Thesis Projects

 
2023 Summer Kim 2023 Summer Kim

Accompaniment: Co-living with Nature

Accompaniment is a way of being with people and nature that fosters joy and interdependence. It is a reminder that people and nature are not separated, and people are part of nature, where people and nature continuously interact and promote one another. My thesis focuses on the ways to achieve this concept in a built environment by addressing nature as a member of our community. In this community, cultural diversity and biodiversity is valued and associated with the place’s distinctive identity. What makes this Nature-Human Community Center special is the unique integration of culture with nature. The space encourages nurturing the symbiotic relationship between humans and nature through continuous exposure to self-education and activities involving art and nature in the ecological and sensory rich environment. This is to promote a close human-nature connection for a better understanding of sustainable culture and community. This holistic design focuses on the community space enriching the interdependent relationship between humanity and nature.

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2022 Leila Curtiss 2022 Leila Curtiss

Green Furniture: Implementing and Teaching of the Usage of Biodegradable Materials in Furniture Design

This project utilizes biodegradable and recycled materials in furniture design to reduce carbon footprints, while also addressing travel distances, manufacturing processes, and the forms of energy used for manufacturing. Additionally, information about the furniture elements and production processes will be made available in courses for the public, raising awareness for sustainable practices within furniture design.

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2022 Tristan Costanzo 2022 Tristan Costanzo

Combating Racism in the Built Environment

Due to unjust practices in the architecture and interior design fields, the built environment lacks equality. In particular, racist practices such as redlining and Jim Crow laws have shaped the built environment to systematically dictate who belongs where. This thesis uses inclusionary methods and community-based design to create a school for underprivileged youth, and make a healthier built environment for everyone.

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2022 Kate Bormann 2022 Kate Bormann

Students Sentenced: Architecture and Design for Imprisoned Rights

The US correctional system is the largest and most pervasive social control system in the world; its cyclical nature displaces millions of lives each year. This thesis project confronts mass incarceration in America by using architecture and design to improve the incarcerated experience. These designs promote a more rehabilitative environment and enable human connections using architectural fluidity, spatial flexibility, natural light, and material texture to provide relief from inmates’ relentless world of confinement and cultivate an environment that instills hope for a productive life after prison.

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2021 Rechelle Holly 2021 Rechelle Holly

Igniting a Legacy: Adaptive Reuse of Cultural and Historically Significant Buildings on HBCU Campuses

Cultural and Historically significant sites not only allow for the preservation of history, but a connection of experiences for past and future generations. These historical sites are crucial to the makeup and individuality of each campus as they merge existing conditions with modern elements. Given the historical significance of HBCU campuses, it is important to remember their legacies, yet design them to be efficient for the present needs of the 21st century student. With the practice of Adaptive Reuse, designers will be able to preserve the legacies of these historical buildings yet allow for modern design advancements and renewed use within the interior.

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2021 Kylie Huffman 2021 Kylie Huffman

Perfectly Imperfect: Resurrecting a Legacy of Purpose Through Materials, Forms, and Space

Century-old buildings leave us to retell their stories through their materials, forms, and spaces. I created the phrase “perfectly imperfect” as a way of finding beauty when two materials and/or forms blend with existing materials to form a singular artifact that is perfectly imperfect. Using an estate of grand size and beauty, historic as it is, deserves a mission and purpose grander than its original one-family function. A “legacy of purpose” will be resurrected with this historic estate, honoring Helen Gould’s mission and values in how the estate should be repurposed, as a fashion and textile trade school for high school graduates. If she were alive today, she would want the estate to contribute to the greater New York City’s underserved youth in this way. Three beautiful buildings on this historic site will be greatly enhanced by these renovations and this relevant, contemporary mission.

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2021 Natalie Kotsidis 2021 Natalie Kotsidis

Restore: A Proactive Approach to Youth Reentry

Previously incarcerated youth suffer from a lack of re-entry services available to them. My thesis proposes a space in which a variety of services are offered to youth who have recently been released from the justice system. These services will focus on rehabilitation, transitioning back into normal life and reducing the chance of re-offending, while fostering a sense of community.

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