Human Factors and Architectural Research Methods: Architecture 407/507

 

Human Factors and Architectural Research Methods 407/507

This Scholars' Bank collection contains research papers by Human Factors and Architectural Research Methods 407/507 students. These students study at the Portland Center Architecture Program in Portland, Oregon and are at varying levels of educational development. Students use this course as a vehicle to define their terminal project concepts, or to research elements of site, design, theory and culture.

Students study various architectural research methods over the quarter. These include modeling, historical, qualitative, correlational and experimental methods. Students use one or more of these methods to frame their arguments for their papers.

Students bring ideas that thoughtfully criticize how our architecture reflects our society. Each student shapes a topic of their own choosing, researches it, outlines the issues, and writes, then re-writes their arguments and conclusions. Some papers question who we are as a culture, specifically looking at how we have developed our cities and countryside. Other papers study how we construct our buildings, or more precisely, how we can better construct our buildings. Some papers even question how we make architects.

Students in this class are concerned with the contemporary world influences they will face as architects. Their papers describe ideas of how to influence the world in return.

Recent Submissions

  • Daylight, manual sunshade use and occupant-centric circadian lighting stimulus in an open office 
    Pici, Nico; Pieper, Jordan (University of Oregon, Dept. of Architecture, Portland Program, 2019)
    Daylight is essential to human productivity. It has been shown that if we do not receive enough daylight, our health and well-being is negatively affected. However, an overabundance of daylight into the indoors can make ...
  • Comparison of Occupant-Centric daylighting levels in windows for affordable housing in Portland, OR. 
    Rager, Bentley; Martin, Katherine (University of Oregon, Dept. of Architecture, Portland Program, 2019)
    This paper presents the results conducted from observing shade configurations and daylighting levels within an affordable housing bedroom unit. We conducted mainly qualitative data as the residents of the 82nd and Orchard ...
  • Lighting and the indoor microbiome: measuring the effect of LED lighting on E.coli 
    Naganuma, Lindsey; Wimer, Isaac (University of Oregon, Dept. of Architecture, Portland Program, 2019)
    The more we learn about natural light’s direct correlation to microbiology and its ability to regulate the production and growth of bacteria, the more the topic brings into question the effect electric light has on indoor ...
  • Clearing the air: impacts of plants on air particulates in passive ventilation 
    Braun, Elise; Cooper, Thomas; Surguine, Marsie (University of Oregon, Dept. of Architecture, Portland Program, 2019)
    The presence of air contaminants, such as fine particulate matter generated by transportation and other outdoor sources is linked to adverse effects on human health such as asthma, headaches, and irritation in the eyes ...
  • Whole building life cycle assessment (WBLCA) of mass timber systems: European vs North American mass timber vs steel 
    O’Halloran, Simone; Kazeminejad, Yasmin (University of Oregon, Dept. of Architecture, Portland Program, 2019)
    Whole Building Life Cycle Assessments (WBLCA) are helpful tools in the evaluation of the environmental impacts of all of the components in a building. Inputs (like material extraction and manufacturing) and outputs (such ...
  • Auditory visual perception: acoustic distractions in mass timber versus concrete office spaces 
    Bain, Olivia; Montiel, Michelle; Summers, Lily; Yauk, Michael (University of Oregon, Dept. of Architecture, Portland Program, 2019)
    Designing for acoustics in relation to human health is becoming an increasingly relevant topic in the architectural profession. In an office environment, auditory stimuli such as the sound of traffic, office chatter, or ...
  • Rails-to-Green rails: Green space is the future for rail stations and rail corridors 
    KiHyun, Kim (University of Oregon, Dept. of Architecture, Portland Program, 2005-12)
    Green space is an alternative for rails.
  • Are native desert plants appropriate for green roofs in Portland, Oregon? 
    Grabski, Manfred (University of Oregon, Dept. of Architecture, Portland Program, 2005-12)
    Desert plants are well suited for green roofs in the Pacific Northwest.
  • Museums in Modern Society 
    Heimdahl, Jon (University of Oregon, Dept. of Architecture, Portland Program, 2005-12)
    Museums have strayed from their intended mission of preserving and displaying art into a tool for economic and corporate interests.
  • Non-traditional Families and Their Architectural Needs 
    Freiberg, Kirstyn (University of Oregon, Dept. of Architecture, Portland Program, 2005-12)
    Non-traditional families have a unique set of needs that are rarely addressed by their living environment. If we are going to start designing for these families we first need to understand who these families are, and ...
  • The Role of Retail Markets in Impoverished Neighborhoods 
    Barrett, Justin (University of Oregon, Dept. of Architecture, Portland Program, 2005-12)
    By assessing the lifestyles and correlated purchasing habits of the poor, hopeful retail strategies emerge that explore how the insertion of new services into underprivileged areas can support the low-income minority groups ...
  • Health and Healing Through Water 
    Ebner, Kevin (University of Oregon, Dept. of Architecture, Portland Program, 2005-12)
    Despite technological and medical advances of recent centuries does water still have the capacity to effectively promote good health and healing naturally?
  • Industrialists dominate, agrarians accommodate 
    Bittner, Nicholas (University of Oregon, Dept. of Architecture, Portland Program, 2005-12)
    Abstract: Agrarians painstakingly accommodate to the realities of life and death in the effort to husband the health and long-term productivity of the land. The buildings and landscapes erected by these like-minded ...
  • Making Architecture, Making Community: The Pedagogy of an Urban “Rural Studio” 
    Feuerborn, Glen J. (University of Oregon, Dept. of Architecture, Portland Program, 2005-12)
    An analysis of the feasibility of an urban architecture program that focuses on a community based design-build education. The pedagogy of the University of Auburn's "Rural Studio" is the precedence for this particular ...
  • Exercise with a New Vision 
    DeLuca, Elizabeth (University of Oregon, Dept. of Architecture, Portland Program, 2005-12)
    What is a more successful prototype for an exercise facility?
  • Shelter and the Homeless 
    Wasmer, Brienne (University of Oregon, Dept. of Architecture, Portland Program, 2005-12)
    Architects have to ability to generate a new identity for the homeless because they can design a variety of shelters that promote and project individuality, self-sufficiency and dignity.
  • Marquette Climate & Sustainable Design Research 
    Landry, Cassandra (University of Oregon, Dept. of Architecture, Portland Program, 2005-12)
    What sustainable building systems work in the harsh climate of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula?
  • Homogenization/Fragmentation: Can Skateboarding Influence Big Box Design? 
    Flood, Ian (University of Oregon, Dept. of Architecture, Portland Program, 2005-12)
    The city is a producer of two types; Homogenization (sameness) and Fragmentation (difference)! This dichotomy is a balance that must be struck to sustain a city’s cultural identity. Homogenization is something epitomized ...