, genetically manipulated cells into a synthetic or biological matrix. Together, these components create a specialized functionality, such as self-strengthening or self-repair, to enhance the material properties. ELMs have been applied in regenerative medicine, therapeutics, electronics, device engineering, and computing; however, so far, few have been implemented as materials used in the built environment.

The authors of this study are part of a National Science Foundation (NFS)-funded interdisciplinary research team of chemists, biochemists, bioengineers, mechanical engineers, and architects that develop and investigate hybrid ELMs specifically for the applications in the BE. This paper focuses on the research by architects and engineers on this team to envision and test possible applications and implementation proposals of polymer-based, 3D-printed ELMs. The first round of material visioning and testing was supported by graduate students in architecture. Promising material ideas evolved in interdisciplinary discussions with chemists and mechanical engineers. These included self-hydration, self-nourishment, co-cultivation, self-strengthening, and the use of lattice structure. The material ideas advanced into parametric form finding, prototyping through additive manufacturing, and computational assessment.

This EFRI ELiS project demonstrates how essential interdisciplinary collaborations are for developing complex ELMs and materials innovations. It shows how architects and architectural students can take on crucial roles in advancing cutting-edge science with their domain knowledge in design, form-finding, material science, building construction, digital fabrication, and design thinking.

This research harnesses the power of machine learning to examine environmental disparities through an analysis of urban greenery in two distinct Cleveland neighborhoods: East Cleveland and Shaker Heights. The study investigates how artificial intelligence and computer vision techniques can shed light on the multidimensional nature of environmental inequalities in urban settings.

The methodological approach employs machine learning algorithms, including convolutional neural networks and unsupervised clustering techniques, to analyze high-resolution aerial imagery and street-level photographs. These advanced methods enable the quantification of various urban greenery aspects, including tree canopy distribution, vegetation density, green space fragmentation, color variations indicative of plant health and species diversity, and textural features suggestive of ecosystem complexity and biodiversity.

The findings unveil significant disparities between the two neighborhoods across multiple dimensions of urban vegetation. Shaker Heights emerges with notably superior tree canopy coverage, more uniformly distributed green spaces, and healthier vegetation characterized by a wider range of green hues and complex textures. Unsupervised clustering algorithms point to greater biodiversity in Shaker Heights, identifying a more diverse array of vegetation types and structures. In contrast, East Cleveland exhibits more fragmented green spaces and less diverse vegetation patterns. Notably, a robust correlation is observed between these urban vegetation characteristics and socioeconomic indicators, revealing an intricate interplay between neighborhood’s housing quality and environmental conditions.

This investigation showcases the effectiveness of machine learning in uncovering subtle urban environmental inequalities that extend beyond basic tree cover metrics. By capturing a comprehensive view of urban vegetation, including health indicators and density patterns this approach offers insights for urban planners and policymakers. It highlights the necessity for equitable urban green space policies that consider not only the quantity but also the quality and diversity of urban vegetation, emphasizing their integral connection to housing and community development strategies in urban areas.

In the United States, softwood cross-laminated timber (CLT) accounts for 100% of the structural grade cross-laminated timber market and its utilization has experienced a high growth rate since its first major multi-story application in the United States in 2016. As sustainable forestry practices can simultaneously benefit forest health through selective harvesting while also providing wood for increased mass timber production, researchers have focused on how timber supply can be diversified beyond softwoods. Such diversification can provide a greater variety of mass timber products while also benefiting a wider range of forest types collectively under threat from the emerging challenges of climate change. For hardwood dominant regions of the Eastern United States, this focus on species diversification is particularly beneficial as Yellow Poplar hardwood CLT is widely expected to be incorporated into the ANSI/APA PRG-320 Standard for Performance Rated Cross Laminated Timber in 2025, thereby increasing the availability of hardwood utilization in cross-laminated timber production. In anticipation of the 2025 PRG-320 code change, this paper presents collated, qualitative interview data from architectural practitioners and timber industry experts across the United States regarding both their preferred use of, and expectation for, hardwood and hybrid hardwood-softwood use in cross-laminated timber products. The research results indicate that hardwood and hardwood-softwood hybrid mass timber products can be utilized by architects in a wide range of applications and for a wide range of reasons. According to the interview data, local market conditions, aesthetic preferences of the design team and client, and project budget are the three most important factors determining use. The research results make evident a highly nuanced mass timber market where the architectural diversification of hardwood mass timber use, from purely structural to purely aesthetic applications, could engender unique design solutions that benefit the built environment, forest health, and associatively the human condition.

The global housing crisis, driven by rapid urbanization, rising economic inequality, and increasing environmental challenges, demands innovative solutions that address the needs of underserved populations. Shipping containers, originally designed for durable and standardized transportation of goods, have emerged as a promising alternative for addressing housing shortages, particularly in urban areas. This study explores the feasibility of using shipping containers as a solution for multifamily affordable housing, critically examining their economic, environmental, and social implications. Although container-based housing offers notable advantages, such as modularity, cost efficiency, and material reuse, significant challenges limit their widespread adoption. Hidden costs associated with retrofitting, thermal inefficiencies, and social acceptance remain critical barriers. The research employs a mixed-methods approach, combining a literature review with case studies from Southeast Dallas, Texas; San Antonio, Texas; and London, UK. The findings highlight the importance of addressing economic feasibility through cost-saving strategies like prefabrication and modular construction. Environmental analysis underscores the need for design innovations to improve thermal performance, such as roof gardens and renewable energy integration. Social considerations, including participatory design and community engagement, are crucial for overcoming stigmatization and fostering acceptance among residents. This study proposes a framework that integrates these dimensions, offering architects, urban planners, and policymakers a comprehensive guide for leveraging container housing to meet the growing demand for sustainable and inclusive urban housing. By addressing these challenges, shipping container housing can evolve into a transformative tool for mitigating global housing shortages while aligning with sustainability and equity objectives.

Resilient building design has become a growing need recently due to the increasing natural disasters worldwide, such as hurricanes, floods, and wildfires. Although concrete is known to be more resistant to natural disasters than other materials, the higher construction cost and longer construction time have been a barrier to a broader application in the US. The current advancement of 3D-printed building technology using additive manufacturing (AM) of concrete may help deal with these emerging environmental challenges and contribute to disseminating more resilient buildings. Due to this potential, there have been active studies on the material and structural issues of 3D-printed concrete (3DPC), while the thermal performance of 3DPC wall assemblies has not been sufficiently addressed in the literature. This paper aims to identify the thermal performance of various 3DPC wall assemblies, which highly affects the energy efficiency of the buildings, based on case studies. To achieve this, typical construction strategies for insulating 3DPC walls were identified through a literature review, and the thermal conductivity of the mixed concrete and U-value of the identified wall types were found to compare the thermal performance of each mixing and wall composition strategy. The result showed that the thermal conductivity of the printable concrete tends to be in the lower range of traditional concrete. In contrast, the U-value of the selected 3DPC walls tends to be higher than conventional wood-stud walls. The present study may be expanded into a creative architectural design project and physical experiments, and future studies may include other 3D-printed materials and building envelope assembly methods. These studies will ultimately contribute to enhancing the sustainability of 3DPC buildings and a more resilient community.

As the global climate crisis intensifies, cities face the dual challenge of meeting housing demands and reducing environmental impacts such as carbon emissions. This tension presents both challenges and opportunities for reducing emissions in the building sector. One critical obstacle in urban energy and carbon analysis is the scarcity of building characteristic data which hinders effective urban analysis. This research aims to provide an automated, scalable data-driven approach to extract building form data from Google Street View Images and help construct necessary building characteristic datasets for urban analysis. In this paper, we illustrate this concept with a focus on the building Window-to-Wall Ratio.

We first collected geometric and non-geometric building data from various publicly available data sources of Baltimore and applied object detection techniques and zero-shot machine learning models on Google Street View images to complement some missing data items. We then integrated the data through spatial join techniques. The scalable approach used in this research addresses the challenge of missing data and scattered datasets, which leads to incomplete building characteristic data needed for energy and carbon modeling at the urban scale. This method also enables automated extraction of certain urban form data (including WWR) for an entire city. We used the constructed dataset to develop housing archetypes representing Baltimore’s housing stock. The output data of this research was then used to simulate energy use and carbon emissions associated with buildings in urban blocks. Key findings include achieving a mean squared error (MSE) of 0.0418, confirming the method’s reliability. This research offers researchers, urban planners, and policymakers insights into data-driven methods to improve urban data for environmental and carbon-efficient analysis. The results also contribute to developing an urban carbon emission modeling framework to predict building-related greenhouse gas emissions and guide urban planning, using Baltimore as a case study.

ABSTRACT: Urban heat stress is a growing concern for construction workers, particularly in densely packed urban areas. This study uses the Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET) to evaluate heat stress across six New York City districts: Midtown Manhattan, Downtown Brooklyn, Harlem, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, and St. Albans. By examining different metabolic rates—light (180 W/m²), moderate (300 W/m²), and heavy (415 W/m²)—we analyze how physical activity and urban morphology impact workers' thermal stress. Combined with ENVI-met simulations, PET comprehensively explains the interplay between environmental factors like air temperature, humidity, wind speed, solar radiation, and metabolic heat generation. OSHA standards suggest metabolic rates for outdoor labor to mitigate heat stress but neglect to consider urban heat island (UHI) impacts and the variability of metabolic rates in different locales. This study addresses that gap by concentrating on construction workers performing duties ranging from light sedentary to strenuous physical activity. The findings indicate that regions with high building densities, such as Downtown Brooklyn and Midtown Manhattan, continuously have greater PET levels, intensifying thermal stress, especially at higher temperatures. Conversely, more vegetated areas such as North Harlem and St. Albans exhibit reduced PET values, signifying superior thermal conditions at all activity levels. These findings underscore the significant influence of urban layout and external environmental elements, including restricted green spaces, in exacerbating heat exposure. The study emphasizes the importance of flexible urban design concepts to reduce heat stress using more plants, water features, reflecting materials, and shaded work locations. Emphasizing drinking, shaded rest spaces and acclimatization improves OSHA's heat safety standards. Integrating occupational health and urban planning is crucial to protect employees from heat-related hazards, particularly in high-density urban settings where customized mitigating measures can significantly increase worker safety.

Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, is at a critical phase, shaped by multiple forces, including rapid urbanization, a hot-arid climate, and national sustainability goals. Under the umbrella of Vision 2030 and a recent pledge toward net-zero emissions by 2060, the city must grapple with extreme heat, rapidly increasing energy demands, corresponding greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and a growing housing sector. While global frameworks lead the decarbonization efforts, the unique conditions of local contexts complicate the translation of policies into action. More specifically, cultural preferences for large, standalone villas, the historical reliance on subsidized energy, and infrastructural constraints hinder decarbonization in Saudi Arabia's building sector and pose challenges for integrating advanced technologies, passive measures, and energy-efficient building practices.

This paper presents a comprehensive literature review of international best practices, regional policies, and existing research on Saudi Arabia's building sector. This review identifies persistent barriers across cultural, geographical, historical, economic, political, environmental, infrastructural, technological, and behavioral domains—factors that intensify the urban heat island effect and hinder efforts to reduce GHG emissions and energy use in Saudi Arabia's building sector. It highlights how these intertwined factors intensify the urban heat island effect, reduce incentives for renewable energy adoption, and limit the enforcement of building codes.

This study gathers lessons in policymaking, community engagement, and market-based incentives by examining examples from hot-arid and other regions—such as Phoenix's adaptation strategies or Copenhagen's integrated planning. This study underscores that climate action is most effective when policies align with local cultural values and are supported by targeted incentives. Such alignment can help reduce housing-related GHG emissions and energy intensity in the long run. Ultimately, the study informs policymakers, urban planners, and researchers on navigating the complex path from intent to sustainable implementation, ensuring Riyadh's growth aligns with environmental stewardship, economic rationality, and cultural integrity.

Historical redlining policies have left a lasting imprint on the urban landscapes of many U.S. cities, shaping both their physical structure and environmental conditions. This study explores how these policies may continue to influence air temperatures in San Antonio, TX. Neighborhoods historically designated as redlined and those classified as “A-Best” by the Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC) were analyzed to examine possible thermal disparities linked to urban design and surface properties.

A GIS-based analysis was conducted to evaluate the urban characteristics of redlined and “A-Best” grades, focusing on features such as surface coverage, building density, building heights, green coverage, and zoning patterns. Based on the insights from this analysis, two models representing residential areas from each grade were developed. These models were simulated using ENVI-met, a high-resolution microclimate model, to analyze thermal conditions on a typical summer day, using meteorological data from San Antonio International Airport. The simulations revealed notable thermal differences between the two grades, with average air temperatures in the redlined grade exceeding those in the “A-Best” zone by up to 0.61 °C. Moreover, the standard deviation of temperatures, calculated relative to the average temperature in each grade, differed, with the redlined grade exceeding the “A-Best” grade by 0.26 °C. Overall, the results emphasize that the redlined grade, with limited green coverage and a higher proportion of impervious surfaces, consistently exhibited higher air temperatures, indicating potential thermal vulnerabilities in historically underserved neighborhoods.

This study contributes to broader discussions on environmental and social inequities by highlighting the potential impacts of historical urban policies on contemporary thermal environments.

This paper presents Senge’s systems thinking approach to filling in climate-induced health gaps by integrating technological, environmental, and social factors, particularly by mobilizing architectural research in disfranchised communities, into a sociotechnical systems (STS) framework for understanding and addressing the complex interplay between multiple interdisciplinary and inter-organizational approaches to the issue.

This paper draws on literature from public health, systems thinking, sociotechnical systems, and systems-oriented design to present a conceptual upstream sociotechnical systems model centered on community-based health hubs (CHH). The model presents the health-related decision-making structure, including the layers of empirical insights, such as in-situ heat and air pollution exposure, socioeconomic context, and the impact of external factors in the city (such as organizational structure). The social subsystem of the model comprises individuals, families, community councils, non-profit organizations, and stakeholders' needs for communication and coordination associated with health-related problems. The technical system includes the Internet of Things (IoT), which interfaces with smart sensing of homes and community environments to reflect on individual and collective health behavior.

The STS model, rooted in Senge’s core principles, provides a framework for addressing health disparities through reflexive, evolutionary, adaptive, and learnable processes. Personal mastery empowers individuals and communities to engage in lifelong learning and take informed action. Mental models challenge entrenched assumptions, creating space for innovation and transformation. Shared vision inspires collective commitment, aligning diverse stakeholders toward common goals. Finally, team learning promotes collaboration and dialogue, enabling the generation of new insights and the development of holistic solutions.

Building awards criteria often rely on abstract, empirical metrics to evaluate design excellence. Firms aiming to differentiate themselves around design, environmental sustainability, and other criteria often present the rationale behind design decisions using metrics drawn from awards programs like the AIA COTE Top Ten. Over the past decade, the building industry has recognized the importance of integrating contextual information into evaluation systems in a systematic way. This review summarizes the results of two complementary approaches to answering the research question: How can green and healthy building evaluation systems systematically integrate relevant context into the review process? This paper presents the results of a systematic review of the built environment and public health literature on the one hand and the results of a transdisciplinary architecture course that draws from students’ lived experience on the other. In both cases, the results support an approach to evaluating sustainable building design that 1) centers community priorities, 2) uses metrics that demonstrate co-benefits for both environmental and social outcomes, and 3) change the application process to lower the bar for submitting projects for consideration. This paper offers a substantive contribution to green and healthy building awards programs, many of which are interested in revising their metrics to more effectively integrate the social and environmental impacts of building design.

Coworking spaces transitioning to proprietary offices face significant challenges in balancing flexibility, collaboration, and shared resources while maintaining their unique brand identities. Early-stage startups require the adaptability and networking opportunities of co-working spaces, but long-term growth requires customization and branding. However, proprietary offices risk sacrificing the collaborative benefits of shared environments in exchange for privacy, tailored design, and alignment with company goals. In this study, we explore how startups can navigate these transitions by integrating the benefits of both workspace types to enhance creativity, innovation, and organizational alignment. Through a case study approach, the research examines Spotify's transition from RocketSpace, a co-working environment, to its proprietary New York office. They contrast the functional but generic layouts of co-working spaces with the brand-centric and adaptive features of proprietary offices to illustrate the broader dynamics of workspace transitions. Research methodologies include systematic literature reviews, case study analyses, and thematic synthesis of pre- and post-transition data supported by visual and descriptive analysis. Organizational identity, employee engagement, and cultural alignment are strengthened by brand-centric spatial design in proprietary offices. The use of collaborative zones, flexible layouts, and creative installations demonstrate how tailored spatial strategies can support productivity, innovation, and well-being. Startups can use these strategies to design adaptive workspaces that balance collaboration, privacy, and brand reinforcement. This study provides practical insights into how to create environments that inspire innovation and align with strategic objectives by exploring the evolving dynamics of workspace design.

The design disciplines typically create spaces designed on the basis of providing for biological and functional needs but rarely acknowledge and validate the psychological and emotional needs of inhabitants. Insofar as the disciplines attempt to address trauma and grief, the approach has typically fixated on providing savioristic solutions to complex socio-ecological problems, which often promise a radically altered and repaired future, even in cases where this may not be possible. This research addresses this oversight by offering a new direction for architectural and landscape design practices to augment their capacity for addressing pain, trauma, and grief—the fractured states in which many environments, communities, and individuals exist today. The research identifies several examples of use cases and practices where a trauma-informed approach can be meaningfully implemented. This includes use in participatory design settings and pedagogical models where the use of rituals, aesthetics, and anti-racist methodologies are foregrounded. Trauma-informed techniques such as these are urgently needed today where designers regularly interface with marginalized communities and individuals who have experienced violence and/or been subject to irreparable emotional or physical damage. Lastly, this paper asks design professionals and educators to reexamine the reasons why we build, arguing that we should expand our mandate beyond the fulfillment of biological needs to acknowledge the trauma we carry in the current moment through architecture. This investigation demonstrates that design can meaningfully hold space for the emotional pain and needs of the socio-ecological communities where our work is embedded.

This paper explores how lessons from community design efforts can inform architectural education, focusing on service-based learning studios as a tool for developing future architects. By examining the history of community design in the U.S. from the 1960s to the present, through the lens of activism, advocacy, and participatory processes, we can understand how initiatives like the Architects Renewal of Harlem and the Real Great Society connected design professionals, academia, and communities to work on people-centered design and development.

The community design movement of the 1960s, shaped by the Civil Rights and Women's Liberation movements, provided marginalized communities with much-needed technical and design support. Amid political unrest, designers, architects, and planners began to recognize their responsibility to advocate for those excluded from the design process. This led to the rise of participatory design, where community voices became central to decision-making, catalyzing social change. In today's politically charged climate, marked by increasing social divides and calls for equity, the principles of community-centered design remain highly relevant, offering a vital framework for addressing contemporary social justice issues.

Community design asks critical questions about who architecture serves. The research builds on the school's “community engaged learning” efforts and offers recommendations for implementing community-engaged learning in architectural studios, highlighting potential challenges and opportunities. Ultimately, this research aims to serve as a resource for architectural educators and community-based organizations engaged in future community design projects. It also aims to contribute to ongoing research by the author on the role of “public research infrastructure” as a tool for connecting communities and bridging academia, practice, and community engagement.

This study provides an in-depth comparison of carbon emissions linked to the Life Cycle Assessment of eight different types of recipe bricks, which serve as sustainable alternatives to traditional fired clay bricks. By analyzing the entire life cycle—from the extraction of raw materials to the production phase (from cradle to gate)—the research evaluates the fossil carbon emissions and biogenic carbon content of each brick type, focusing on their impact on climate change. Additionally, the study considers critical factors such as the depletion of virgin resources and the amount of recycled content used in their production. The methodology adopted here introduces an investigative-comparative framework that helps assess choices in building materials. It resembles a cookbook with innovative recipes, outlining the step-by-step process of product stages, technology, and essential ingredients needed to decarbonize the brick industry. This thorough comparison will result in a material matrix that delivers valuable insights into the environmental impacts of these innovative brick materials, specifically regarding their total global warming potential and resource depletion intensity. A summary table will detail GWP for fossil fuels and biogenic sources, clarifying each brick type’s environmental profile.

The findings aim to enhance the understanding of architects and building professionals worldwide about resource depletion and the harmful emissions linked to traditional fired industrial bricks while spotlighting the available low-carbon and even negative-emission brick options. These include Fly Ash Bricks by CalStart, Upcycled Limestone Bricks by Polycor, Carbonated Bricks Pirouett by Vandersanden, Hydrogen-Fired Clay Brick HyBrick™ by Michelmersh, 100% WasteBasedBrick® by Stone Cycling, Gent Waste Bricks Lime-Cured by Carmody Groarke, Crops Waste Bricks Agrocrete® by Greenjams, and Fungal-Based Bricks. Furthermore, the article seeks to illustrate how construction and demolition waste, along with agricultural and industrial waste, can be repurposed by adopting a circular economy strategy, leading to new formulations for traditional bricks.

Large-scale 3D printing technology is rapidly advancing, enabling the production of full-scale building components rather than just models. This research investigates 3D-printed clay as a sustainable and innovative building material, addressing both aesthetic and functional challenges. By integrating advanced fabrication techniques and computational design, we demonstrate the feasibility of 3D-printed clay in creating durable, adaptable, and environmentally conscious building components. Our goal is to enhance performance and improve the aesthetic flexibility of architectural elements.

In academic settings, 3D printing acts as a powerful pedagogical tool, allowing students to directly engage with form and material. This hands-on approach deepens their understanding of the relationship between digital design and physical construction, bridging theory and tangible outcomes. By embedding additive manufacturing into the curriculum, educators foster an environment for students to push design boundaries while gaining practical experience with cutting-edge technologies. In professional practice, additive manufacturing provides architects and designers with greater control over material properties and building performance. The ability to rapidly prototype, test, and refine designs through 3D printing reduces material waste and production costs, enhancing precision, flexibility, and resource optimization.

This research focuses on optimizing the 3D PotterBot Super 10 clay extruder, addressing its limitations and improving performance for future applications. As large-scale 3D printing evolves, the capability to produce full-scale building components closes the gap between design and execution, enabling seamless translation from digital form to physical structure.

This research highlights the transformative potential of 3D printing in both academic and professional contexts. By integrating computational design, material science, and advanced fabrication techniques, additive manufacturing is set to drive future building design, fostering flexible, sustainable, and expressive built environments.

This paper presents the "Shift" project, a research initiative exploring the application of clay 3D printing (C3DP) in full-scale architectural design. The project involved the design and construction of a wall composed of 320 clay blocks, each featuring a shifted sinusoidal geometry generated using computational design tools. The design enhances aesthetic appeal and redirects winds for better environmental performance. “Shift” addresses the growing need for sustainable construction methods by utilizing clay, a low-carbon and recyclable material, and minimizing material waste through additive manufacturing.

Key aspects of the project include:

• Exploration of C3DP capabilities for creating complex architectural forms that are difficult to achieve with traditional methods.
• Assessment of environmental benefits, including the use of a renewable material, reduction in material waste, and potential for performance-based designs.
• Interdisciplinary collaboration among architects, computational designers, ceramicists, and masons to overcome technical challenges.
• Development of a technical framework for integrating C3DP into architectural design and construction processes.

The design process involved adapting a shifted sinusoidal tile concept to a masonry wall, optimizing block size, layer height, and material selection. The fabrication process utilized a fused deposition modeling technique with a 3D PotterBot 10 PRO printer and employed a circular method of recycling unfired clay to reduce manufacturing waste, further promoting sustainability.

The project successfully demonstrated the feasibility of C3DP for creating functional and visually striking architectural elements while effectively screening mechanical units. The wall's interaction with the local climate, including the capturing of prevailing winds, has not been measured, though this was a design intent. The "Shift" project contributes to the growing body of knowledge in sustainable construction by showcasing the potential of C3DP, and it sets a benchmark for future endeavors that blend aesthetic innovation with ecological responsibility.

Digital twin (DT) technology is gaining recognition for its ability to evaluate the environmental impacts of building materials, especially embodied carbon (EC). Although there have been notable advancements in estimating the embodied carbon of new buildings, a significant challenge remains in quantifying EC for existing structures. This study employs a thorough scoping review to investigate how digital twin technology can be used to measure the embodied carbon of the current building stock. A detailed literature analysis was performed using databases including Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and Avery to pinpoint key methodologies, tools, challenges, and opportunities in this field. The research underscores the unique advantages of digital twins in guiding sustainable decision-making for retrofitting and adaptive reuse projects by providing dynamic and comprehensive lifecycle assessments. In contrast to earlier studies that mainly concentrate on operational energy or new construction, this research outlines ways to incorporate digital twin technology into embodied carbon assessments, highlighting retrofitting as an effective strategy to reduce environmental impact. The findings aim to fill the potential, challenges, and strategies associated with employing digital twin technology to measure embodied carbon in existing buildings.

Reducing embodied carbon (EC) in buildings during the early design phase is a critical strategy for achieving sustainability. For concrete buildings, the column layout and spacing significantly impact EC, since they relate to required slab depths and rebar quantities. This paper focuses on assessing the impact of regular column grid layout design for irregularly shaped flat plate concrete buildings. A parametric algorithm was developed in Grasshopper to optimize column grids in these buildings, aiming to minimize maximum bending moments in the slab as a fast proxy for structural material required. This method allows users to upload custom floor plans and compare potential grid layouts. It uses finite element analysis of the meshed floor slab to estimate the bending moments. The results indicate that floorplans with more irregular notches have many layout outliers, which are extremely inefficient due to large cantilevers. However, in more regular layouts, it is still possible to achieve significantly higher efficiency by selecting the appropriate grid placement and spacing. These findings highlight the potential of an integrated spatial planning and structural optimization approach to reducing material use and lowering carbon impacts in buildings.

This paper asks what can we learn from homeowner modifications of manufactured homes about addressing resilience, accommodation, energy savings, occupation, and flexibility? This phase of research builds upon previous studies conducted in hot arid and hot humid climates. For this paper the authors identified retrofits which decrease heating requirements in Leadville, Colorado with data on solutions tailored to the particularities of climate conditions. The resulting assessment identifies modifications and retrofits and associated typologies.

Quantified assessment through energy modeling evaluates the effectiveness of the homeowner designed retrofits. The results of assessment reveal that homeowners decreased EUI through a range of skirting solutions, changes to envelope, and simple passive methods in the entry sequence. Energy modeling simulation on case studies showed between a 6% and 13% decrease in EUI.

The paper focuses upon assessment of heating mitigation through skirting and envelope retrofits, and the use of mudrooms to condition the entry sequence and act as passive solar batteries.

The integration of perforations into shell structures provides opportunities for enhancing natural light and ventilation but poses challenges for structural performance. Balancing daylighting, visual and thermal comfort are crucial for sustainable building design, influencing energy efficiency, occupant well-being, and environmental quality. This research focuses on optimizing perforation patterns in hybrid grid shells to improve sustainability metrics while ensuring structural integrity. The idea is to use the grid shell as formwork for the concrete and to guarantee a mechanical connection between the thin concrete skin and the main grid, so that the concrete ensures the bracing of the grid and that the thickness of the concrete is reduced to a minimum (Cuvilliers et al. 2017).

Using Grasshopper for digital modeling and tools like Ladybug, Honeybee, and Karamba for simulation, this study evaluates the structural and environmental impact of varied perforation patterns. A genetic algorithm drives the multi-objective optimization process to identify designs that balance visual comfort, thermal comfort, and structural robustness. By iterating through multiple simulations, the research seeks to develop innovative, energy-efficient, and structurally sound design solutions.

Green space access promotes well-being, environmental health, social capital, and local economic stimulation (Barbosa et al. 2007) (Luo et al. 2024). These are attributes related to community sense of place (Ellery and Ellery 2024). However, not everyone has comfortable access to green space. 49% of residents in Philadelphia have access to green space within a 5-minute walk based on existing park infrastructure. On the other hand, 95% of residents in Philadelphia have access to green space within a 10-minute walk. The 10 including 15-20-minute city models omit diverse mobility needs which disregard 12% of the population being children between the ages 0-9, 20% are above 60 years old (Census Reporter 2023), and 17% have disabilities (City of Philadelphia 2024). To improve accessibility, community participation in green space development is essential. Experts must be willing to engage community throughout the design process to ensure their collective values and needs are reflected in the final product. Carroll Park, Overbrook, and Haddington neighborhoods exemplify the inequitable distribution of accessible public green spaces in underserved neighborhoods. 9 vacant lots proved ideal for revitalization, while 2 vacant lots proved more suitable for green space revitalization due to their adjacency to multiple amenities. Vacant lots adjacent or near multiple modes of transportation and commercial districts saw an increase in users by up to 200. Suitable vacant lots for green space development redistributed usage of existing parks by 49.16%. Achieving higher accessibility to green space entails an understanding of the 5-minute service area of existing parks in relationship to amenities and other vacant lots. Through a checks-and-balance philosophy, community stakeholders and experts can work together to transform vacant lots into green spaces. This can result in improved accessibility, for instance, the study area of this research saw an increase from 52% to 85%.

Even though over 200 net-zero energy educational buildings are operating or are in construction in the US and more numbers worldwide, getting to zero in schools can seem an insurmountable goal to many architects and architecture students. The problem is both in the way this building type is conceived as well as the design process and workflow to achieve performance-based design at its highest level. This inquiry is focused on: (1) how and in what ways can we conceptualize a performative-based building typology such as Net-Zero schools, and (2) based on a comprehensive conceptualization, what workflows would ensure the integration of performance analysis in its design process. This paper reports on a comprehensive project that took a deeper look at a sample of exemplary net-zero schools built within the last decade. In addition, it analyzed NZS studio projects from ACSA and Solar Decathlon design competitions taught in architectural schools to answer these questions. The project compiled a database of verified and emerging NZS in the US and analyzed several building performance metrics to highlight commonalities to successful NZS projects. Out of 41 verified NZS buildings, the study focused on seven case studies representing a wide geographical and economic range of NZS. This analysis included the design process, design strategies, energy performance goals, and indoor environmental quality that affects occupants’ comfort, satisfaction, and wellness to develop both a conceptual framework and design process for this building type. Applications of this framework in the evaluation of ten design studio projects-- of student design competition submissions in collegiate schools of architecture--were carried out to test its applicability in architectural practice and education.

This research paper delves into the intricate relationship between space, memory, and identity in post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina, highlighting how the built environment mirrors and shapes the nation’s ongoing reconciliation with its past. It examines how the Bosnian War from 1992 to 1995 and its aftermath have shaped the country's spatial dynamics and collective identity. Once part of Yugoslavia, public spaces in Bosnia and Herzegovina, such as monuments, plazas, and convention centers, played an essential role in creating a collective identity within the ethnically diverse country. The dissolution of Yugoslavia and the Bosnian War led to significant changes in the spatial organization of the region, with various ethnic groups reappropriating urban spaces to assert their dominance and identity. This reappropriation involves the destruction and reconstruction of buildings, monuments, and public spaces to reflect new power dynamics and social hierarchies.

This ongoing process of spatial reconfiguration continues to influence the social and political landscape of Bosnia and Herzegovina today. Through reappropriation, neglect, and even weaponization of built environments, spaces that once represented unity now contribute to today’s contested identity. Nearly three decades later, these urban spaces remain imbued with memories, acting as silent witnesses to the nation’s historical trauma, with lingering echoes of the conflict manifesting through a multitude of reminders scattered across the built environment. These reminders take various forms and scales, serving as silent witnesses to the scars carried in public spaces. This research paper highlights the role of the built environments in reflecting and shaping collective memory, identity, and resilience in the aftermath of war. By examining public spaces, such as monuments and street signs, this study underscores how conflicting narratives are reflected within them. It illustrates that the built environment not only reflects but also influences the nation’s ongoing struggle with its past.

Ongoing conflict leaves many of Ukraine’s small towns destroyed, abandoned, or seized. With an uncertain future, Ukraine remains optimistic and ready to rebuild. Much of the reconstruction efforts are focused on larger cities such as Kharkiv and Kyiv with international support from renowned practitioners in architecture and planning. However, Ukraine relies heavily on smaller towns for agricultural production and manufacturing, emphasizing the need for reconstruction in these areas. This paper summarizes research on Ukraine’s intertwined history with the Soviet Union, investigates Soviet-based planning and infrastructure, and examines the impacts of war on culture and the built environment. Further examination focuses on Zolochiv, a small town forty kilometers from Kharkiv’s city center and twenty-five kilometers from the Russian border, inviting discussion around how resilience planning and architectural interventions could rebuild Ukraine. This paper also documents the challenges faced and pressing concerns identified from discussions with stakeholders in partnership with the Kyiv School of Economics, imagining a new environment reflecting identities and community aspirations. Design research investigates an interplay between cultural heritage and resilient development, proposing new strategies across five sites to foster wellness, healing, and placemaking for long-term social cohesion and growth. In summary, this paper highlights architectural and planning responses for the post-conflict recovery of Ukraine, reimagining Zolochiv’s future.

Urban green spaces play a critical role in shaping mental health, offering environments that can either restore well-being or exacerbate stress. However, access to these restorative benefits often reflects deeper socio-economic patterns, raising questions about equity and inclusion. This study investigates how visitor perceptions of urban parks—gathered through Google reviews—differ between neighborhoods with varying degrees of gentrification. Examining this data alongside the socio-economic trajectories of neighborhoods in mid-sized cities like Greenville, Spartanburg, and Charlotte aims to inform urban planning and policy-making strategies that prioritize equitable access to restorative green spaces, ultimately ensuring that parks benefit all community members.

The stakes of this inquiry are significant. As cities grow and invest in public green spaces, disparities in access and perceptions of safety, usability, and comfort can emerge and perpetuate social inequities. This study situates itself at the intersection of urban design, public health, and social justice, asking: How do perceptions of parks as restorative or pathogenic align with neighborhood socioeconomic profiles, particularly in areas experiencing gentrification compared to historically marginalized neighborhoods?

By analyzing user-generated reviews, this paper uncovers recurring themes related to greenery, safety, accessibility, and community-oriented design. These findings are then juxtaposed with neighborhood-level data to reveal patterns of preference. Readers will learn how urban greening efforts may unintentionally contribute to social stratification and strategies for designing parks that prioritize inclusivity and shared well-being. Ultimately, this research highlights the need to reimagine green spaces as equitable resources, ensuring their benefits are accessible to all, regardless of socioeconomic status or neighborhood context.

The Tower House, completed in 1966 by architect Takamitsu Azuma, is a unique example of post-war urban residential architecture in Tokyo's Shibuya ward district. Built on a mere 20m² of land, this vertically oriented structure challenges traditional Japanese architectural norms, which have historically favored horizontal expansion and modular room configurations using fusuma (sliding doors) and tatami mats. In an era when suburban sprawl was shaping much of Tokyo's residential development following US trends, Azuma's decision to build within the city reflects a desire to rethink traditional Japanese housing models for a densely populated urban environment. This research addresses the key question of whether modern urban homes can maintain the core spatial and social characteristics of traditional Japanese residences such as "Minka" and "Machiya" and accommodate a modern family while adapting to the constraints of urban living through a comparative analysis of the Tower House and traditional Japanese homes. The research highlights how the house conceptually incorporates key features of traditional Japanese homes, such as modularity and the integration of interior and exterior spaces, along with concepts like the Genkan (entrance) and Engawa (verandas), while addressing the limitations of its urban context. This research aims to illustrate how Azuma's Tower House provides a model for reconciling traditional Japanese architectural principles with modern urban living. By examining the reinterpretation of traditional spatial concepts, the integration of the building within its urban context, and the transformation of horizontal spaces into vertical alignments, this study demonstrates how Azuma's design addresses the challenges of dense urban housing while maintaining a connection to Japan's architectural traditions.

Building on the vast literature of Vitruvian reinterpretations, this paper explores the six architectural principles articulated in De Architectura—ordinatio, symmetria, dispositio, eurythmia, decor, and distributio—through the metaphor of weaving. While these principles have been extensively studied, particularly from an art historical perspective as aesthetic criteria, this study shifts the focus from product-oriented interpretations to a process-oriented view. By employing close reading and mapping as a method, the study investigates how these principles operate as interdependent threads that mediate the relationship between theory and practice. The weaving metaphor, grounded in the conceptual origins of Vitruvian theory, highlights the principles’ inherent pliancy and interconnectedness. This reinterpretation positions Vitruvius’s principles as an ecology of concepts—a dynamic and adaptable framework for architectural design. By framing his work within the ecological thought, the paper bridges Vitruvian thought with contemporary design theories that emphasize relationality, iterative processes, and contextual responsiveness. This approach recasts Vitruvian architecture not as a rigid system of rules but as a holistic and evolving practice in which the interplay among form, function, and context is constantly negotiated.

Globally, urban planning agencies have codes of ethics to promote inclusionary practices to serve the “public interest.” Public interest remains contentious and prone to debates about its real-life application in urban planning that has historically followed top-down models. This is especially evident in countries like India, grappling with challenges stemming from rural-to-urban migration, accelerated urban growth, and the remaining influence of colonial planning. This study examines housing development strategies in Delhi, investigating how planners have adapted Western theoretical ideas since India’s independence in 1947. The study draws on archival data sources, including formal planning documents, historical maps, and policy documents. The study reveals how Western planning ideals infused city planning in India pre- and post-independence and have been adapted in light of India’s own planning visions at the national and state level. Using Delhi as a case study, the study sheds light on the interplay between Western ideals and local cultural and societal needs, and the resulting urban forms and practices. This study emphasizes the importance of learning from historical experiences to guide future urban planning in rapidly developing cities within the Global South.

Residential and commercial buildings in the U.S. are major energy consumers, and their energy demand is expected to rise significantly in the coming decades. This research focuses on developing building envelope solutions that serve as decentralized energy sources. By integrating thermoelectric generators (TEGs) and phase change materials (PCMs), the aim is to generate electricity for building operations and reduce energy consumption. TEGs generate voltage through the Seebeck effect, utilizing temperature gradients, but low thermal to electrical conversion efficiency remains a challenge. A key to improving TEG efficiency is adding a heat sink to dissipate heat and maintain the optimal temperature gradient. PCMs act as effective heat sinks by undergoing phase transitions. They store thermal energy when transitioning from solid to liquid and release it when solidifying, stabilizing the temperature gradient needed for TEG efficiency. This research proposes a dynamic building envelope that generates electricity by incorporating TEG modules and PCMs as energy harvesters and heat sinks. The generated electricity can be used for certain building operations, such as powering automated shading devices or charging sensors for indoor environmental monitoring. In this research, we used two 40 mm by 40 mm TEG modules with BioPCM (melting point 29°C) as a heat sink. Under a 15°C temperature difference, the TEGs produced approximately 400 millivolts, enough to power a motor that rotated a 400 mm by 70 mm vertical aluminum louver for a few seconds. These results show the potential of integrating TEGs and PCMs into building envelopes as decentralized energy solutions. The study suggests that further development of TEG-PCM integration could lead to energy savings in residential and commercial buildings, offering a sustainable method for electricity generation and reducing energy demand.

Energy storage plays a critical role in ensuring the stability of renewable energy systems, particularly due to the intermittency of sources like solar power. While batteries are the most commonly used form of energy storage, they face significant challenges, including degradation over time and environmental harm from improper disposal. As a sustainable alternative, hydrogen storage presents a promising solution. Using electrolyzers, electrical energy can be stored as hydrogen and later converted back to electricity via fuel cells when needed. As part of a doctoral project to integrate reversible fuel cells into building skin for energy storage, this study investigates the sizing of hydrogen storage in different climate zones by integrating Matlab/Simulink with EnergyPlus to model building energy loads and solar energy potential. Phoenix, Arizona, and Chicago, Illinois, were selected for their contrasting climate characteristics—Phoenix is hot and dry, while Chicago is cold and humid. The model accounts for temperature fluctuations, as the energy system is integrated into the building façade, which directly affects the efficiency of components. In the proposed design, photovoltaic-reversible proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PV-RPEMFC) panels are assumed to be installed on the south, east, and west opaque walls of the reference apartment building model. The daily average hydrogen production for March, June, September and December, along with the maximum hydrogen production for a day, were determined using the Matlab/Simulink model. The study calculates the required storage capacity for different locations by exploring various storage methods, including pressurized tanks, cryogenic liquid tanks, and metal hydride tanks. The size and weight of the tank vary depending on the storage method used. Since less solar energy is available in Chicago, the simulation results indicate that the storage volume in Chicago is 22% less than in Phoenix.

Providing thermal comfort for building occupants and accurately predicting that is essential for enhancing both occupant well-being and building energy efficiency. Traditional models often assume a uniform indoor thermal environment, overlooking individual comfort preferences. In response, personalized and localized heating systems have emerged as effective strategies for improving comfort and reducing energy consumption. Personalized heating systems, such as radiant heating in office buildings, allow users to adjust heating to suit their preferences, targeting specific body parts for improved thermal comfort. This study investigates the impact of radiant heating on local body parts’ skin temperature and whole-body thermal comfort. Experiments were conducted in a climate chamber, where subjective responses were gathered through questionnaires and objective data (skin and core body temperatures) were recorded using sensors. The result was a large dataset (~12,000 data points), making traditional statistical methods insufficient for pattern recognition and prediction. To address this, machine learning models were employed. Linear, Ridge, and Lasso regression were used to evaluate correlations between thermal parameters and comfort, with the best performance seen in the linear regression model (training score of 0.76, test score of 0.71). Additionally, Random Forest algorithms were implemented to predict thermal comfort. The findings show a strong relationship between targeted heating of specific body parts and overall thermal satisfaction, demonstrating that personalized heating can enhance comfort while reducing energy consumption. This study highlights the potential of integrating machine learning models with personalized comfort systems and building automation to increase energy efficiency and occupants’ well-being inside buildings.

The persistent shortage of affordable housing in the United States, coupled with aging infrastructure and rising energy costs, disproportionately impacts low-income households, particularly in historically disinvested communities. Addressing this challenge requires innovative, scalable solutions that balance affordability, energy efficiency, and climate resilience. This study introduces the BUILT2AFFORD dashboard, an integrated tool leveraging machine learning (ML) and Google Street View (GSV) imagery to pre-identify low-cost passive retrofit strategies for preserving and improving affordable housing. The dashboard assesses existing building conditions, evaluates energy retrofit potential, and mitigates heat-related health risks. The research involved on-site audits of single-family homes and Section 8 apartments, combined with continuous monitoring of indoor environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity, and CO2 levels. Preliminary results reveal significant opportunities for energy savings and improved thermal comfort, with scenarios like infiltration reduction and insulation upgrades achieving substantial reductions in energy use. The dashboard’s validation through eight testbeds demonstrates its potential to address housing challenges in South Bend, Indiana while advancing carbon-neutral and equity goals. This paper highlights how integrating advanced technologies into retrofit planning can enhance housing quality, reduce displacement risk, and foster climate resilience in vulnerable communities.

Integrating generative Artificial Intelligence into architectural design has opened new possibilities for creative exploration, particularly in the early stages of spatial research and aesthetic development. Since 2022, the increasing accessibility of AI platforms has altered how designers work, enabling the translation of text prompts into images, videos, and even three-dimensional forms. While current AI tools generate fragmented visions with limited spatial coherence, these constraints offer productive opportunities for innovative ways to engage AI as a creative collaborator. “Fabricated Combine: Animated Surface”—design research establishing a computational workflow bridging data formats and dimensions between two- and three-dimensional realms—expands creative outcomes through an AI-informed approach. In this context, AI serves as an input mechanism, using text prompts to shape the creative direction. These prompts do not generate final designs but evolving possibilities that blend aesthetic architectural language, motifs, patterns, and social narratives. This approach facilitates the rapid generation of conceptual designs, minimizing the mediation between AI-driven sketching and imaginative translation into spatial visions. The process begins with AI-generated images transforming into 3D models through a series of steps utilizing projective and depth maps. These steps produce “combined surfaces,” hybrid composites refined through iterative loops as animated point clouds, eventually converted into operable meshes for optimization and materialization through digital fabrication. Animated point clouds derived from 2D sources—whether from GenAI-generated images or two-dimensional representations of physical models—facilitate a seamless generative workflow, allowing design iterations to occur at any stage. As Artificial Intelligence excels in accelerating data variations, iterations, and optimizations, the designer’s role remains fundamental in refining details and establishing contextual connections. Integrating generative AI with procedural modeling tools, “Fabricated Combine: Animated Surface” showcases a cross-dimensional workflow that deepens design exploration. Ultimately, this project highlights AI’s transformative potential in architectural practice while reaffirming the designer’s essential role in shaping and grounding AI-generated outcomes.

Exposure to biophilic design has many documented health benefits. Even digital exposure to biophilic design can reduce physiological stress. This restorative process has tremendous potential for cognitive and neural health benefits. However, the cognitive-affective mechanisms that underlie these benefits are still being explored. A key method in the emerging field of neuroscience research on the built environment (including biophilia) is electroencephalography (EEG). EEG provides widely validated and efficient (low-cost, easily implemented) measures of cognitive-affective processing and looks to be well-positioned to serve as a central approach in this emerging area. The present project reviews the literature of environmental design studies seeking EEG responses to biophilic design stimuli. A total of twelve papers were found and reviewed from PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus following PRISMA. The research highlights the EEG, as well as cognitive measures, implicated in biophilic design research. Understanding how well biophilic design targets attention restoration and stress reduction can move us closer to understanding and confidently designing truly restorative spaces. Results from this systematic review show that current studies target neural markers associated with attention restoration and stress reduction but that ties to larger mechanisms are missing.

The precise prediction of dioxide (CO_₂) emissions from buildings is essential for improving sustainable energy practices and mitigating environmental damage. This paper introduces a machine-learning prediction model, an AI subset, for calculating CO₂ emissions in 140 buildings on the campus of the University of Maryland, College Park. The model employs a synthesis of actual building data and simulated solar radiation data. The merging dataset has attributes including the year of building, building area, energy use intensity (EUI), total energy consumption, CO₂ emissions, and seasonal solar radiation values for each building. Data preprocessing included mean imputation for missing values, feature normalization, and the creation of interaction terms to elucidate complex interactions, such as the influence of solar radiation on energy use. Furthermore, we considered feature engineering in order to improve the prediction model's accuracy. Three machine learning models, including Random Forest (RF), Support Vector Regression (SVR), and K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN), were utilized to predict CO₂ emissions, with performance assessed by R-squared, mean squared error (MSE), and mean absolute error (MAE). The results demonstrate that RF surpassed the other models. Attain a high accuracy with an R-squared value of 0.966 on the test set. Conversely, SVR and KNN exhibited inferior performance, with R-squared values of 0.600 and 0.698, respectively. The findings indicate that machine learning algorithms, especially RF, can accurately predict CO₂ emissions in university buildings, providing a significant perspective for energy management and sustainable efforts.

This study investigates the association between specific architectural plan circulation types (Straight, L-shape, Path Around) and wayfinding strategies (Open Plan and Visual Access, Reference Point, Small Scale, Architectural Differentiation, Avoiding Wander Moments) in dementia-friendly nursing homes. A structured survey using a 5-point Likert scale was used to gather 52 experts' analyses of six architectural plans. Experts were selected through snowball sampling. One-way ANOVA was employed to measure the association between variables. Post hoc analysis indicated that Path Around plans significantly supported the Open Space wayfinding strategy compared to L-shape plans. L-shape and Straight types scored lower for the Reference Point strategy, while Path Around layouts notably supported it. Path Around and one L-shape layout effectively addressed Small Scale strategies. Architectural Differentiation varied among samples; no significant interactions were found in Wandering moments. Overall, Path Around circulation types showed more potential in supporting wayfinding strategies. This study highlights the importance of understanding how circulation types impact navigation in dementia-friendly environments.

Long-term well-being in disaster-prone environments remains a critical yet underexplored aspect of disaster planning and design. Central to this well-being is psychological resilience and mental health, particularly among individuals and communities routinely dealing with climate-induced stressors. This paper integrates two foundational stress management frameworks—Aaron Antonovsky’s Sense of Coherence (SOC) theory and Stevan Hobfoll’s Conservation of Resources (COR) theory—as a strategy for sustainable disaster recovery. SOC, a core element of Antonovsky’s salutogenic model, shifts focus from disease and risk factors to proactive health promotion, and emphasizes three core components- comprehensibility, manageability, and meaningfulness, as key to pro-recovery behavior. COR theory, on the other hand, focuses on acquiring, protecting, and retaining resources. It posits that stress emerges when resources are lost or threatened. This paper links the SOC components with COR’s resource-conservation approach, to present an enhanced understanding of how resource acquisition and utilization mediate the strength of the SOC in disaster-prone environments. This exploration offers a foundation for an integrated, resource-based framework that can inform resilient community planning and design. Highlighting the cyclical nature of disaster events, this research advocates for a salutogenic, resource-oriented approach that redefines long-term recovery and resilience in sustainable community design.

Jackson, Mississippi is a unique place, the capital of the most low-income state in the nation, the Blackest major city in the United States per capita, and a city whose history is translated through its infrastructure and built landscape. While the implementation of policies and regulation are directly in view as forms of disenfranchisement in marginalized communities, public infrastructure, urban planning, and the built environment are not often recognized as forms of regulation. Architecture and public infrastructure have been documented as having devastating effects on marginalized communities, but are often overlooked, as they are not easily identifiable. The placement of highways, railroads, housing and more, have had profound effects on the organization of different demographic groups within the city of Jackson - the effects of which can still be seen today. The above implicates exclusionary infrastructure, defined here as the placement of built works that hinder accessibility between communities, resulting in systemic disinvestment and social plight. The paper examines how these factors have resulted in inequity at multiple scales and leverages that research to better understand how architecture can be a form of liberation rather than control.

The research is interdisciplinary in nature, from urban planning, social justice theory, and as well as design. [CE1] The paper analyzes where infrastructural design has contributed to social inequity in Jackson, Mississippi. Original GIS mapping and spatial analyses of Jackson were used to study economic distribution, housing, racial demographics, and the contextual relationships of each and its correlation to major infrastructure. These studies provide a nuanced understanding of the challenges and opportunities at the intersection of the built environment and social impact[CE2] . Analysis of the research helped identify what public infrastructure had the most negative impacts on Jackson communities. .

The aim of this paper is to analyzes the single-family architecture of Edward Olencki—a faculty of the University of Michigan practicing architecture in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the mid-twentieth century—with the aim of uncovering the social, cultural, and technological strategies that shaped the architectural landscape of the University of Michigan area. By applying computational design methodologies, particularly shape grammars, this research delves into how Olencki’s work contributed to the evolving architectural context of mid-century college towns in the United States.

Born in Chicago in 1922, Olencki was a student of Mies van der Rohe, earning both his Bachelor of Science (1944) and Master of Science (1949) in architecture from the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT). He worked with Mies as a draftsman and designer from 1943 to 1948, before joining the University of Michigan faculty in 1948, where he later became dean in 1964. Olencki taught courses in construction materials, comprehensive architectural design, and furniture design, while his research interests focused on modern church architecture. In addition to his academic role, Olencki operated his architectural firm alongside his partner, Joseph Albano, designing homes, churches, and commercial buildings in the region. Albano, also an IIT graduate and Mies van der Rohe protégé, joined the University of Michigan in 1947.

This paper is part of a broader study analyzing the work of mid-20th-century faculty-practitioners in U.S. college towns. Many of these faculty-practitioners developed hybrid designs that merged strategies, rules, and elements of European modernism with American traditional architecture. Through this investigation story, the paper reveals a distinct architectural style—what may be termed “college town modernism.” The use of shape grammar as a methodological tool enhances the study of hybridity in architectural design, offering architects and historians new ways to analyze and interpret the unique fusion of influences that shaped these communities.

In the late 19th century, during the Qajar era, British imperial ambitions reshaped Sistan, a borderland region of Iran, by reimagining its geography and redefining its boundaries with Afghanistan. Through maps, photographs, and travelogues, the British projected an “Oriental gaze” that cast Sistan as a barren expanse in need of reclamation, legitimizing their strategic interventions. The construction of consulates, telegraph stations, and imperial banks fortified a “buffer zone” designed to protect British India while extending influence into Persia. This paper examines the British consulate in Nasratabad, Sistan (1900–1903), constructed under supervision of Colonel Chenevix-Trench and Captain Benn, and described as “the most solid and imposing” structure in the region. Drawing on archival records and architectural analysis, it interrogates how the consulate’s hybrid form encapsulates the tension between colonial authority and local agency. Although guided by British ambitions to assert order and permanence, the building’s reliance on indigenous materials and Sistani labor transformed its design. Indigenous methods, including domed brick roofing, badgir (windcatcher), and kharkhana (camel-thorn screens), were interwoven with colonial ideals, producing a structure imbued with hybridity and “in-betweenness.” This study challenges the conventional narrative of colonial architecture as a unilateral imposition of power. Instead, it highlights how the British consulate in Sistan became a space where imperial authority was negotiated, resisted, and reshaped through local knowledge and cultural exchange. Indigenous laborers made significant contributions, subtly transforming the building’s form and function. The consulate, therefore, exemplifies how colonial architecture can serve not only as an instrument of domination but also as a site of resistance, where local practices and identities persist within the structures designed to control them. Ultimately, the British consulate in Sistan stands as a symbol of negotiation and adaptation, offering hybridization as a more complex, layered approach through which to view the legacy of colonial structures in post-colonial discourse.

In contexts where oral traditions and impermanent vernacular architecture once prevailed, colonial and globalized design practices and historiographic methods rooted in permanence often marginalize local knowledge. This disregard—conscious and subconscious— manifests in the contemporary built environment in extremes, from mere decorative and formal connection with the vernacular traditions up to standardized copies of the Western notions of modernization. This paper investigates the impact of colonization and globalization on the built environment in Africa, using Rwanda as the primary case study. Examining who shapes the Rwandan contemporary built environment and the narratives embedded within it, one can begin to critically engage with and understand the past and contextualize the present. Through qualitative research that includes anthropological and historical sources, and postcolonial theory, this study critically analyzes case studies from Rwanda that demonstrate different approaches to local traditions and their contemporary interpretations. This research informs the growing debate on decolonizing architectural methods in Africa and beyond by also highlighting failed attempts at context-based design.

Many architectural typologies in Rwanda today reflect imported constructs of governance, education, democracy, and commerce, raising critical questions about balancing external influences with local traditions. Additionally, architectural historiography, professional practice, and the role of the architect in Rwanda differ from their Western counterparts due to the discipline’s relatively recent professionalization in the country. These challenges are not unique to Rwanda but are prevalent across the Global South. Qualitative research leveraging anthropological and historical sources within the country and work done within the realm of postcolonial theory on the continent. This paper advocates emic and interdisciplinary methodologies in architectural practice, research, and discourse.

In an effort to achieve sustainable building design and construction, few architects in Middle East have adopted the traditional principles of vernacular architecture as a strategy for reducing energy consumption and achieving architecture that works in harmony with its natural, social and cultural environments. However, one of the main obstacles facing such effort is found in the legal building code, which is often derived from a modern western context that neglects traditional knowledge and vernacular building skills. The research team argues that the current legal framework for building code and sustainability standards adopted by many cities in the Middle East, represent a major obstacle for reviving sustainable traditional architecture within a contemporary context. The goal of this paper is to examine the current legal building code, adopted by the city of Amman Jordan in relation to the design and construction of contemporary buildings based on traditional stone vernacular architecture. This paper utilizes a case study approach to examine the different aspects of the legal challenges facing this effort. This study found that the main challenge with the current building code is associated with zoning requirements and setbacks, which reduces the allowable built area, preventing the integration of open-air courtyards. A second challenge is associated with building materials and permitted structural systems, which does not recognize load bearing wall structures or the construction of domes and vaults as roofing systems. Other challenges include the limitations on ceiling heights, wall sections and insulation standards. The paper also highlights the high impact that one singular case study can have on reviving the traditional knowledge and vernacular building skills in the region.

This study investigates the application of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) equipped with advanced imaging technologies to enhance sustainable deconstruction practices. UAVs rapidly capture high-resolution data, offering detailed visualizations of construction and demolition sites that improve material recovery, reduce labor demands, and minimize exposure to hazardous environments. Through a combination of a comprehensive literature review and a case study of the Masonic Temple in Binghamton, NY, this research demonstrates the potential of UAV-based 3D modeling to assess building conditions and identify material recovery opportunities. The findings highlight the significant efficiency and accuracy gains in building assessments achieved using UAVs, with operational costs as low as $2.07 per flight hour, emphasizing their economic feasibility. These advancements empower planners, architects, and construction professionals to make data-driven decisions, reduce waste, and conserve resources. By integrating advanced modeling techniques, this study supports sustainable urban development and material reuse, aligning with circular economy principles.

As the building construction industry moves to a more sustainable future, we need to work towards incorporating the three ordered tenets of waste management: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. In recent years, the building construction industry has made considerable strides in recycling materials such as carpet, furniture, steel, concrete, and bricks. Although recycling diverts materials from landfills, it is energy and material intensive and often results in lesser quality materials than their original state. To further reduce a building’s construction and demolition waste (CDW) and its resulting carbon footprint, there is a growing movement within the building industry to prioritize reusing building components over recycling. Reusing is a more sustainable option than recycling, as it preserves inherent material properties without the need for extensive processing. This paper posits that building component reuse (BCR) can be a critical strategy for managing CDW and is more sustainable than recycling. BCR involves salvaging and repurposing building elements from renovated or demolished buildings and offers a means to extend the lifecycle of building components as resources.

The goal of this paper is to analyze the current state of research and practice of BCR in the building industry with a two-pronged approach. First, through a systematized literature review of journal articles, conference papers and proceedings, books and book chapters, and popular press publications, we identified the design tools and systems that have facilitated BCR. Second, we have started a database of architectural projects that have incorporated BCR. This database lists key project information (e.g. architect, project name, year complete), and reused components. By juxtaposing insights from both theoretical research and real-world project execution, we aim to provide a nuanced understanding of the architectural tools and systems needed for successful BCR implementation.

The establishment of refugee camps and shelters globally follows emergency handbooks that assume temporary universal human needs based on a standardized model. However, many camps transform into protracted settlements that endure for decades, becoming semi-permanent settlements where residents transform shelters to support a longer-term socio-spatial existence. Though the host organizations continue to regulate and redistribute shelter resources, typically, a more ad-hoc system and informal inventiveness are at play. Refugees encounter numerous life challenges related to socio-spatial use, such as privacy and growing families, so residents develop innovative solutions within the host country’s permitted framework.

Enhancing the creation of shelters involves considering socio-cultural and spatial needs while acknowledging the potential long-term existence of refugee camps. This paper examines the refugee-led adaptive redesign to illustrate unmet socio-spatial needs in existing planning operations.

This paper studies the Zaatari camp in Jordan to explore the lived experiences of refugees. It investigates how refugees adapt and modify spatial configurations to manage their changing needs and integrate daily social and cultural practices. The research highlights the active role of refugees in redesigning their living spaces, emphasizing their ability to influence and shape their environments. By employing a qualitative research approach, including semi-structured interviews, field documentation, and observation, the research captures how refugees engage with and transform the physical and social dimensions of the camp and vice versa.

The outcomes explain the evolving and adaptive nature of the built environment of refugee settlements influenced by the socio-cultural backgrounds of its inhabitants and contribute to the broader discourse on refugee camp design. The findings are expected to be helpful for humanitarian organizations, policymakers, and urban planners involved in designing refugee camps, advocating for more inclusive and culturally sensitive approaches to address the different needs of displaced populations.

The increasing frequency of natural hazards has resulted in a rising number of casualties each year. Despite the inevitability of such catastrophes, humans often find themselves with limited control over these events. This study proposes a novel emergency shelter based on scissor-deployable structures, which considers the basic architectural requirements, transportation and erection methods, disaster types, and climate in the disaster area.

Deployable structures present unique advantages for achieving dynamic design goals. However, the inherent complexity of the theoretical design and engineering analysis of deployable structures poses challenges for architects and designers in practice. Therefore, this interdisciplinary research, encompassing geometric design, kinematic study, and specific implementations, is essential for the exploration of novel shelter solutions.

The procedure and method to achieve the research objectives involve developing a prototype design for post-disaster emergency shelters, capitalizing on the advantages of the proposed scissor-deployable structure. The conceptual design adheres to guidelines provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), with a primary focus on meeting basic functional requirements, such as area and volume. Simulations conducted in Grasshopper are used to efficiently explore geometric variations. Finally, the prototype design is presented, including key product specifications such as dimensions, weight, and materials.

By refining the functionality and adaptability of such shelters, the project enhances the resilience of security measures in disaster-prone areas, enabling quicker deployment and improved living conditions for displaced populations. This not only helps protect more lives in the immediate aftermath of natural hazards but also fosters long-term resilience by providing communities with robust, adaptable solutions that can be rapidly implemented in various environmental conditions. Ultimately, these innovations contribute to the broader field of architecture by integrating responsive design with humanitarian needs.

Middle-class and mixed-income informal settlements remain an understudied yet growing form of housing development in the Global South. Such settlements differ from encroachments since the communities own the land but do not have the right to develop housing due to violating state-defined land use, zoning, or other regulations. While many have looked at the infrastructural and environmental issues due to the development of such typology of informal settlements and the process and implications of formalization, few studies have focused on the stages of development of such settlements and the actors involved in the development process. This study examines the phases of development of unauthorized colonies in Delhi, focusing on their transformation over several decades. Through interviews in four colonies with colonizers, local builders, and other residents, the study identifies five phases of development. These include 1) initial land identification and planning, 2) land assembly and phased development, 3) infrastructure and housing development, 4) vertical growth and density increase, and finally, 5) formalization. In identifying these five stages, we counter the view that informal colonies evolve haphazardly and assert that informal colonies support their residents' needs in ways that formal housing does not. This study challenges traditional notions of informality, showing that settlements involve community-building throughout their development. The study offers a framework for municipal governments, NGOs, and policymakers to better understand the development process of informal settlements. Our findings can assist in the formalization process at various planning stages, with the goal of enhancing the quality of life and well-being in informal settlements.

In 2022, the United States allocated over $4 trillion to healthcare, yet public health outcomes remain suboptimal, with high rates of preventable diseases and disparities in mental and physical well-being. The built environment—an essential but underexplored determinant of health—shapes urban populations' exposure to environmental risks and influences key health metrics. This study evaluates the relationships between built environment characteristics and health outcomes across 19 major U.S. metropolitan areas, incorporating diverse climates, urban designs, and geographic contexts. Utilizing methodologies such as convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to extract building characteristics from Google Street View imagery and machine-learning models like XGBoost, the research identifies critical factors affecting health outcomes. Key variables, including building material composition, foundation types, air conditioning prevalence, and land coverage, were analyzed alongside health indicators from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The findings reveal significant associations between the built environment and public health, with lead contamination linked to adverse outcomes, while traditional materials like wood and masonry correlated with better mental health metrics. Air conditioning availability emerged as a critical variable positively influencing both physical and mental well-being. Geographic variations underscored the role of regional design and environmental factors in shaping health disparities. This study bridges gaps in existing research by offering actionable insights for urban planners, policymakers, and public health advocates, emphasizing the importance of addressing environmental hazards and promoting high-quality urban design to improve population health.

Cities navigate a delicate balance between order and spontaneity, with Tokyo exemplifying this tension. Through the frameworks of Roland Barthes (Empire of Signs), Adolfo Lagomasino (Theory of the Dérive), Rebecca Solnit (A Field Guide to Getting Lost), and Ralph Waldo Emerson (Nature and Other Things), this paper examines how Tokyo’s meticulous urban design manages the world’s largest metropolis while often suppressing spontaneity. Systems like zoning laws, public transportation, and green spaces are analyzed for their impact on behavior and experience. Innovative zoning strategies, while masking lines of segregation, segment the city into controlled zones, limiting fluid engagement. Similarly, Tokyo’s efficient transit system minimizes opportunities for serendipity, and even its public spaces favor order over chance interactions. Case studies of Marunouchi District and Shibuya Station reveal how this focus on structure creates environments where spontaneity is constrained. While rigorous planning ensures stability and efficiency, the absence of unplanned experiences diminishes opportunities for emotional and aspirational fulfillment. This paper argues that urban design must balance detailed planning with space for unstructured human experiences, vital for dynamic urban life. By exploring the costs and benefits of order versus disorder, Tokyo provides a lens for understanding the impacts of highly structured environments and offers lessons for cities striving to integrate both structured encounters and spontaneous explorations. The research proposes a conceptual framework to navigate this spectrum, encouraging urban designs that accommodate freedom, flexibility, and inclusivity alongside stability and control.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) mandates that public buildings, including university campuses, be accessible to individuals of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds. As such, university campuses must comply with ADA standards to meet the diverse needs of students, faculty, staff, and visitors. Initiatives like Universal Design and organizations such as the American Association of People with Disabilities and the National Council on Disability have advocated for more accessible designs in products, services, and environments. These efforts influenced the 2010 edition of the ADA Standards for Accessible Design. Despite these advancements, there is a lack of studies that assess whether college campuses are physically accessible for students with varying mobility needs.

This qualitative study uses an auto-ethnographic approach and multiple research methods to evaluate the physical accessibility of common routes on a college campus and in an academic building. Four participants with different mobility levels: two able-bodied people, a person using a manual wheelchair, and a person using a powered wheelchair, traveled different campus routes to identify accessibility barriers. For the campus assessment, travel and movement on campus covered four routes with different destinations, including travel from the student’s workstation to a dining hall, library, an academic success center and back to the student’s workstation. For the building assessment, three common routes with different destinations were studied, including travel from the parking lot to the student’s workstation and then to an accessible bathroom and a lab space.

Findings indicated that while ADA Standards set minimum accessibility requirements, they often fall short in practice. Participants using wheelchairs faced multiple barriers, such as uneven surfaces, steep slopes, inadequate table heights, poorly placed door push buttons, and insufficient space for maneuvering. These barriers highlight the need for additional research on accessibility on college campuses to ensure inclusivity for all students.

The series Pride of Place: Building the American Dream aired on PBS in the spring of 1986. The show, hosted by architect and historian Robert A.M. Stern, constructed a narrative supporting the importance of America’s architectural history and its origins during an era in which disciplinary history took an increasingly important role in architectural education and practice under the aegis of postmodernism. The show consciously marshalled a media format intended for a popular audience toward the creation of American architectural celebrities in the form of both contemporary and historic sites and their designers. Thematic episode chronicled Stern’s travels across the United States to sites of architectural significance, ranging from individual buildings and monuments to exemplars of American urban and suburban typologies. Frequently joined by prominent architectural figures of the day including practitioners Philip Johnson, Peter Eisenman, and critic Paul Goldberger, Stern’s guests lent expertise to the formation of a narrative of American architectural history and its implications on contemporary American life.

Among the historical figures and sites celebrated as the progenitors of American architectural heritage was Thomas Jefferson and his designs for Monticello and the Academical Village of the University of Virginia which were prominently featured in the first two episodes of the series, “The Search for a Usable Past” and “The Campus, A Place Apart”. This paper will critically re-examine the emergence of architecture as a subject of popular media including TV, reevaluating how Stern’s Pride of Place intersected with a significant preservation campaign to recognize Jefferson’s architectural contributions as UNESCO World Heritage sites in the mid-1980s. Analysis will include a discussion of the lasting implications of the heroic narrative of Jeffersonian architectural ideals which emerged from the media narrative that supported these preservation efforts and that have complicated the contemporary reframing of these projects as sites of enslavement.

This paper explores the City Tower project, an unbuilt design by Louis I. Kahn and Anne Tyng that significantly altered the integration between form and structure in architectural design. Initially envisioned in the 1950s, the City Tower was a revolutionary skyscraper structure based on space-frame system that incorporates tetrahedral and octahedral geometries. The study aim is to analyze the geometric and structural aspects of the City Tower, particularly the use of octet truss systems to develop modular and adaptable architectural forms, and highlights a shape grammar as a computational tool for generating modular and scalable frameworks that emphasize structural coherence. The research also investigates potential applications of these findings in modern architecture and reveals the potential of using tetrahedrons and octahedrons as fundamental geometries for creating scalable and modular designs.

Evaluating a building's performance and comfort after it has been occupied is crucial for identifying issues such as high energy consumption, particularly in older structures built before 1970s energy crises, like those found on university campuses. This study is part of a broader Post-Occupancy Evaluation (POE) project assessing four major academic buildings across Texas Tech University. It intends to enhance their performance, energy efficiency, and occupants' comfort by using retrofit strategies and building energy modeling. Data on actual energy usage, construction details, operating schedules, and equipment was collected using spot and long-term measurement techniques to evaluate building performance and user comfort. Building energy models were developed using the Integrated Environment Solution- Virtual Environment (IESVE). Simulations explored potential retrofits, including passive design strategies and renewable energy options such as set-back for HVAC systems, double-glazing windows, LED lighting, and cool roofs. The results showed that specific retrofits, such as double-glazing windows, yielded 15% and 18% energy reduction in two buildings, achieving Energy Use Intensity (EUI) values of 133 and 125, respectively, in two buildings. Furthermore, combining different retrofits could lead to significant annual reductions in energy consumption of 15.32%, 19.53%, 17.52%, and 9.09% for each of the four buildings in this study. These findings highlight the value of POE in identifying opportunities for energy savings and performance improvements in academic settings, providing a framework for broader application in other educational environments.

Energy benchmarking is essential for policymakers, building owners, and architects to monitor energy consumption and implement conservation strategies. However, challenges persist, including limited data availability for annual and monthly energy usage, the complexity of machine learning model interpretation, and difficulties in classifying buildings based on energy use patterns. This study proposes a data-driven energy benchmarking framework utilizing white-box and grey-box AI models at both annual and monthly scales, focusing on building energy data from Washington, DC. The first stage applies an unsupervised K-Means clustering algorithm to categorize buildings into four distinct groups based on monthly energy usage patterns, providing insights into their energy consumption characteristics. Subsequently, two predictive models are employed: a white-box multi-linear regression (MLR) model and a grey-box LightGBM (LGBM) model, to estimate building energy consumption at both annual and monthly levels. Sensitivity analysis is conducted to assess the influence of various building attributes, such as building type and weather conditions, on energy usage and carbon emissions. Results indicate that the LGBM model outperforms MLR in predictive accuracy, though both models exhibit similar sensitivity to key attributes. Notably, Energy Star^® ratings, building type, weather conditions, and building area emerge as the most significant factors influencing energy consumption. This research establishes a replicable classification framework and demonstrates the value of combining annual and monthly benchmarking for enhanced AI-driven energy analysis. The proposed methodology can be generalized to cities without existing benchmarking programs, supporting broader efforts toward decarbonization and climate resilience. By advancing AI-based energy benchmarking techniques, this study contributes to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

This research examines the feasibility of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in achieving contextual coherence in architectural design, identifying limitations and proposing a future framework. While AI, particularly through Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs), theoretically promises contextually coherent designs, this goal remains largely unachieved. Conventional computational methods, while effective at process optimization using linear evolutionary and deterministic algorithms, lack the capacity to replicate human design intelligence. They often fail to integrate critical environmental and regulatory factors, limiting their ability to produce meaningful architectural outcomes.

The study investigates whether current AI capabilities can achieve contextual coherence comparable to human designers. Contextual coherence is defined as a design’s ability to harmonize with its surroundings (3D physical objects), environmental factors (e.g., solar radiation), and local building codes. To address these challenges, the research identifies gaps in existing synthetic intelligence frameworks and proposes new developments leveraging contextual data and advanced learning algorithms. This approach positions AI as a collaborative design partner rather than merely a tool for process optimization.

Methodologically, the study deconstructs synthetic intelligence frameworks through an extensive literature review and conceptualizes a metric-based pathway to qualitatively measure contextual coherence. Computational experiments using evolutionary algorithms and existing AI models evaluate their ability to integrate contextual factors such as the 3D objectivity of design elements, solar radiation, and building code compliance. The proposed framework combines quantitative (e.g., climate, site conditions) and qualitative (e.g., spatial relationships) data through iterative feedback loops to refine outputs for contextual alignment.

Preliminary findings highlight AI’s strengths in novel object generation and its ability to handle individual or multiple contextual factors. However, challenges persist in holistically integrating all factors. This study positions AI as a design collaborator, enhancing human creativity while ensuring contextual relevance and unlocking new possibilities for architectural innovation.

Accurate monitoring of the indoor microclimate, including air temperature, relative humidity, and dew point, is crucial for preserving historic buildings and ensuring sustainable conservation. Similarly, forecasting indoor environmental conditions is essential for both improving building performance and making informed decisions about the conservation of historic structures. This study addresses the research gap in predicting the indoor microclimate of structures by developing and evaluating the performance of three Machine Learning (ML) methods for forecasting indoor microclimate in the Kelso House, a low-thermal mass historic building in San Antonio, Texas, USA. From April 2022 to January 2023, indoor and outdoor conditions (air temperature, relative humidity, and dew point) were recorded every 15 minutes using data loggers. The collected datasets were used to train and test the different ML algorithms, namely Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP), Support Vector Regression (SVR), and Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost). Various predictive models were developed to forecast the 15-minute-ahead values of indoor air temperature, relative humidity, and dew point within the case study building. The accuracy and computational efficiency of the models were evaluated using metrics such as mean absolute error and convergence time. Results showed that MLP and SVR achieved the highest accuracy and effectively detected abrupt fluctuations in temperature and relative humidity, outperforming XGBoost. However, XGBoost demonstrated exceptional computational efficiency in terms of convergence time, making it suitable for forecasting applications as well. This investigation highlights the potential of the developed ML-driven models for accurately forecasting indoor microclimate. Additionally, the proposed methodology is adaptable and can be applied to a wide range of construction across different climate zones globally. By enabling the prediction of indoor environmental conditions critical to historic preservation, this study provides valuable insights to assist experts in making informed decisions about the conservation of historic structures.

This study develops a data-driven framework to predict and analyze hygroscopic deformation in bilayer wood samples under controlled relative humidity (RH) conditions. The anisotropic nature of wood leads to hygroscopic expansion, a phenomenon integral to wood bending techniques. However, accurate prediction of wood's hygroscopicity remains challenging due to the limitations of existing prediction tools. The research integrates experimental monitoring of hygroscopic deformation with machine learning models, leveraging material and environmental features to predict deformation curvature. This framework leverages experimental data and computational tools to provide an effective prediction tool for wood’s hygroscopic deformation. The findings offer robust alternatives for mass timber construction and innovative applications in digital fabrication.

Interoperability, the ability of different software applications to exchange information meaningfully and usefully, is a major concern in digital modeling. This research investigates the epistemological dimensions of interoperability in constructing digital models of existing buildings, specifically focusing on Revit and Rhino—software applications with distinct ontological and epistemological frameworks. Traditionally viewed as a set of technical challenges, interoperability is repositioned in this study as a productive “friction” capable of generating architectural knowledge. In this sense, our title refers to “knowledge effects,” by which we mean novel interpretations, spatial understandings, and conceptual reframings that emerge through the processes of interoperability.

Using a case study of Marcel Breuer’s Alcuin Library, the research examines translations between a Revit (BIM) model and a Rhino (non-BIM) model, analyzing frictional losses (e.g., geometric distortions, semantic flattening) and gains (e.g., novel visualizations and conceptual reframings). The findings suggest that, while information loss is inevitable in translation, friction enables new opportunities for inference-drawing, capable of revealing latent aspects of architecture.

The study applies Mauricio Suárez’s inferential conception of representation, demonstrating how interoperability alters what Suárez refers to as “representational force” and “inferential capacity” in ways that inform architectural understanding. By framing friction as both a practical limitation and a theoretical mechanism for knowledge production, the paper challenges the assumption that interoperability must achieve seamless data exchange. Instead, it advocates for leveraging the distinct strengths of different software platforms in architectural modeling.

This research contributes to the discourse on building information modeling (BIM) for existing buildings, proposing an approach that values epistemological depth over technical efficiency. It suggests implications for professional practice, pedagogy, and future research, emphasizing the generative potential of friction in developing architectural representation and analysis.

In the field of Architecture, the expanding array of generative artificial intelligence (genAI) tools being developed and applied to the five phases of design thinking are rapidly being adopted into architecture education and practice. This research investigates methods of integrating genAI tools in architecture design studios. Specifically, we explore how text-to-image AI can accelerate students’ iterative design processes during the ideation and prototyping phases of design thinking.

Our research method involved three activities: 1) Testing Tools, which included testing and cataloging several text-to-image AI tools; 2) Deploying Pedagogy, in which we developed two 1-week design Modules, and 3) Fostering Dialogue, which involved dialogue with academics and practitioners and hosting a Symposium + Poster Session.

Our findings from ~150 students’ work revealed that using text-to-image AI in the production of conceptual perspective and elevation images enabled students to develop between 4-10 times more than the number of design iterations produced without text-to-image AI, and we discuss the numerous transformative effects this has on the design process. We also found that fostering various forms and formats of dialogue, including student-to-student, faculty-to-student, and practitioner-to-academic, provides needed feedback into the design thinking process, and is critical to the successful integration of AI with architecture studio pedagogies.

How architecture education programs will incorporate AI-based workflows—and to what ends—is one of the foremost questions facing the academy today, and the answers will have profound implications for the future practice of architecture. We expect the pedagogical approaches we have developed, along with the findings from their implementation, to enrich and advance the discourse on the integration of AI in design thinking. We also identify potential lines of further inquiry into this process, including how responding to ethical concerns with genAI could foster productive parameters for future pedagogical explorations.

Building Information Modeling (BIM) has become a dominant design authorship platform within the building construction industry, whose standards are governed by codes and regulations with complex interrelationships. Ensuring compliance with these industry standards during design and construction is a challenge regardless of advancements in BIM technology. Manual design reviews for code compliance are subject to human errors and are not a scalable effort. Natural language processing (NLP), deep learning methods, Convoluted Neural Networks (CNN), and Deep Convoluted Neural Networks (DCNN) have all revolutionized Artificial Intelligence and provided improved efficiency and accuracy of textual interpretations. However, these methods are still time and resource intensive. Large Language Models (LLMs) can offer a high level of language comprehension and syntax accuracy for optimizing building specifications, safety and regulation compliance through robust pre-training. This study proposes a novel approach to automating audits and quality control processes pertaining to code-reviews for building designs. This framework integrates LLM, and DCNN within a BIM interface, allowing for the automated audit of specifications based on the material and geometric relationships of object modelling in BIM, which is identified through deep learning. LLM reduces the reliance on annotated datasets, while DCNN allows for deep learning of text data from code regulations. This integration of deep learning and LLM significantly improves the accuracy of design reviews and building code compliance by automating the code review process with minimal manual intervention. This new framework provides a novel and adaptable approach for AEC stakeholders via a scalable and versatile solution for automated design audits and BIM quality checks to ensure the high integrity of building design and contracts.

Both conventional lumber and mass timber building products reduce the natural forms and grown intelligence of trees into dimensional lumber through a series of orthogonal cuts. From rectilinear geometries to filleted corners, lumber is optimized for predictable structural performance and speed and ease of human labor. New advancements that enable the cutting of non-planar timber elements present opportunities to expand the use of roundwood but require a reimagining of traditional fabrication workflows and a questioning of standardized lumber. This paper presents a specific pedagogical model for teaching novel digital construction methods with roundwood, through the format of a visiting hybrid workshop for graduate architecture students. Approaches to pedagogy, workshop format, assignment specifics, and fabrication tools and methods are discussed. Student work is presented, taking form as functional furniture prototypes – a series of stools and a collective table – suggesting larger architectural assemblies. The workshop pedagogy choreographs a series of learning objectives and hands-on experiences that enable students to reimagine lumber and engage with both analog and digital fabrication methods for roundwood. As the cutting surface transitions from a planar to a ruled surface, new formal, structural, and spatial potentials are revealed.

Philippine fiestas serve as microcosms of regional identities and cultural practices, representing how culture is performed rather than statically represented. While the discourse on regionalism, such as critical and tropical regionalism, has sought to address regional identity, these theories have been criticized for reducing cultural nuances to mere aesthetics. Similarly in the Philippines, 20th-century adoption of styles like Art Deco and Modernism, as well as 21st-century resort recreations of nipa huts, tend to romanticize Filipino identity, framing it as a fixed entity of the past rather than acknowledging its ongoing hybridization. This research adopts the concept of hybridity, viewing identity as fluid and everchanging, integrating external influences while rejecting others. This raises a critical question: how can architecture, conventionally seen as static structures, adapt to a region's evolving identity? Drawing from Barbara Allen’s performative regionalism, this research repositions architecture as an evolving backdrop to explore how architectural and urban spaces are transformed to facilitate the performance of cultural activities. Within this framework, Philippine fiestas, as argued by William Peterson and Patrick Alcedo, become central to identity formation, where individuals actively participate in performances that express regional identities and negotiate conventional social structures. Through an analysis of the Ati-Atihan, Dinagyang, and Sinulog festivals—celebrated in honor of the Santo Niño—this research developed the “Fiesta Transcripts,” inspired by Bernard Tschumi’s Manhattan Transcripts. These transcripts map the relationship between architecture, space, and performance, revealing key architectural structures that facilitate regional activities like parades and processions. This spatial and relational analysis can generate a heatmap of cultural activity that informs design interventions that reinforce future performances of identity. Furthermore, this research supports the concept of hybridity and reveals the importance of procession in shaping Philippine architecture, offering new insights for culturally derived design principles.

For over thirty years, the construction of Interstate 27 in Lubbock, Texas, has exemplified how infrastructure projects can exacerbate social and economic disparities within urban areas. Although initially designed to improve connectivity and drive economic development, I-27 has instead created a stark physical and social divide. This highway separates the predominantly Black and Hispanic communities of North and East Lubbock from the wealthier, majority-white neighborhoods to the west. Compounding this divide, industrial zoning policies have relegated marginalized communities to areas exposed to environmental hazards, reinforcing systemic inequality and spatial injustice. This study employs a hands-on pedagogical approach, enabling students to collaborate directly with community members and tackle intricate urban challenges through experiential learning. The findings highlight the potential of combining technological tools, such as GIS and data visualization, with grassroots efforts and participatory planning to reimagine marginalized urban spaces as equitable and resilient. The research advocates rethinking urban planning practices by prioritizing local needs, harnessing community knowledge, and fostering inclusive development. Situating Lubbock’s experiences within a broader national framework, the study underscores how infrastructure and zoning policies have historically marginalized communities of color across the United States. It employs a multi-scalar perspective, examining the local impact of zoning decisions on daily life while linking these issues to broader movements for spatial justice, climate resilience, and sustainable urban growth. The study contributes to the field of architecture and urban planning by proposing a multidisciplinary, pedagogy-driven methodology. This approach integrates student participation, community collaboration, and advanced technological tools to address complex challenges. Ultimately, it seeks to advance equity, sustainability, and social justice in urban development.

This paper examines the intersection of queer identity and the built environment through the spatial practices of passing, flagging, and outing. Drawing on George Chauncey’s assertion that “there is no queer space; there are only spaces used by queers or put to queer use,” its analysis frames queerness as an active method of appropriating and reimagining architectural frameworks rather than an inherent or assigned characteristic of space. Each practice provides distinct strategies through which queer populations navigate societal constraints, reconfigure normative spaces, and resist erasure. Passing is explored as the concealment of queer use within normative architectural forms, such as the unmarked exterior of a bar or the adaptive reuse of an industrial warehouse. Flagging, as a companion practice, leverages coded signals like color, texture, and spatial arrangement to indicate queer use while maintaining discretion. Outing, by contrast, rejects normative frameworks entirely, transforming spaces into radical sites of queer futurity. The outcomes of this paper emphasize the layered and contested relationship between architecture and identity, demonstrating how marginalized communities use spatial practices to foster both refuge and resistance. The significance of this work lies in its contribution to discussions on the intersection of architecture, identity, and power, offering a nuanced framework for understanding how marginalized users reclaim and reconfigure the built environment. Ultimately, it uses queer practices of spatial appropriation to evidence architecture’s dual role as a tool of societal regulation and a medium for subversion.

Quality views of the external environment are essential for human well-being, yet their role in promoting non-visual effects is underexplored. While window views are often evaluated based on their aesthetic and psychological benefits, they also influence physiological processes through light’s impact on the circadian system. This study investigates the non-visual potential of views by analyzing field-collected physical data from 476 daylight and window view conditions across two distinct campus environments in the U.S. Sky coverage and externally reflected components (ERC), were assessed alongside vertical photopic illuminance, Circadian Stimulus (CS), and Melanopic Equivalent Daylight Illuminance (M-EDI) metrics. Results indicate that higher sky coverage within a window view is associated with higher non-visual potential, even when vertical illuminance levels are similar. In contrast, views dominated by ERC, particularly those with man-made surfaces or tree reflections located close to the window, can reduce non-visual potential even when they provide higher illuminance compared to other views. Interestingly, M-EDI showed stricter thresholds than CS, with differences in variation patterns across illuminance ranges. Views with a balanced composition of the sky and external elements positioned at appropriate distances offered optimal non-visual performance, supporting daylighting design principles that encourage windows with higher placements for light entry. These findings highlight the importance of integrating sky coverage and spectral reflectance into view quality assessments. The noticeable effect of minimal sky coverage located in the peripheral visual field at higher positions indicates the importance of composition when evaluating window view quality. Additionally, maximizing tree views must be balanced with its distance to the windows and adequate sky coverage to enhance non-visual effects of light. Future research will further refine these relationships by analyzing additional view parameters through statistical methods and human-participant studies using virtual reality. This integrated approach informs human-centered design strategies through thoughtful daylighting and window view optimization.

The ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 55-2020 described a new adaptive comfort standard for thermal environmental conditions for human occupancy. These conditions allow warmer indoor temperatures for naturally ventilated buildings in warm climatic zones. This is a field study in two naturally ventilated educational buildings located on two continents in similar climatic zones, namely, southern California and the equatorial highland regions of Nairobi, Kenya. The environmental factors that were collected were temperature, thermal radiation, humidity, air speed and personal factors of clothing and activity. Other related non-thermal factors of indoor air quality, architectural acoustics, lighting, biologics and chemical factors that could affect comfort and health were not collected. Two sample schools were modelled using building information modelling (BIM). Simulations were done using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to study air flow and thermal comfort. Measured data were gathered in the school building in California for comparison and validation. The paper summarizes some measured observations made using 100 college students working in their regular settings using existing adaptive comfort research. Some of the findings are that for naturally ventilated buildings, the process of getting the adaptive comfort needs careful interpretation in order to avoid energy-consuming mechanical HVAC systems based on the comfort settings of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 55-2020. The study confirms that when humans are considered as laboratory subjects, they tend to have a universally agreeable thermal comfort range about 65°F – 78°F (18.3°C-25.6°C) but when they are given more control of their living or workspace, the comfort range widens. The cost benefit of energy-savings potential and improved indoor air quality are real for developing regions for the peoples living in socially, economically, culturally and technologically divergent regions. Finally, the paper discusses possible new directions for building science researchers, architects and engineers for the improvement of building environmental control systems.

This research challenges traditional park design and vacant lot revitalization through the development of a performance-based design process. The study area of this paper is in Carroll Park, West Philadelphia, a sensitive neighborhood to extreme heat events and lack of quality green spaces (Hammer et al. 2020). Performance-based parameters leveraged in this research focused on improving thermal comfort by investigating the mean radiant temperature Tmrt and air temperature Ta , increase connectivity between the study area and community, and improving air quality by reducing CO2 levels (Gál and Kántor 2020a). Results showed that Tmrt was reduced from 27.86 °C – 30.89 °C to 23.90 °C – 26.43 °C after design interventions were introduced. The Ta decreased from 24.72 °C – 25.12 °C to 24.56 °C – 24.77 °C. The dynamic comfort walking simulations indicated that skin temperature fell by up to -0.350 K/min, compared to existing conditions which saw an increase by up to 0.600 K/min, consequently, the sweat rate decreased from 40g/h – 19g/h to 40g/h – 0g/h between a 5-minute period. The combination of design interventions improved comfort by decreasing Tmrt compared to strategies in isolation. High albedo materials increased Tmrt, but when combined with trees to provide shade, Tmrt increase was lessened as previously proven (Sinsel et al. 2021). The proposed design of this research prioritized natural interventions to mitigate heat, but also reduce CO2 levels between 0.01 mg/m3 – 0.24mg/m3. The most effective design strategies were passive street-level interventions, this included trees and sail and canopy structures, which reduced the Tmrt between 2 °C - 5 °C. The application of this research can contribute to design processes for traditionally conceptualized parks and vacant lots with performance-based metrics to improve thermal comfort, connectivity, and air quality of urban environments.

Societal priorities and architectural practices have significantly shaped the built environment. In contemporary urban commercial buildings across the United States, a clear trend has emerged toward sealed structures that rely exclusively on mechanical systems to maintain ‘optimal’ indoor conditions. As a result, humans have transformed into an indoor species, increasingly disconnected from the natural world. With growing evidence of the adverse effects of unhealthy indoor spaces, it has become essential to challenge the rigid divide between inside and out and foster a connection with the natural rhythms of the outside world.

This paper provides a critical review of existing semi-outdoor spaces, such as porches and courtyards, as potential sites for fostering a more dynamic and heterogeneous built environment. Rather than merely serving as threshold conditions, these spaces offer opportunities to blur the boundaries between indoor and outdoor environments, encouraging healthier and more adaptable architectural solutions. By recontextualizing the role of semi-outdoor spaces in architecture, this research calls for a renewed approach to designing urban indoor spaces that prioritize genuine connections with nature. Ultimately, this paper seeks to inspire new perspectives on adaptable architecture within urban settings, advocating for spaces connected with nature rather than attempting to replicate it indoors.

The U.S. market is dominated by unaffordable and unsustainable homes. Due to the industry’s continued use of outmoded and inefficient processes, the average home produced now is more expensive, wasteful and toxic than those built decades ago: in the 1960s, homes cost about three times a buyer’s annual salary; by 2020, this figure had nearly doubled (Delgado 2021). Additionally, factors such as waste generation, pollution and energy consumption have surged, placing unsustainable demands upon our planet (US Energy Information Administration 2021). These rising costs have left home ownership out of reach for many, trapping large portions of the US population in a cycle of dependent rentership (Harvard 2020).

Overcoming these challenges requires a radical shift within the industry. Fortunately, emerging technologies such as robotics, 3d-printing, and artificial intelligence hold significant potential, theoretically allowing for a reformulation of not only what is produced, but how and by whom. Already, these technologies are showing signs of productive disruption; with strategic integration, they could begin to address challenges such as climate change, resource scarcity, and housing access.

This paper examines this hypothesis through a comparative analysis of three recently completed homes, analyzing both their inputs, including financial costs, time invested, and energy consumed, and outputs, encompassing life-cycle costs and energy usage, as well as their projected value. This analysis will then be compared against a baseline standard, as established by the current inputs and outputs of the industry. The resulting findings will provide architects, builders, developers and educators with an evidence-based framework for understanding how these innovative technologies can address the urgent social, environmental, and technological challenges faced by the U.S. housing market - and how we might provide a more inclusive, sustainable and affordable housing solutions for a nation in desperate need of them.

Affordability is one of the most important factors in student housing development, especially in rapidly growing cities with increasing property prices. Beyond economic aspects, student housing needs to focus on environmental issues and community integration to create and maintain sustainability in the long run. ReGen Hall illustrates a unique approach to student housing projects aiming to demonstrate the viability of integrating ecological sustainability and affordability while preserving the community fabric. Located in Austin, Texas, the project incorporates advanced modular construction methods, Passive House design principles, and innovative net-zero energy strategies. This 62,000-square-foot residence hall integrates renewable energy systems, including a 320-kW photovoltaic array and rainwater harvesting infrastructure, to significantly reduce operational emissions and water dependency. Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) of the building carried out over a projected lifespan of 100 years reveals a carbon footprint of 2,853 tons of CO2e. This analysis is calculated using verified data from One Click LCA and industry benchmarks to ensure rigorous methods. Economic evaluations show cost reductions through modular construction, bringing total project expenses well below local benchmarks. Moreover, community-focused design elements, such as shared spaces, green courtyards, and a free medical clinic, foster social cohesion while meeting the housing needs of a diverse student population. Employing a quantitative research approach and spatial analysis, this study evaluates the environmental, economic, and social impacts of ReGen Hall. The findings demonstrate that sustainable technologies can effectively balance affordability and environmental stewardship and offer a model for future student housing developments.

By the definition provided by McNeel's Rhinoceros®, a fillet operation involves “adding a tangent arc between two curves and trims or extending the curves to the arc.” This research adopts the term "fillet" to unify the discussion from an industrial vocabulary perspective. In contemporary machining methods such as injection molding, turning, and CNC cutting, movements involving radii or rotations frequently result in fillets as byproducts at the corners of machined parts.
This study aims to redefine fillet as a design language shaped by the technological background of contemporary machining, and seeks to establish a theoretical framework that incorporates the design processes surrounding fillets within the broader context of industrial production.
The study examines plastic molding, CNC machining, and 3D printing, which respectively represent three main manufacturing methods: formative, subtractive, and additive, to investigate when and how fillet emerges and how it is integrated into aesthetic and functional assignment. A comprehensive discussion is then conducted on the transition of fillet from byproduct to design product and their eventual prevalence as a design language.
This study shows that fillet, which initially appears as a byproduct during manufacturing, cannot be viewed solely as an incidental phenomenon. Instead, it emerged from a designed production process aimed at ensuring operational efficiency. This intertwines the design of tools and machinery with the design of form and functionality. The reciprocal relationship between material constraints and design intent underscores the role of production methods in shaping design outcomes.
Fillets reflect not only material performance but also the technical characteristics of tools used in production, with their distinctive rounded forms highlighting these interactions. To deepen understanding, the study suggests a quantitative analysis of tool and material thresholds against designer-assigned radii, offering new perspectives on fillets as a modern formal language.

Windows in buildings serve vital functions like ventilation, daylight, views, and a connection to the outdoors. These features enhance occupant health and well-being by alleviating monotony, claustrophobia, and stress while offering restorative benefits, particularly through views of natural environments. Despite these benefits, windows can also create privacy challenges, as visual intrusion can compromise a sense of security. To mitigate this and manage visual comfort issues associated with direct sunlight, buildings often integrate movable shading devices, which can partially or completely obstruct views and access to daylight. This study examines how space function (Hotel Room vs. Waiting Room), view type (Forest vs. Urban), and shading conditions affect perceptions of privacy, view access, and satisfaction. An online survey of 150 participants used computer-generated panoramic images of four shading conditions: Base (no blinds), 25% Occlusion, Sky Open, and Ground Open. Participants rated privacy, view access, and satisfaction on a 5-point Likert scale.

Findings revealed shading condition as the strongest factor. The Base condition maximized view access but offered the least privacy, while 25% Occlusion balanced privacy and view satisfaction. Space function also influenced perceptions, with Waiting Rooms rated higher for privacy and view access compared to Hotel Rooms. Forest views were consistently rated more private and satisfying than Urban views, which elicited more variable responses. These results emphasize the nuanced relationship between privacy and views in shading design. Tailoring shading strategies to spatial and environmental contexts is essential for optimizing occupant well-being. The findings provide actionable insights for architects and designers. Future research should explore real-world applications, dynamic shading systems, and the integration of daylighting and thermal comfort considerations to refine shading strategies further.

The building sector is a key contributor to carbon emissions and resource consumption. Net zero energy, carbon neutral buildings are one of the essential roadmaps to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Zero energy architecture design is important in contemporary educational needs. In addition, project-based learning is an active method of learning that integrates practical problem solving. Zero energy architecture education using project-based learning helps develop critical thinking skills, improve confidence, and bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and real-world practice.

This research assesses the benefits of project-based learning in assisting architecture students in the development of skills and knowledge for net zero energy building design. The study analyzes survey data collected from a group of architecture students from a technology course in relation to their skills in formulating zero design strategies and energy simulations, real-world performance validation, and the role of hands-on experiments as a skill-building activity. With an average rating of 3.75 for the net zero energy design strategies rating, the results suggest participants expressed high confidence in the zero-design strategy area. In contrast, the proficiency in running energy simulations was rated lower, than an average score of 2.81. Participants expressed clear understanding of the importance of real-world performance validation, scoring an average of 3.88. Participants also highly rated the effectiveness of project-based learning with an average score of 3.94.

Based on participant comments, the use of bioclimatic solar strategies and BIPV integrations was identified highly beneficial. The absence of adequate simulation training tools and challenges in practical implementation highlight the need for curriculum changes. This research confirms the usefulness of project-based learning for developing sustainable architecture education in a wider sense, as well as the skills of future architects to respond to climate change using zero design approaches.

Achievable and sustained net-positive energy production is an emerging societal and architectural challenge for existing buildings in the United States. This paper addresses the opportunities for transforming existing U.S. commercial buildings to achieve their own net-positive electrical energy production and the opportunity to architecturally integrate this production with a building, site and people. Employing a mixed-methodology of literature review and building studies, the paper examines energy issues at three scales: electricity demand and existing building energy retrofit at a national scale, photovoltaic potential and contributions at a regional scale, and photovoltaic energy systems at a local scale of individual existing buildings. A resulting research design project is presented that integrates large photovoltaic arrays with five existing commercial buildings and makes an argument for architects to implement an expression of energy for existing buildings that is profoundly physical, experiential and comprehensible to society. The project is justified as a both a poetic and practical response to the rapidly increasing societal demand for electrical power in the United States. This photovoltaic transformation will allow millions of existing commercial buildings to produce the energy they consume and to reveal this process to people through direct architectural engagement. The project acts as a design demonstration model with principles and a process that are repeatable for potential future applications throughout the United States adjusted to local climate, context, and opportunity.

This paper discusses empathy exercises used in design studios and support courses and how they can support a more ethical and empathetic mindset in education that can then influence the profession through the education of these future architects. Architectural education impedes women and BIPOC students by creating a toxic and inflexible environment that discourages BIPOC and women students. (Groat and Ahrentzen 1996) The “Hidden curriculum” confuses and discourages BIPOC and women students and reinforces structural racism and poverty through continuing to privilege the white experience and Eurocentric narrative in architecture education. (Groat and Ahrentzen 1996, Dutton 1987) The profession has similar problems as the women and BIPOC students graduate and move into a profession with little, if any, empathy to the financial and cultural barriers that they face. The good news is that these issues have been brought to light and recent changes to office culture, such as online work and flexible working hours, are starting to help mitigate some of the problems that tend to alienate women and BIPOC students and employees. The development of empathy exercises can discourage a toxic environment by helping students see the importance of ethics and empathy not only for their potential clients, but also their classmates and peers. The research uses reflections about the empathy exercises to gauge the impact on student thinking and design choices using ethics and empathy. Only when we bring the needs and concerns of women and the BIPOC community, which includes students, out of the dark and into the light will we be able to make these students seen and positively impact the future.

Wisconsin has long been recognized as one of the most gerrymandered states in the United States, with its historically partisan district maps disproportionately favoring Republican candidates. However, legal and political developments have introduced significant changes to Wisconsin’s redistricting process. In 2024, the state adopted new legislative maps deemed the first “fair” maps in over a decade, reshaping the political landscape, particularly in Milwaukee’s suburban periphery. While these changes remedied egregious gerrymandering of residential zones, emerging political science research suggests that gerrymandering may extend beyond residential areas to include economic sites. This theory, termed “economic gerrymandering,” posits that political mapmakers may manipulate boundaries to capture valuable economic assets such as corporate headquarters, commercial districts, and infrastructure, which can influence political representation and election outcomes.

This paper examines the implications of economic gerrymandering in Wisconsin, focusing on Milwaukee’s west, south, and north sides. By analyzing recent redistricting changes and election results, it explores how non-residential sites like Mayfair Mall (on the west side), the SC Johnson headquarters (on the south side), and other commercial hubs may have influenced boundary decisions. Finally, it focuses on Northridge Mall’s vacancy (on the north side) to speculate about future redistricting. These case studies are contextualized within the broader socio-political dynamics of Wisconsin, where the divide between urban and rural areas exacerbates partisan conflict.

This research highlights the urbanistic consequences of political boundarying, emphasizing the need for architects, planners, and policymakers to consider how zoning, density, and mixed-use developments intersect with electoral cartography. As housing prices rise and suburban peripheries grow denser, these factors become increasingly relevant to future redistricting efforts. Ultimately, this paper argues that economic gerrymandering offers a cautionary framework for understanding how political boundaries may evolve to undermine fair representation, even in the face of reforms aimed at achieving equitable redistricting.

Designing for quality in the built environment requires addressing emotional, social, cultural, and spiritual needs alongside aesthetics and functionality. Recognizing the limits of focusing on appearance and form, the authors advocate for a broader definition of quality that includes community integration, holistic design, and positive impacts on well-being. As part of a larger 5-year pan-Canadian, “Quality in Built Environment" initiative (Author 7, 2023), this paper examines the successes and shortcomings of the new Calgary Central Library (CCL). This innovative intersectoral partnership brings together community members, government officials, professionals, and scholars from 14 Canadian sites to collectively re-examine what constitutes quality Canada’s built environment. This paper studies how the CCL transcends its traditional role as a library to exemplify human-centered design in a public facility. This library has become a benchmark for creating inclusive, diverse, and wellbeing-centered spaces, cultivating a sense of belonging while proving to be a dynamic hub for learning, culture, and social cohesion. However, challenges such as increased police presence, heightened surveillance, and potential social segregation, raise concerns about balancing security, privacy, dignity, accessibility, and fostering social inclusivity within public spaces. The paper examines this case study through the collaboration of architecture, landscape design, sociology, social work, and public health, highlighting how this building redefines quality. The authors present a holistic framework to inform future designs and expand the definition of quality. This interdisciplinary analysis combines professional insights, informed observations, and data collected during site visits. The outcomes offer novel perspectives for architects, designers, and policymakers, to replicate the success of the CCL in fostering inclusive and dynamic environments in cities. This paper aims to shift the needle in design by moving beyond physical and aesthetic priorities to focus on inclusion and social cohesion, promoting built environments that enhance human experience, foster belonging, and improve quality of life.

Interactive and deployable structures offer new ways for contemporary architecture to address challenges related to climate change, adaptability, and user interaction. This research investigates the potential of utilizing knitted textiles for complex deployable hyperbolic structures to create new potentials in flexible architectural forms. By integrating soft, elastic materials to create the surface of these complex geometries, this approach fosters adaptability in both form and function, offering new solutions for responsive design.
Knitted textiles are inherently elastic, providing an ideal material for structures which move and are deployable, especially in the case for accommodating complex geometries like hyperbolic curves. Rigid materials often struggle to achieve the same versatility. Furthermore, the integration of elastic yarns and various knitting techniques are used to develop a unique surface material for expanding and contracting dynamically. These textiles can adapt to shifting conditions, creating more complex spaces that could be responsive to their surroundings.
Advancements in digital modeling and material study underpin this work. Through iterative testing, physical prototypes, and digital simulations, the project can evaluate how knitted textiles perform under transformable conditions. This process informs the design of the human scale prototypes, including a deployable hyperbolic tower composed of stacked modules. The result of this research is the design for three human scaled prototype hyperbolic towers which are designed to expand and collapse while maintaining stability, demonstrating the feasibility of integrating knitted materials into deployable architecture.
Deployable structures offer resilience and adaptability, responding to climate, weather, and user demands. By creating more possibilities for complex geometrical forms and working with textiles we can see broader potential uses of deployable structures in design, by shifting the focus to adaptable spaces over static forms.
This research project addresses material innovation, digital technologies, and responsive design, to reimagine architectural possibilities.

Concrete tilt-up construction has established itself as one of the most popular building methods because of its simplicity, workability and adaptability. The process is cost effective in terms of time, labor and economy. These qualities have helped the tilt-up process stand out in comparison to other building practices. With a rich history of evolution and adaptation, the method has been gradually perfected to complement the needs of various scales of construction. It minimizes excess preparatory work, cuts down on wasting resources and promotes efficiency in all aspects of the construction project. Though the tilt-up method is not suitable for certain types of applications, it is quite successful at contributing to a certain architectural typology. It takes advantage of the most popular and readily available building material today (concrete) and can be used to produce versatile architecture that meets the ever-growing demand of the contemporary market. However, it does have its shortcomings- tilt-up employs the use of a material with a very high carbon footprint and it adopts a non-biodegradable material like polystyrene or rigid foam boards as an insulating material that challenges the future sustainability of the system.

This paper explores the evolution of the tilt-up construction process from its humble beginnings. It tries to elaborate on the reasons behind its rise in popularity as an industry standard building process; and comments on the trajectory it is taking towards a sustainable future. The paper discusses the pros and cons of the tilt-up process and its limitations as a construction method. The tilt-up process has provided the industry with an efficient and reliable building process, but it does have some detrimental effects on the environment. This paper attempts to discuss some of these issues such as habitat loss for a variety of species and offers potential resolutions.

ABSTRACT: Flexible structures integrate advanced formability techniques with flexible materials and the principles of bending-active systems. Architectural design tools and structural systems provide a framework for developing foldable bending-active shells. These systems have emerged as a significant approach in the pursuit of lightweight and sustainable architectural designs, aiming to minimize environmental impact. A central aspect of these structures is achieving optimal performance while reducing energy and material use. Their ability to withstand applied loads is largely derived from their geometric configuration, which is determined through a form optimization process known as form-finding. This process necessitates a shift in the computational methods employed in architectural modeling.

Recent advancements in simulation techniques have enabled deeper exploration of bending-active structures, informed by the evolution of materials, historical precedents, and innovative applications. This research introduces an original structural concept that leverages bending-active principles. The proposed system demonstrates the potential of using flexible materials in shell structures to enhance stiffness and structural efficiency. The design process incorporates fundamental geometric principles, utilizing folding techniques to achieve the desired form. By employing folded bending-active surfaces, the stiffness of the structure is augmented through the introduction of curvature, resulting in a highly efficient and adaptable system.

As cities grow, the need for effective urban transit escalates, which requires robust engineering. However, focusing solely on infrastructure is insufficient; integrating social, cultural, and softer structures is essential for sustainable and inclusive city development. To explore this holistic approach, current research conducted in Calgary, Canada, forms part of a large 5-year intersectoral transdisciplinary study, and critically examines design and experience in the city’s Light Rail Transit (LRT) system. The initial research phase, reported previously, identified challenges in the transit system affecting user experience and highlighted areas within stations requiring design interventions. While the opening phase of the study can be viewed as ‘Research About Design’ with an emphasis on analysis, the subsequent phase is viewed as ‘Research Through Design’ with a focus on synthesis. Therefore, the present phase moves beyond analysis to envision a next generation train station that mitigates identified problems while aiming to elevate user experience. Equipped with three tools to inform the reimagination process – namely, 1. Design Recommendations from the opening study (Mousavi Samimi and Sinclair 2024), 2. International Precedents of Exemplary Urban Transit Station cases, and 3. Sinclair’s Holistic Framework for Design + Planning (2009) – the research team embarked on the exercise of designing and prototyping an ‘ideal’ LRT station for Calgary. The model station is intended to showcase solutions to the serious deficiencies evident in current stations within the Calgary LRT network. The design work, or ‘Research Through Design’, carefully balanced competing forces prevalent in such stations: the pragmatic with the poetic, the engineering with the architecture, the physical infrastructure with the social milieu, the need for function with the desire for delight, and so forth. The project – threading together “research about design” and “research through design” – places priority on quality of built environments, quality of lived experiences, and, ultimately, quality of life.

As cities worldwide face challenges of rapid urbanization and declining public transit ridership, traditional fixed-route systems often fail to meet evolving mobility needs. Urban planning issues, such as suburban sprawl and fragmented land use, exacerbate these limitations, leading to underutilized services, higher operational costs, and accessibility gaps, particularly for underserved communities. Demand-Responsive Transit (DRT) systems have emerged as an effective solution, offering flexible, on-demand services that dynamically adjust routes based on user demand. This review synthesizes insights from 65 studies, including 20 real-world implementations, examining DRT's potential to enhance accessibility, cost efficiency, and environmental sustainability. Key findings demonstrate that DRT systems reduce operational costs by 25-35% while increasing ridership up to 300%. Integration of AI-driven routing algorithms improves service reliability by 90-98% and reduces travel times by 35-50%. Multiple booking interfaces increase adoption by 40-60%, while multimodal integration expands service coverage by 100-150%. However, significant barriers persist, with 58% of DRT system models requiring subsidies and 51% facing equity challenges. The study proposes hybrid funding models, integrated multimodal platforms, and inclusive design approaches to address these challenges. By aligning with urban design principles and leveraging advanced technologies, DRT systems can enhance urban resilience while promoting sustainable development.

Building facade has been a center focus to innovations in materials and assemblies in the last few decades. Façade metal wall systems among others have been integral parts of commercial buildings as well as an innovative and aesthetic figure to a contemporary design. New building materials with low impact such as recycled metals have also become key players to overcome environmental challenges and achieve environmental sustainability in buildings. Such materials also contribute to a cleaner environment, responding to AIA 2030 Commitment of net zero emissions and many other initiatives by governmental and states institutions. Building façade incorporates multiple construction materials that contribute to overall embodied energy, embodied carbon, and environmental impact. It significantly affects building operational energy as a barrier between indoor and outdoor environment. The study method examines the environmental impacts of a facade enclosure system. It models an office building over a service life of 60 years and its impact on the environment. The study also quantifies and compares the total impacts of its assembly systems throughout this life span. The case building is in the Midwest and is built of structural steel which is a common method of construction for commercial buildings. The building is 2-story high that incorporates few sustainable materials. The study calculates the environmental footprint of the building per unit area (impact to air, water, and land). It also provides an assessment of the building components (structure, enclosure, floors, roof) contribution to the total impacts where the worst burden, among its assembly systems, is identified. The outcome examines materials alternatives to use in the façade system to minimize this impact. Finally, the study employs a retrofit scenario analysis to evaluate replacing these high-impact façade materials with less impact alternatives. The study briefly calculates the reduction in the total impacts against the original façade materials.

This paper addresses critical environmental challenges, specifically the decline of urban biodiversity, which significantly impacts pollinators and local ecosystems. By integrating biodiversity-focused design and digital fabrication technologies, the research explores architectural solutions that could enhance ecological resilience. Through the course “Digital Fabrication Design: Facades for Biodiverse Urban Ecosystems,” this study investigates the development of facade prototypes that actively support multispecies habitats, including birds, bees, and native plants. Methodologically, the research employs a document-based case study to analyze student projects and their ecological functionality, focusing on design strategies that promote species coexistence. Results reveal the potential of modular and mesh-based facade designs to enhance urban biodiversity while identifying challenges such as addressing species-specific habitat needs. The study underscores the role of architecture in advancing urban sustainability and ecological justice, emphasizing the need for scalable, practical design solutions that harmonize with natural systems. By showcasing the possibilities of biodiverse facades, this research supports interdisciplinary collaboration and advocates for real-world experimentation to tackle pressing environmental issues and reimagine urban spaces as sites of ecological resilience.

The interdisciplinary design studio “The Machine in the Garden,” explored innovative approaches to reimagining industrial landscape infrastructure through the lenses of resilience, urban development, and environmental stewardship. Beyond industrial production, the studio aimed to design a new factory typology that would respond to climate change and prioritize holistic social, economic, and environmentally sustainable possibilities within Miami's limestone quarry area, known as the “Lake Belt”.

This course offered a collaborative platform for students from landscape architecture and architecture and leveraged partnerships with industry leaders. It incorporated a range of instructional methods including research, precedent studies, mapping, digital and analog modeling, and material exploration, supported by lectures on manufacturing sustainability, ecological performance, building systems, and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

An important pedagogical objective was to develop holistic strategies for the built and natural environments, turning industrial spaces into ecological and community assets threatened by sea level rise. Students engaged in exercises, workshops, site analysis, and field visits to develop solutions that were responsive to their historic, natural, cultural, and ecological contexts.

Projects tackled complex site challenges, integrated ecological principles, and presented multifaceted solutions that met functional needs while creating urban design strategies that promoted environmental and civic renewal. This endeavor explored a forward-thinking approach to infrastructure and construction within a visionary framework for the region’s evolution in the face of development pressures and climate change.

This study addresses a critical and timely issue—how the built environment can support dignity for individuals experiencing housing instability. Common definitions of dignity include autonomy, respect, self-determination, freedom, and equality. For people experiencing housing and health instability, everyday life is extremely stressful, and the built environment can play a critical role in supporting psychological and somatic regulation (Devlin 2018). Ajeen and colleagues (2023) found that many participants perceived that trauma-informed design updates for homeless shelter bedrooms increased their experiences of dignity and safety. For this study, a practice-embedded research team collected observations of use at various supportive housing sites, documented through photos and note-taking, and conducted semi-structured interviews and focus groups in two phases with a total of 115 resident and staff participants. The team inductively analyzed this large dataset of text and images using grounded theory methods. Analysis revealed that the experience of comfort, community, and control are deeply interdependent and together create a rich and layered sense of safety for participants. Key design attributes—categorized as sensory engagement, nested layers, and identity anchors—emerged as critical for creating an atmosphere of dignity, which significantly contributed to the overall experience of dignity for participants. Ultimately, the research resulted in a grounded theory model of Dignified Design, establishing a framework for architects, designers, and other creators of service-oriented spaces.

This study examines the application of participatory design in the workplace, with a particular emphasis on its effects on the workers’ output, contentment, and perception of the organization’s culture. Using the PRISMA framework, 42 studies were reviewed across the fields of design, environmental psychology, and organizational management. Productivity improves through autonomy, psychological and physical well-being improves, and more inclusive workplace cultures are developed. Empowering employees, the participatory design lets them take part in the and decision ergonomic making needs, of which the physical stress workspace, and enhances well-being. This increase is motivation because and post-pandemic productivity. hybrid Also addressed are psychological work models that may be most effective at enhancing employee-centered and adaptable spaces that combine collaboration and autonomy. Such workspaces could be created through participatory design. Additionally, it may cultivate enhanced organizational culture and increased workplace inclusivity by enhancing listening for diverse voices. However, the review of participatory design is not without its limitations. There is a lack of longitudinal studies that can offer a perspective on the effects in the long run, methods for equitable participation in hybrid and remote work environments, and models that can be easily extended to large organizations. Participatory design can be enhanced by integrating emerging technologies, such as virtual reality and artificial intelligence, to address these challenges. The study reveals that designing sustainable, inclusive, and adaptable workplaces through participatory design is possible. In addressing the gaps identified and advancing the research, participatory design can serve as a crucial enabler of equity and sustainability goals in rapidly changing work environments.

Architecture was, and is, a patronage-based practice (Crawford, 1991) – a reality that has had a profound impact upon the patterns of engagement adopted by the architect: linear and hierarchical processes, a carefully curated client base, methods of valuation prioritizing exclusivity and a sharp focus on the production of symbolic capital. Although not without merit, these patterns become problematic when the architect attempts to forge robust, community-based design efforts and create a sustained address to the emerging challenges faced by society’s most vulnerable (Surwiecki, 2005).

To be effective here, the architect must critically examine their field’s historic prejudice and formulate new, more inclusive, patterns of engagement (Freire, 2010). Else old patterns will persist, causing the architect to impose normative design practice, with its biases, upon constituencies historically disadvantaged by them and generate the kind of “malevolent urbanism” such processes naturally create (Jacobson, 2010 and Theime & Kovaks, 2015). Conversely, if the architect can formulate new patterns, then they may be able to offer their skills and training to those who need them most.

This paper will investigate how this reformulation might occur by analyzing three recently-completed, small-scale design actions. Built of mostly scavenged means in only a few days with budgets of under a few thousand dollars, each of these modest projects was realized using a unique, socially-responsive approach to design, construction, and evaluation. From crowdsourcing to hyper-local peer-to-peer production, bricolage to viral propagation, the proposed study will provide an evidence-based evaluation of each practice through the impacts realized by the resulting works (Jacobson, 2010). From this assessment, the paper will prompt a re-imagining of socially-responsive design practice - one capable of addressing the immense challenges faced by those who have historically lived in the shadows of architectural practice, and works thereby created.

This research explores JazzSpace, a design methodology inspired by jazz improvisation and Afrofuturist principles, for centering cultural heritage in community design. JazzSpace integrates analog and digital processes through a symbiotic human-AI relationship, drawing on David Brown’s “structural improvisation” and William Wesley Taylor’s analysis of the jazz club as a site of “collective connection.” This study emphasizes established structures enabling creative exploration and community building through a call-and-response dynamic, mirroring jazz’s soloist-ensemble interplay.

Inspired by Sun Ra’s blending of composition and improvisation, JazzSpace fosters an iterative design process where human intuition and AI capabilities work in tandem, reflecting Taylor’s “theme, interrogation, and return” cycle of jazz performance. AI tools generate visualizations, while human designers provide cultural context, critical thinking, and artistic direction, balancing human-AI input. Folayemi Wilson’s 1970s Harlem experiences, influenced by Alice Coltrane and the National Black Theater, highlight Afrofuturism’s roots and its connection to spiritual jazz. These experiences, along with Wilson’s “Dark Matter” exhibition (2019) and Back Alley Jazz project (2018), demonstrate cultural memory’s power in community projects.

This research also examines jazz’s visual language through artists like Archibald Motley (whose “Gettin’ Religion” visually represents the jazz club), Norman Lewis, and Romare Bearden, whose collage inspired the JazzSpace Design Studio. This studio incorporated AI as a collaborative companion in a multi-phase design process where students translated responses to jazz playlists into architectural designs. This approach, resisting photorealistic renderings in professional practice, emphasizes drawing as a dynamic call and response. By training local language models and prioritizing community data ownership, JazzSpace challenges algorithmic biases. It aims for an AfroFuture-driven AI that empowers communities and aligns with Dr. Vernelle Noel's Situated Computations.

This paper delves into a recent interdisciplinary project-based workshop, The Movement Project, from a graduate-level special topics course. The semester-long project shared fundamentals across disciplines – from improvisational dance (body, movement) to cognitive science (mind), through private and University collaborators in an effort to advance architectural pedagogy, research and in turn, practice. Here, The Movement Projectworkshops borrow from dance when analyzing movement sequencing. This awareness of the body is seen in the concepts of “spatial intent” and “space harmony” found in Bartenieff and Laban theories. Just as breathe is fundamental to movement, this paper entry uncovers a case study for how interdisciplinary pedagogies fosters a more thorough understanding of the body and its relationship to space, which is fundamental to creating architecture. This idea refocuses us towards an interdisciplinary – and somatic – lens for how architecture could be taught, tested, and understood while expanding research on the intricate relationships between the body, movement, and perception.

Urban environments face challenges in maintaining thermal comfort due to urbanization and heat island effects. This study introduces a computational optimization approach to enhance thermal comfort through strategic tree canopy configurations, emphasizing its application at early design stages. By leveraging advanced simulation tools, it addresses the need for innovative landscape strategies to mitigate urban heat and improve outdoor spaces.

The methodology employs parametric modeling and simulation across Boston, Los Angeles, and Miami. Two scenarios, a tennis court and a pathway, were evaluated with a limited number of trees: five for the tennis court and three for the pathway. Using 3D parametric models and Ladybug and Grasshopper plugins, the study calculated the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) to assess thermal comfort under different configurations.

Single-objective optimization minimized mean UTCI, while multi-objective optimization balanced UTCI reduction with tree mass volume. This dual approach provides valuable insights for early-stage design decisions by exploring thermal improvements within spatial constraints. Results showed notable benefits: mean UTCI reductions of 1.31°C to 1.59°C in the tennis court scenario and 0.82°C to 1.41°C in the pathway scenario across cities.

This research highlights how computational tools can guide early-stage Landscape design by optimizing green spaces for thermal comfort. By integrating simulation, parametric modeling, and optimization, it establishes a framework for creating thermally comfortable urban landscapes while addressing spatial and environmental constraints.

Research has demonstrated that well-designed living spaces significantly impact both physical and mental health. However, many residents face challenges like poor temperature control, inadequate heating and cooling systems, and insufficient natural lighting, which contribute to discomfort and a lower quality of life. This study delves into how residents of low-and moderate-income (LMI) urban housing perceive their indoor environmental quality (IEQ) and how it affects their daily lives, including energy consumption and adaptive behaviors. To better understand these issues, we surveyed 158 LMI residents in New Jersey, asking about their homes, energy use, and how they feel about their indoor environments. We gathered detailed information on their household characteristics, energy-related challenges, and the strategies they use to stay comfortable, such as adjusting thermostats, using portable fans or heaters, and opening windows. Our analysis revealed that residents' perceptions of their IEQ often lead to behaviors that increase energy consumption, like frequently adjusting the thermostat and relying more on artificial lighting. While some residents were satisfied with aspects of their IEQ, such as natural lighting and window views, many expressed dissatisfactions with temperature control and air quality, particularly during summer. By integrating human-centric design principles with technical solutions, we aim to create living environments that support the well-being and sustainability of LMI communities.

In response to the growing demand for energy-efficient solutions in the built environment and Austin's goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2040, this study investigates the impact of retrofitting single-family homes in Austin, Texas, with electrochromic (EC) glass. With buildings accounting for a substantial share of global energy consumption, retrofitting existing structures using dynamic glass technologies presents a promising strategy to reduce energy demand while improving thermal and visual comfort. This paper explores the potential of EC glazing to lower the energy use intensity (EUI) in residential buildings, focusing on its effectiveness in mitigating internal heat gain and reducing reliance on artificial lighting. Using OpenStudio software, the energy performance of single-pane, double-pane, and electrochromic window systems was evaluated in both whole-home and simple box configurations. The results indicate that EC glazing decreases cooling loads, which is the major load in the Austin climate, by up to 55.65%. This reduction significantly drops the use of electricity, especially in peak summer months. EC glazing, however, increases heating loads by approximately 4.8%. In addition, an economic evaluation finds that, for single-family homes, the cost-effectiveness of EC glazing even with the effect of the Inflation Reduction Act to reduce the initial investment by tax credits remains a challenge since the estimated return on investment (ROI) and payback period exceed practical implementation timeframes. The current review provides a preliminary background for in-depth studies of smart glass technologies and the potential of such technologies to enhance sustainable building practice.

Urban design shapes cities' physical and social fabric, creating functional, sustainable, and livable environments. This paper examines Tokyo’s urban systems, focusing on how amenities, public spaces, and transportation networks contribute to livability, sustainability, and long-term viability. Guided by the Tokyo Sustainability Action 2023, which emphasizes people-centric design, the analysis explores how urban spaces balance people, planet, profit, and purpose. Sustainability here extends beyond material conservation, addressing how spaces benefit residents and the city meaningfully & holistically.

This study draws on literature such as Gordon Cullen’s Townscape, Juhani Pallasmaa’s The Eyes of the Skin, and Jan Gehl’s Life Between Buildings to explore how urban environments foster social interaction, multisensory engagement, and greater adaptability. Case studies include Tokyo Midtown, Koto City Islands, and Shibuya Station. Tokyo Midtown exemplifies successful mixed-use development with adaptable, aesthetic spaces. Koto City's man-made islands, however, illustrate how poor connectivity and a lack of amenities lead to underutilization. Conversely, Shibuya Station’s redevelopment highlights effective urban design, promoting a balance of mobility, diverse users and mixed uses.

The hybrid methodology combines literature review, logical argumentation, and site-based observations supported by sketches and photographs. Field analysis compares findings with urban planning theories, providing a detailed critique of Tokyo’s urban fabric. Figure-ground diagrams illustrate how the relationship between built and unbuilt spaces enhances cohesion and function.

This research demonstrates that successful urban design addresses evolving human needs while maintaining ecological responsibility and financial sustainability. Tokyo offers models of thriving urban systems, integrating aesthetics, functionality, and accessibility. Failures like Koto City Islands underscore the importance of holistic planning that prioritizes livability and sustainability. Lessons from Tokyo inform a conceptual framework broadly applicable to urban centers, emphasizing that quality environments - sustainable design - must foster engagement, adaptability, and multi-dimensional use of space, ultimately improving quality of life globally.

ABSTRACT: Charles Darwin proposed that the challenge of survival fundamentally relies on an object's ability to adapt to a dynamic environment. This theory extends its applicability to the field of architecture (Zuk & Clark, 1970).

Transformability in structures presents opportunities to challenge traditional spatial programming and form-making concepts. Unlike conventional static buildings, deployable structures provide dynamic solutions to changing environmental conditions, adaptive locations, functional transformations, and emergency relief scenarios, either on other planets.

In the field of designing for emergency situations and other planets, transformable structures with moveable joints refer to structures or buildings that may adapt their size, shape, or purpose to suit shifting circumstances. These structures are designed to be flexible and adaptable, allowing them to change over time. Flexible glass fiber-reinforced polymers (GFRP) rods have been selected for this study due to their combined high tensile and flexural strength, low bending stiffness, low weight, and large deformations to make free-form structures, considering the mentioned attributes, they can also be used on other planets as a possible material for architecture.

The objective of this research is to examine movable joints in the context of lightweight transformable structures with rods and joints. In these structures, movable joints enable relative movement between different structural components. According to the current literature review, there is a lack of research focused on moveable joints in the context of transformable systems. Thus, this research aims to expand the body of knowledge on how joints can provide novel forms of spatial deployability and transformation. (Azizollahi S, 2024)

The small-scale toy ’Magic Torus’ (Nishihara A., 2014) will serve as design inspiration and a translated case study in the development of prototypes for an inhabitable environment.

Wierzbicki’s 4-step approach is a methodology. Progression through each step is contingent upon satisfying joint behavior and the movement test of the previous step.

ABSTRACT: The increasing demand for sustainable and resilient high-rise structures has driven the development of advanced structural systems that integrate material efficiency, structural performance, and environmental adaptability. Diagrid structures, known for their high lateral stiffness, reduced material consumption, and architectural versatility, have emerged as a prominent solution. This study investigates the optimization of diagrid systems in tall buildings using a multi-objective parametric framework. The primary objectives are minimizing structural mass, volume, and lateral displacement while ensuring stability and addressing environmental considerations, such as daylight access.

A computational workflow integrating parametric modeling, structural analysis, and optimization tools evaluates the influence of key variables, including diagonal member inclination, diagrid density, and building geometry. The study explores a range of configurations in plan utilizing stress-line mapping techniques to align diagrid patterns with principal stress trajectories. Daylight factor analyses refine the configurations to enhance environmental performance without compromising structural safety. Results demonstrate that diagrid inclination angles within specific ranges, combined with optimized geometric parameters, improve lateral stiffness while reducing material use. These findings provide a systematic approach for balancing structural and architectural objectives, contributing to the broader goal of sustainable and efficient high-rise design.

The state of housing in Utah faces competing challenges–a housing shortage that cannot be ignored as well as the negative impact of the built environment on the state’s natural resources. A possible solution lies in energy-efficient housing developments that are intentionally designed, built, and occupied. This paper investigates cohousing as a potential model for these developments along with methods for meeting the Energy imperative of the Living Building Challenge. Cohousing’s participatory organization has been shown to generate increased social capital while also providing continuing support for sustainable living. The requirements of the Living Building Challenge are one of the most stringent standards for regenerative design. Its Energy imperative requires 105% of energy to be generated on-site, without using combustion. In addition, a twelve-month performance period proving compliance after occupancy is mandatory for certification. Cohousing, with its generally smaller living spaces, shared resources, and opportunities for increased user accountability, is a natural partner for Living Building Certification, combining energy-efficient infrastructure and systems with occupant accountability for energy-usage.

This paper investigates a case study of a cohousing infill design project located in Salem, Utah, meant to address the city’s rapid suburban growth and under-used inner-city parcels. Sefaira software was used to perform energy modeling on the project to investigate different design strategies for meeting the net-positive energy, no combustion requirements of the Living Building Challenge. By using a split system HVAC, Passivhaus enclosure systems, and high efficiency lighting and appliances, it was determined that roof PV panels could supply these needs. However, without occupant accountability, these measures are shown to prove insufficient. This paper captures the design methods and the research process for the analyzed case study and concludes with recommendations for how cohousing’s social structure could contribute to the continued compliance of the project.

A Masia is a traditional type of construction that originated for agricultural purposes in the early 10th century in the northern Mediterranean side of Spain. This type of construction, also known as Mediterranean or Catalan farmhouse is the main building type in the Mas, an agricultural site composed of the main house (Masia), the agricultural land surrounding it, forests, and ranches. In recent decades, the agricultural policies of the European Union , and the changes in agricultural production, have led to widespread abandonment of these lands, severing the traditional relationship between the farmhouses and their fields. As a result, many Masies have been repurposed into summer homes, secondary residences, rural tourist accommodations, or left abandoned. This paper examines the current state of these farmhouses, focusing on the challenges they face today.

The survey and geographical analysis included in this paper is centered on Santa Eulàlia de Ronçana, a small town in the central-southern area of Catalonia, Spain. The methodology combines physical and theoretical approaches, including a chronological analysis to trace the historical events that contributed to the decline of vernacular landscapes and Masies, an evaluation of existing heritage protection policies in Spain, and a survey to determine the current condition of these buildings. Additionally, geospatial mapping and data collection are employed to gain a comprehensive understanding of the present rural landscape in a specific region.

The findings of this research will target improvements in local heritage conservation policies and procedures, addressing a gap in the protection of Masies, which has thus far remained underdeveloped. Furthermore, the study offers a better understanding and interpretation of the significance of these farmhouses to improve their conservation efforts, as well as their incorporation in rural development plans.

American housing crises extend beyond availability and cost: quality also matters. In places with limited subsidized options, the most affordable housing tends to be the worst by design or by state of disrepair. This paper draws on cases collected by architecture students and faculty to propose an epistemological lens and pedagogical method for addressing subpar housing and housing insecurity.

In the US, housing becomes more affordable as it ages, such that housing designed today will house vulnerable populations several decades after its construction. Some of the best low-rent units are modest, well-built structures from the early-1900s, whereas many of the worst—often verging on uninhabitable—date from the 1970s-1990s. Contemporary “five-over-one” developments also risk early deterioration due to shortcuts and cost-cutting by developers and architects alike. Although policy failures contribute, subpar housing also stems from poor design: windowless bedrooms, poor ventilation, inadequate insulation, and cheap materials to name a few. Poor design choices hasten decay and obsolescence of existing units, only to be replaced with more low-quality structures. This cycle removes once-affordable units from the market, undermines overall housing quality, and perpetuates a pattern of unsustainable construction. In response to these issues, this paper proposes integrating qualitative field research into architectural pedagogy, drawing on examples of a field research course at Mississippi State University and research at the University of Utah. At Mississippi State University, undergraduate teams interviewed tenants, measured and photographed units, and analyzed interviews to curate a public exhibition on housing insecurity. Research in Utah continues this approach, studying design-driven factors that heighten housing vulnerabilities. Both projects serve as educational tools and public forums, highlighting how design decisions shape residents’ daily lives and long-term stability. By teaching future architects to discern and address quality issues, field-based research fosters proactive design strategies that enhance longevity, livability, and dignity in residential architecture.

In the face of emerging wicked problems, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration in design education becomes essential for equipping future designers to tackle complex and multifaceted problems. This study explores interdisciplinary collaboration dynamics among design students from diverse fields within a structured Design Sprint setting. A pre-sprint survey (n=23) captured students' initial preparedness and perceptions toward interdisciplinary collaboration. Post-sprint insights (n=17) and in-depth disciplinary reflections (n=16) further revealed how students evaluated collaborative versus independent work outcomes.

The research examined three distinct phases of task-level disciplinary dynamics during conceptual design: idea initiation (divergent conceptual brainstorming), idea iteration (generation of multiple design schemes), and idea refinement (idea convergence and iterative improvement). These stages provided insights into how disciplinary diversity shaped the design process, influencing creativity, problem-solving, and decision-making.

By focusing on the Design Sprint as a replicable educational model, this study contributes to understanding the pedagogical value of interdisciplinary collaboration, offering implications for how design education can address grand challenges through collaborative innovation. In highlighting the power of diverse disciplinary perspectives, the findings underscore the need for integrated, cross-disciplinary approaches in both education and practice to address the pressing technological, environmental, and social challenges of our time.

Architecture, as process and product, has historically been firmly connected to aesthetics and form as fundamental measures of quality. The Architectural profession holds dear the elite image of the architect and the veiled mystique of design, while Architecture schools propagate the myth of design genius via divine spark, subscription to the cult of the sole creator, and the carnivalesque blackbox of creativity. Limited credence is extended to post occupancy and scant weighting falls on lived experience. The present research, part of a pan-national 5-year intersectoral transdisciplinary project on “Quality in Canada’s Built Environment” critically explores pedagogical reform as a fundamental component of systematic overhauls in the way we value, conceive, construct, and occupy the built environment. Education, spanning from K-12, post-secondary and the public ethos, lies at the heart of solutions to deepen design understanding & worth in society. The pan-national project, considering architecture from inception and procurement to construction and use, views the myopic prioritization of aesthetics & form as restrictive, elitist and, inevitably, harmful. Conversely, new visions of environmental design extend beyond the physical realm to embrace culture, social facets, spiritual qualities and so forth. At the centre of a revised model lies ‘lived experience’ – that is, the personal encounters, experiences, meaning and value we each bring to and extract from our interactions in spaces and places. The present paper explores a bold reconsideration of the classroom and studio, as a primary teaching and learning milieu, with a shift from convention and the status quo to awareness of ‘lived experience’ and a more holistic approach to design. The author accepts this pedagogical foray as an opening gesture within, and a provocative counterpoint to, the current system which, arguably, stands out of date, out of synchronization, and out of touch with a dramatically shifting, turbulent and troubled world.

Global challenges such as climate change, displacement, urban inequity, and rapid advancement of technology demand a paradigm shift in how we teach architecture. This paper proposes a pedagogical framework that treats the architectural design studio as a research-driven, interdisciplinary platform to address some of these pressing issues. The framework integrates participatory learning, social sciences research methods, and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) to provide students with the skills and empathy necessary to design impactful, human-centered solutions. The framework’s outcome is demonstrated through one project focused on trauma-informed design (TiD) for displaced populations. The student designed an educational board game, the TiD Challenge, that enables collaboration, creation and critical thinking, allowing participants to understand the social, psychological, and spatial complexities caused by displacement. By assuming stakeholder roles and navigating real-world design challenges, participants develop nuanced design proposals that emphasize safety, adaptability, cultural sensitivity, and biophilic integration. The TiD Challenge deepens participants’ understanding of displacement and highlights the potential of trauma-informed principles in creating supportive and healing environments. While the framework demonstrates a good promise, it also faces challenges, including reliance on advanced technologies, issues of scale, time constraints, and the need for more inclusive participatory processes. To address these limitations, the paper suggests low-tech alternatives, strategies for engaging marginalized groups, and some quantitative metrics for speculating the long-term impact of participatory design. This example emphasizes the critical role of research-driven design studios adopting social sciences and humanities methods in achieving a design education that responds to the changing world. By bridging design and societal needs, the proposed framework serves as an example of empathy, innovation, and equity in architecture, with applications extending to climate adaptation, urban equity, and beyond.

This study examines the impact of British cartography along the Ganges River in India, particularly on ecological systems, cultural identities and living heritage. By interrogating the land-water divisions imposed by them, I discuss how the fluid nature of the Gangetic landscape has been negotiated within contemporary river management, urban planning, spiritual traditions, and governance structures, while eroding the adaptability and resilience of riverine communities. Central to this research is Dilip da Cunha’s wetness theory, that conceptualizes land and water as a fluid continuum rather than discrete entities. I argue how Western-rooted practices misrepresented this fluidity, leading to ecological and cultural consequences, and creating a disconnect between traditional knowledge systems and modern river-management strategies.

This multidisciplinary approach explores how mapping redefined cultural landscapes along the Ganges, while focusing on Varanasi and Kolkata. It combines cartographic analysis, environmental science, cultural studies and contemporary theories to investigate how rigid boundaries in colonial maps disrupted the river’s natural flow and traditional land-use patterns, causing sedimentation, biodiversity loss, and increased flood risks. In Varanasi, I examine how artificial boundaries affected the ancient urban fabric and religious practices. In Kolkata, I investigate how cartography shaped the city’s development as a colonial capital, influencing its expansion and socio-spatial dynamics. By integrating the concept of place attachment, I analyze how these cartographic impositions have influenced the emotional and spiritual bonds between people and their environments.

The research proposes a framework that integrates indigenous knowledge systems, contemporary theories, and participatory mapping techniques to create holistic representations of the Ganges’ landscape, and support sustainable urban planning, ecological restoration, and cultural heritage preservation. This work will provide policy reform recommendations, aiming to safeguard the Ganges’ ecological integrity and allied cultural heritage, bridging the gap between academic research and practical policy implementation.

Climate change and sea level rise (SLR) are increasing the risk of tidal and storm flooding in coastal, urban communities. By 2100, sea level is expected to increase at least another three feet on the East Coast of the US, particularly in Hampton, Virginia. Developed watersheds face special challenges in resilience and habitat restoration, requiring deeper involvement with surrounding communities. This research will focus on the Hampton University campus, which is vulnerable to rising flood risk. As a community-based research project, the objectives are: (1) To investigate the flood damage, vulnerability, and risk perception in Hampton (VA), (2) To analyze the effect of compound flooding at Hampton University at both building and urban levels to improve resilience as well as wildlife habitats (addressing UN SDGs 11and 14), and (3) To enhance public awareness by full community involvement in the design process with a focus on adaptation before significant storm and flooding damage occurs. As for research methodology, a field investigation will be performed to collect data related to flooding at Hampton University. As a community-based project, the students, faculty members, and staff will be directly involved in data collection, identification of hot spots for recurrent nuisance flooding, evaluation of project alternatives, and providing feedback about design solutions to reduce the exposure of the community to existing and future hazards. In conclusion, all survey-based data will be summarized and integrated to develop multi-scale adaptative design strategies, utilizing green infrastructure and resilient solutions, to mitigate flooding and enhance urban resilience in this vulnerable area. Also, we will train the campus community - on potential interventions that may help in alleviating their flooding problems, while engaging them in planning, data collection related to flooding and disseminating project results to the larger community to develop community support for the implementation of coastal resilience solutions.

Bangladesh, with its extensive coastal areas, is highly vulnerable to the impacts of rising sea levels and frequent flooding causing widespread damage to the built environment, agriculture, and livelihoods, heightening poverty and hampering development. With over 35 million people residing in these low-lying coastal zones, the risk of displacement and economic loss is immense. Current energy system infrastructure is frequently ill-suited to survive extreme weather conditions, necessitating the development of an innovative, flood-resilient framework capable of supporting renewable energy generation while dealing with the difficulties of a high-risk environment. This research aims to develop a robust framework for designing and installing resilient solar arrays tailored to the specific challenges of these regions during deadly flood situations. An angular resilient off-grid module equipped with floating solar arrays, and flood-resistant materials will combine the kinetic energy from floating on top of the water with solar power to increase system endurance that guarantees convenient use in any circumstance. Its flexibility also ensures easy usage in any situation making sure to promote sustainable livelihoods and people of any socio-economic background can utilize it considering low material cost. The methodology includes prototype design development, literature review, selection of sample sites, simulation and analysis, and performance metrics that highlight the capacity to provide reliable energy in times of crisis, support grid stability, and foster long-term sustainability. By combining technical resilience with socio-environmental considerations, the proposed paper concludes to promote a scalable model for rural planners, architects, and policymakers to design sustainable, energy-efficient frameworks that are capable of adapting to and recovering from major flood-prone occurrences, eventually contributing to a more resilient future for Bangladesh's coastal regions.​

In the second half of the 20th century, a paradigm shift began in several northeastern US cities: their population sizes, strongly linked to the production and transportation of steel, began to shrink. Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Detroit are three prime examples of big cities that began losing their manufacturing bases in the 1950s as their economic models changed and manufacturing became increasingly decentralized. A period of depopulation spanning five decades, until around the year 2000, accompanied a series of federal initiatives that directed public investment toward suburban development and large-scale infrastructure projects. This paper proposes a study of these three cities as settings in which participatory projects have been undertaken to improve the urban environment.

Following extensive field work and archival research, The Neighborhood Design Center in Baltimore, the West Philadelphia Landscape Project and the Detroit Geographical Expedition and Institute are examined, arguing that their participatory methods can generate a systematic framework for action that could contribute to the development of communities in economic or social inequality. The theoretical models and tools used, the approaches taken, and the actors involved are all examined here to assess the potential impact of different collaborative methodologies on urban practices as viable ideas for the field of urbanism. After this, opportunities emerge to collect and expand a terminology with which to highlight the relevance of awareness of the language of urban design by the community, proposing a dynamic participation model based on a “participatory urban terminology”.

This paper seeks to provide a series of strategies for urban planners and designers to use in working with communities to develop projects, redefining their roles so that they act as agents who manage these participatory social processes and mediate between communities and institutions in urban projects.

Living and growing up in cities can be inspiring, yet many urban environments lack child-friendly spaces for play and learning, especially in disadvantaged neighborhoods. This scarcity can negatively impact children's development. Playful learning installations offer a solution by transforming underutilized urban areas into engaging learning landscapes that promote caregiver-child interactions and support cognitive and social-emotional growth.

The successful implementation of the playful learning model, situated at the intersection of child development and urban placemaking, requires authentic community buy-in and ownership. Architects and designers trained in playful learning principles are crucial in integrating interactive learning experiences into neighborhoods through participatory design, uncovering stakeholders' unique histories and aspirations.

This paper introduces playful learning principles and discusses the development of an open-source university-level course, Playful Learning by Design, developed to scale up the model's reach. We report on two prototype courses' successes and challenges, and lessons learned from initial installations in partnering communities.

Geared toward college students from multiple design fields, the course facilitates interdisciplinary collaboration through experiential learning and community engagement. Students work iteratively with community members to develop designs that bring interactive STEAM and literacy learning experiences into neighborhoods.

Our goal is to broaden the impact of playful learning principles, empowering future designers and community leaders to improve urban environments. This human-centered approach is key to creating impactful, culturally responsive installations that neighbors will embrace and cherish.

The Navajo Nation, covering 27,000 square miles across the American Southwest, confronts critical challenges related to water rights and environmental sustainability. Although the Nation has held legal rights to water from Navajo Lake since 1908, reaffirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court, access to clean and reliable drinking water remains a pressing issue. Alarmingly, approximately 30% of the population relies on water transported from distant sources, reflecting severe scarcity worsened by environmental contamination. Legacy effects of Cold War-era uranium mining have polluted wells, while unregulated landfills and agricultural chemicals further degrade groundwater, posing risks to public health and ecosystems.

This study adopts a mixed-methods approach to examine water rights and environmental challenges within the Navajo Nation, offering a foundation for research, education, and policymaking. It begins by analyzing historical legal documents, such as Supreme Court decisions and regional water rights agreements, to trace the evolution of the Nation’s entitlements. To understand the human and ecological dimensions of these challenges, the study synthesizes existing data and contextualizes findings within broader regional dynamics. Incorporating stakeholder perspectives, the research identifies critical areas for intervention and highlights pathways to address ongoing struggles.

Moreover, the study adopts a comparative framework, examining adaptive strategies employed by other Indigenous communities facing similar challenges. This approach facilitates the development of actionable, culturally relevant solutions and enhances the study’s utility as an educational resource. Emphasizing technological innovation, policy reform, and community-driven efforts, the research underscores the importance of safeguarding water resources, restoring ecological balance, and fostering sustainable development. As a pedagogical tool, it aims to enrich discourse on Indigenous water rights and environmental justice, equipping educators, policymakers, and researchers with a comprehensive framework to address both historical legacies and contemporary challenges effectively.