Design, Architecture & Art, School of

Permanent URI for this communityhdl:10365/32488

Research, design, and other creative works from the School of Design, Architecture and Art. Includes: Architecture; Landscape Architecture, and Visual Arts. The school website may be found at https://www.ndsu.edu/sodaa/.

Browse

Now showing 1 - 20 of 29

ABSIM Exhibition Design: Agent-Based Simulation in the Curating Process
(North Dakota State University, 2018) Laurin, Brady
The design of museum and gallery spaces are typically done by different designers with a mutual understanding of the scope of work for each. In the best possible scenario, these processes will take place congruently, with cooperation from both designers to realize the complete museum. In many cases, these processes take place in isolation from one another, with little to no collaboration between the building designer and the curator. Agent-Based Simulation, or ABSim, is a process often used to analyze the flow of pedestrians in a designed space. Most commonly used to optimize evacuation patterns and transit terminal layout, the same process of simulated occupancy can be used in the process of designing and curating a museum. By utilizing ABSim in the design phase, architects and curators can work together to identify and minimize problem areas, enhance high-traffic regions, and avoid dead-zones. This project relies on simulation analysis in the design process to better understand and control how hypothetical occupants will use and understand the building and its galleries in order to create a comprehensive museum design.
Architecture as Prosthesis: A Cultural Reimagination of Disability on Boston Harbor
(North Dakota State University, 2020) Randazzo, Zoe
How does architecture approach disability? Might this play a role in forming our cultural beliefs? Increasingly specialized attitudes of the modern era, critiqued by Hans-Georg Gadamer, move us to approach disability with afterthought accessibility formulas, often displacing these “other” bodies to the margins of cultural life rather than constructing them into it. As the prosthetic extension of our shared cultural body, how can architecture engage bodies of all abilities to reimagine the connections between external environment, self, and others? As Federica Goffi has suggested architecture to be an inventive medium for participating in history, this thesis enlivens cultural memory in order to advance cultural perception of bodies labeled as “other.” Boston’s Museum of Disability History and Prostheses assembles historical fragments of the city’s untold transformation story along with spolia of Boston’s crumbling almshouses into an exquisite corpse on Boston Harbor. Acting as an extension of the user’s body, the museum becomes a prosthesis for the user to reimagine one’s own body image through reinterpretation of the well-known condition of phantom pain. A cubistic encounter of restorative fragments reconstructs conceptions of disability in architecture and in culture, framing a reality for the user to imagine new ways of perceiving self and others through embodied experience.
Architecture that Transforms History: Reframing the Birth Place of the Atomic Bomb for a More Critical Future
(North Dakota State University, 2020) Gefroh, Tyler
Can architecture serve as a critical reminder to our present and future societies of the horrific potential of mass destruction? Throughout history human beings have consistently engaged themselves in the act of destruction. Improvements continue to be made in our destructive methods, and when looking at where are at today, we can see that we exist in a dangerous state of potential mass destruction. If we want to salvage our existence and avoid becoming nothing more than a trace on this planet, we must remember our mishaps and destructive behavior from the past as a collective, continuous species, rather than individual countries or specific groups of people and have a critical perspective of history. Learning from our past has tremendous power to teach us a lot about who we are now and where we might be going in the future. My thesis seeks to explore bringing forth historical references and various destructive elements through metaphors in the architecture to serve as a critical reminder of the past, a sort of warning to the human race, as well as the potential for peace.
Bismarck-Mandan Rail Bridge Park: Using Private-Public Infill to Create a Destination Waterfront Park in the City of Bismarck, North Dakota
(North Dakota State University, 2020) Schmidt, Austin M.
This study focuses on the preservation of the Bismarck-Mandan rail bridge and surrounding 200-acre site as a catalyst to transform the waterfront of North Dakota’s capital city into a 21st-Century urban park. Announced by the National Historic Trust for Historical Places, the iconic community structure has been listed as one of “America’s 11 most Most Endangered Historic Places” in 2019. With the backing of the Historic Trust, Preservation of North Dakota, community members, and the non-profit group, Friends of the Rail Bridge, the historic truss bridge has gained traction to be repurposed as a pedestrian bridge linking the parks and open spaces of the two cities. Much like the Brooklyn Bridge site, which the rail bridge predates, the city had turned its back on the river. Utilizing a comparative case study methodology to compare successful traits of transformative waterfronts, particularly in an urban context, this study resulted in a best-practices matrix to inform the urban park programming and design. This project expands on the role of a separate entity tasked with the re-purposing, operation, and maintenance of the bridge to include creating an adjacent park suitable enough to become a mixed-use destination and a city-shaping gateway to the West.
Bringing Nature Indoors: Tetris Landscaping
(North Dakota State University, 2021) Borgert, Rachel
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the average American spends 93% of their life indoors. Almost 70% of which is at home. By being indoors there is a greater chance of being exposed to higher concentrations of airborne pollutants, commonly found in indoor atmospheres. With an increase in people working from home, homeschooling their kids and spending limited time outdoors throughout the year it has caused a negative impact on their mental and physical well-being. NASA conducted a study on indoor plants and how they eliminate indoor air pollutants called Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in the atmosphere. Based off this study calculations were made on the number of plants necessary to filter out and eliminate air pollutants. Utilizing the plants in the study to design an interior landscape modular system that can be a dynamic addition to a residential house. With tetris like modules that can be arranged to create an educational interior landscape for homeschoolers, a work interior landscape for those working from home or a therapeutic interior landscape all year round. Whatever the resident desires. This thesis is a proposal to design a residential interior landscape that will promote physical and mental well-being to those who experience it.
Centennial High: A School for Hope and Growth
(North Dakota State University, 2021) Teuber, Augustina
In this paper, high school design is evaluated in order to better support the mental health of its occupants. The alarming rise in anxiety, depression, and violence among youth over the past few decades demonstrates the importance of changing society’s current trajectory. Thus this paper aims to clarify the extent design impacts users and how educational buildings can benefit adolescent mental health. Literature analysis from a diverse range of fields guides these conclusions. Additionally, case study analysis and logical argumentation are employed to identify practical solutions. Ultimately, an example design for a mental health conscious public school is purposed.
Climate Refuge: Thermal Comfort in Urban Micro Climates
(North Dakota State University, 2020) Horvath, Nathaniel
This study addresses two major issues by responding to the significant decline in retail buildings including enclosed shopping malls and improving density, livability and human comfort in communities welcoming climate refugees. Future designs will become more responsive when involving suburban and urban infill landscape to enhance user experiences through thermal comfort. Studies show that Earth’s temperatures are on the rise causing large populations to be displaced by rising sea levels and contributing to extreme weather patterns in the colder hemispheres. Specifically, in the Midwest United States, this means colder temperatures, more snow, and longer months of winter (Cohen 2018). Analyzing microclimates to improve thermal comfort will give designers a better understanding of the link between human thermal comfort and their surrounding infill landscape. Because shopping malls have generalizable locations and footprints and a nearly identical hierarchy of ingress and egress locations, they are ideal for this type of microclimate analysis using climate data. These generalized footprints are becoming dead space in smaller cities leaving large unused parking lots which have the potential to positively serve these communities through various climate events, specifically polar vortexes. This study aims to mitigate extreme cold weather events through microclimate design by examining various site configurations with the use of data collection such as wind speed, temperature, and humidity. A Thermal Sensation Vote (TSV) was calculated to determine which configurations are best for thermal comfort (Wong 2015).
Creating a Functional use of City Space Along the St. Croix River in Correlation to Seasonal Flooding
(North Dakota State University, 2021) Valiquet, Sydney
Many locations within the United States have major flooding problems. One of these locations is along the St. Croix River. The St. Croix River is a tributary of the Mississippi River and it is approximately 169 miles long. It is considered a National Scenic Riverway, and it is a divider between the states of Wisconsin and Minnesota. It is also a popular recreational location and is under the protection of the National Park Service. The St. Croix river has been home to people for thousands of years and runs through many historical towns and cities. Human residency along the St. Croix River began as early as 10,000 years ago. Historic American Indian sites are present along the river and it was also a favored fur trade route from the Mississippi to Lake Superior. One of the historical communities along the St. Croix that is impacted by seasonal flooding is Stillwater, Minnesota. Stillwater is one of Minnesota’s oldest towns. In 1848 the first territorial convention that began establishing Minnesota as a state was held here, and because of this important meeting, Stillwater is called the birthplace of Minnesota. Because of the St. Croix River’s location, it is often prone to flooding especially during March and early April. Stillwater’s Lowell Park is near the river and consists of park space, sidewalks, the Stillwater Lift Bridge Historical Site, a bike path, restaurants, and a boardwalk with boat ties available to dock. This area floods every year with the boardwalk being most affected. Fifty-four years ago, the river crested to a record of 694.07 feet. A dike had to be built to keep the flood waters from destroying downtown Stillwater. In this study I will use case studies and propose a redesign of Lowell Park to make functional use of the space. Furthermore, the design will allow for the impact of the seasonal rise of the St. Croix River. This plan will incorporate the multiple systems that interface with the park and river and include recreation and historical context.
Design for Well-Being: Architecture to Reduce Health Inequity
(North Dakota State University, 2019) Falk, Paige
As a society, we are faced with ever-changing healthcare costs and quality of care. Unfortunately, not everyone can access, or afford, the care that they need. Throughout the country, many people are facing illness and injury untreated, due to the cost of healthcare. While the issue has been addressed on a national scale, the problems are not always dealt with on a local scale for the needs of the community. Dealing with the factors of health inequity, such as housing, community, food shortage, education, and environment, will lead us to changing the communities where the problem is located and bring about a society where everyone can achieve health and wellbeing. Finding a solution to health inequities is a problem that needs to be solved. This thesis will seek to develop the efficiency of healthcare architecture in a way that makes it more affordable to those it who cannot currently access it. This will be done through cost evaluation, efficiency analyses, and green design, with the goal of creating a community center and clinic for neighborhoods on a local scale. If designed correctly, this design may be implemented as a base model for other neighborhoods with health disparities across the country.
Designing for Play in Island Park
(North Dakota State University, 2021) Bartlett, Halley
‘Planning for Play in Island Park’ is a design thesis based meant to identify a realistic and multifaceted response to the removal of Ash Trees (Fraxinus pennsylvanica) from Fargo North Dakota’s downtown Island Park. Within evaluating the site a clear need for playground redevelopment and expansion was identified due to it’s context within the community. Development and design of the project is rooted in providing opportunity for play to occur. Types of play are referenced from developmental psychology research and organized within the site with consideration of age. Designing for Play exists on multiple layers within the project. Directly designing for play for ages 2-5 and ages 6-12 and indirectly presenting areas for play within a proposed sculpture garden that serves as event space for the Fargo Moorhead Community Theatre that currently exists within the site.
The Evolution of Wonder Through History: Reopening the Realm in Seven Mythic Experiments of Technological Interconnection
(North Dakota State University, 2020) Marso, Daniel J.
As Henri Frankfort suggests, the sense of interconnection between ancient people, nature, and the cosmos, was perceived as a living “Thou”. As humanity has advanced this emphasis on interconnection has faded from something perceived as alive toward a technologically driven society today that treats Nature as an externalized “It.” The Seven Ancient Wonders of the World were erected on the earlier mode of interconnection wherein imagination was interwoven in the world. Not only were many of the ancient Wonders resting places for mortals, they were places that connected the ancient people with the cosmos, their gods, and the nature of all things. Such changes open an opportunity to explore the possibility of achieving wonder in architecture today. Questioning how we might implement technology in ways that reinvigorate a relationship to stories that reawaken the imagination as part of reality beyond efficiency and functionality. My thesis seeks to employ building as technology that opens a realm of wonder that has been greatly untapped after the seventeenth century. Like the ancient myth of Osiris and Isis, this museum of myth and wonder is scattered across seven sites around the world – each known for their technological production.
Exchange Optimized: Utilizing Predictive Paths of Travel to Improve Circulation Efficiency and Urban Infill Patterns, as Applied to Fargo's West Acres Mall
(North Dakota State University, 2019) Montoya, Carlos
The rapid expansion of American cities led to historical marketplaces morphing into ubiquitous suburban shopping malls. For the last two decade these shopping malls along with the entire retail sector has experienced a sustained decline. As an effort to revitalize these spaces and curb this declining trend, developers and designers have applied urban infill techniques to declining mall sites. In many cases these techniques have proven to be an insufficient intervention to produce lasting results. This ineffectiveness, raises the need for new archetype in the language methodology of design. The site of shopping malls are largely generic in dimensionality and building footprint, making them ideal candidate for the use of a parametric network analysis software. This thesis will take the site of an existing mall, approximately 100 acres in area, with a 1/2 mile x 1/2 mile perimeter. A parametric network analysis software will be applied on the selected site to generate an optimized circulation network. The resulting network will act as the primary guideline tool, from which the infill redesign of the selected site with be organized. The design synthesis of urban infill principles and parametric network analysis, will yield a new archetypal design model for the retrofit design of declining shopping malls.
Fargo: Growing Upward: A Neon Living Wall
(North Dakota State University, 2020) Kumpula, Benjamin
There is an emotional connection humans have with plants and the aesthetics of natural elements that can directly influence our mood, productivity, and overall happiness. Emotional factors can directly impact and change a person’s attitude, direct our perspective of the world, and can affect the people around us. The aesthetics of plants have an emotional impact that is amplified in the built environment and can be used to develop a solution to improve current methods of introducing living walls. Living walls have been a way to introduce natural elements into urban settings that would otherwise have limitations by environmental factors, where solutions such as green space, plants, or trees are otherwise not possible. When plants are introduced into urban environments, the emotional effects and factors have rarely been completely understood and utilized to the fullest. This thesis project is going to explore the emotional affects and connections humans have with nature, through understanding the basic composition of natural forms and the study of existing living walls; developing a design model for living walls that can mimic natural aesthetics and emotional characteristics that natural forms have, for the integration into the built environment.
From Brownfield to Permaculture City: Converting a Brownfield Site by Creating a New Community Through Increased Density and Sustainable Permaculture.
(North Dakota State University, 2020) Pierce, Kaylee
Sustainable, permaculture living is a recurring trend in residential design. Society is becoming more aware of the impact humans have on the environment, along with learning ways to minimize an ecological footprint while living a happier and healthier life. Vegetable gardens, fruit orchards, and even chicken coops are becoming more popular to find in a backyard, especially in urban environments. As cities begin to feel the impact of diminishing untouched real estate, developers have turned to brown-field land for residential developments to assist with growing populations. Cities such as Salt Lake City, Utah are experiencing tremendous growth but the city is running out of room due to surrounding natural barriers (mountains and a lake). The purpose of this thesis research is to explore permaculture driven, community development in an urban setting while still providing a work, live, and play environment. The research will analyze sustainable design for a residential community through storm-water collection, waste-water filtration, and permaculture production; healthier living through active environments, and outdoor living all located within the Greater Salt Lake Area on a brown-field site. Through case study research of sustainable developments, permaculture, and brown-field construction, a creation of a criteria set of standards will be produced for further research and design content. Also, comparative analysis will help show the impacts of a mid-class development and benefits that affect society. Brownfield site developments are becoming more common in cities that are reaching their construction capacity. A brown-field site development will add a special challenge to this design goal due to strict rules and guidelines that are required for redevelopment. This project strives to create a successful and sustainable development in the Greater Salt Lake Area. Ideally this criteria and standards could be implemented in various urban areas experiencing the need to re-purpose brown-field land while remaining conscious of society’s impact on the environment. Ultimately, the hope for this thesis proposal is to persuade developers to create beautiful, sustainable, and environmentally focused spaces that modern culture craves.
Hippotherapy Sensory Trails in Stewartville, MN
(North Dakota State University, 2021) Long, Madison
This thesis will focus on healthcare and therapeutic design with the major focus being hippo-therapy trails for young individuals with anxiety, depression and Sensory Processing Disorder. Hippo-therapy or equine therapy has been used in Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) for over forty years and continues to grow and evolve. Anxiety and depression are also growing more than ever in young people due to the societal pressures on their generation. The purpose of this thesis is to create a community-based program that combines horseback riding and sensory trails. This trail will be an additional element that is applied to an existing equestrian faculty. The trail will consist of multiple spurs, ranging in terrain and material, that will promote mental health and function. These trails will contain natural obstacles that challenge the riders at different levels, as to establish a program that allows for personal growth. Trails will be marked with signage displaying the difficulty level and types of natural obstacles they will encounter. The site location will be discovered through ArcGIS Pro suitability analysis that displays existing slope, soil, and canopy features of existing riding facilities. Standards from associations such as The Anxiety Treatment Center, American Hippo-therapy Association, and Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International, will guide this thesis project in trail difficulty, trail location and trail width. While case studies such as Pegasus Farm Sensory Trail, Saddle Safari Discovery trail, and Beat Riding Center Sensory Trail will influence the trail activities and material.
Hospital Gardens & Therapeutic Spaces
(North Dakota State University, 2020) Yokom, Alicia
The Great Plains Region in the United States has over 3,000 hospitals and clinics. Many lacking the outdoor amenities useful to individuals year-round. This study will focus on placing those amenities at the Sanford Medical Center in Fargo ND, newly constructed in 2017. Healing Gardens and Therapeutic Spaces are elements that help promote health yet are rarely built in the upper Midwest because of seasonal interest. From May to September, the weather is ideal but from October to April the cold temperatures, strong winds, flooding, and snow become an issue. An opportunity within constraint arises when designing for seasonal interest year-round through research-based design.“ Visibility, accessibility, familiarity, quietness, comfort, and unambiguously positive art” are the guiding principles put forward by Clare Cooper Marcus in Healing Gardens in Hospitals for generating successful healing gardens and therapeutic spaces. With those guidelines, I can ask: What are the central needs and concerns for the outdoor environment in a medical setting? What is desired by staff, patients, and visitors in a healing garden space? Why has this not been further explored and promoted in the Fargo area? The Sanford Medical Center serves as a medical hub for a population about 200,000, that includes the City of Fargo, West Fargo, Horace, plus the smaller surrounding towns. Being a level one adult trauma/emergency center, specializing in family birth, children’s hospital, brain and spinal surgery, heart surgery, interventional cardiology, and general surgery, gives more than enough reason to implement a place of de-stressing and quietness to the property. To obtain the highest priority elements for a healing garden and therapeutic space, a user-preference survey was provided to staff and visitors on the topics of rooftop gardens, open lawn space, types of vegetation, path usage, gardening opportunities, and more. The whole design concept for this project is so that the users have a place they want to go to, because they had a say in every aspect of it, which helps take off some of the stress, gives distraction from illness, and provides comfort through familiarity. In addition, the survey helped provide measurability to the research conducted. The project site visit will show the measurable opportunities for desired elements. Case studies, books, articles, and previous thesis proposals are influential in showing how, why, where, and when this has been done in the past. The successes and guidance of the topics mentioned in those literatures is key.
Housing for All
(North Dakota State University, 2021) Hill, Amanda
What effect does sustainability and design consideration have on affordable housing? This thesis investigates affordable housing and how sustainable design can make it more economical. There is a lack of design that goes into a lot of mass-produced affordable housing complexes. Most of these buildings are made with lack of any real design, mostly made with the cheapest materials, and put up as fast as possible. There is immense pressure on society to provide housing for everyone in the community, so those designing these buildings are not to blame. However, I do believe with more research there is a better design solution to be discovered that will overall better this type of architecture. By using case studies, qualitative and correlative research methods I will show the effect sustainable design can have on affordable housing. Sustainability can improve costly utilities and the overall function of the building. While putting thought and consideration into material choices, HVAC systems, and passive design affordable housing has the potential to not only house those who need it most but help ease the toll construction takes on the environment. Through case studies, published writings and scholarly journals this design thesis will answer the design question at hand.
An Immersive Sensory Experience: Revitalizing Touchmark Senior Living Community
(North Dakota State University, 2021) Minette, Morgan
This thesis project focuses on providing a unique sensory expereince for residents, employees, and visitors at Touchmark at Harwood Groves, a local senior living community. This is a large complex that houses independent and assisted living, as well as a memory care unit. The full site is approximately 14 acres but this project will focus on a 2 acre portion that is currently open for developement. There is a growing need for accessible outdoor spaces within senior living communities. Many of these facilities lack proper outdoor amenities for active ageing and healing. The aging population is consistantly growing, but accessable and engaging outdoor accomodations for them are falling behind in growth. The goal for this project is to create an outdoor space that encourages residents to spend more time outside and to lead a healthy avtice lifestyle surroudned by nature. This setting also promotes visitation by family and friends. By reimagining the vacant space at Touchmark, a large interactive sensory garden will enhance the experience of residents at touchmark.
Instascape: Employing Social Media to Connect the Physical and Cultural Environment in Duluth’s Downtown Waterfront
(North Dakota State University, 2018) Van Der Hagen, Jordan
Eisenhower’s great uniting Interstate Highway System may have brought many communities closer to each other, but in many instances, severed them internally. We see this problem in the city of Duluth, Minnesota. The central business district of Duluth, formally known as downtown, finds itself lacking strong connection to the tourist district, known as Canal Park, despite close proximity to the area. This is due notably to Interstate 35 running right through the border of the two neighborhoods. In this thesis, I will study more pedestrian-permeable alternatives to interstate highways for handling traffic in urban areas in order to find an alternative that isn’t as severing and allows for the formation of a singular urban core.
Land of 10,000 Dying Lakes: Designing for Sustainable Water Management Through Wetland Conservation and Public Recreation
(North Dakota State University, 2021) Unruh, Zachary
In 2017, 169 harmful algal blooms were reported nation-wide. Existing in all water body types, saltwater or freshwater, this number is increasing every year, and Minnesota is no exception. In the land of 10,000 lakes, 48 different locations have experienced a Harmful Algae Bloom at least once over the last decade. Growing not only in frequency, but also size, the presence of these Cyanobacteria blooms are killing aquatic species, lowering water quality, limiting recreational use, and in some cases producing toxins capable of killing humans and animals that come into contact with the water. Due to global warming, the average temperature of our water bodies continue to rise. This, paired with excessive runoff that is polluted with fertilizers and chemicals, creates a perfect opportunity for these harmful blooms to flourish. This study will focus on a strategy to mitigate the environmental damage caused by nutrient dense runoff through environmental planning. Using geospatial and hydraulic data for the drainage area, in conjunction with varying case studies and wetland research, the result will provide a plan for wetland restoration and future protection, with sustainable runoff management, in a public recreation setting. The final design will seamlessly combine project programming into a re-envisioned runoff management system.

Browse

Browsing Design, Architecture & Art, School of by browse.metadata.type "Video"