Theses and Dissertations at Montana State University (MSU)
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://scholarworks.montana.edu/handle/1/733
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Item Form follows feeling : a culturally-based approach to experiential design(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2012) Martinez, Samuel Paul; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Maire O'NeillThrough our training and expertise, architects become very visually-oriented in their approach to design. Having become subservient to sight, we have mostly forgotten how to design for other sensory experiences. If we ask our clients a specific line of qualitative questions, we might better understand how the spaces we create can perform from an experiential standpoint, thereby enabling us to create richer, deeper experiences of place. Furthermore, I propose that we can use the information garnered from this questioning to begin an architectural design by working from details at the micro scale and using them to drive the larger formal issues of our designs. My intent was to synthesize responses from interviews to determine significant qualities of space. These responses were then used to identify details of chief importance in engaging sensory experiences through the project design. These details were coalesced to formulate key experiences of the larger design, which allowed me to approach the grander gestures of the project as a whole. However, rather than focus on a fully-resolved design for the site and the building, my chief concern was focusing on the aforementioned details of the design in order to support the proposed methodology. The project focused on three key spaces that were often referred to in interviewees' responses: the gathering space, the outdoor areas, and the study rooms. At the conclusion, I found that it was in fact possible to start from the smallest microcosm of the building design, the human scale, and work outwards. This became a simultaneous exploration of scales (human, the scale of spaces, the building scale, and the site) through four facets: 1) tactility, 2) light, 3) flow, and 4) social interaction. I've found that focusing on these facets through the lens of interviewees' responses allows architects to create experiences of space centered around people and the human body. Key questions arose at the conclusion: At what point do you move beyond iterations to a resolved design? How does one quantify whether or not the design meets the experiential needs of the users? Answers to these questions necessitate deeper exploration still.Item Restorative Design(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2009) Penniman, William Edward; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Maire O'NeillThe design challenge for this thesis project is to evaluate the socio-cultural influences of Modern design on the city and people of Chandigarh, India, identify a human need to address and design socially relevant housing for them in current architectural vernacular The project began with on-site evaluation of the living conditions and people of Chandigarh. Current housing standards and lifestyles were researched photographically and textually through evaluation of thesis projects found at the Chandigarh School of Architecture library. Interviews with local citizens provided the tool for assessment of a need to be addressed. Input from individuals regarding this need and cultural implications with precedent were researched within the setting. From there architectural design evaluation and development methods were applied from the base of study materials accumulated in the Architecture program at MSU. Sketches, models, and graphics developed were reviewed regularly with the advisor group and crit sessions were completed as prescribed. Research with conclusions and material decisions were condensed into the thesis book and reviewed by professors. The building design was then compiled graphically by various means. Models, hand drawings and computer generated graphics were combined for final presentation boards. In concept for the design, application of culturally appropriate elements of material and form that are accepted by current residents will be used to create an individual identity for the residence that is unique yet a community fit. The proposal is not to copy the universal design type or ideals of Le Corbusier applied to Chandigarh, but to counterbalance it with a focus on individuality as a basis for design expression. People, enrichment of their lives and creation of place and belonging, are the heart of this project, not to erase the past, but to move forward in the present from where they have arrived. Saying this in a different way, it would be to present the project as a 21 Century "modern" design, using materials from the "Modernist" vernacular to create a place for celebration of cultural roots while reshaping perception of individual worth for some within the culture.Item Network dynamics and fluctuating architectural typology : Flux(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2009) Schumacher, Ryan Donald; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Ralph Johnson; Chere LeClair (co-chair)Located in the northern United States, along the Rocky Mountains, lies the state of Montana. Traditionally rural, Montana is experiencing significant growth in its urban and destination areas. With growth comes obstacles and opportunities. The majority of the state is sufficiently connected to the global transportation network for the movement of goods, but lacks diverse people moving systems. While goods have the benefit of being transported at high speeds via road, rail, and air, the majority of people do not. Roadways near urban areas are frequent victims of congestion, the vitality of many airports is in question, and rail is minimized to a northern Amtrak route that neglects most population centers. The lack of passenger transit systems effectively cuts travel possibilities in half for hundreds of thousands people. Montanans deserve an option for the future that streamlines their transportation infrastructure, integrates them with the rest of the world, and provides an example of positive development. The intent of this thesis is to analyze the current network of people moving systems in Montana in order to determine how a better understanding of network dynamics and transportation architecture can help create connections to the global transportation network and foster positive growth. Information will be presented in graphic and literary form starting with the economic and transportation infrastructure in the region. Precedents are used to gain insight on existing and proposed architectural solutions to facilitate a proposal for an integrated transportation network in Montana, using architecture that utilizes continuous change, passage, and movement as active support.Item The in between : an exploration of transition & threshold between interior & exterior space(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2007) Terry, Erin Michael; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Ferd JohnsThe intention of this thesis is to explore transitional spaces in an attempt to break the boundary between interior and exterior and regain a connection between architecture and the natural environment. I will address the history leading up to the lack of connection and transition between the built and natural environments, and illustrate the positive effects of associating transitional spaces into living and working environments. The project will use precedents to define strategies for creation of transitional spaces, and will explore these strategies in a medium density housing model.