Architecture Theses and Dissertations

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Thermal Comfort and Indoor Air Quality in Low Socioeconomic Status Classrooms
(University of Oregon, 2025-02-24) Coronado Cabrera, Maria; Kwok, Alison
Indoor air quality and thermal comfort influence student performance and wellbeing in schools. Most studies in this area have concentrated on measuring classroom environmental conditions and comparing them with student’s perceptions of comfort, specific academic tasks, or measures associated with health, like absenteeism. This approach, though valid, ignores the influences that modify and dictate classroom indoor conditions. For example, most adaptive opportunities (such as window operations or thermostat) are in the immediate control of the teacher, not the students. Additionally, facility maintenance and operations managers have specific policies and mandates that regulate and control the indoor environmental conditions of classrooms; many of these related to aging school facilities and limited funding. This is most pressing for schools located in disadvantaged communities, which often do not have sufficient funds to maintain or modernize their schools and may suffer more from chronic exposures to unhealthy environmental conditions. The objective of this dissertation is to characterize the environmental performance of low-socioeconomic classrooms in different contexts and investigate how teachers, facility maintenance and the classroom physical environment influence their indoor environmental conditions. The dissertation presents five chapters that investigate different aspects of indoor air quality and thermal comfort. The first chapter describes the mixed-method case study approach used in the subsequent chapters to study thermal comfort and indoor air quality in schools. The methodology aims to construct a holistic understanding of the building, occupant, and maintenance factors that influence indoor environmental quality in educational settings. The following chapters present three case studies that took place in schools in different locations in the Americas: Eugene, Oregon, Southern California, and Gran Concepción in Chile. The Oregon case study assessed the efficiency of ventilation strategies and protocols in one classroom during the COVID-19 pandemic for CO2 and particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) concentrations. The study found that since the outdoor air quality and temperatures were relatively ideal during the study period, occupancy levels, and teachers’ adaptive behaviors and activities were the major influences on indoor air quality. While the results are not generalizable, the case study showed that, on average, during mild weather seasons like the spring, natural ventilation could provide adequate ventilation rates for the classroom during normal use, and near optimal ventilation during emergency use, if all doors and windows remained open. The following case study investigated particulate matter concentrations (PM2.5 and PM10) in three schools in the Gran Concepción region in Chile, along with a survey of self-reported health symptoms from teachers. This area is characterized by high levels of energy poverty, so wood stoves are widely used to heat residences. In the three schools, indoor and outdoor PM2.5 and PM10 surpassed the World health Organization’s (WHO) air quality guidelines (AQG), and in some cases reached environmental emergency levels according to Chilean local regulations. Also, outdoor air pollution stemming from wood stove burning smoke and traffic didn’t appear to be an important health concern for teachers. The symptoms teachers reported more frequently matched those related to teaching in previous literature. The case study portrayed the urgency of improving IAQ in the region and showed the disconnect between air pollution concentrations and the chronic exposure concerns of teachers in a context of energy poverty. The final case study investigated the ways in which classrooms’ physical environment, teachers, and maintenance managers, influenced thermal conditions and IAQ in low socioeconomic status Southern California schools using a mixed-methods approach. The qualitative portion of the case study found that the construction of indoor environmental conditions in classrooms depended on 1) the effective communication between teachers and maintenance managers, 2) the adaptations to the classroom environment resulting from comfort, teaching and learning influences, and 3) managers’ ability to plan and execute maintenance, and respond to emergencies. These findings were complemented with the quantitative portion of the case study, where permanent classrooms of all ages and conditions outperformed portable classrooms regarding thermal comfort and ventilation. In addition, the thermal performance of classrooms directly reflected each school district’s temperature policies, and the results suggested that including controlled adaptive opportunities for teachers could be beneficial for energy efficiency and occupant comfort. The case study showed that teacher awareness, education, and training on indoor environmental quality are vital for the optimum use of building systems and the creation of ideal environmental conditions in classrooms. This dissertation includes previously published and unpublished co-authored material.
Open Access
The Story of My House: and many others in Delhi
(University of Oregon, 2025-02-24) Murthy, Manas; Davis, Howard
This dissertation examines the emergence of ‘builder floors’; a new housing type that has proliferated across residential neighborhoods in Delhi, India in recent decades. Drawing on case studies, interviews, spatial documentation, archival research, and personal reflections, I trace how the phenomenon of builder floors intersects with, and makes legible, the economic, social, and morphological transformations of Delhi’s middle-class neighborhoods. Builder floors, as architectural type, draw on precedents of elite private dwellings such as havelis and kothis while offering upward mobility to the middle class. As multistoried buildings, they have drastically altered ground floor sociality, connection to greenery, feelings of privacy and security, and wider social relationships in neighborhoods. Builder floors have also reconfigured social relations within households: for instance, the return of joint family living alongside the hyper-privatization of individual spaces; the emergence of new forms of neighborliness and issues of management of common areas within buildings. As stilted buildings with parking on the ground, they have further prioritized automobile use and contributed to a growing parking crisis in Delhi. However, most crucially, following Karen Barad’s (2007) ‘agential realism’, the study of builder floors helps bring together seemingly disparate urban processes and disciplinary ‘lenses’ that have been critical to Delhi and its development since India’s independence; specifically, the changing relationship between land and property, housing mobility and migration of the middle class, the establishment of automobility, speculative capital and real estate, and the evolving conception of ‘home’. The research takes a post-qualitative approach with concepts from new materialism and posthumanist philosophy and deploys ‘plugging in’ as a method (Jackson & Mazzei, 2023) that dissolves rigid boundaries between theory, data, and analysis. In doing so, my research engages with a wide range of disciplines and bodies of literature, tantamount to a thickening of ‘fields’, where the empirical and the theoretical, the material and the discursive, are juxtaposed without privileging either. Rather than presenting a comprehensive model of Delhi's urbanism, this dissertation offers partial, embodied narratives that speak to broader processes while remaining grounded in lived experience. The dissertation itself takes the form of an assemblage – following Deleuze and Guattari (1987) – with each chapter acting as a plateau generating its own intensity while connecting to others like a ‘rhizome’. Ultimately, this dissertation illuminates how interventions in housing, mobility, or infrastructure inevitably reshape other domains in complex ways, calling for more integrated planning approaches. It highlights the fundamentally entangled nature of the economic mobility of Delhi's middle classes, the evolution of its land-property regime, the workings of speculative capital, and changing domestic imaginaries. Builder floors, I argue, have emerged through multiple ‘parallel becomings’ that reinforce and make each other legible. The significance of this research, in foregrounding the builder floor, lies in the connections it makes between homeownership and a land-property regime; between car ownership and ‘automobility’; between house form and class relations; between statecraft and speculative capital.
Open Access
Internal Growth: The Liberal Libertarian Guide to Housing Affordability & Densification
(University of Oregon, 2025-02-24) Adams, Michael; Gillem, Mark
Communities across the United States are reconsidering the efficacy of segregated land usezoning, specifically exclusive single-family detached (SFD) zoning, given escalating economic, environmental, and social concerns. Common economic motivations for change include diminished housing affordability and compounding costs to society, a need for [post-pandemic] economic development to counter inflation and losses in wealth, or to address municipal budgetary solvency in the face of draining infrastructure investments and maintenance costs. Irrespective of the nature of these concerns, continued research points to segregated land use zoning having an adverse relationship with these issues, specifically where it forms zones exclusive to SFD housing. As communities look to make amendments to, or in some cases replacement of segregated land use zoning, increased research seeks to understand the potential for these policy moves to address housing affordability, impact to the physical built environment, and whether results are forthcoming and in alignment with intent. The recent development of policies to alter existing segregated land use zoning codes to eliminate SFD zoning, enabling multi-family construction on all residential lots, is intended to increase the number and diversity of housing options through incremental development and to address a growing housing affordability and availability crisis. From a liberal perspective, this shift addresses decades of exclusion in support of society, from a libertarian perspective, less regulation to infringe on individual rights. During the development stages of reforms to segregated land use zoning codes, elected and appointed officials must consider the viability of incremental development by homeowners and small local developers, that is sufficient to alter affordability trends. In hindsight, segregated land use zoning is economically inefficient, hurtful to the environment, and tears at the social fabric of communities. Society is well studied in the repercussions of land use regulation, and amendments to regulations should not be considered the next chapter of the same story. It may be better to shrug off the weight of old ideas, with one hundred years of questionable adjustments, and write with fresh intent and the wisdom of hindsight. Three primary economic indicators should inform the extent of mixing compatible uses and the cadence of graceful transition between low and high density zones: Housing costs (and transportation costs as an inverse function) for varied income levels, local economic development, and municipal solvency. The health of each is beholden to an adequate supply of housing.
Open Access
Hello Neighbors! Investigations of Housing and Social Cohesion of Afghan Refugees in the United States
(University of Oregon, 2025-02-24) Chaiwat, Pamanee; Gillem, Mark
Resettlement gives refugees a chance to restart and gain a normal life in a foreign land. For Afghan refugees, however, their unfamiliarity to American culture and norms, negative media portrayal, or perceived competition for limited resources may cause them to be socially isolated and bring about perceptions of otherness among neighbors. This may result in lowering neighborhood efficacy or community cohesion. While social cohesion has been gaining more ground in academic migration research in the last decade, limited research has paid attention to resettlement countries. To date, there is no published study on social cohesion in U.S. refugee-receiving cities. This leaves an underexplored gap of understanding regarding the spatial impact on social life and social cohesion in U.S. resettlement communities. In this examination, I employ a mixed-method approach including document analysis, interviews, surveys, and observations. I present two case studies: Sacramento, CA and Eugene, OR focusing on the housing experiences and social life of Afghan refugees. The framework is built upon theories of social cohesion in conjunction with refugee integration and the built environment. The investigation is centered around space and spatial qualities that promote social interactions and the relationships among community members. This study seeks to determine how refugees make their presence in everyday residential and public spaces. The findings suggest that 1) a sense of belonging, privacy and control, and perceived crowding are key attributes of living places that promote both intergroup and intragroup interactions on daily basis; and 2) increased freedom of mobility has resulted in a dispersed residential pattern which positively associates with improved spatial integration. Ultimately, this study provides data-driven suggestions on housing and socio-spatial transformations for a refugee-receiving city.
Open Access
Traditional Principles in the Urban Vernacular Environment: Study of Persistence and Erasures of Belief System’s Architectural Expressions in Denpasar-Bali, Indonesia
(University of Oregon, 2024-08-07) Wicaksono, Dimas; Davis, Howard
In this dissertation, I embark on an exploratory journey to unravel the relationship between the belief systems of urban communities and the physical spaces they inhabit. Central to this investigation is the idea that our built environment and social fabric are inextricably linked, particularly evident when rural traditions encounter the complexities of urban life. The research is driven by curiosity about how traditional values, born in the expansive settings of rural-agricultural settings, are reimagined within the dense confines of urban areas. The study provides a meticulous analysis, comparing and contrasting the cultural practices of Bali’s rural-agricultural regions with those of its urban areas. It observes the set of differences and similarities of practices in both places and the ways in which people change those practices for survival or transfer of traditional religious values.The investigation operates under three hypotheses: firstly, that religious traditions are resilient and find expression in the vernacular architecture; secondly, that with increasing spatial constraints, some traditional religious architectural features may be sacrificed; thirdly, there is an implicit consensus about the sufficiency of a belief system's architectural manifestations across different densities, which is crucial in refining the contextual design approach. Employing a multi-sited ethnographic approach, the study explores two rural areas in Bali and traces their architectural evolution in the urban context of Denpasar city. By comparing architectural adaptations across different genealogical groups, the research aims to offer deeper insight into the spatial practices of religious communities within dense urban environments. The dissertation contends that examining the architectural expressions of vernacular houses – both traditional and modern, rural and urban – unveils how they accommodate the evolving identity struggles within Balinese society. The tacit consensus on the adequacy of the belief system’s spatial manifestations at varying density levels also reveals patterns that reflect not only the persistence of religious architectural expressions but also their resilience against spatial constraints. This enduring nature of spatial practices is posited as a key consideration for future designs and developments, enriching our understanding of the spatial dynamics of religious tradition, which is vital for spiritual identity and communal development in an increasingly diverse post-secular society. This dissertation includes previously published coauthored material.
Open Access
INFLUENCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN FACTORS ON PERCEPTION AND PERFORMANCE OF INDOOR OCCUPANTS
(University of Oregon, 2024-08-07) Satumane, Anupam; Rockcastle, Siobhan
This dissertation presents a series of empirical studies that explore the complex relationship between design elements of indoor environments and the psychological and physiological responses of occupants. The research examines various factors, including sky conditions, view types, window shading conditions, façade design elements like patterned solar screens, and the layout of office spaces, particularly within the framework of Activity-Based Working (ABW) environments.The initial phase of the study focuses on how environmental and contextual factors such as sky conditions and space functions influence indoor occupant perception. Findings reveal that sky conditions and space functions impact indoor occupant perception which then impacts environmental adaptation in the form of window blind use. A consistent preference for half-closed blinds was observed, reflecting a universal desire to balance privacy with natural views. The dissertation then progresses to analyze the perceptual impact of façade designs, demonstrating that traditional solar screen patterns, such as mashrabiyas, influence occupants' views and perceptions of privacy. Moreover, these screens' pattern complexity and occlusion percentage intricately affect satisfaction and view quality, emphasizing the need for a harmonious balance between functional and perceptual considerations in design. Further investigation into the human-built environment relationship led to the study of the impacts of environmental design on indoor occupant performance. Specifically, in office environment design via virtual reality simulations, the research assesses the impact of ABW office environments on cognitive performance and satisfaction. Quieter, privacy-conducive spaces such as Focus Rooms are shown to promote better performance and higher satisfaction, highlighting the inadequacy of Open Offices for focus-requiring tasks. The dissertation highlights the complexity of design and environmental factors in shaping occupant perception, environmental adaptation, and performance, advocating for a human-centric approach in architectural and interior design. It calls for future research to further explore the longitudinal effects of these design interventions and to consider the integration of emergent technologies for enhancing our understanding of environmental design psychology. Overall, the dissertation provides compelling evidence that thoughtful design can improve the quality of indoor environments, optimizing both the well-being and productivity of occupants. As the nature of workspaces continues to evolve post-pandemic, this research offers valuable insights for creating adaptive, supportive environments in line with the diverse needs of an ever-evolving workforce. This dissertation includes previously published material co- authored with Dr. Siobhan Rockcastle.
Open Access
THE IMPACT OF HUMAN-CENTRIC LIGHTING PARAMETERS ON OLDER ADULT’S PERCEPTION, AND COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE
(University of Oregon, 2024-01-09) Golshany, Nasrin; Elzeyadi, Ihab
Population aging is a prominent demographic challenge. Older adults face increased risks of sleep dysfunctions, depression, and cognitive impairments due to physical, biological, and psychological factors associated with aging. These behavioral issues elevate safety risks at home, which necessitates the transition to assisted living facilities. Extensive research highlights the influence of healthcare environmental design, particularly related to architectural lighting impacts on residents' well-being and quality of life. To optimize older adults' health and well-being, it is essential to consider both the visual and non-visual effects of architectural lighting. Visual impacts include parameters related to task performance and visual acuity, while non-visual impacts may include outcomes such as circadian rhythm regulation, sleep quality, mood enhancement, and cognitive performance, thereby emphasizing the importance of implementing a holistic conceptual approach to human-centric lighting in indoor environments.While existing gerontology studies have primarily focused on light-level attributes, such as radiant flux, illuminance, and equivalent melanopic lux, there has been limited exploration of spectral and spatial pattern parameters in indoor lighting. The primary objective of this research is to investigate the impact of both quantitative and qualitative aspects of lighting design, including spatial layout characteristics such as uniformity, direction, centrality, and spectral attributes like correlated color temperature (CCT), on the visual perception, preference, mood, cognitive performance, and overall well-being of older adults in assisted living facilities. The study employed a multi-method approach across three main research phases. In phase I, a Q-sort survey involving 60 participants assessed the impact of diverse spatial light patterns on visual perception and preference. In phase II, a within-subject design evaluated the cognitive performance of 32 older adults in similar lighting scenarios within real and virtual environments. Lastly, in phase III, the study examined the relationship between spatial and spectral light patterns and cognitive performance through virtual reality testing with 32 participants. Results revealed significant effects of different spatial light patterns on older adults' environmental impressions, including visual preference, stress levels, and cognitive performance. Uniform and indirect lighting were preferred, with no substantial differences between peripheral and central spatial arrangements of light layers. Non-uniform lighting induced a relaxed impression, while uniform lighting heightened perceived stress. Furthermore, the study demonstrated the suitability of virtual reality environments (VR) for assessing cognitive performance and subjective perception. The findings underscore the substantial influence of spatial and spectral light patterns on the cognitive performance of older adults in assisted living facilities. This research contributes to the understanding of the visual and non-visual effects of human-centric lighting on the well-being of older adults. By considering spatial and spectral light attributes, designers can enhance cognitive function, reduce impairments, and cultivate healthier and more efficient living environments.
Open Access
Window Shading for Cooling Load Reduction in Commercial Building Retrofits in Tropical Climates: The Case of Accra, Ghana and Miami, Florida
(University of Oregon, 2022-10-26) Fiati, Selorm; Speranza, Philip
This study investigated two shoebox models representing a typical office space with an area of 20m2, one without window shading and one with a fixed louvered overhang. The study explored the impact of the louvered overhang with projection factor of 0.7 for an east, west and south-facing window on cooling load reduction and daylighting performance for office building retrofits in Accra, Ghana, and Miami, USA. The results showed that, in both Accra and Miami, the fixed louvered overhang achieved a reduction in window transmitted solar radiation of 22.7% - 27.3% for the Accra model and 26.3% - 30.2% for Miami. Consequently, total annual cooling load was reduced by 6% - 9% in Accra and 10% - 12% in Miami. In all cases, the louvered overhang improved the Useful Daylight Illuminance of the office space by 3.9% - 5.4% in Accra and 1.9% - 3.4% in Miami.
Open Access
A Post Occupancy Evaluation of daylight performance in classrooms at River Road Elementary School for Optimal Visual Comfort in Climate Zone 4C.
(University of Oregon, 2022-10-26) Alitema, Sharon; Elzeyadi, Ihab
Daylight is a multifaceted phenomenon that influences occupant comfort through its dynamic visual attributes. In an exploratory study conducted at River Road Elementary school, classrooms facing north, and south are selected for visual comfort analysis. Semi-structured interviews and simulations are conducted to determine the subjective perceptions of visual comfort. While the interviews examine the teachers' perception/behavior, the simulations explore and assess selected architectural parameters that affect daylight-driven circadian lighting in the classrooms. A key and follow-up question are explored: (1) How does the post-occupancy adaptation of classrooms performed by the teachers affect their visual comfort needs during teaching hours? (2) Is there a significant discrepancy between the design and perceived illuminance levels in the North and South-facing classrooms? The key findings indicated that: (1) there is a low level of satisfaction with the perceived illuminance during teaching hours, (2) the adaptations minimized the potential for daylight to provide circadian entrainment, and in conclusion, (3) the overall pattern of visual and biological responses to light raise relevant design questions regarding perceived brightness, control, and space. To attain visually desirable environments, designers must understand daylighting strategies, shading, and the corresponding perceptions of comfort, as there can be implications on the levels of control and view quality from the window apertures.
Open Access
The Visual Preference, Aesthetic Judgement, and Mood Response to Human-Centric Lighting in Office Spaces
(University of Oregon, 2022-10-26) Qin, Dan; Elzeyadi, Ihab
Architectural lighting is a significant visual stimulus that impacts the occupants' moods and aesthetic experiences within the office environment. Previous literature suggests that the good quality of architectural lighting is considered an important factor that contributes to the visual aesthetic experience of an environment through psychological mechanisms. Lighting uniformity, luminance distribution, and direct/indirect lighting have been discussed in other studies, but lighting spatial patterns are unclear. In particular, assessing the combined effects of lighting parameters on human mood and visual aesthetic experience is challenging. Featured film scenes depicting office environments offer convenient material to study the effects of Lighting on occupants' visual perception and mood.This thesis presents the result of an exploratory mixed-method approach to determine how human-centered lighting design affects occupants' mood, visual aesthetic judgment, and visual preferences in open office spaces. Six spatial lighting patterns of open office workstations were analyzed using image content analysis of selected film scenes. The six rendered images were presented to 60 participants via an online survey to determine their preferences, interests, and aesthetic judgments. This research has revealed that two light spatial patterns were significantly preferred among the six lighting spatial patterns. The first lighting spatial pattern (LS-3) that the overall low average luminance environment, equipped with work view region lighting, which also has a higher luminance ratio (R), is visually preferred. In terms of the higher overall average luminance environment (LS-4), people preferred the overall uniform luminance without desk area lighting with a low luminance value (R). The study also indicated that subjects’ aesthetic judgment (mood repones) and the lighting spatial patterns (LS- 3) within lower overall average illuminance and only equipped with diffused pendant lighting and desk area lighting triggered visually felt more pleasant, relaxed, and satisfied.
Open Access
The impacts of dynamic solar screens on energy performance and natural ventilation effectiveness in office buildings via cfd simulation under different climatic condition
(University of Oregon, 2022-10-04) Mohajerzadeh, Zia; Elzeyadi, Ihab
Architects and designers are increasingly interested in employing dynamic façades in contemporary office buildings. One of the dynamic facade types, which is widely used is a solar screen and they affect the indoor environment. This study evaluates the effect of a solar screen across a range of perforation ratios and its distance to the building on energy utilization, natural ventilation, indoor air temperature, and CO2 concentration in contemporary office buildings. Results demonstrate that dynamic solar screens have a promising positive impact on reducing energy consumption while improving indoor air quality. When these screens are in a closed state, they can reduce indoor air temperature up to 1°C and reduce energy consumption up to 60% in their most optimized state. Furthermore, the study’s results show that the dynamic solar screens impact airflow inside the office space based on their different states (open, semi-open, or closed).
Open Access
Foodways and Foodsheds: Supporting Culinary Heritage Practices
(University of Oregon, 2022-10-04) Roldan, Jeronimo; Randl, Chad
What roles can federal and municipal institutions play in the support of place-based culinary heritage? This thesis examines recent developments in federal and municipal intangible heritage preservation programs through the lens of foodways and the concept of a foodshed. The goal of this research is to determine how programs benefit communities, businesses, and conservation advocates, and what strategies can help them be more effective.
Open Access
Estimating and Mitigating Indoor Airborne Pathogens to Support Healthy Buildings
(University of Oregon, 2022-05-10) Parhizkar , Hooman; Van Den Wymelenberg, Kevin
The global pandemic has caused myriad damages to the lives of millions of people worldwide. Several studies confirm that indoor spaces are the main hotspots of COVID-19 outbreaks resulting in multiple confirmed instances of human-to-human transmission. Therefore, quantifying the impact of indoor environments and human activities on the transmission of infectious disease is key to stopping the spread of COVID-19 and prepare for future outbreaks. This dissertation is a multidisciplinary collaboration between designers, engineering, biologists, and public health experts to answer a question: “what is the airborne viral exposure risk indoors and how can building design and operations help to effectively reduce the risk of disease transmission indoors during the COVID-19 pandemic?” We aimed to answer these questions through following the projects: Chapter.II. A quantitative aerosol risk estimation platform. Chapter.III. Environmental mitigation of aerosol viral load. Chapter.IV. Respiratory exposure at alternate distances. In Chapter.II, we describe a quantitate aerosol risk estimation platform that is more mechanistic in nature than traditional risk estimates for airborne infectious disease. It enables the inclusion of aerosol size distributions and emissions from infected individuals with several predefined assumptions. In Chapter.III we provide the first real-world evidence that building related interventions described in Chapter.II significantly impact the dispersion and abundance of SARS-CoV-2 virus in the presence of individuals who were diagnosed with COVID-19. We also provide novel insights about the relationships of human and environmental viral loads (aerosols and surfaces) in near and far fields. In Chapter.IV, we describe a novel gas-tracing technique to quantify the degree of exposure to bioaerosols at alternate distances. Here we provide quantitative data to better explain the application of the well-mixed room assumption as well as insights about the distance from emitter variable that underly aerosol risk exposure estimates. In this dissertation, we conclude that buildings have a substantial impact on the risk of COVID-19 transmission. We offer an estimation platform for better understanding the risk of infection transmission indoors and provide proof that environmental mitigation strategies substantially reduce the viral load in a controlled study with infected participants. This dissertation includes both previously published/unpublished and co-authored material.
Open Access
The Scene Dynamism as an Aspect of Rating Indoor View Quality
(University of Oregon, 2022-02-18) Ghasemi, Seyedsohrab; Van Den Wymelenberg, Kevin
Views through windows provide a visual connection to the outdoors, information about weather and time, and indoor environments. Observers looking through a window perceive dynamic scene content, but the associated benefits are difficult to quantify. To better understand these benefits we employed an online survey (n=59) whereby subjects ranked scenes associated with window views having differing levels of dynamism. The rankings were compared against numerical measurements of motion derived from scene recordings using OpenCV with Python. Results show statistically significant differences among high, medium, and low dynamism for each of the twelve views. Among 100% natural views, high dynamism scenes were most preferred. When comparing three levels of dynamism in views with human activity, the medium level of dynamism was most preferred indicating a potential desire for moderate activity while avoiding sparsely occupied “ghost towns” or the chaos associated with heavy vehicular traffic.
Open Access
Nine to Five: Design for Chronobiological Aspects of the Indoor Environment
(University of Oregon, 2021-11-23) Al Awadh, Sadiqa; Elzeyadi, Ihab
We spend more than 90% of our time indoors. In office work environments, occupants are often seated in the same workstation for a prolonged period of time. If they do not receive the recommended quantity and quality of light or access to windows, this will be reflected in their decreased wellbeing, satisfaction, and productivity. This dissertation investigates the metrics, benchmarks, and tools that could test parameters that influence the availability of daylight and access to windows in buildings. It looks at both photopic light (illuminance, lux) for visual task needs as well as melanopic light (equivalent melanopic lux, EML) that triggers alertness levels and affects circadian entrainment for occupant health and wellbeing. The overarching question asked is whether glazing tints, office floor plates, or office indoor layouts more influential as architectural parameters that enhance or diminish the availability of daylight. To answer this question, fifty office buildings with various forms and interior layouts were simulated in both lighting analyses and isovist software to bridge both lighting design and interior design space syntax fields together. For experimental purposes, the parameters were constrained to limit the variables under study. The preliminary pilot studies tested the fixed parameters to be used for the lighting simulation conditions for all fifty office buildings: clear glazing, 2 storey height building context, location Portland, OR, climate zone 4C, overcast sky conditions, simulation time 9 am, 12 pm and 3 pm. The simulation results highlight the impact of a small glazing tint choice that can deteriorate daylighting conditions by up to 82%. The major findings indicate shape factor was the strongest indicator of a building’s form for circadian potential. By calculating a building’s shape factor and conducting a point isovist analysis to obtain the isovist measures (AP ratio, compactness, and occlusivity) for a specific view, a multiple linear regression model equation was derived to calculate whether the occupant seating position and view meets EML benchmarks. This research is a response to the need for awareness of the importance of lighting indoor environmental quality and occupant wellbeing by testing and providing quick rules of thumb and accessible simulation methods.
Open Access
HIDE & SEEK: Thermal Alliesthesia inside Solar Screened Perimeter Offices
(University of Oregon, 2021-09-13) Naik, Niyati; Elzeyadi, Ihab
It is the need of the day to design indoor environments that are not only comfortable but also pleasurable for the occupants. Passive yet dynamic architectural strategies have been widely acknowledged for their influence on thermal pleasure. However, this influence has not been adequately investigated. Dynamic solar screens of building facades are passive strategies that can potentially provide thermal comfort and pleasure. This dissertation research explored thermal pleasure in office spaces using dynamic solar screens as the tools to control the indoor environments. The study responds to these questions, (i) what typologies of dynamic solar screens are the most suitable in controlling indoor thermal environments for thermal pleasure? (ii) how to design dynamic solar screens for thermal pleasure? (iii) what is the relationship of thermal pleasure with indoor thermal environmental parameters and human physiological variables inside dynamic-movable and static-stationary screened spaces? (iv) what is the impact of sky conditions on thermal pleasure inside dynamic and static screened spaces, and (v) what is the significance of dynamic over static screens in influencing thermal pleasure under different sky conditions? The research employed a multi-method approach of five inter-related studies, as follows: (i) meta-analysis of solar screen performance from previous studies, (ii) observational field study, (ii) computational simulations, (iii) indoor environmental monitoring, and (iv) within and between-subjects experiments involving human participants inside the experimental perimeter offices with dynamic and static screen shading. It was found that the dynamic screens, designed to create variability in the indoor thermal environment within the limits of the thermal comfort zone may influence thermal pleasure. The findings provide experimental evidence that expands the application of the thermal alliesthesia framework to building perimeter offices. They demonstrate the importance of indoor thermal environmental variability for occupant pleasure and well-being. This research contributes to occupant-centric building research by describing an approach to design shading systems that cater to occupant’s thermal pleasure and multi-comfort. This work will be of interest to scholars, architects, building designers, engineers, and students interested in research on thermal comfort, indoor environmental quality, adaptive shading, and passive architecture. This dissertation includes previously published/unpublished material.
Open Access
No Place to Play? Studies of How Adolescents Use Public Space in Dispossessed Communities
(University of Oregon, 2021-09-13) Deaton, Lyndsey; Gillem, Mark
Scholars agree that public space is essential for adolescents living in low-income communities. However, design professionals struggle to justify public space in resource-constrained environments such as rapidly densifying urban areas. As competition for space heats up, complex neoliberal processes often push out or squeeze in low-income communities that can be generally described as forms of forced dispossession—the taking of land—to make way for new development. Although development-forced dispossession and resettlement (DFDR) is widespread, the lives of adolescents in these environments have rarely been subjected to systematic and in-depth study. Manila, Philippines and Hyderabad, India represent vivid cases where adolescents experience the most extreme forms of dispossession. Focusing on seven dispossessed communities this dissertation asks: what spaces perform as public space and how do adolescents use them? To answer these questions, I used a two-part, inductive research methodology starting with an environmental psychology approach that relied on intensive interviews with adolescents (n=73) to document their mobility, describe their place use, and characterize their environments. After collecting and analyzing photographs taken and maps made by adolescents as well as 178 hours of audio recordings with adolescents, adults, designers, and officials, I identified the most frequented spaces in each dispossessed community that were “public” in way adolescents used them and developed eight cross-cutting influences on their spatial activity. In part two, I adopted an architectural approach to investigate the broader transferability of adolescents’ spaces to the community and evaluate their accessibility, safety, and environmental qualities. Through two years of field saturation including 250 hours of public space observations and nearly 1,300 detailed behavior maps, I found that urban planning processes of dispossession often oppresses girls’ environmental affordances and spatial mobilities more than any other sub-group. Therefore, architects and planners should work with adolescents, especially adolescent girls, to understand the power structures within each community and design upgrading strategies to improve the safety and accessibility of local public spaces. These findings were validated by using multiple sources of data for triangulation, recruiting diverse participant perspectives, and member-checking transcripts. This dissertation has rich impacts. It extends previous findings on children’s experiences in low-income communities such as Lynch (1977), Chawla (2002), and Kreutz (2015) by shifting the framework toward the economy of space. Additionally, research involving adolescents’ experiences in dispossessed communities is scarce and, as such, this dissertation makes a significant contribution to the interdisciplinary field of children’s environments and, more broadly, to the study of dispossessed environments.
Open Access
A Historical Inquiry into the Failure of Downtown Eugene's Pedestrian Mall Strategy to Revitalize the Retail Core, 1971-2002
(University of Oregon, 2021-09-13) Shrestha, Subik; Davis, Howard
“Downtown” and its revitalization have been among the most prominent issues for post-war American urbanism scholars. Of importance to this research are the federal government’s institution of urban renewal in 1954 to revitalize the declining parts of the central city areas and the local governments’ incorporation of the “pedestrian mall” strategy in the 1960s and 1970s. The downtown pedestrian malls successfully facilitated the downtown core revitalization in these two decades. However, several of them began to fail in the 1980s, continuing in the following decades. This research examines two questions through a historical study of downtown Eugene, Oregon. First, why did the retail center facilitated by the pedestrian mall begin to decline in the 1980s and eventually fail by the early-2000s? Second, in addition to demolition and reconstruction, what other design and planning-related processes did the urban renewal project experience? The four major fields of inquiry comprising the literature research framework are urban history, urban morphology (Conzenian approach), space syntax, and urban economic/urban retail theories. The research incorporates a Mixed-methods Research Design, including archival research, interviews, space syntax analysis, mapping/spatial analysis, and statistical analysis. These literary and methodological frameworks examine the following urban morphological components: (1) building morphology, (2) retail business structure, (3) relationship between the mall and the built form, and (4) influential historical/socio-political forces. Among the many reasons associated with the Eugene mall, the prominent ones are related to the drastic and sudden alteration to the existing built fabric, mall’s design and planning, spatial configuration, small business dislocations, the project’s planned and inflexible nature, disregard to downtown housing, failure of parking garages, and growth of outer-city areas. However, positive stories like the renewal agency’s efforts to facilitate the small businesses or the involvement of downtown merchants and the local community in the process are also central to the mall’s story. Additionally, in the later phase of the mall’s existence, the retail core experienced a shift in approach by the city and the renewal agency from a retail-centric approach to preserving the existing fabric and attracting diverse residential and commercial projects.
Open Access
Suicide in the Barracks: Architecture and Social Connection in Military Housing
(University of Oregon, 2020-09-24) Kelly, Sean-Michael; Gillem, Mark
Military barracks serve the same function today as they did in the first century—housing an Army’s soldiers. Their form has stayed less consistent than their function, however. Since 1973—and the end of the Draft—the Army needs to convince soldiers to volunteer and re-enlist. Barracks design became part of that enticement, shifting to a philosophy centered on individual satisfaction at the expense of community. Barracks designers moved from shared rooms to private rooms, made those private rooms larger, and deleted communal social gathering space to re-apportion square footage to the individual. In 1999, a second influential event shaped barracks design—terrorism. To guard against the backpack bomb, prescriptive antiterrorism requirements all but forced designers to create clear zones around the barracks, void of social amenities. In addition, the standards saw exterior doors as a blast hazard and effectively eliminated outdoor balcony-access designs. Throughout this dissertation, I focus exclusively on these two design drivers: the military's aim to improve retention through design and to ensure security through surveillance. I argue that both shifts resulted in negative consequences for soldier social health, and that social health influences individual retention, physical well-being, and suicide. Using environment-behavior theory as a foundation, I claim that architecture's influence occurs through the social experience of place. I analyze social, emotional, and physical health survey data, along with official Army re-enlistment and suicide records to test these claims. The data show serious cracks in the current design strategy. Newer barracks actually perform worse from a social performance perspective. Residents of the newest barracks are statistically less likely to benefit from social trust, belonging, and support. And as their social health declines, so too does their emotional and physical health. They are more depressed, more angry, more bothered by poor sleep, have lower self-esteem, and have fewer ways to effectively deal with stress. The social ills of designing for terrorism and individual retention also extend into soldier outcomes. Service members assigned to newer, post-antiterrorism barracks (those built after 2004) are less likely to re-enlist and have a nearly 3-fold increase in the probability of committing suicide.
Open Access
Indoor Environmental Quality in Chilean Classrooms
(University of Oregon, 2020-02-27) Rivera, Maria; Kwok, Alison
Recently, there has been a growing concern about poor thermal comfort and air quality conditions that can have a negative effect on children’s health and academic performance. Research in the U.S. and Europe has shown high classroom indoor temperatures and CO2 concentrations, and low ventilation rates. Little is known about classroom conditions in developing countries like Chile, where there is no adherence to environmental standards. Additionally, there is limited knowledge about students’ and teachers’ perceptions of environmental conditions in primary schools. Furthermore, studies have shown that current thermal comfort standards criteria might not be applicable to children. This thesis aims to advance our understanding of students’ and teachers’ perceptions of thermal comfort and indoor air quality in primary school settings. Moreover, this dissertation intends to identify other factors that may influence thermal and air quality comfort. The research questions are: 1) What are the physical conditions of classrooms in Chilean primary schools?; 2) What is the relationship between physical conditions of classrooms among the three types of schools (public, private–subsidized, and private non–subsidized) commonly found in Chile?; 3) Do expectations of thermal comfort and air quality differ between students and teachers?; and 4) Do subjective perceptions of classroom environmental qualities differ between the types of schools that represent different social/economic backgrounds? Two field studies were conducted in nine free-running classrooms in the city of Concepción, Southern Chile. Various methods were implemented to collect data, based on previous studies on children: survey questionnaires, physical measurements, interviews, behavioral observations, and statistical analysis. Approximately 880 students, aged 10-14 years old, and 80 teachers were surveyed twice a day in the fall and winter season of 2018. Overall, the results show that students and teachers were comfortable, despite low indoor temperatures and poor air quality conditions, outside the comfort zone limits of the ASHRAE–55 standard adaptive model. Analyses from subjective responses reveal 80% of comfort acceptability, thanks to personal adaptations. A statistically significant difference (p<0.001) in students’ thermal perception was found between private-subsidized and public schools, and between private-subsidized and private-nonsubsidized schools. This dissertation includes previously published and unpublished co-authored material.