Designing K-12 classrooms with proper daylighting is imperative to the educational enrichment of children. Out of all design parameters in the classroom, including temperature, acoustics, and air quality, daylight has consistently shown to have the highest impact on overall student progress. Daylight supports focus, the stability of the circadian cycle, and overall mental health. While daylight alone is a great element that supports biophilic design within classrooms, it can also be utilized in creative ways to introduce other natural phenomena that exist in nature, such as fractals. Despite the growing interest in incorporating fractal patterns in architectural spaces, few studies have explored their impacts on daylight performance in spaces.

This study evaluates the performance of fractal patterned screens on students' visual comfort and daylight performance in a typical K-12 school classroom. The goal is to demonstrate the impacts of daylight fractal patterns on students’ visual comfort and to add to the body of knowledge related to biophilia in architecture and its performative benefits. The simulation model used in this study was determined based on average K-12 classroom sizes in the U.S. A total of 3 varying perforated solar screens were modeled along with a standard glazed opening as a base case for comparison.

The results of this study suggest that fractal patterned screens offered the best performance for daylight exposure in classrooms. Fractal patterns applied to solar screens have been proven to be a practical solution for providing good quality of daylight. It also created a more enriching educational experience as the patterns of light create appealing biophilic characteristics. This study suggests that the perforation geometry of a solar-screen matters when aiming for specific daylighting performance. The performance examined from the fractal patterned screen in this study encourages the use of daylight and fractals as biophilic design elements within classrooms.

This paper examines how hemp-based materials could offer a alternative to conventional components in Virginia residential construction, exploring a potential shift to construction norms that adopt biomaterials and scalable fabrication methods. To understand the feasibility of combined hemp-based alternatives, the paper conducts a comparative case study of 3 different wall section designs that are constructed using commercially available products. The first is a conventional vinyl siding wall assembly made using standard materials, the second substituted standard materials with direct hemp-based alternatives such as hemp-batt insulation and hemp-based lumber, and the third used hemp-based products that were not direct replicas of conventional products such as hempcrete. The models are compared based on presence of VOC emissions, embodied carbon, fabrication requirements, material sourcing, and material cost. Materials are sourced by collaborating with industry leaders and American companies manufacturing hemp-based products. The paper uses Virginia as a case study, as it is in a mixed climate zone. Findings from this region can be scaled across the country. Additionally, Virginia’s temperate climate and established agriculture industry make it an ideal region for cultivating hemp. Given the legalization of industrial hemp growth with the 2018 farm bill, identifying local opportunities for industrial hemp usage is economically relevant. The comparative study found that hemp-based wall assemblies are more expensive than traditional wall sections and are more challenging to source and fabricate. On the other hand, the hemp-based wall assemblies have lower embodied carbon and VOC emissions that contribute to better indoor air quality. The findings suggest that having more sources for locally grown hemp-hurd, as well as more manufacturers for hemp-based products, could reduce costs and embodied carbon as well as increase availability for hemp-based products. This paper provides the foundation for future investment and research efforts to establish increased availability of hemp based building materials.

This multidisciplinary initiative explores the potential of a site-built stress-skin panel, the Vaulted Insulated Metal Roof Panel (vIMRP), to facilitate low-cost residential roof assemblies. This paper complements full-scale construction of the proposed roof assembly with computational modeling and analysis of the structural and thermal efficacy of the system. The proposed vIMRP incorporates corrugated galvanized metal sheets as an exposed vaulted ceiling surface to increase the structural capacity of the panel and eliminate additional costs due to Finishing Trades. This paper presents two cycles of a recursive action research sequence that weave together faculty from the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering and the School of Architecture. Findings from the research include key techniques in the sequence of construction, deflection tables, along with thermal insulation analysis and strategies for roof and eaves details.

This paper investigates strategies for re-localizing food production to mitigate inequitable access to fresh produce through polyvalent structures that address overlapping urban needs. An analytical mapping framework identifies critical and viable zones for architectural intervention, addressing how existing hydroponic typologies overlook opportunities to operate within underutilized urban conditions shaped by environmental risk and infrastructural fragmentation.

Atlanta serves as the case study due to its legacies of infrastructural disinvestment, exclusionary zoning, and stormwater vulnerability. GIS-based mapping reveals compounded stress zones—where food insecurity, transit inaccessibility, socio-economic marginalization, and flood risk intersect—informing an adaptable framework for situating hydroponic interventions as tools for urban metabolic repair.

Applications are modular. They range from small-scale hubs on flood-prone residential infill lots to vertical farming units integrated into highway bridge extensions, activating areas rendered functionally or symbolically inert by water-related issues or infrastructural neglect. Architecturally, soil-less cultivation is repositioned from concealed industrial interiors to hybrid structures with a civic interface, reframing agriculture as a public and spatial encounter. Scalable modular systems support incremental development, gradually replacing extractive supply chains. By treating water and food production as community assets, the proposal offers agencies a replicable strategy to advance public health, climate resilience, and spatial equity in 21st-century cities.