Urban residential outdoor spaces (UROS) offer opportunities for rest, recreation, and social interaction, but reliable tools to measure their provisions are limited. This study developed and validated a comprehensive UROS provisions scale for higher-income apartment residents in Mumbai, India. Survey data were collected from 142 adult married women with children, covering greenness, walkability, exercise opportunities, children’s play, and social/cultural activities. The scale demonstrated excellent internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.88), high inter-item correlations, and strong sampling adequacy (KMO = 0.86). Exploratory factor analysis supported a unidimensional structure explaining 55% of variance, with meaningful factor loadings for all items. Bartlett’s test confirmed adequate inter-item correlations, and “alpha if item deleted” analyses indicated all items contributed meaningfully to the construct. These results indicate that the scale is both reliable and valid for assessing perceived UROS provisions. To illustrate its application, the scale was used in a regression model examining psychological distress, highlighting its potential for research on mental health and urban well-being. The UROS provisions scale provides a robust, survey-based tool for assessing access to and variety of outdoor spaces in urban settings. Further research could refine it for greater generalizability and international relevance.

How can architecture students learn to apply design solutions informed by local knowledge to problems of global scope? A design studio pedagogy based in cross-cultural exchange offers opportunities for transfer of local knowledge to address global issues. The joint studio brings together US and Iraqi students to explore sustainable architecture and urban design solutions for a warming planet. The underlying hypotheses are (1) designing for one another’s local sites will enable students to both learn from and teach one another, (2) distance, both literal and philosophical, will foster critical perspective.

Methodology: First, students exchange local knowledge via a research component designed to introduce place, people, problems, building materials, technologies, and traditions of the two sites. Next, students engage in quick tactical urbanism design interventions to test their understanding of one another’s sites and receive rapid feedback. Finally, students engage in an extended design project with a shared program located in each other’s’ cities. Throughout the project, students engage one another with questions, requests for information, photos, videos, and critiques.

Findings: The most vivid lesson for the US students is that the Iraqi students regularly live with ambient temperatures higher than we have ever experienced. There is a dawning realization that this project affords those in the US a window into their own future. There is also a wealth of traditional passive design strategies for shading interiors, creating urban shadows, and ventilating buildings. For the Iraqi students dealing with the effects of war, disinvestment, and escalating global warming, the studio experience offers fresh ideas about how to transform cities into sustainable places for human life.

Conclusions: The project arms both Iraqi and US students with tools to design for the future of their own cities as well as a methodology for discovering and addressing local impacts of global issues around the world.

The early 20th-century open-air school movement offered a spatial model grounded in natural ventilation, daylight, and continuous environmental exchange. These schools employed permeable construction and semi-exposed learning spaces to support respiratory health and psychological well-being. Although this approach declined with the rise of antibiotics, mechanical conditioning, and risk-averse building codes, its core principles have renewed relevance as sealed educational environments face growing climatic, health, and pedagogical limitations.

This paper revisits the open-air school as a model for rethinking classroom design in the 21st century, one that resists the fully sealed enclosure in favor of more responsive, breathable building envelopes. Through a typological analysis of three hybrid institutions in Brazil, Burkina Faso, and Vietnam, the study examines how controlled porosity - implemented through breathable envelopes, ventilated voids, and open-air circulation - supports three critical dimensions of learning environments: thermal agency, social resilience, and pedagogical engagements. These precedents demonstrate that modest, well-designed forms of environmental exchange can reduce heat loads, strengthen community stewardship, and transform building operations into daily, embodied opportunities for environmental learning.

Building on these insights, the paper proposes a Pedagogy of Porosity, advocating for school environments that are neither fully sealed nor fully exposed but calibrated to mediate airflow, temperature, and social interaction. By repositioning the envelope as an adaptive interface rather than a rigid barrier, the study argues that air itself can become a central architectural medium - one capable of advancing comfort, health, and educational experience in a warming world.

This paper investigates the Public–Private–Philanthropic–Provider (P⁴) model as a historically grounded, multi-sector governance framework for scalable non-market housing in Canada. It asks: (1) What institutional and civic conditions enable P⁴ to emerge? (2) How do the four sectors interact to produce durable housing outcomes? (3) Under what conditions can P⁴ be adapted in jurisdictions with varying nonprofit or philanthropic capacity?

Using a qualitative comparative methodology, cases were selected based on: (a) explicit involvement of public, private, philanthropic, and nonprofit “provider” actors; (b) documented long-term affordable or below-market housing outcomes; and (c) geographic diversity within Canada, supplemented by at least one international example. Data sources include organizational and government documents, publicly available reports, and peer-reviewed literature. Analytic methods combine institutional analysis — tracing governance arrangements, funding flows, and risk allocation — with design and spatial evaluation examining how land tenure and ownership structures reflect multi-sector alignment.

Drawing on the 2023 Canadian Network of Community Land Trusts (CNCLT) census and documented activity of the Community Land Trust Foundation of British Columbia (CLTFBC), the paper situates P⁴ within an expanding non-market landscape. As of 2023, at least 13 Canadian CLTs steward nearly 10,000 units nationally, with projected growth of approximately 24% by the end of 2024. In British Columbia, CLTFBC manages approximately 2,000 homes with roughly 1,000 additional units in development.

Findings suggest that P⁴’s primary contribution is institutional rather than architectural: it stabilizes land tenure, redistributes early-stage risk, and enables nonprofit providers to operate at portfolio scale. While P⁴ does not inherently reduce construction costs or guarantee architectural innovation, it restructures incentives across sectors and extends the time horizon of housing governance. Positioning housing as a “wicked problem” (Rittel and Webber 1973), the paper argues that institutional alignment — rather than technical novelty — emerges as the critical lever for durable affordability.

Houses 14 and 15, designed by Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret, were part of the Weissenhof Estate, a 1927 housing exhibition organized by the Deutscher Werkbund and financed by the City of Stuttgart. Under the artistic direction of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, the exhibition showcased designs that aimed to provide innovative solutions for urban housing. The buildings were rented to the public after the exhibition concluded.

Despite their architectural significance, Houses 14 and 15 remained unoccupied for approximately eight to nine months following the exhibition, distinguishing them from other Weissenhof structures that transitioned to inhabited residences. Inspired by railroad sleeping and parlor cars, Le Corbusier designed the duplex with transformable spaces through sliding partitions and convertible furniture, embodying “programmatic superimposition.” Following painter Anton Kolig’s occupancy (1928–1932), the building underwent extensive modifications in 1932–1933 that altered its spatial organization, eliminating multifunctional features and conventionalizing room arrangements. While substantial scholarship documents Le Corbusier’s theoretical contributions, limited research examines the relationship between spatial design features and occupancy patterns in this experimental housing project over its 79-year residential lifespan.

This study examines how spatial organization and subsequent modifications influenced occupancy patterns across the duplex’s 79-year residential lifetime, employing a mixed-methods analysis integrating floor plan analysis, occupancy documentation, and primary-source examination. The research reveals a stark pattern: the original design attracted one tenant over five years, while the modified design sustained multi-family residential use for decades. Analysis demonstrates that Houses 14–15 achieved flexibility. The sliding partitions, convertible furniture, and transformable spaces functioned as Le Corbusier intended, but the design lacked adaptability for diverse user needs, appealing primarily to artistic occupants while deterring general-market tenants. The study extracts historically grounded lessons for contemporary transformable housing by identifying how operational complexity and spatial legibility affect acceptance of innovative residential architecture.

ABSTRACT: This paper examines Josef Albers’ abstract works as deeply informed by his visual and tactile engagement with Mesoamerican architecture. Across fourteen trips to Mexico and Central America between 1935 and 1967, Albers photographed and analyzed ancient pyramids, carved reliefs, and stepped motifs, not simply as historical artifacts but as models of integrated design, in which sculpture and architecture coexisted in spiritual and constructive unity. This paper argues that Albers’ abstractions, far from being formalist or detached, operate as transpositions of spatial intelligence: a grounded visual technology adapted from ancient architectural insight.

Central to this investigation is the xicalcoliuhqui, or stepped-fret motif, which Albers encountered at Mitla and later deconstructed across drawings, collages, and chromatic compositions. More than decorative, the motif embodied a layered cosmology of descent and return. Albers internalized this geometry not merely as form but as method, refining what he termed a decade earlier as the “activation of the negative,” a principle that dissolves traditional figure-ground hierarchies and instills equal agency in void and mass. His graphic constructions serve as perceptual gateways: ambiguous thresholds that invite the viewer into a visual descent into the picture plane, akin to a ritual journey to the pyramid’s center.

This sensibility also shaped Albers’s architectural interventions, notably his America mural (1950) at Harvard. Created entirely through the subtraction of bricks rather than their projection, America exemplifies what Albers learned in Mexico: that voids are not passive absences but structuring presences. As Neal Benezra notes, Albers viewed the equivalence of figure and ground as “a very valuable social philosophy, namely real democracy: every part serves and at the same time is served” (Benezra 1983, 23). This relational ethic, rooted in Mesoamerican aesthetics and Gestalt theory, underpins his broader visual pedagogy.

Today’s urgent discussions on the Anthropocene and climate change are reshaping human perspectives on our role in producing profound planetary transformations. Many of these changes have unfolded within the last 500 years, coinciding with European colonization and industrialization—processes that objectified nature and human life at unprecedented scales. These systems accelerated the loss of cultural diversity and ecological richness while embedding extractive practices into building, land use, and urbanization. Together, these forces have produced what Mary Annaïse Heglar (2020) describes as a “crisis conglomeration”—a convergence of social, ecological, political, and economic crises that cannot be addressed in isolation.

This paper responds to these urgencies by examining overlapping and entangled systems—social, economic, ecological, geological, territorial, and infrastructural—across multiple scales and temporal frames. It introduces and analyzes a pedagogical research tool developed by the author: Field Notes Cartographic Papers. Tested through work produced by students in Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Urban Planning, this method draws inspiration from the radical counter-mapping practices of U.S. geographers in the late 1960s and early 1970s, particularly the Field Notes Discussion Papers (1969–1972).

Through this framework, students develop a critical position toward a chosen site by mapping environmental harm, colonial histories, social oppression, Indigenous experiences, and other layered conditions that shape both long and short temporal histories. The resulting Cartographic Paper hybridizes a foldable cartographic artifact with visual documentation and a written essay, capturing a site-specific instance of crisis conglomeration while speculating on alternative futures.

The paper outlines the origins, structure, and pedagogical value of this format and presents selected student artifacts to demonstrate how local spatial analysis can engage broader global challenges in architecture, urbanism, and landscape design.

Energy use and economic growth are inherently linked, with many economists predicting a nation’s GDP based on the amount of energy it burns. While this may lead to major profits for energy companies, the coupling of energy and economic growth has negative consequences for society and the environment. This article investigates a pedagogical method focused on forecasting—predicting and envisioning the future—as a method to subvert economic and energy paradigms at the Plant Scherer coal powerplant in Juliette, Georgia. Taught in the Fall of 2023, this graduate studio focused on creating architectural futures that decouple energy from economic growth. Plant Scherer is one of the largest coal-fired power plants in the world, and when this studio was taught, it was scheduled to close by the end of the decade. Although the plant employed countless members of Juliette and had an immense economic impact on the town, Plant Scherer also created a public health crisis in the region through the pollution of local groundwater supplies with improperly stored coal ash. Considering this economic and health crisis, students were asked to envision a future scenario in which the town could thrive economically without its ties to a highly dangerous and harmful energy source. Through a method of site analysis based in economic and energetic readings of both present and future, students developed “forecasting machines” in the process of projecting alternative architectural-energetic scenarios for Juliette and the surrounding region. Students used this exercise to aid in the design of architectural interventions that addressed both the present and future of the town. In this manner, the studio embraced emerging technologies to grapple with pressing issues related to fossil fuel production in the design of a more just economic future.

Though European architecture academics cited integration being "one of the key issues" of architectural education more than 15 years ago, “integration” continues to be a hot-topic word in our contemporary context, both within and outside of Europe. The statement’s relevance to American architectural pedagogy, particularly to the teaching of Integrative (also known as Comprehensive) Studio, is no exception. In recent years, NAAB accreditation reports reveal that “SC.6 Building Integration” continues to be the most cited criteria in which US architecture programs are found to be deficient. A category of pedagogical research that addresses this deficiency by identifying and focusing on innovative methods to support “building and design integration” has clearly emerged over the last 15 years.

This paper positions itself within this body of research, arguing that taking students to sites of innovative building construction holds pedagogical value by contributing to higher rates of knowledge and design integration. Through the author’s three years of teaching Integrative Studio, and by incorporating visits to active, innovative construction sites into the studio curriculum, the author argues that such exposure to the physicalized dialogue between design and its resolution in construction is an effective way of teaching integration, interdisciplinary problem solving, and the interconnectedness of architectural design with its local building culture.

The author outlines the critical framework for how construction sites were determined in Fall 2022, 2023, and 2024, its relationship to NAAB criteria SC.6, and its pedagogical relevance in strengthening the outputs of student work to meet the new accreditation standards of “integration.” This preliminary research demonstrates that incorporating construction site visits into the Integrative Studio curriculum is a topic worthy of further study, opening-up compelling pedagogical avenues for architectural education not just in America, but in other contexts as well.

Early-stage architectural design requires balancing multiple and often conflicting objectives such as structural stability, high environmental performance, material efficiency, low cost, and carbon footprint. While computational tools and search-based optimization methods—particularly Genetic Algorithms—have advanced the capacity to evaluate large design spaces, many of these methods remain difficult to use. They often require text-based coding, rely on rigid workflows, and restrict designer interaction to the beginning or end of the optimization process. As a result, the potential for continuous feedback, qualitative assessment, and adaptive reformulation during the design process remains underexplored.

This paper presents Morpho, a multi-objective, designer-in-the-loop design exploration framework implemented as an open-access Grasshopper (GH) plugin. Built on a Genetic Algorithm, Morpho introduces an interactive workflow that supports both quantitative and qualitative evaluation of design alternatives. Its core features include: (1) seamless integration with diverse GH-based simulation tools; (2) dynamic reformulation of objectives and constraints during runtime; (3) continuous visual feedback through real-time data visualization and image capture; (4) a non-destructive population database that preserves all generated solutions for re-evaluation; and (5) prioritizing visual programming instead of text-based scripting. Together, these features allow designers to explore, assess, and refine design solutions without restarting the optimization process or losing prior data.

In this paper, a case study on a folded-plate CLT toroidal dome examines Morpho’s capability to manage both divergent and convergent search phases while evaluating structural performance, life cycle assessment, and fabrication waste. The study highlights how Morpho enables designers to incorporate both objective metrics and subjective preferences within the same exploration workflow.

The findings position Morpho as an advancement in interactive, performance-informed design—bridging the gap between automated optimization and creative authorship. By lowering technical barriers, integrating multiple performance domains, and emphasizing designer agency, Morpho contributes a practical and adaptable framework for early-stage architectural decision-making.

Post-disaster housing demands solutions that balance speed, cost, and environmental responsibility; however, the long-term sustainability of Modular Construction (MC) remains insufficiently quantified. This study addresses this gap by integrating simulation-based Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), parametric energy modeling, and multi-objective design optimization to evaluate the environmental performance of modular housing systems used in disaster recovery. Using a workflow that integrates Parametric Environmental Simulation Tools such as Rhino-Grasshopper, Ladybug/Honeybee, and BIM-based LCA, the research assesses embodied carbon, material efficiency, operational energy use, and construction duration for modular units compared with conventional construction. The findings show that MC can substantially reduce embodied carbon and material demand relative to traditional building methods, with reductions generally ranging from 20% to 35%, depending on unit type and material configuration. Multi-objective optimization (MOO) further identifies modular design options that balance rapid assembly with improved environmental performance, revealing that optimized modules can achieve lower emissions while maintaining competitive construction timelines. Energy simulations indicate that modular units perform comparably to, or in some cases better than, conventional buildings in operational energy use, particularly when envelope parameters are adjusted to reflect local climate conditions. The results also highlight key trade-offs common in post-disaster reconstruction, such as the tension between rapid deployment and long-term carbon performance, or between standardized modular design and the need for climate-responsive adaptation. These findings align with broader net-zero debates that emphasize the need to reconcile speed, cost, and carbon reductions within urgent reconstruction timelines. By integrating the Parametric Environmental Simulation Toolkit into a unified workflow, this study provides a replicable framework that supports evidence-based decision-making for designers, policymakers, and emergency response agencies seeking low-carbon, climate-adaptive housing solutions.

The construction industry has traditionally been slow to adopt new technologies, largely due to the scale of projects and the challenges of integrating emerging systems into established workflows. Rather than rethinking the design process from the ground up, many conventional approaches apply new technologies to existing design paradigms. In structural design, beam members have been a central focus of optimization efforts; however, most studies address isolated parameters, such as material efficiency, structural performance, or fabrication constraints, without unifying them within a comprehensive multi-objective optimization (MOO) framework.

This study introduces a metric-based design method grounded in a MOO framework aimed at optimizing concrete beam members. Unlike prior work, the proposed approach incorporates equations that governs the geometry of the beam, generated through the use of flexible formwork. These equations serve as the core design variable in the optimization process, enabling a continuous and parameterized exploration of beam shapes that balance multiple objectives. The method targets the simultaneous minimization of material use and fabrication complexity while maximizing structural efficiency.

By providing a direct solution that informs formwork design and integrates into the MOO model, this research offers a practical and adaptable tool for construction professionals. The approach lowers the barrier to adoption by emphasizing simplicity and ease of implementation, supporting the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry’s broader transition toward more sustainable, high-performance, and digitally integrated design practices.

Embodied carbon encompasses the greenhouse gas emissions resulting from all stages of a building’s life cycle, including the production, transportation, installation, maintenance, and disposal of construction materials. As operational emissions decline due to energy efficiency improvements, embodied carbon has become a growing share of total emissions in the built environment, making it a critical target for climate mitigation. However, the implementation of embodied carbon policies remains limited worldwide, shaped by a complex interplay of environmental, economic, institutional, and trade-related factors. This research examines policy adoption across 37 countries using structural equation modeling to test ten hypotheses grouped into four thematic areas. The results show that countries with higher exposure to climate risks and stronger institutional capacity are more likely to implement embodied carbon regulations. In contrast, economies with significant trade exposure often face constraints, as they must navigate the tension between environmental responsibility and maintaining economic competitiveness. Additional model testing reinforces the influence of global trade dynamics and economic structure. The study suggests several key policy directions: enhancing institutional readiness, supporting vulnerable nations through targeted mechanisms, and promoting international coordination to integrate embodied carbon into broader climate and trade policies. These insights offer practical guidance for accelerating decarbonization in the construction sector.

Across the Southeastern United States, many families live on inherited land passed down through generations, legally known as “heirs’ property”. This occurs when land transfers without a will, creating a “tangled” title among multiple heirs. Nationally, about .5% of land is heirs’ property, and similar challenges in preserving land tenure appear globally. In the rural southern United States, this percentage is much higher. Despite its prevalence, heirs’ property remains largely invisible to formal institutions, leaving families vulnerable to exploitation and unable to access financing or adequate housing.

Despite legal and policy barriers, these communities have developed informal systems of land and social managements. Yet, lack of legal recognition of shared ownership continues to erode landownership. This paper proposes rural housing cooperatives to formalize and protect what already exists. These cooperative models reflect the communal nature of heirs’ property settlements, offering legal structures that promote affordability, democratic governance, and mutual ownership. In doing so, they present an opportunity for designers to innovate and help address the complex intersection of housing, land access, and community resilience.

Through a series of built case studies in the Black Belt, this paper aims to demonstrate how long-term community investment and the hands-on process of designing and building homes are serving as models in the partnership with larger institutions, bridging the gap between policy, law, and architecture. This implementation-based approach brings abstract challenges into tangible solutions. Our work engages directly with families, not only as researchers and designers, but as advocates and collaborators. Though our approach is grounded in our locale, the issues being faced can be found on much larger scales as informal land tenure and housing insecurity affect communities worldwide. By supporting local, culturally rooted solutions, we can contribute to more inclusive and adaptable models for equitable land access and sustainable housing.

As climate change intensifies the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect, cities worldwide are adopting mitigation strategies to reduce temperatures and enhance outdoor thermal comfort. However, most interventions are planned and evaluated at the city scale, often overlooking the finer-grained microclimatic, spatial, and social variations that exist within neighborhoods. This oversight creates a critical knowledge gap in understanding how effective UHI mitigation can be tailored to the localized context where the heat variation is most acutely felt, at the neighborhood level. This research addresses that gap through a comprehensive literature-based study that identifies and evaluates heat mitigation strategies applicable at the neighborhood scale. Drawing on peer-reviewed case studies, simulation-based research using environmental modeling tools, and applied urban design interventions from diverse global contexts, the study synthesizes an evidence-based typology of neighborhood-level strategies. These include green infrastructure (e.g., urban greening, green roofs, green walls), blue interventions (e.g., misting systems, fountains), and albedo modifications (e.g., cool roofs, reflective pavements, road color change). The study analyzes how emerging research can inform localized policy tools. Using a policy translation lens, the findings are framed to generate urban design guidelines and performance-based environmental standards that reflect neighborhood-specific needs. The review highlights how simulation outputs can be integrated into design regulations to inform vegetation coverage or surface reflectivity thresholds, ensuring outdoor thermal comfort during summer. The findings reveal that neighborhood-scale interventions demonstrate measurable cooling potential. Compared to top-down, citywide implementations, these strategies can be co-designed with local stakeholders and adapted to distinct urban morphologies, demographic needs, and infrastructural realities. Therefore, the study proposes a knowledge-to-policy framework that bridges scientific modeling with real-world applications. By elevating neighborhood-scale heat resilience as an actionable planning domain, this research contributes to the development of place-based solutions. This approach provides a scalable model for translating hyperlocal interventions into broader urban resilience strategies.

Biophilic design that is inspired by natural forms is visually complex and can be abstracted into its fractal pattern features. Fractal patterns are a cascade of self-similar patterns over a range of magnification scales, building visual stimuli that are inherently complex. The complexity varies between the fractal objects based on the relative contributions of the coarse and fine-scale patterns. Previous studies discovered that low-to-mid-range complexity fractals, which are particularly prevalent in scenes of nature, are aesthetically preferred and processed more efficiently by occupants. However, these studies have not adequately tested occupants’ perceptions of fractal patterns in architecture as they are applied to architectural materials, such as flooring, ceiling, and partitions, or as objects in space. This problem is magnified by the complexities of replicating and testing fractal-based architectural components in real environments due to financial and methodological constraints of producing and applying them. This study aims to test alternative methods of simulating fractal-based patterns in virtual environments (VR) and compare occupants’ perception of them to real physical environments. In a within-subjects experimental design, the study tested the different perceptions of participants (n=19) of fractal patterns applied as carpets on the basement floor for a public lobby space of a laboratory building. Each participant was asked to rate their perception of both environments in terms of their excitement, stress, engagement, boredom, and appeal in space. The initial findings suggest that participants found fractal-based patterns in surfaces with the complexity dimension of D=1.6 to be appealing and exciting. Paired Samples t-tests revealed no significant differences between Real and VR ratings for all five judgment types. This finding suggests that VR environments--when well designed and simulated to match real spaces--can provide a high factor-of-reality and are similarly perceived to real settings when studying fractal-based architectural materials and objects in space.

This study investigates how three-dimensional spatial configuration and lighting jointly influence occupants’ emotions and productivity in an immersive virtual reality environment. A within-subjects design was used in which forty-two participants experienced eight virtual rooms created by combining four spatial configurations (Base, Wide, High, Deep) with two lighting conditions at correlated color temperatures of 2600K (warm) and 5200K (cool). Participants reported emotional responses using State-Trait Anxiety Index items and completed cognitive tasks, including the Stroop Test, the Operation Span Task, and Tetris. Workload was evaluated using selected NASA-TLX items. Results revealed that calmness and relaxation were significantly lower in the High room, and worry ratings were significantly higher, indicating that increased vertical height reliably reduced emotional comfort and heightened perceived tension. Warm lighting significantly enhanced positive emotional responses across several spatial configurations relative to cool lighting. Cognitive performance also varied across room types. Stroop accuracy was significantly lower in the High room than in the Wide and Deep rooms, suggesting impaired attentional control in vertically enlarged spaces. In contrast, OSPAN math accuracy was significantly higher in the High room than in the Wide room, indicating improved cognitive processing under vertical expansion. This effect was more pronounced under Cool lighting, which produced significantly higher math accuracy than Warm lighting within the same spatial conditions. Tetris performance was significantly higher in the Deep room than in the Base room, reflecting stronger spatial reasoning in deeper configurations. Workload responses were generally stable, though irritation was significantly higher in the High room than in the Deep room, showing that room geometry shaped frustration levels. Overall, the findings demonstrate that spatial configuration and lighting produce significant differences in emotional comfort, cognitive performance, and perceived workload. These outcomes highlight the importance of evaluating architectural features as integrated components within immersive virtual design processes.

Hemp-lime composite research has grown 19% annually since 2007, yet social dimensions account for just 2.92% of the literature. Questions about occupant experience—factors that drive market adoption—remain unanswered. This study addresses that gap through phenomenological interviews with twelve occupants across eight households in the UK, France, and Netherlands, each with at least five years of occupancy. Analysis of over 1000 coded segments across nine categories produced unambiguous findings. Comfort and Wellbeing achieved a perfect score. Thermal performance proved consistent across climate zones. The substrate required virtually no maintenance over 10–15 years. Most significantly, 100% of participants would choose hemp-lime again—unprecedented consensus in building material research. Each dwelling represents a hyper-local response to a global materials challenge. This research lifts those local stories to a global scale, translating tacit knowledge into structured findings—making lived experience as visible as technical metrics for the adoption decisions that the construction industry's decarbonization agenda urgently requires.

Feng shui and geobiology are two traditions of environmental diagnosis rooted in different cultural contexts. Practiced in China for over three millennia, feng shui interprets mountain forms and water flows to achieve environmental harmony. Geobiology, developed by Hartmann and Curry, examines underground water veins, geomagnetic fields and electromagnetic fields to understand their influence on human health. Although geomantic theory is based on qi and geobiology relies on physical measurements, both assume that invisible energies influence well-being and perception. Today, neuroscience and quantum biology, without directly referring to these models, provide a conceptual foundation that helps clarify hypotheses concerning the links between the physical environment and the internal state.

These perspectives invite a dialogue between ancient knowledge and scientific approaches. In this spirit, this article proposes a comparative framework combining feng shui, geobiology and international scientific standards. It draws on fieldwork conducted in three villages: Hongcun, Xidi and Chengkan. The methodology combines three approaches: geomantic analysis examines principles of site selection; geobiological analysis studies the Hartmann and Curry grids; finally, measurements of light quantity, air quality and acoustic comfort are conducted using classical scientific instruments such as lux meters and CO₂ sensors. The data are integrated as layers within a Geographic Information System (GIS) to enable spatial overlay and comparison.

The results show that feng shui functions as a form of vernacular spatial intelligence grounded in sensory experience and symbolism. Areas defined as comfortable, often near water and well ventilated, coincide with areas perceived as auspicious. This correlation echoes the identification, in geobiology, of balanced or pathogenic points. By articulating a comparative framework that juxtaposes symbolic, sensory and scientific diagnostics, this study contributes to clarifying how different epistemic traditions evaluate spatial health while maintaining the epistemological distinction between them. It draws on the relevance of traditional knowledge in heritage and design.

Emerging technologies have continually challenged the limitations of traditional glassmaking and expanded the material’s potential in architecture and design. Despite other glass forming methods reaching acceptable tolerances for architectural integration, ‘Frit Lace’, a Kilnworking technique that involves fusing crushed glass particles, has remained limited due to its reliance on a labor-intensive manual arrangement of finely ground glass. This research questions how digital fabrication might meaningfully integrate into the traditional craft of Frit Lace. In doing so, this paper explores how digitally fabricated deposition masks might balance maintaining an acceptable tolerance in the final form while allowing the organic nature of molten glass to corrupt and enhance the artifact.

The technique developed during this research offers a method of kilnforming glass that does not require the use of a refractory mold during firing, instead allowing the glass to remain unconstrained while molten. By allowing freedom of movement during the firing process, this technique reveals consistent behavioral patterns that can be analyzed to study the shape behavior and movement of the glass relative to its digitally designed pattern and loose frit arrangement.

Through a series of tests, a recurring phenomenon emerged: angular shapes consistently softened, forming rounded corners as the molten glass settled into a stable shape. This behavior led to the development of the term ‘radius of repose’ which serves as a conceptual counterpart to the ‘angle of repose’ used to describe the stable shape of granular materials. Once understood this ‘radius of repose’ can be predicted and designed for, resulting in a process that offers predictable outcomes and repeatable results. This digitally enhanced frit lace method could help close the gap between the dynamic movement of molten glass and computational control, creating a path for further integration of this historically delicate craft within the world of architecture.

Museum visitors are usually guided along specific routes and given specific information. This pre-determined information can limit visitors' understanding of how the artifacts relate to each other and to the broader context. While museum design efforts aim to create coherent narratives, spatial layouts often restrict interpretive experiences. This paper explores reimagining museum experiences using a design-led research approach based on Jane Rendell’s Critical Spatial Practice (Rendell 2006).

A spatial design intervention developed for the Rezan Has Museum in Istanbul is presented. In this project, the connections between the original layout and the exhibited artifacts were analyzed and then reorganized thematically using graphic mappings. These mappings used visual elements such as directional arrows, line types, and color-coded connections to express conceptual relationships implicit in the museum's original display. Drawing on Jane Rendell’s interpretation of the Site/Non-Site dialectic, the resulting spatial configuration was transferred to a new architectural context, a gallery space, where the logic of the museum was reconstructed as an open topography (Rendell 2011). This displacement created a layered experience, allowing for a changing form of interaction where the participant reconstructs spatial memory through embodied movement. The transition from observation to active experience challenges the conventional concept of the visitor, revealing their transformation into a participant.

The research proposes an alternative model that can be applied on a global scale, based on local museums with spatial limitations or low visitor numbers. The aim is to increase both the sustainability and accessibility of cultural heritage through its flexibility, portability, and context sensitivity. Thus, the museum is transformed from a static repository of the past into a living and participatory public platform where social relations and collective memory are constantly renewed.

This study presents an interdisciplinary and multi-university project-based learning (PBL) framework that integrates three courses—Sustainable Construction, Methods of Inquiry, and Life Cycle Assessment—to address four pressing environmental challenges: wildfires, hurricanes, tornados, and extreme heat. Grounded in evidence-based design, the model emphasizes real-world data and case studies to inform sustainable and resilient architectural solutions. At its core is a collaborative workflow where 8 student teams of 89 students analyze residential buildings that uniquely survived catastrophic events. These “sole survivor” structures form the basis for comparative analysis across three dimensions: architectural design, construction methodology, and life cycle performance. Each team selects a case study aligned with one hazard and investigates resilience strategies, material choices, and environmental impact.

The workflow fosters interdisciplinary collaboration and systems thinking. Undergraduate students in Methods of Inquiry lead research and data collection using qualitative and quantitative methods. While graduate students in Sustainable Construction students evaluate structural and material systems for durability, adaptability, and environmental impact. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) graduate students quantify environmental performance using LCA tools, offering a cradle-to-grave perspective on sustainability. This triadic approach reinforces course-specific learning outcomes while encouraging synthesis across disciplines. Real-world survivor structures provide a tangible foundation for rethinking and prototyping scalable solutions responsive to local vulnerabilities and global climate adaptation needs. Preliminary results from a pilot implementation indicate four student projects, sentiment analysis, pluses and delta of student engagement, critical thinking, and the ability to translate empirical evidence into actionable design strategies. Students reported greater confidence in interdisciplinary collaboration and a deeper understanding of how design decisions affect long-term environmental performance and human safety. Ultimately, this framework offers a replicable model for embedding climate resilience, sustainability, and evidence-based sustainability education, cultivating future designers and builders prepared to lead in an era of environmental uncertainty.

The confluence of climate crisis and resource depletion demands a fundamental shift in architectural practice from extractive to regenerative paradigms that respond to finite planetary limits. This research addresses the critical gap between global environmental imperatives and locally responsive material solutions, investigating how architectural education can cultivate practices that are simultaneously place-based and globally conscious. The paper presents a pedagogical framework that examines circular construction assemblies using regionally sourced materials, positioning material ethics as foundational to this approach.

The study employs two complementary design research methods across multiple scales and geographic contexts. Un-Stacking interrogates stereotomic systems through reclaimed building materials, developing protocols for dismantling and reassembling salvaged stone, brick, concrete, CMU, and rubble. This method evaluates existing built environments as material repositories rather than waste streams, comparing environmental and economic impacts to conventional demolition practices. Re-Framing explores tectonic systems designed for complete disassembly using regional biomaterials. This method investigates modular assembly strategies that embed lifecycle sustainability from conception, developing innovative joinery and connection systems that enable architectural adaptability while ensuring complete component recovery and repurposing.

Student research projects demonstrate these methodologies through comprehensive material mapping, prototype development, and proof-of-concept assemblies. Through these projects, students developed protocols for ethical material sourcing that reduce dependence on energy-intensive manufacturing and long-distance transportation. These protocols were tested through physical prototypes that validate both technical feasibility and pedagogical efficacy. The research contributes: (a) pedagogical models for integrating material ethics into design education, (b) methodological frameworks for evaluating material provenance and lifecycle impacts, and (c) design prototypes and proof-of-concept assemblies demonstrating regional circular construction systems. By reconnecting local material opportunities with planetary ecological imperatives, this work offers practical pathways toward a post-extractive architectural practice that serves both regional communities and global environmental stewardship.

Climate-induced migration is increasingly reshaping global settlement patterns, creating urgent demands for adaptable housing and urban design strategies. This paper proposes Adaptive Modular Urbanism (AMU) as a framework for examining temporary and resilient settlement approaches supporting climate-displaced populations. The study investigates how flexible spatial systems and modular construction methods can respond to environmental uncertainty while maintaining social and cultural adaptability.

The research employs Participatory Action Research (PAR), integrating semi-structured interviews (n=45), field observations over two years, and GIS-based spatial mapping conducted between 2019 and 2025 in migrant settlements in Mexico and modular container-based housing communities in the United States. The comparative framework examines two distinct settlement production models: informally constructed migrant encampments developed through resident-led adaptation and institutionally planned modular communities utilizing container architecture. Settlement performance was evaluated using participatory assessment metrics addressing cultural responsiveness, durability, scalability, environmental comfort, and spatial adaptability.

Findings indicate that informal settlements demonstrate strong cultural adaptability and community agency but limited environmental resilience, with notable progress over time in spatial organization and social spaces. Container-based modular communities provide structural stability, and rapid deployment may constrain cultural personalization. The study suggests that resilient migration settlements benefit from integrating socially generated adaptive practices with modular technological systems. Adaptive Modular Urbanism contributes a design framework supporting participatory, flexible, and climate-responsive settlement strategies applicable to evolving migration conditions.

Global climate challenges often manifest as localized discomfort within buildings, including overheating, glare, and excessive energy consumption. Conventional solar control systems—such as large awnings or mechanical louvers—tend to be rigid, visually dominant, and disconnected from occupants’ experiences. This project proposes an alternative approach through a distributed system of small-scale shading devices composed of knitted textiles, 3D-printed scissor mechanisms, and Arduino-controlled servos.

Rather than relying on large monolithic interventions, the system operates through multiple modular shading units positioned across a window surface. Each unit combines the elasticity of knitted textiles with lightweight scissor mechanisms fabricated through additive manufacturing. The knitted membranes expand and contract seamlessly, while micro-controlled servos actuate the mechanisms in response to environmental sensors or user input. Together, these components enable dynamic adjustments to solar angles, local microclimates, and occupant preferences throughout the day.

Parametric design tools guide the development of textile patterns with localized elasticity, allowing the membranes to form volumetric geometries when deployed and collapse softly when retracted. This patterning produces shading elements that move beyond flat surfaces, introducing tactile and decorative qualities that contribute to the spatial experience of interior environments.

Within broader discussions of architecture’s role in climate action, this research explores how softness, adaptability, and distributed small-scale interventions can support environmental performance. By reducing reliance on mechanical cooling and encouraging passive solar control, the system promotes both thermal comfort and occupant agency. Its modular structure and accessible materials allow adaptation across diverse climates and building types.

By integrating textile craft, digital fabrication, and responsive technologies, the project demonstrates how small architectural devices can contribute to broader conversations on sustainability and climate-responsive design.

This interdisciplinary research investigates the spatial relationship between Urban Heat Island (UHI) effects and the potential for photovoltaic (PV) solar energy generation on the North Carolina State University (NC State) campus in Raleigh, North Carolina. As urban campuses face rising energy demands and climate challenges, understanding where to integrate renewable infrastructure is critical (Santamouris,2015). This project combines geospatial analysis, remote sensing, and energy simulation to identify locations with elevated surface temperatures and high solar potential,key indicators for PV deployment.

Satellite-derived thermal imagery and land surface temperature (LST) data were used in ArcGIS Pro to map UHI intensity and locate urban "hotspots" (Voogt&Oke, 2003). These were overlaid with solar irradiance maps generated using NREL’s PVWatts Calculator (Dobos,2014) to model PV energy potential on rooftops and open spaces. Cooling degree days and building-level energy consumption were integrated to assess the link between thermal stress and energy demands, especially for buildings in high-UHI zones.

Results show strong spatial correlations between high surface temperature areas and high solar irradiance, highlighting optimal zones for PV installation. Buildings most affected by UHI also exhibited elevated cooling loads during peak summer months, emphasizing the need for renewable energy offsets. Comparative analysis between denser, developed areas and more vegetated or open zones demonstrated that urban buildings experience stronger UHI effects while offering greater solar energy capture potential due to reduced shading and higher irradiance.

This study contributes to campus sustainability by providing a replicable, data-driven framework for evaluating UHI intensity and identifying solar-ready zones through integrated geospatial and energy modeling (Zhou et al.,2011). Findings support NC State University’s sustainability and climate resilience initiatives by guiding strategic investment in renewable infrastructure and demonstrating how co-analysis of environmental stressors and energy potential can inform equitable, integrated campus planning.

This research was supported by the Sustainable Futures Fellowship at NC StateUniversity.

Solar photovoltaic (PV) generation now lies at the heart of the most decarbonization plans. Policy and decision makers need more than energy forecasts, like clear estimates of the annual economic value of each plant in particular market context. This study examined a harmonized solar-to-grid dataset from the U.S. Department of Energy for distributed photovoltaic systems. The study applies machine learning methods to model and interpret the economic value of distributed photovoltaic systems using two value-based performance metrics: Energy_Value_MWh and Total_Value_MWh. By framing PV systems as socio-technical infrastructure, the analysis integrates physical generation characteristics with temporal and regional market context. Three regression models: Support Vector Regression (SVR), Random Forest, and Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) are evaluated using operational, temporal, and spatial features, including annual generation, installed capacity, year, balancing authority, and geographic identifiers. Model performance is assessed through coefficient of determination (R²), root mean square error (RMSE) and predicted-versus-actual visual analysis.

Results indicate that ensemble tree-based models substantially outperform SVR across both targets. Random Forest achieves the strongest overall performance, with R² values exceeding 0.88 and consistently lower prediction errors, while XGBoost demonstrates comparable accuracy with slightly higher dispersion at extreme values. Feature importance analysis reveals that temporal evolution and regional grid structures dominate PV economic outcomes, whereas physical generation alone plays a secondary role. These findings highlight the importance of contextual and system-level factors in PV valuation and demonstrate the potential of machine learning as a planning-oriented tool for evaluating renewable energy performance within architectural and urban energy systems. The proposed framework supports more informed decision-making in PV design, deployment, and policy evaluation across diverse built environments.

This proposal investigates how community-driven maker activities and digital fabrication techniques can be woven into the adaptive reuse of postindustrial sites across West Texas. Through situated case studies around the former Reese Air Force Base in Lubbock, Texas, particularly the transformation of the base into a technology center now operating as Reese Technology Center, the inquiry considers how embedded workshops and participatory design labs invigorate underused infrastructure, promoting both economic growth and cultural resilience. Utilizing a mixed-methods strategy that pairs archival review of redevelopment records with semi-structured interviews of local partners, participatory mapping sessions, and field observations of active fabrication labs, the study will produce a Tech-Enabled Reuse Toolkit. This resource will distill step-by-step fabrication workflows, community engagement protocols, and policy guidance crafted for mid-sized postindustrial regions eager to replicate Reese’s model. The core research questions are as follows: In what ways do tech-supported maker labs strengthen neighborhood skills while reimagining local industrial legacies? What tangible impact do these labs have on diversifying the economy and energizing cultural life? How might the lessons learned at this scale shape city planning codes and architecture courses nationwide? By connecting these local efforts to the worldwide discussion on urban resilience, the proposal suggests that innovations specific to a place can create solutions for reducing economic downturns, environmental dangers, and the fading of industrial history on a larger scale that can be applied elsewhere.

Middle Housing regulations have a great potential to increase housing production to address Oregon’s anticipated shortfall of 29,522 dwellings. Medium-density forms, such as Townhouse and Cottage Cluster, are now allowed in formerly low-density zones. The aim of this study was to understand how this recent legislation is translated to design and development standards, and how those standards influence feasibility and production. We analyzed the development and design standards for two Oregon cities, Eugene and Bend; contextualized these findings through the analysis of interviews with planning officials and from each city; and created analytical drawings from those standards to assess potential housing production. The results indicate that while there is no individual design and development standards that cause impediments to production, the application of the standards in infill lots creates challenges for cottage clusters and townhome production. This research closed the visualization gap between regulation and implementation by leveraging an interdisciplinary collaboration between architecture and planning. This analysis of Oregon’s specific Middle Housing reform, unique to the state and hyper-localized by each of its cities, provides a model for other regions experiencing the two crises of housing deficits and scarce developable land.

Housing shortages in small American cities demand place-specific solutions that honor local building traditions while addressing contemporary needs. This paper presents the Alley House Program in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania as a model of collaborative, technology-enabled housing research that revives historic secondary housing units to expand affordable supply. Through participatory processes, such as oral histories, citywide surveys, and design workshops, the Program documented over 7,000 potential development sites and engaged residents in visioning new construction. An interactive web-based guide translates this knowledge into an accessible tool enabling homeowners and civic leaders to explore site-specific development possibilities through a structured decision tree and site-tailored design templates. The Program demonstrates how "technologies of consensus,” both participatory processes and digital tools, can democratize housing knowledge, build community support, and unlock infill capacity within the existing urban fabric. This approach offers a replicable framework for small cities confronting housing crises with limited resources, demonstrating how place-based strategies grounded in local spatial conditions can generate scalable, adaptable responses.