Papers by Sustainable Design Unit
demanding times such as these, when we are called upon as a nation to withstand the turbulence of... more demanding times such as these, when we are called upon as a nation to withstand the turbulence of the financial crisis and the challenges of the energy potential, issues of community and social cohesion become pivotal to our global survival. The time has come to look beyond skin colour, religion and social order and to employ architecture as a means of creating living spaces that transcend racial division and micro-politics. With this in mind, a group of instructors and dedicated students gathered around the walled city of Nicosia, and invented a world where social problems are tackled with urban proposals. This initiative came forth under the umbrella of Buildings Blocks for Social Sustainability (ARCH-392 Catalyst I). Statement To sustain is to survive, and to survive as a community requires that class and racial differences, as well as spatial and perceptual distances are overcome by good will and good design. As such, social sustainability combines design of the physical realm w...
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In today’s world, the dependency on energy consumption is increasing exponentially; there is no g... more In today’s world, the dependency on energy consumption is increasing exponentially; there is no greater threat to progress and development than the exhaustion of the energy resources that we are extensively over dependent upon. The energy consumption culture has now become a general norm throughout the world but is exceptionally abused in regions that experience extreme temperatures and climatic conditions. With the drastic growth in urbanization, there is a growing need
to control, mitigate and restructure the housing and construction standards to reduce the energy dependency. This study primarily aims to analyze the climatic conditions of hot and arid regions; the vernacular approach towards climate adaptive architecture practiced in this type of a climate in comparison to the current construction trends with the focus being on a specific country, namely the Sultanate of Oman. This paper also aims to propose possible sustainable approaches that can be
conceptualized in contemporary modern day urbanization.
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This thesis project will attempt to analyze the sustainable qualities of buffer intermediate spac... more This thesis project will attempt to analyze the sustainable qualities of buffer intermediate spaces of the traditional Cypriot and Mediterranean architecture as well as to investigate the social aspects of these spaces, their uses and how they came to be so prominent in the Cypriot and generally the Mediterranean architectural language. In particular the project will explore types of bioclimatic buffer space such as terraces, courtyards, balconies etc. and understand the way in which they aid the design aspect by creating the social as well as the microclimatic conditions which follow and establish the Cypriot way of life.
The methodology which will be followed and the main focus of this thesis will be thus on 18th and 19th century architecture but it will also reference case studies which are vital to the understanding of this typology of buildings. Especially the works of Hassan Fathy, a renowned Egyptian Architect who revolutionized the Arab design by returning to its vernacular roots while at the same time adding new sustainable technologies to the design language by methodically researching and empirically uncovering the forgotten methods of construction deep into his cultural context (James Steele).
The thesis will also reference foreign and Cypriot architects whom each in their own respect reinvented and explored the roots of traditional architecture in an attempt to use their studies of the vernacular architecture as an inspiration to create a new modern analogue which would be true in the essence and belonging to the present. In this regard several examples will be taken into account from nearby Mediterranean architects. These examples will be related back to the Cypriot architecture in order to begin a discussion on the fundamental elements of traditional sustainable courtyard house archetypes and the needs they covered as well as the core principles on which they were designed.
Beyond the scope of identifying the bioclimatic sustainable qualities of the Cypriot courtyard house the thesis will also delve into issues of social sustainability. Thus the courtyard as well as other buffer spaces of the building such the iliakos, will be analyzed in the way they provide spaces for daily social activities. Furthermore, this social spaces will be examined as in how they can become transitional areas, while at the same time being extensions of both the inner interior and the courtyard. This examination will attempt to tap into the duality of these spaces (being part interior and part exterior) and how this effect can encourage social interaction and attraction which in turn relates back to the core characteristics of a socially comfortable and sustainable environment.
These subjects are important as they will look into the past with a fresh perception under the prism of social and bioclimatic sustainability which will showcase the purpose of the ways of the past and in this regard, architects will be able to reimagine and project them onto the present understanding of architecture as a discipline.
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It is the belief of many that architecture is an art which stimulates purely our vision, yet mos... more It is the belief of many that architecture is an art which stimulates purely our vision, yet most of our experience of a specific place has to do with how it interacts with all our senses. We sense its odour, its temperature, the sound of it, the softness or the weight of its materials and we make connection with our memories. This interaction between man and architectural space is a mental phenomenon which is conceived as the atmosphere of a specific spatial setting. We sense the atmosphere before we actually identify the details of that place intellectually. The architectural elements which compose the atmosphere of a place interact with our senses stimulating our memory and our imagination.
The purpose of this paper is to examine three architectural elements, light, sound and the shape of touch - as it is impossible to investigate all of them in one piece of work - and how they can be used in the creation of atmosphere in an architectural space. To this end, I will start by an examination of the theory of phenomenology which is closely related to the senses and to the concept of atmosphere, focusing on its relationship to the architectural setting as studied by the Finnish architect and theorist Juhani Pallasmaa whose books about the importance of the senses, especially the sense of touch, in the design of architecture have been considered very influential in the design process. This will be followed by an investigation of the concept of atmosphere and the elements that comprise it as studied by an internationally acknowledged Swiss architect and architectural theorist, Peter Zumthor who has written about the atmospheric qualities in architectural design and how these qualities can stimulate our senses and stir our memory and our imagination. Zumthor has maintained the belief that architecture must be a first- hand experience in which all the senses are involved. This will be followed by the main argument in which the architectural elements of light, sound and touch will be identified and thoroughly examined in an attempt to comprehend how these elements can contribute to the creation of atmosphere in an architectural setting. Following the theoretical study, I will investigate one of Zumthor’s work, Therme Vals, a hotel and spa built over a thermal spring in Switzerland in 1996. It is an extraordinary achievement of modern architecture which opens all the senses offering a total sensory experience. The architect infused his design with a quality of space and atmosphere, delivering a total atmospheric and meaningful experience.
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This research is aiming to educate and explain what the role of pavilion in Architecture is. It i... more This research is aiming to educate and explain what the role of pavilion in Architecture is. It is developed to analyze the use and the characteristics of the pavilions by pointing out their singularity in architecture within an urban term. By the end of this essay the reader will acquire a knowledge on pavilions in which will be able to understand the role of pavilion and their purposes in architecture.
The research is divided into two main chapters. The first Chapter is a historical timeline of pavilions which tells the history of the very first pavilion, moving on the development through time, their purposes and their architecture of that time. The research is divided in to two main chapters following by sub-chapters. The first will guide us through the history of pavilions giving a clearer under standing of what a pavilion is and what is their role in architecture including an urban view. Examples of lightweight structure of Frie Otto will be given as well as the intelligent work of Buckminster fuller and his experiments of geometric domes. In the second part EXPO will be introduced as a showcase of pavilions. A well-known exhibition acting as a displayed of pavilion for different countries to promote and advertise their significance aspects in architecture. It will explain how expo influenced architecture during that time as well as today, through showcases of /for technology. It will examining the pavilions as an innovative structure that focuses on technological advancement of each country. In addition, with case studies of "historical" pavilions such us Barcelona Pavilion by Mies Van der Rohe, explaining the open planning technique and the La Villete pavilion of Bernard Tschumi. This chapter will be concluding with urban view of the pavilions investigating their role within a city. How it activates a space and what it brings to the city.
Reading through the second chapter the reader will walk around the contemporary world of pavilions. How do they promoted new urban activities and their influence to architecture giving new construction and design solutions through their innovative investigations? This chapter is focusing on a more technological approach of pavilions, design process as well as the constructing process. Is analyzing the Technology values of the new investigation, and how this influence architecture by translating into bigger scale. This chapter is also an introduction to the new millennium - robotic-digital world. First is looking into alternative ways of designing and modeling tool - Range of possibilities. Adding the digital media, as new generative tool for morphogenesis (parametric) Computational design as a series of strategies, which can be applied into the design process. Traditionally, designers rely on the awareness and the knowledge to answer design problems, computational design as a computer language enhance the process by encoding design assessments. This chapter is concluding with a view in the city. What is the public role their aesthetic and commercial values.
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This thesis aims on investigating how architec
ture became dominated and controlled by vision, ... more This thesis aims on investigating how architec
ture became dominated and controlled by vision, how it’s relation with history was used as a tool for design and how as a mean for persuading meaning. Every- thing is judged by what people see, in such a way that true meanings are lost. All that matters nowadays is to please the eye. Two movements, that rest on common ground, which is the power and importance of vision in architecture, realized the potentials that sight has and used it in total different ways in order to achieve additional goals. On the one hand is the deep philoso- phy of phenomenology and more specific of percep- tion that translate vision as a way of understanding space and at the same time as a link between the manmade world and nature which then triggers the existential questions. On the other hand, now, a quiet newer movement, which started with Robert Venturi, uses sight in a completely different way, always in re- lation with the visual meaning given through history of architecture. The thesis will start with an investigation concerning the theoretical background of phenom- enology and hermeneutical discussions by Branko Mi- trovic as also the Eyes of the Skin by Juhani Pallasma thus focusing on the relation between experience and meaning. Then this will be juxtapose to Robert’s Ven- turis general work who values and investigates archi- tectural history for opposite ends, primarily as the foun- dation of tensioned interplays of meanings. Precedent studies, which relate with both of the movements such Villa Mairea in Finland by Alvar Aalto and the Chest- nut hill House of Robert Venturi’s will be further analyze in order to investigate how the two approaches have lead to different architectural interpretations.
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During the past two centuries, 19th and 20th, a huge number of population infected and then died ... more During the past two centuries, 19th and 20th, a huge number of population infected and then died from Tuberculosis disease. Thus, it was very important to establish special hospitals in order to prevent and cure the current disease. These special hospitals were the Sanatoriums. Sanatoriums were built in wooded, forested, mountain areas with high altitude and fresh air. The location choice was made empirically. Nowadays, based on the Medical science, this option is considered as suitable after discovered that a lot of mechanism by which the earth’s environment can affect to its users’ healthcare. Also, with the method of risk assessment of Environmental Medicine, those choices seem to be precise.
Sanatoriums construction were based on the Modern Movement Architecture, and under this philosophy were spread and built all over the world, especially in Europe. These institutions have offered very important therapeutic work to humanity and also to the architecture evolution.
This thesis is therefore intended to enlighten on how a healing environment ahead of growing health challenges, such as tuberculosis, at Modernism movement period can contribute to patients' cure. Also, this thesis take as its focus the study of Sanatoriums during the modernism, the analysis of the natural elements (sunlight & air) and the architecture contributions to tuberculosis and the factors which affects to patients' health. Through the study of the Tuberculosis disease and analysis of sanatoriums' design, at mid- nineteenth to mid-twentieth century, the thesis studies the significant changes and influences of this illness in Architecture.
Furthermore, the research seeks to investigate how the needs of medicine have brought innovative changes in architecture and their impact on patients' health. This thesis take as its focus the study of Sanatoriums, with primary case study the Paimio Sanatorium and then the Zonnestraal Sanatorium. Based on above case studies, this paper examines the evolution of architecture design in response to medical needs.
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This thesis aims to conclude on the best architectural design methods on reusing the Kakopetria c... more This thesis aims to conclude on the best architectural design methods on reusing the Kakopetria chrome mining site for a new purpose.
The thesis analyses and evaluates the re-use of other industrial sites and buildings in order to aid in concluding the best possible design for the Kakopetria chrome mining site. It shows how a site a site which has been affected from the industrial pollution and more specifically on mining sites can be restored. Initially an analysis on Industrial Heritage is made and the importance of the memories and the history behind it. An examination of 3 case studies is performed where the topography of the area, the infrastructure, the inhabitants and the buildings, before and after the industry change are looked at. The case studies are taken from different industries like a quarry, mining and gathering spots of minerals, showing methods used by architects to restore and re use these polluted sites. The three sites which are analysed had different treatments, approaches and problems to solve. The sites are:
• Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in Essen, Germany
• Menomonee valley Milwaukee Wisconsin USA
• Duisburg Nord, Germany
The main goal of the first case study, Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in Essen was to find a contemporary use to combine programs of 12,000m2 for visitor center (Museum). The result is an industrial monument that combines modern use with historic context. The second case study is Menomonee valley Milwaukee Wisconsin USA which is a brownfield example of sustainable design that developed from a spectrum of factors and needs of environmental, social and economic with in the neighborhood, city and region of Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Claudia Dinep, 2010). The initial idea was to transform it into a health center but because of some other problems which arisen in the city, it became a public park and adjusted to the city needs. Landschaftspark is currently a public park located in Duisburg-Meiderich, Germany. Their approach in redesigning these premises was not to completely strip it from its history. On the contrary they wished to embrace and showcase it.
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Within the lapse of time, architecture has changed radically and has been affected by the excessi... more Within the lapse of time, architecture has changed radically and has been affected by the excessive evolution and improvement of technology. The heritage of space is extremely important for everyone. Every individual must consider the conservation of our heritage that arises from the identity of each space. The research method has been defined in order to develop a conceptual approach which provides operational knowledge for any architect and urban planner who are interfering with projects of restoration and conservation of our heritage.
Architecture is surrounded by past memories and therefore architects are responsible to identify those structures in order to avoid the loss of our heritage. In order to understand what is consider as outdated, some of the parameters that can be observed is the aesthetic of the artifact. Since it is inevitable to conserve everything that mankind have erected in the field of architecture during our past, architects and urban planners must identify ways for selecting the proper structures.
Having said the above, any individual automatically will start considering ways in order to preserve the structures. Within the context of the thesis will be discussed the preservation, restoration and the adaptation and reuse of abandoned structures.
Since the structure have lost its ability to host new life because it cannot serve people’s needs anymore, it has to be given the chance to regain occupants by adopting it to the new contemporary lifestyle and needs.
Therefor a selection of the program is needed and there are three ways that this can be achieved within an interventional way or with a restoration program and maybe a conservation approach.
Although each era is suffering by its own taboos and the style of restoration may vary from time to time, there is no clear path; for each building the approach can be different and this will be explained with the provision of visual content.
This study it will be divided into two parts. The first part of the research is related to the theoretical discussion of three major architects- John Ruskin, Viollet-le-Duc and Fred Scott, and the second part will provide, explain and analyze three case studies of industrial preservation.
The case studies Landschaftspark Duisburg Nord, Sloss Furnaces and Tate modern have selected because of their successful restoration, conservation and adoption and reused approach. All of them are consider as post-industrial abandon landscapes/architecture and this is a phenomenon with increasing regularity in cities.
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Pedestrian freedom can be a very important index to measure the quality of public spaces in citie... more Pedestrian freedom can be a very important index to measure the quality of public spaces in cities(Tibba2001).
The public places of a city are very crucial elements of it, as they offer contentment, refreshment and life
in the city. However, in order to create a public space it is not enough to provide an empty spacious space
but a place that combines all the appropriate and necessary elements that offer facilitation as well as a
pleasant environment to the users and the society.
Most of the times, if observed, there is the perception that the streets, the parking places for the cars and
the open places are just empty located between the buildings. In reality though, these places are neither
empty remainders nor overages between the buildings and constructions, but what they are is free spaces
for ease the movement of users so that they can meet, stop for a while and so on. Additionally, these free
and empty spaces comprise the architectural expression of the community, and the collective identity
of the public space. During the present period of time, this particular expression has begun to be getting
lost, according to the writer (Mandanipour,2003), claiming that in the past without the internet services
and with the public telephone that existed, these spaces were important as they comprised a mean of
communication. Nevertheless, nowadays, while the time changes new needs derived that are essential to
be accounted so that the user can be approached.
As Jan Gehl stated, “Cultures and climates differ all over the world, but people are the same. They will
gather in public if you give them a good place to do it”. By this expression the writer attempts to
emphasize on the importance that must be given in the open spaces.
Approaching the subject of the space’s quality the following question arises: Assessing the quality of
public space from the perspective of the users? and Searching for criteria of assessment?
Considering the Gehl and Whyte, the answer is clear for this question, as it is assumed that the
most significant element that defines the quality of a public space is the relationship of the user and
individuals with the urban environment of a present time. To be more specific, the human activities
define the functionality of a space, like the movement and the stops of movement for any particular
reason, as well as the need to observe and hear. Both of the writers, through the research they have done
on the subject suggest that the proper planning and designing of the public space must be based on the
activities of the humans.
The present study is based on these articles of (Life between buildings: Using public space ,Cities for
People) and (The Social Life of small Urban spaces) and will examine the matter of the need for social
interaction that it seems to comprise an axis for the success of reaching quality in creating public spaces.
The architects and the designers are able to interfere in the process of communication and interaction
between the people, as they can serve as a tool to accomplish this.
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This paper attempts to discuss the im¬portance of sustainability and its relation with education ... more This paper attempts to discuss the im¬portance of sustainability and its relation with education and design. Investigates how sus¬tainability can be promoted through school curriculum with an educational approach which will include also learning through de¬sign, aiming to raise awareness towards a better, healthier and sustainable future.
The essay is divided into four main chapters. It will first refer generally to the field of education and will focus on three ed¬ucational theorists: Piaget, Montessori and Skinner.
The second chapter has three parts. The first refer generally on sustainability, the second, will concentrate on sustainability through education and education for sustain¬able development (ESD) and the third part will refer to learning through the design and education as an entirety that will be present¬ed through the analysis of two case studies.
Finally, the last chapter will be the analysis of the final project which is the re-sult of the above research that integrates the designing of the building in the educational framework.
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Over the past 200 years, approximately 50% of Cyprus wetlands disappeared while the
remaining few... more Over the past 200 years, approximately 50% of Cyprus wetlands disappeared while the
remaining few are largely under threat due to urbanization. With over 65% of the Islands population
living in cities, draining of wetlands to provide land for housing units and urban infrastructure has
become the major cause of wetland loss. Destruction of wetlands eliminated the benefits originally
provided by these ecosystems such as ensuring water quality; providing habitat for a wide range of fauna
and flora as well as regulating storm water flooding. Preservation of the remaining urban wetlands as
well as restoration of the degraded ones will be a crucial task towards communal environmental health
improving the quality of the aquatic systems, ensuring Biodiversity, microclimate adaptation, carbon
absorption, natural amenity and the formation of recreational spaces. Therefore, urban wetlands have
become significantly important for human‐related values in an era of “man over nature”. Wetlands
restoration will become the bridging process between human and nature, initiating social benefits,
succeeding in local people participation with designing, planning, implementing and monitoring of a
rehabilitated ecosystem. The aim of this paper is to explore the presence and absence of wetlands from a
scientific and socioeconomic perspective, in order to obtain knowledge of how ecological restoration and
rehabilitation can create possibilities of a sustainable development in the area of Aglantzia. Wetland
significance is explored as an ecological system by establishing a framework of wetland historical
development in Aglantzia compared to impacts of urbanization. Case studies are examined in order to
extract methodological tools towards viable applications for the regeneration of Aglantzia’s wetland
restoration.
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How markets affected the social spaces of Nicosia, their impact in shaping the identity of the ur... more How markets affected the social spaces of Nicosia, their impact in shaping the identity of the urban community through their long term existence.
The existence of markets within the urban environment of Nicosia contributed in the formation of the identity of the urban space and the social community for several years. Their existence within the urban spaces of Nicosia lead to the creation of social communities that connected people from different locations of Cyprus and lead to the establishment of spatial identities. Communities and social connections were created through the variety of activates within the spaces that markets were formed. People developed strong memories and attachments by using the urban spaces as a means of social interaction. Through the activities within the market people engaged in public communication that led to their sustainable evolvement for several years. During the past years urban markets in Nicosia have become obsolete and led to their decline and with them their social communities that thrived for many years.
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This research paper is going to investigate what is the scope and effectiveness of adapting reuse... more This research paper is going to investigate what is the scope and effectiveness of adapting reuse in contemporary architecture. The methodology of this essay is based on the examination of various approaches of John Ruskin, Eugene-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc and Fred Scott and continues with a research on three different masterpieces of restoration. It concludes with a third chapter which is based on the analysis of Varosha district in Cyprus and investigates methods to apply for a proper conservation of the city. Many historic buildings and monuments from previous centuries are unsuitable to be used again because of natural or human damages. By restoring them, new users have the opportunity to experience the nostalgic side of the building and the previous functionality in a new design. For example, Varosha is a Turkish occupied area and after extended bombing and depredation is now remain as a ghost city. The significance of bringing back to life the whole city it comes in comparison with the several approaches on restoration which will be discussed and analyzed further more in the following chapters.
There is a complex set of variables and values that makes a building important enough to be restored. It might have a political, historical, sociopolitical or architectural value. This research paper is going to explore how adaptive reuse of historic buildings having these values can be successful with various approaches. In addition, it will conclude that there is not a single correct way to respond to historic buildings but it depends on a set of possibilities and judgment process on a case by case basis. The object of the study is to examine historic buildings which are damaged and reused with a different methodology of conservation and then it concludes with a full analysis of Varosha. This paper reports on four specific case studies of restoration which are located in Berlin, Verona and Athens and Varosha. In each case the building is equally important.
Finally, this thesis, finds that there is not a single way to respond to restoration and preservation and there is not one general rule of an intervention in a historical building or monument. The aim of this paper is to prove that adaptive reuse is as equal as other architectural projects which start from the beginning.
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As creators in Space, architects and designers are given the ability to explore and expand from s... more As creators in Space, architects and designers are given the ability to explore and expand from short-term architectural missions, to the eventual formation of the world, targeting the ultimate efficiency of human environment creating thoughtful spaces and smart functional systems for all the living people. The new ‘human intervention’ criteria needs to be developed, in order to approach a different strategy of physical and psychological requirements, framing multiple aspects that consciously should be influencing architectural aesthesis. The design of a living environment for long-living stay should take into account the quality-of-life, as well as the long term functionality of services that reflect gender quality co-existence. Architectural aesthetics should be able to resolve and monitor the spatial arrangement, the usage and functionality of the individual spaces and how they provide the user an easier and more pleasant experience of living.
This research paper aims to question the architectural journey of male boundaries and the emergence of female realms in relation to architectural aesthetics. The paper will analyse important issues such as how do people visualise architecture, the primary goals of intervention in the architectural field and the reflection on the society. Additionally, in what ways is the evaluation of the design criticised, rather than just the building itself. Aaron Betsky claims that the society must create a living world which will consider the needs of both genders and all those beings whose gender we cannot and should not define. Being able to administer all the necessary aspects in order to process to the design, architecture enables issues such as aesthetics and the sensibility inside the developing form. Starting from the outer envelope to the inner environment also the different senses a space can provide, and all the characteristics that encourage the user to be able to experience space and embrace their personal experiences. To that end, this paper discusses the necessity of an aesthetic perspective within the general architectural intervention and the necessity of architectural cognition to achieve an efficient outcome.
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This thesis is about facilitating connections between a neglected city where the community is iso... more This thesis is about facilitating connections between a neglected city where the community is isolated in an enclosed area full of historical monuments and acity which needs a total repair which lags of different communal open spaces and human activities. My method of achieving this connection culminated in the formulation of an urban park planned on the moat which is in the middle of the two Cities, exactly located in front of the Venetian Walls, a promenade, where urban connections, elevated bridges ‗ramps‘ will work as promenades and observation platforms which will continue parametrically through the Walled City and then end up at significantly points inside the enclosed city. The whole project is divided in three phases. Phase 1, actually is the journey from Varosha to the moat, phase 2 is the transformation of the moat to an urban park with uplifted pedestrian paths, observation towers viewing cities, exhibition and recreational spaces. Additionally, Phase 3 is the continuation of the new uplifted pedestrian path ‗bridge‘ inside the Walled City which will continue parametrically and descend on specific points (Historical Monuments, etc). A briefly introduction of the history and the current condition remain in Famagusta, an article which containing lots of information about the Walled City and some case studies which help me take any of my decisions improving my project and will also be discussed in this thesis, on the following pages.
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Although sustainability is more of a constant inquiry rather than a definition, it can be reassur... more Although sustainability is more of a constant inquiry rather than a definition, it can be reassuringly projected as the ability and the potential of all species and physical environments (manmade and natural) to survive. Sustainability’s accountability to survival into the future is intrinsically linked to the longevity of cultural architectural and urban artifacts that range from historic buildings to everyday spaces that are somehow significant to social relations. The paper is drawn from a study that explores how architectural studio participants approach, understand, interpret and apply values of preservation when designing for culturally sensitive areas, and while employing the principles of sustainable design. Since it is broadly stipulated that studio participants engage in processes and express notions of cultural heritage in ways that respond to a variety of stimuli, the study examines the contemporary cultural subtexts, as well as the role of architectural education and idiosyncratic sensibilities. Through a range of studio participants’ projects set in historical buildings and in cultural and traditional neighborhoods, the study aims to detect and codify trends and iterative courses that inform the decision-making process. Design projects considered include contemporary retrofits in interstitial spaces, elevated structures embracing historic structures, industrial reuse and others. Since the meaning and practice of sustainability are key components to the architectural education of the participants whose work is examined, the paper also explores the theoretical underpinning that frames an understanding of sustainability both as a social and as an environmental condition. Thus a narrative is created that aims to connect social sustainability to a cultural understanding. The study embarks on a socio-cultural speculation of causalities and cultural nuances, which combined with more structured pedagogical methods, influence participants’ design priorities and perceptions in local architectural academies. Knowledge is drawn from the authors’ five-year ¬¬involvement in advanced architectural design studios where architecture and urbanism have been considered from a distinct position of sustainable priorities.
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Human organism is consider to be the most complex and intelligent life form on Earth. It is also... more Human organism is consider to be the most complex and intelligent life form on Earth. It is also the most advanced organism. Although, mankind is a fragment in Earth’s history, people cannot live forever. This desire to live forever, could destroy both nature and Earth as well. As users, humans try to copy and apply for their own benefits, elements, mechanisms and patterns that nature provides to animal and plants, for their own benefits. Benefits that can help them understand nature’s rules and apply them in architectural terms. The aim of Morphogenesis is to start to make an imprint upon Earth and the living environment of people, inspired by nature. The ability of humans to copy and manipulate these data, taken from nature can help people to understand how nature works and use these data in architectural terms.
The aim of this paper is to combine materiality, environment and nature into a unified structure that is protected by the elements of nature. People are influenced by their senses and as result the shapes of buildings are changing according to their spatial needs. The aim of this research is to create a parametric membrane that will be integrated in an industrial area in Cyprus, with the existing weather condition and spatial needs of humans, changing the shape of the membrane.
A question emerges however if such a project could be build in Cyprus, and if the users could maintain and build this structural morphogenetic membrane, but at the same time the effect that this structure could have upon the users. The membrane that initially came from Buckmister Fuller in 1940 will be included today to the overall proposal that will serve humans. Weathering, power supply, wind control, water control etc. Would the users feel enclosure within this structure? Would it be better if users inhabit entirely this environment or could it be better if nature and users collaborate together?
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The idea of a member of the city starts when someone has the power in controlling his/her environ... more The idea of a member of the city starts when someone has the power in controlling his/her environment from the unit to the public spaces. Controlling ones environment is part of development. As Kevin Lynch said “Man is a territorial animal”, but how much territorial control can a Person have in an already given and constructed urban setting when others, without his/her participation construct their private units. This thesis will focus to set participation as the core for the users and the designers as to maximize their collaboration in the process of design.
The aim of this paper is to present the role of participation in constructing the private units, which is associated as the private property of a Person and expressed as home; in order to activate and build a relation between the expert and non expert. The main behavioral factors associated with Participation are the ability of inhabitants to act in their private space free to choose and control their privacy, territory - territoriality, and flexibility of their spaces.
The analysis will not only be based on the power or authority in someone controlling his/her environment, but will also address social issues carried out by other building program, such as Park Hill Sheffield in England, design by Jack Lynn and Ivor Smith, in 1960 and Elemental, Quinta Monroy, Iquique, in Chile; design by Alejandro Aravena, in 2001.
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Papers by Sustainable Design Unit
to control, mitigate and restructure the housing and construction standards to reduce the energy dependency. This study primarily aims to analyze the climatic conditions of hot and arid regions; the vernacular approach towards climate adaptive architecture practiced in this type of a climate in comparison to the current construction trends with the focus being on a specific country, namely the Sultanate of Oman. This paper also aims to propose possible sustainable approaches that can be
conceptualized in contemporary modern day urbanization.
The methodology which will be followed and the main focus of this thesis will be thus on 18th and 19th century architecture but it will also reference case studies which are vital to the understanding of this typology of buildings. Especially the works of Hassan Fathy, a renowned Egyptian Architect who revolutionized the Arab design by returning to its vernacular roots while at the same time adding new sustainable technologies to the design language by methodically researching and empirically uncovering the forgotten methods of construction deep into his cultural context (James Steele).
The thesis will also reference foreign and Cypriot architects whom each in their own respect reinvented and explored the roots of traditional architecture in an attempt to use their studies of the vernacular architecture as an inspiration to create a new modern analogue which would be true in the essence and belonging to the present. In this regard several examples will be taken into account from nearby Mediterranean architects. These examples will be related back to the Cypriot architecture in order to begin a discussion on the fundamental elements of traditional sustainable courtyard house archetypes and the needs they covered as well as the core principles on which they were designed.
Beyond the scope of identifying the bioclimatic sustainable qualities of the Cypriot courtyard house the thesis will also delve into issues of social sustainability. Thus the courtyard as well as other buffer spaces of the building such the iliakos, will be analyzed in the way they provide spaces for daily social activities. Furthermore, this social spaces will be examined as in how they can become transitional areas, while at the same time being extensions of both the inner interior and the courtyard. This examination will attempt to tap into the duality of these spaces (being part interior and part exterior) and how this effect can encourage social interaction and attraction which in turn relates back to the core characteristics of a socially comfortable and sustainable environment.
These subjects are important as they will look into the past with a fresh perception under the prism of social and bioclimatic sustainability which will showcase the purpose of the ways of the past and in this regard, architects will be able to reimagine and project them onto the present understanding of architecture as a discipline.
The purpose of this paper is to examine three architectural elements, light, sound and the shape of touch - as it is impossible to investigate all of them in one piece of work - and how they can be used in the creation of atmosphere in an architectural space. To this end, I will start by an examination of the theory of phenomenology which is closely related to the senses and to the concept of atmosphere, focusing on its relationship to the architectural setting as studied by the Finnish architect and theorist Juhani Pallasmaa whose books about the importance of the senses, especially the sense of touch, in the design of architecture have been considered very influential in the design process. This will be followed by an investigation of the concept of atmosphere and the elements that comprise it as studied by an internationally acknowledged Swiss architect and architectural theorist, Peter Zumthor who has written about the atmospheric qualities in architectural design and how these qualities can stimulate our senses and stir our memory and our imagination. Zumthor has maintained the belief that architecture must be a first- hand experience in which all the senses are involved. This will be followed by the main argument in which the architectural elements of light, sound and touch will be identified and thoroughly examined in an attempt to comprehend how these elements can contribute to the creation of atmosphere in an architectural setting. Following the theoretical study, I will investigate one of Zumthor’s work, Therme Vals, a hotel and spa built over a thermal spring in Switzerland in 1996. It is an extraordinary achievement of modern architecture which opens all the senses offering a total sensory experience. The architect infused his design with a quality of space and atmosphere, delivering a total atmospheric and meaningful experience.
The research is divided into two main chapters. The first Chapter is a historical timeline of pavilions which tells the history of the very first pavilion, moving on the development through time, their purposes and their architecture of that time. The research is divided in to two main chapters following by sub-chapters. The first will guide us through the history of pavilions giving a clearer under standing of what a pavilion is and what is their role in architecture including an urban view. Examples of lightweight structure of Frie Otto will be given as well as the intelligent work of Buckminster fuller and his experiments of geometric domes. In the second part EXPO will be introduced as a showcase of pavilions. A well-known exhibition acting as a displayed of pavilion for different countries to promote and advertise their significance aspects in architecture. It will explain how expo influenced architecture during that time as well as today, through showcases of /for technology. It will examining the pavilions as an innovative structure that focuses on technological advancement of each country. In addition, with case studies of "historical" pavilions such us Barcelona Pavilion by Mies Van der Rohe, explaining the open planning technique and the La Villete pavilion of Bernard Tschumi. This chapter will be concluding with urban view of the pavilions investigating their role within a city. How it activates a space and what it brings to the city.
Reading through the second chapter the reader will walk around the contemporary world of pavilions. How do they promoted new urban activities and their influence to architecture giving new construction and design solutions through their innovative investigations? This chapter is focusing on a more technological approach of pavilions, design process as well as the constructing process. Is analyzing the Technology values of the new investigation, and how this influence architecture by translating into bigger scale. This chapter is also an introduction to the new millennium - robotic-digital world. First is looking into alternative ways of designing and modeling tool - Range of possibilities. Adding the digital media, as new generative tool for morphogenesis (parametric) Computational design as a series of strategies, which can be applied into the design process. Traditionally, designers rely on the awareness and the knowledge to answer design problems, computational design as a computer language enhance the process by encoding design assessments. This chapter is concluding with a view in the city. What is the public role their aesthetic and commercial values.
ture became dominated and controlled by vision, how it’s relation with history was used as a tool for design and how as a mean for persuading meaning. Every- thing is judged by what people see, in such a way that true meanings are lost. All that matters nowadays is to please the eye. Two movements, that rest on common ground, which is the power and importance of vision in architecture, realized the potentials that sight has and used it in total different ways in order to achieve additional goals. On the one hand is the deep philoso- phy of phenomenology and more specific of percep- tion that translate vision as a way of understanding space and at the same time as a link between the manmade world and nature which then triggers the existential questions. On the other hand, now, a quiet newer movement, which started with Robert Venturi, uses sight in a completely different way, always in re- lation with the visual meaning given through history of architecture. The thesis will start with an investigation concerning the theoretical background of phenom- enology and hermeneutical discussions by Branko Mi- trovic as also the Eyes of the Skin by Juhani Pallasma thus focusing on the relation between experience and meaning. Then this will be juxtapose to Robert’s Ven- turis general work who values and investigates archi- tectural history for opposite ends, primarily as the foun- dation of tensioned interplays of meanings. Precedent studies, which relate with both of the movements such Villa Mairea in Finland by Alvar Aalto and the Chest- nut hill House of Robert Venturi’s will be further analyze in order to investigate how the two approaches have lead to different architectural interpretations.
Sanatoriums construction were based on the Modern Movement Architecture, and under this philosophy were spread and built all over the world, especially in Europe. These institutions have offered very important therapeutic work to humanity and also to the architecture evolution.
This thesis is therefore intended to enlighten on how a healing environment ahead of growing health challenges, such as tuberculosis, at Modernism movement period can contribute to patients' cure. Also, this thesis take as its focus the study of Sanatoriums during the modernism, the analysis of the natural elements (sunlight & air) and the architecture contributions to tuberculosis and the factors which affects to patients' health. Through the study of the Tuberculosis disease and analysis of sanatoriums' design, at mid- nineteenth to mid-twentieth century, the thesis studies the significant changes and influences of this illness in Architecture.
Furthermore, the research seeks to investigate how the needs of medicine have brought innovative changes in architecture and their impact on patients' health. This thesis take as its focus the study of Sanatoriums, with primary case study the Paimio Sanatorium and then the Zonnestraal Sanatorium. Based on above case studies, this paper examines the evolution of architecture design in response to medical needs.
The thesis analyses and evaluates the re-use of other industrial sites and buildings in order to aid in concluding the best possible design for the Kakopetria chrome mining site. It shows how a site a site which has been affected from the industrial pollution and more specifically on mining sites can be restored. Initially an analysis on Industrial Heritage is made and the importance of the memories and the history behind it. An examination of 3 case studies is performed where the topography of the area, the infrastructure, the inhabitants and the buildings, before and after the industry change are looked at. The case studies are taken from different industries like a quarry, mining and gathering spots of minerals, showing methods used by architects to restore and re use these polluted sites. The three sites which are analysed had different treatments, approaches and problems to solve. The sites are:
• Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in Essen, Germany
• Menomonee valley Milwaukee Wisconsin USA
• Duisburg Nord, Germany
The main goal of the first case study, Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in Essen was to find a contemporary use to combine programs of 12,000m2 for visitor center (Museum). The result is an industrial monument that combines modern use with historic context. The second case study is Menomonee valley Milwaukee Wisconsin USA which is a brownfield example of sustainable design that developed from a spectrum of factors and needs of environmental, social and economic with in the neighborhood, city and region of Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Claudia Dinep, 2010). The initial idea was to transform it into a health center but because of some other problems which arisen in the city, it became a public park and adjusted to the city needs. Landschaftspark is currently a public park located in Duisburg-Meiderich, Germany. Their approach in redesigning these premises was not to completely strip it from its history. On the contrary they wished to embrace and showcase it.
Architecture is surrounded by past memories and therefore architects are responsible to identify those structures in order to avoid the loss of our heritage. In order to understand what is consider as outdated, some of the parameters that can be observed is the aesthetic of the artifact. Since it is inevitable to conserve everything that mankind have erected in the field of architecture during our past, architects and urban planners must identify ways for selecting the proper structures.
Having said the above, any individual automatically will start considering ways in order to preserve the structures. Within the context of the thesis will be discussed the preservation, restoration and the adaptation and reuse of abandoned structures.
Since the structure have lost its ability to host new life because it cannot serve people’s needs anymore, it has to be given the chance to regain occupants by adopting it to the new contemporary lifestyle and needs.
Therefor a selection of the program is needed and there are three ways that this can be achieved within an interventional way or with a restoration program and maybe a conservation approach.
Although each era is suffering by its own taboos and the style of restoration may vary from time to time, there is no clear path; for each building the approach can be different and this will be explained with the provision of visual content.
This study it will be divided into two parts. The first part of the research is related to the theoretical discussion of three major architects- John Ruskin, Viollet-le-Duc and Fred Scott, and the second part will provide, explain and analyze three case studies of industrial preservation.
The case studies Landschaftspark Duisburg Nord, Sloss Furnaces and Tate modern have selected because of their successful restoration, conservation and adoption and reused approach. All of them are consider as post-industrial abandon landscapes/architecture and this is a phenomenon with increasing regularity in cities.
The public places of a city are very crucial elements of it, as they offer contentment, refreshment and life
in the city. However, in order to create a public space it is not enough to provide an empty spacious space
but a place that combines all the appropriate and necessary elements that offer facilitation as well as a
pleasant environment to the users and the society.
Most of the times, if observed, there is the perception that the streets, the parking places for the cars and
the open places are just empty located between the buildings. In reality though, these places are neither
empty remainders nor overages between the buildings and constructions, but what they are is free spaces
for ease the movement of users so that they can meet, stop for a while and so on. Additionally, these free
and empty spaces comprise the architectural expression of the community, and the collective identity
of the public space. During the present period of time, this particular expression has begun to be getting
lost, according to the writer (Mandanipour,2003), claiming that in the past without the internet services
and with the public telephone that existed, these spaces were important as they comprised a mean of
communication. Nevertheless, nowadays, while the time changes new needs derived that are essential to
be accounted so that the user can be approached.
As Jan Gehl stated, “Cultures and climates differ all over the world, but people are the same. They will
gather in public if you give them a good place to do it”. By this expression the writer attempts to
emphasize on the importance that must be given in the open spaces.
Approaching the subject of the space’s quality the following question arises: Assessing the quality of
public space from the perspective of the users? and Searching for criteria of assessment?
Considering the Gehl and Whyte, the answer is clear for this question, as it is assumed that the
most significant element that defines the quality of a public space is the relationship of the user and
individuals with the urban environment of a present time. To be more specific, the human activities
define the functionality of a space, like the movement and the stops of movement for any particular
reason, as well as the need to observe and hear. Both of the writers, through the research they have done
on the subject suggest that the proper planning and designing of the public space must be based on the
activities of the humans.
The present study is based on these articles of (Life between buildings: Using public space ,Cities for
People) and (The Social Life of small Urban spaces) and will examine the matter of the need for social
interaction that it seems to comprise an axis for the success of reaching quality in creating public spaces.
The architects and the designers are able to interfere in the process of communication and interaction
between the people, as they can serve as a tool to accomplish this.
The essay is divided into four main chapters. It will first refer generally to the field of education and will focus on three ed¬ucational theorists: Piaget, Montessori and Skinner.
The second chapter has three parts. The first refer generally on sustainability, the second, will concentrate on sustainability through education and education for sustain¬able development (ESD) and the third part will refer to learning through the design and education as an entirety that will be present¬ed through the analysis of two case studies.
Finally, the last chapter will be the analysis of the final project which is the re-sult of the above research that integrates the designing of the building in the educational framework.
remaining few are largely under threat due to urbanization. With over 65% of the Islands population
living in cities, draining of wetlands to provide land for housing units and urban infrastructure has
become the major cause of wetland loss. Destruction of wetlands eliminated the benefits originally
provided by these ecosystems such as ensuring water quality; providing habitat for a wide range of fauna
and flora as well as regulating storm water flooding. Preservation of the remaining urban wetlands as
well as restoration of the degraded ones will be a crucial task towards communal environmental health
improving the quality of the aquatic systems, ensuring Biodiversity, microclimate adaptation, carbon
absorption, natural amenity and the formation of recreational spaces. Therefore, urban wetlands have
become significantly important for human‐related values in an era of “man over nature”. Wetlands
restoration will become the bridging process between human and nature, initiating social benefits,
succeeding in local people participation with designing, planning, implementing and monitoring of a
rehabilitated ecosystem. The aim of this paper is to explore the presence and absence of wetlands from a
scientific and socioeconomic perspective, in order to obtain knowledge of how ecological restoration and
rehabilitation can create possibilities of a sustainable development in the area of Aglantzia. Wetland
significance is explored as an ecological system by establishing a framework of wetland historical
development in Aglantzia compared to impacts of urbanization. Case studies are examined in order to
extract methodological tools towards viable applications for the regeneration of Aglantzia’s wetland
restoration.
The existence of markets within the urban environment of Nicosia contributed in the formation of the identity of the urban space and the social community for several years. Their existence within the urban spaces of Nicosia lead to the creation of social communities that connected people from different locations of Cyprus and lead to the establishment of spatial identities. Communities and social connections were created through the variety of activates within the spaces that markets were formed. People developed strong memories and attachments by using the urban spaces as a means of social interaction. Through the activities within the market people engaged in public communication that led to their sustainable evolvement for several years. During the past years urban markets in Nicosia have become obsolete and led to their decline and with them their social communities that thrived for many years.
There is a complex set of variables and values that makes a building important enough to be restored. It might have a political, historical, sociopolitical or architectural value. This research paper is going to explore how adaptive reuse of historic buildings having these values can be successful with various approaches. In addition, it will conclude that there is not a single correct way to respond to historic buildings but it depends on a set of possibilities and judgment process on a case by case basis. The object of the study is to examine historic buildings which are damaged and reused with a different methodology of conservation and then it concludes with a full analysis of Varosha. This paper reports on four specific case studies of restoration which are located in Berlin, Verona and Athens and Varosha. In each case the building is equally important.
Finally, this thesis, finds that there is not a single way to respond to restoration and preservation and there is not one general rule of an intervention in a historical building or monument. The aim of this paper is to prove that adaptive reuse is as equal as other architectural projects which start from the beginning.
This research paper aims to question the architectural journey of male boundaries and the emergence of female realms in relation to architectural aesthetics. The paper will analyse important issues such as how do people visualise architecture, the primary goals of intervention in the architectural field and the reflection on the society. Additionally, in what ways is the evaluation of the design criticised, rather than just the building itself. Aaron Betsky claims that the society must create a living world which will consider the needs of both genders and all those beings whose gender we cannot and should not define. Being able to administer all the necessary aspects in order to process to the design, architecture enables issues such as aesthetics and the sensibility inside the developing form. Starting from the outer envelope to the inner environment also the different senses a space can provide, and all the characteristics that encourage the user to be able to experience space and embrace their personal experiences. To that end, this paper discusses the necessity of an aesthetic perspective within the general architectural intervention and the necessity of architectural cognition to achieve an efficient outcome.
The aim of this paper is to combine materiality, environment and nature into a unified structure that is protected by the elements of nature. People are influenced by their senses and as result the shapes of buildings are changing according to their spatial needs. The aim of this research is to create a parametric membrane that will be integrated in an industrial area in Cyprus, with the existing weather condition and spatial needs of humans, changing the shape of the membrane.
A question emerges however if such a project could be build in Cyprus, and if the users could maintain and build this structural morphogenetic membrane, but at the same time the effect that this structure could have upon the users. The membrane that initially came from Buckmister Fuller in 1940 will be included today to the overall proposal that will serve humans. Weathering, power supply, wind control, water control etc. Would the users feel enclosure within this structure? Would it be better if users inhabit entirely this environment or could it be better if nature and users collaborate together?
The aim of this paper is to present the role of participation in constructing the private units, which is associated as the private property of a Person and expressed as home; in order to activate and build a relation between the expert and non expert. The main behavioral factors associated with Participation are the ability of inhabitants to act in their private space free to choose and control their privacy, territory - territoriality, and flexibility of their spaces.
The analysis will not only be based on the power or authority in someone controlling his/her environment, but will also address social issues carried out by other building program, such as Park Hill Sheffield in England, design by Jack Lynn and Ivor Smith, in 1960 and Elemental, Quinta Monroy, Iquique, in Chile; design by Alejandro Aravena, in 2001.
to control, mitigate and restructure the housing and construction standards to reduce the energy dependency. This study primarily aims to analyze the climatic conditions of hot and arid regions; the vernacular approach towards climate adaptive architecture practiced in this type of a climate in comparison to the current construction trends with the focus being on a specific country, namely the Sultanate of Oman. This paper also aims to propose possible sustainable approaches that can be
conceptualized in contemporary modern day urbanization.
The methodology which will be followed and the main focus of this thesis will be thus on 18th and 19th century architecture but it will also reference case studies which are vital to the understanding of this typology of buildings. Especially the works of Hassan Fathy, a renowned Egyptian Architect who revolutionized the Arab design by returning to its vernacular roots while at the same time adding new sustainable technologies to the design language by methodically researching and empirically uncovering the forgotten methods of construction deep into his cultural context (James Steele).
The thesis will also reference foreign and Cypriot architects whom each in their own respect reinvented and explored the roots of traditional architecture in an attempt to use their studies of the vernacular architecture as an inspiration to create a new modern analogue which would be true in the essence and belonging to the present. In this regard several examples will be taken into account from nearby Mediterranean architects. These examples will be related back to the Cypriot architecture in order to begin a discussion on the fundamental elements of traditional sustainable courtyard house archetypes and the needs they covered as well as the core principles on which they were designed.
Beyond the scope of identifying the bioclimatic sustainable qualities of the Cypriot courtyard house the thesis will also delve into issues of social sustainability. Thus the courtyard as well as other buffer spaces of the building such the iliakos, will be analyzed in the way they provide spaces for daily social activities. Furthermore, this social spaces will be examined as in how they can become transitional areas, while at the same time being extensions of both the inner interior and the courtyard. This examination will attempt to tap into the duality of these spaces (being part interior and part exterior) and how this effect can encourage social interaction and attraction which in turn relates back to the core characteristics of a socially comfortable and sustainable environment.
These subjects are important as they will look into the past with a fresh perception under the prism of social and bioclimatic sustainability which will showcase the purpose of the ways of the past and in this regard, architects will be able to reimagine and project them onto the present understanding of architecture as a discipline.
The purpose of this paper is to examine three architectural elements, light, sound and the shape of touch - as it is impossible to investigate all of them in one piece of work - and how they can be used in the creation of atmosphere in an architectural space. To this end, I will start by an examination of the theory of phenomenology which is closely related to the senses and to the concept of atmosphere, focusing on its relationship to the architectural setting as studied by the Finnish architect and theorist Juhani Pallasmaa whose books about the importance of the senses, especially the sense of touch, in the design of architecture have been considered very influential in the design process. This will be followed by an investigation of the concept of atmosphere and the elements that comprise it as studied by an internationally acknowledged Swiss architect and architectural theorist, Peter Zumthor who has written about the atmospheric qualities in architectural design and how these qualities can stimulate our senses and stir our memory and our imagination. Zumthor has maintained the belief that architecture must be a first- hand experience in which all the senses are involved. This will be followed by the main argument in which the architectural elements of light, sound and touch will be identified and thoroughly examined in an attempt to comprehend how these elements can contribute to the creation of atmosphere in an architectural setting. Following the theoretical study, I will investigate one of Zumthor’s work, Therme Vals, a hotel and spa built over a thermal spring in Switzerland in 1996. It is an extraordinary achievement of modern architecture which opens all the senses offering a total sensory experience. The architect infused his design with a quality of space and atmosphere, delivering a total atmospheric and meaningful experience.
The research is divided into two main chapters. The first Chapter is a historical timeline of pavilions which tells the history of the very first pavilion, moving on the development through time, their purposes and their architecture of that time. The research is divided in to two main chapters following by sub-chapters. The first will guide us through the history of pavilions giving a clearer under standing of what a pavilion is and what is their role in architecture including an urban view. Examples of lightweight structure of Frie Otto will be given as well as the intelligent work of Buckminster fuller and his experiments of geometric domes. In the second part EXPO will be introduced as a showcase of pavilions. A well-known exhibition acting as a displayed of pavilion for different countries to promote and advertise their significance aspects in architecture. It will explain how expo influenced architecture during that time as well as today, through showcases of /for technology. It will examining the pavilions as an innovative structure that focuses on technological advancement of each country. In addition, with case studies of "historical" pavilions such us Barcelona Pavilion by Mies Van der Rohe, explaining the open planning technique and the La Villete pavilion of Bernard Tschumi. This chapter will be concluding with urban view of the pavilions investigating their role within a city. How it activates a space and what it brings to the city.
Reading through the second chapter the reader will walk around the contemporary world of pavilions. How do they promoted new urban activities and their influence to architecture giving new construction and design solutions through their innovative investigations? This chapter is focusing on a more technological approach of pavilions, design process as well as the constructing process. Is analyzing the Technology values of the new investigation, and how this influence architecture by translating into bigger scale. This chapter is also an introduction to the new millennium - robotic-digital world. First is looking into alternative ways of designing and modeling tool - Range of possibilities. Adding the digital media, as new generative tool for morphogenesis (parametric) Computational design as a series of strategies, which can be applied into the design process. Traditionally, designers rely on the awareness and the knowledge to answer design problems, computational design as a computer language enhance the process by encoding design assessments. This chapter is concluding with a view in the city. What is the public role their aesthetic and commercial values.
ture became dominated and controlled by vision, how it’s relation with history was used as a tool for design and how as a mean for persuading meaning. Every- thing is judged by what people see, in such a way that true meanings are lost. All that matters nowadays is to please the eye. Two movements, that rest on common ground, which is the power and importance of vision in architecture, realized the potentials that sight has and used it in total different ways in order to achieve additional goals. On the one hand is the deep philoso- phy of phenomenology and more specific of percep- tion that translate vision as a way of understanding space and at the same time as a link between the manmade world and nature which then triggers the existential questions. On the other hand, now, a quiet newer movement, which started with Robert Venturi, uses sight in a completely different way, always in re- lation with the visual meaning given through history of architecture. The thesis will start with an investigation concerning the theoretical background of phenom- enology and hermeneutical discussions by Branko Mi- trovic as also the Eyes of the Skin by Juhani Pallasma thus focusing on the relation between experience and meaning. Then this will be juxtapose to Robert’s Ven- turis general work who values and investigates archi- tectural history for opposite ends, primarily as the foun- dation of tensioned interplays of meanings. Precedent studies, which relate with both of the movements such Villa Mairea in Finland by Alvar Aalto and the Chest- nut hill House of Robert Venturi’s will be further analyze in order to investigate how the two approaches have lead to different architectural interpretations.
Sanatoriums construction were based on the Modern Movement Architecture, and under this philosophy were spread and built all over the world, especially in Europe. These institutions have offered very important therapeutic work to humanity and also to the architecture evolution.
This thesis is therefore intended to enlighten on how a healing environment ahead of growing health challenges, such as tuberculosis, at Modernism movement period can contribute to patients' cure. Also, this thesis take as its focus the study of Sanatoriums during the modernism, the analysis of the natural elements (sunlight & air) and the architecture contributions to tuberculosis and the factors which affects to patients' health. Through the study of the Tuberculosis disease and analysis of sanatoriums' design, at mid- nineteenth to mid-twentieth century, the thesis studies the significant changes and influences of this illness in Architecture.
Furthermore, the research seeks to investigate how the needs of medicine have brought innovative changes in architecture and their impact on patients' health. This thesis take as its focus the study of Sanatoriums, with primary case study the Paimio Sanatorium and then the Zonnestraal Sanatorium. Based on above case studies, this paper examines the evolution of architecture design in response to medical needs.
The thesis analyses and evaluates the re-use of other industrial sites and buildings in order to aid in concluding the best possible design for the Kakopetria chrome mining site. It shows how a site a site which has been affected from the industrial pollution and more specifically on mining sites can be restored. Initially an analysis on Industrial Heritage is made and the importance of the memories and the history behind it. An examination of 3 case studies is performed where the topography of the area, the infrastructure, the inhabitants and the buildings, before and after the industry change are looked at. The case studies are taken from different industries like a quarry, mining and gathering spots of minerals, showing methods used by architects to restore and re use these polluted sites. The three sites which are analysed had different treatments, approaches and problems to solve. The sites are:
• Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in Essen, Germany
• Menomonee valley Milwaukee Wisconsin USA
• Duisburg Nord, Germany
The main goal of the first case study, Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in Essen was to find a contemporary use to combine programs of 12,000m2 for visitor center (Museum). The result is an industrial monument that combines modern use with historic context. The second case study is Menomonee valley Milwaukee Wisconsin USA which is a brownfield example of sustainable design that developed from a spectrum of factors and needs of environmental, social and economic with in the neighborhood, city and region of Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Claudia Dinep, 2010). The initial idea was to transform it into a health center but because of some other problems which arisen in the city, it became a public park and adjusted to the city needs. Landschaftspark is currently a public park located in Duisburg-Meiderich, Germany. Their approach in redesigning these premises was not to completely strip it from its history. On the contrary they wished to embrace and showcase it.
Architecture is surrounded by past memories and therefore architects are responsible to identify those structures in order to avoid the loss of our heritage. In order to understand what is consider as outdated, some of the parameters that can be observed is the aesthetic of the artifact. Since it is inevitable to conserve everything that mankind have erected in the field of architecture during our past, architects and urban planners must identify ways for selecting the proper structures.
Having said the above, any individual automatically will start considering ways in order to preserve the structures. Within the context of the thesis will be discussed the preservation, restoration and the adaptation and reuse of abandoned structures.
Since the structure have lost its ability to host new life because it cannot serve people’s needs anymore, it has to be given the chance to regain occupants by adopting it to the new contemporary lifestyle and needs.
Therefor a selection of the program is needed and there are three ways that this can be achieved within an interventional way or with a restoration program and maybe a conservation approach.
Although each era is suffering by its own taboos and the style of restoration may vary from time to time, there is no clear path; for each building the approach can be different and this will be explained with the provision of visual content.
This study it will be divided into two parts. The first part of the research is related to the theoretical discussion of three major architects- John Ruskin, Viollet-le-Duc and Fred Scott, and the second part will provide, explain and analyze three case studies of industrial preservation.
The case studies Landschaftspark Duisburg Nord, Sloss Furnaces and Tate modern have selected because of their successful restoration, conservation and adoption and reused approach. All of them are consider as post-industrial abandon landscapes/architecture and this is a phenomenon with increasing regularity in cities.
The public places of a city are very crucial elements of it, as they offer contentment, refreshment and life
in the city. However, in order to create a public space it is not enough to provide an empty spacious space
but a place that combines all the appropriate and necessary elements that offer facilitation as well as a
pleasant environment to the users and the society.
Most of the times, if observed, there is the perception that the streets, the parking places for the cars and
the open places are just empty located between the buildings. In reality though, these places are neither
empty remainders nor overages between the buildings and constructions, but what they are is free spaces
for ease the movement of users so that they can meet, stop for a while and so on. Additionally, these free
and empty spaces comprise the architectural expression of the community, and the collective identity
of the public space. During the present period of time, this particular expression has begun to be getting
lost, according to the writer (Mandanipour,2003), claiming that in the past without the internet services
and with the public telephone that existed, these spaces were important as they comprised a mean of
communication. Nevertheless, nowadays, while the time changes new needs derived that are essential to
be accounted so that the user can be approached.
As Jan Gehl stated, “Cultures and climates differ all over the world, but people are the same. They will
gather in public if you give them a good place to do it”. By this expression the writer attempts to
emphasize on the importance that must be given in the open spaces.
Approaching the subject of the space’s quality the following question arises: Assessing the quality of
public space from the perspective of the users? and Searching for criteria of assessment?
Considering the Gehl and Whyte, the answer is clear for this question, as it is assumed that the
most significant element that defines the quality of a public space is the relationship of the user and
individuals with the urban environment of a present time. To be more specific, the human activities
define the functionality of a space, like the movement and the stops of movement for any particular
reason, as well as the need to observe and hear. Both of the writers, through the research they have done
on the subject suggest that the proper planning and designing of the public space must be based on the
activities of the humans.
The present study is based on these articles of (Life between buildings: Using public space ,Cities for
People) and (The Social Life of small Urban spaces) and will examine the matter of the need for social
interaction that it seems to comprise an axis for the success of reaching quality in creating public spaces.
The architects and the designers are able to interfere in the process of communication and interaction
between the people, as they can serve as a tool to accomplish this.
The essay is divided into four main chapters. It will first refer generally to the field of education and will focus on three ed¬ucational theorists: Piaget, Montessori and Skinner.
The second chapter has three parts. The first refer generally on sustainability, the second, will concentrate on sustainability through education and education for sustain¬able development (ESD) and the third part will refer to learning through the design and education as an entirety that will be present¬ed through the analysis of two case studies.
Finally, the last chapter will be the analysis of the final project which is the re-sult of the above research that integrates the designing of the building in the educational framework.
remaining few are largely under threat due to urbanization. With over 65% of the Islands population
living in cities, draining of wetlands to provide land for housing units and urban infrastructure has
become the major cause of wetland loss. Destruction of wetlands eliminated the benefits originally
provided by these ecosystems such as ensuring water quality; providing habitat for a wide range of fauna
and flora as well as regulating storm water flooding. Preservation of the remaining urban wetlands as
well as restoration of the degraded ones will be a crucial task towards communal environmental health
improving the quality of the aquatic systems, ensuring Biodiversity, microclimate adaptation, carbon
absorption, natural amenity and the formation of recreational spaces. Therefore, urban wetlands have
become significantly important for human‐related values in an era of “man over nature”. Wetlands
restoration will become the bridging process between human and nature, initiating social benefits,
succeeding in local people participation with designing, planning, implementing and monitoring of a
rehabilitated ecosystem. The aim of this paper is to explore the presence and absence of wetlands from a
scientific and socioeconomic perspective, in order to obtain knowledge of how ecological restoration and
rehabilitation can create possibilities of a sustainable development in the area of Aglantzia. Wetland
significance is explored as an ecological system by establishing a framework of wetland historical
development in Aglantzia compared to impacts of urbanization. Case studies are examined in order to
extract methodological tools towards viable applications for the regeneration of Aglantzia’s wetland
restoration.
The existence of markets within the urban environment of Nicosia contributed in the formation of the identity of the urban space and the social community for several years. Their existence within the urban spaces of Nicosia lead to the creation of social communities that connected people from different locations of Cyprus and lead to the establishment of spatial identities. Communities and social connections were created through the variety of activates within the spaces that markets were formed. People developed strong memories and attachments by using the urban spaces as a means of social interaction. Through the activities within the market people engaged in public communication that led to their sustainable evolvement for several years. During the past years urban markets in Nicosia have become obsolete and led to their decline and with them their social communities that thrived for many years.
There is a complex set of variables and values that makes a building important enough to be restored. It might have a political, historical, sociopolitical or architectural value. This research paper is going to explore how adaptive reuse of historic buildings having these values can be successful with various approaches. In addition, it will conclude that there is not a single correct way to respond to historic buildings but it depends on a set of possibilities and judgment process on a case by case basis. The object of the study is to examine historic buildings which are damaged and reused with a different methodology of conservation and then it concludes with a full analysis of Varosha. This paper reports on four specific case studies of restoration which are located in Berlin, Verona and Athens and Varosha. In each case the building is equally important.
Finally, this thesis, finds that there is not a single way to respond to restoration and preservation and there is not one general rule of an intervention in a historical building or monument. The aim of this paper is to prove that adaptive reuse is as equal as other architectural projects which start from the beginning.
This research paper aims to question the architectural journey of male boundaries and the emergence of female realms in relation to architectural aesthetics. The paper will analyse important issues such as how do people visualise architecture, the primary goals of intervention in the architectural field and the reflection on the society. Additionally, in what ways is the evaluation of the design criticised, rather than just the building itself. Aaron Betsky claims that the society must create a living world which will consider the needs of both genders and all those beings whose gender we cannot and should not define. Being able to administer all the necessary aspects in order to process to the design, architecture enables issues such as aesthetics and the sensibility inside the developing form. Starting from the outer envelope to the inner environment also the different senses a space can provide, and all the characteristics that encourage the user to be able to experience space and embrace their personal experiences. To that end, this paper discusses the necessity of an aesthetic perspective within the general architectural intervention and the necessity of architectural cognition to achieve an efficient outcome.
The aim of this paper is to combine materiality, environment and nature into a unified structure that is protected by the elements of nature. People are influenced by their senses and as result the shapes of buildings are changing according to their spatial needs. The aim of this research is to create a parametric membrane that will be integrated in an industrial area in Cyprus, with the existing weather condition and spatial needs of humans, changing the shape of the membrane.
A question emerges however if such a project could be build in Cyprus, and if the users could maintain and build this structural morphogenetic membrane, but at the same time the effect that this structure could have upon the users. The membrane that initially came from Buckmister Fuller in 1940 will be included today to the overall proposal that will serve humans. Weathering, power supply, wind control, water control etc. Would the users feel enclosure within this structure? Would it be better if users inhabit entirely this environment or could it be better if nature and users collaborate together?
The aim of this paper is to present the role of participation in constructing the private units, which is associated as the private property of a Person and expressed as home; in order to activate and build a relation between the expert and non expert. The main behavioral factors associated with Participation are the ability of inhabitants to act in their private space free to choose and control their privacy, territory - territoriality, and flexibility of their spaces.
The analysis will not only be based on the power or authority in someone controlling his/her environment, but will also address social issues carried out by other building program, such as Park Hill Sheffield in England, design by Jack Lynn and Ivor Smith, in 1960 and Elemental, Quinta Monroy, Iquique, in Chile; design by Alejandro Aravena, in 2001.
How can we take on the first community of the Cyprus Aceramic Neolithic Khirokitia and use it as a steppingstone to address issues of social sustainability within a humanistic and cultural context, set on a platform towards a newly built environment that will be created on Mars? Operating under the premise that social sustainability can be attained through means of collaboration and common awareness, the exhibition aims to activate spaces in a three-dimensional and temporal manner in order to induce values of social and egalitarian participation. Khirokitians were curious and persistent, as we are today about exploring planet Mars. Our proposal takes you through matter, time and space.
In the course of the architecture studio practice that has produced the projects exhibited in this second edition, we strongly advocate the release of the burden of finding the Best Design. Instead, we focus on finding the right questions that will lead to the most fruitful methods.
Occasionally, at the end of the design process, questions will seemingly remain unanswered. This doesn’t devalue the project. Indeed, asking the right questions is what legitimises the project. In fact, it is our belief that social and environmental phenomena such as social sustainability and climate change, which have been the focus of architectural pedagogy in recent decades, can only be addressed through rigorous question-finding instead of streamlined problem-solving. Based on this principle, we believe that the next generation of architects will aim for a healthier built environment and will be making a difference through design.
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For this purpose, the climatic conditions Cyprus, thermal comfort, passive solar systems, comparison of vernacular and contemporary buildings, energy uses, building and energy legislations, education in bioclimatic architecture and building examples (academic and professional) were studied, concluding that passive solar design may be successfully applied through the design of modern buildings in Cyprus.
A crucial argument that transpires from this research is whether environmentally responsible architecture should be regarded as a specialisation within architectural education or whether the entire spectrum of architecture should be taught as a science and as an art that is equally accountable to man and to the environment. This begs the question: Shouldn’t architecture always be ecologically responsible?
This book brings local case studies to the forefront in an attempt to give a concrete understanding on bioclimatic architecture. It entails of a compilation of student design projects from the Department of Architecture of the University of Nicosia as well as built projects by the author which address bioclimatic design approaches.
The goal of this book is to transcend knowledge without any monetary benefit. The book is available for free.
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This book is a compilation of student design projects that aim to address sustainability beyond its conventional environmental component and push the boundaries of what it means for communities to thrive as part of the great infinity of civilization. The goal of this book is to convey knowledge attained through participants’ efforts without any profit.
The editors consists of practitioners and theoreticians with an extensive background on issues of sustainable design, bioclimatic architecture, sustainable urbanism and social and environmental ethics. Dr Petros Lapithis is a professor of architecture and the coordinator of the Sustainable Design Unit (SDU) at the Department of Architecture, University of Nicosia, while Anna Papadopoulou joins the SDU as adjunct faculty and special consultant. Alexandros Postekkis who masterminded the entire initiative, is a graduate of the SDU and an active practitioner. Nikolas Tsaousis and Andreas Chrysochos are also graduates of architecture from the University of Nicosia and their special interests and thesis, with Dr Lapithis as their advisor, lay well within urbanism and social sustainability.
Social sustainability extends the essence of sustainable design and combines design of the physical realm with the design of the social world in order to create successful places that promote well-being by understanding what people need from the places where they live and work. This book is a compilation of student design projects that aim to address sustainability beyond its conventional environmental component and push the boundaries of what it means for communities to thrive as part of the great infinity of civilization.
The editors of this book would like to extend their appreciation by acknowledging the contribution of all students of the Architecture and Interior Design programmes of the Department of Architecture, University of Nicosia who have participated in the Building Blocks for Social Sustainability workshops from the first years of its inception.
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Sustainability is about survival. But if to sustain is to survive, then survival requires that class, racial and gender differences, as well as spatial and perceptual distances, are overcome by good will and good design. Social sustainability extends the essence of sustainable design and combines design of the physical realm with the design of the social world in order to create successful places that promote well-being by understanding what people need from the places where they live and work. This book is a compilation of student design projects that aim to address sustainability beyond its conventional environmental component and push the boundaries of what it means for communities to thrive as part of the great infinity of civilization.
The editors of this book would like to extend their appreciation by acknowledging the contribution of all students of the Architecture and Interior Design programmes of the Department of Architecture, University of Nicosia who have participated in the Sustainable Design Unit, the Design for Diversity Unit and the Building Blocks for Social Sustainability workshops from the first years of its inception.
The goal of this book is to convey knowledge attained through participants’ efforts without any profit. This book is distributed for free.
The goal of this book is to convey knowledge attained through participants’ efforts without any profit. This book is distributed for free.
Download high Resolution print:
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The studio’s primary aim is to introduce the knowledge and culture of sustainability to young architectural minds and to impart them with such skills that would enable them to bring forth a paradigm shift in professional arena. Although the studio’s priority is the promotion of sustainable principles, its thematic parameters underwent three basic transformations: its first field of investigation centred on combining conditions of Slow Life with sustainable design, its second was the exploration of the impact of sustainability on quality of life and the third focuses strongly on social sustainability. This transformation allows the studio’s activities to remain current and meaningful.
Why:
Sustainability is expressed not only as a sound building technique but as a deep socio-political issue that transcends generations, race and social class. The studio projects themselves, aim to explore the interdependency of issues of environmental, social and economic sustainability where students are prompted to develop individual, critical positions with regards to the broad concept of sustainability and to extend and explore those positions through their architectural design process.
How:
A diversity of thematic projects were taken on such as skate board and cycling facilities, urban safety, sustainable historic restoration, a dog park, a performance park, an educational centre, etc. A variety of subjects were tackled, including modularity, appropriate water purification technology, flexible occupancy and space reuse and issues of embodied energy. The Studio’s standards were kept at a constantly challenging level and as a result, small number of students who were not able to keep up had to withdraw. Although all help was made available to them, the students decided on their own accord that they had more to gain by repeating the studio year.
The project is divided into two parts, the first part is focusing in the urban view of Limassol and aiming to challenge the shortage of Flexible and informal public sports facilities in the city.
The second and part is the use of pavilion in the city and how can a series of fully deployable/adaptable structures can adapt and acts as the solution of forming
My goal is to create buildings within the buffer zone of the old city of Nicosia that could generate spatial experiences that reflect memories of the past.
Through the process of self-reflection users from both sides engage and interact within a new gathering space that generates new life into the previously abandoned buffer zone.
The proposal is equally based on Greek and Turkish Cypriots and is aiming to propose areas that both communities can meet and interact. Through the proposal a livable community will be achieved, with the needed respect of the historical buildings within the site. The area chosen for the proposal is near both sides and the existing buildings are ruined except the exterior walls.
Though adaptive reuse, of the existing structure, a new building will be placed inside the existing walls, to reveal the existing and to add a modern approach to the area with out lacking the historical feeling.
The new building is a "meeting of two religious" as most of the Greek Cypriots are Chris tian Orthodox and most of the Turkish Cypriots are Muslims. It's an interactive gathering space of both communities. Furthermore is a place of prayer and meditation while edu cating and accept each other's religion.
Next to the religion building, the building of "meeting of two tastes" will be placed, where people from both communities can bring their own products from the markets near the site and cook together while learning the differences and the commons of each traditional cuisine. A cafeteria will be between those two buildings so the people can spent some quality time together, like they used to do before the division.
As the Village of interest, Prodromos, has an interesting and important background within Agriculture and more specifically Fruit Production, there is potential to successful!\ expand in this sector. Prodromos suffers from Rural Depopulation which is the result of no job opportunities and the de cline in the agriculture sector.
The project looks into How could the reuse of the Verengaria Hotel in Prodromos lead to social sustainability and the improvement of the Quality of Life.
The Proposal refers to creating an Educational Center on Agricultu're as it will attract a group of students wishing to study Agriculture, and at the same act as Cultural Center satisfying the needs and providing the appropiate neccessities.
Phenomena such as xenophobia and racism, have become expressions of indignation of many people, as a means of expressing their discontent after losing their job and income.
Minorities such as migrants and refugees often are the victims of these expressions, which are making them experiencing a hostile atmosphere against them.
Alongside, the economic exploitation of the natural environment, has brought the planet to a breaking point, which require drastic changes.
Architecture through Sustainable developments and Green Economy seems that give hope of salvation which is based on the respect for the people, the community and the natural environment. They create new conditions of exploitation of the natural resources and at the same time they create new jobs through a designed environment that is able to promote and enhance the equality and the social interaction.
Architecture through design, technology and aesthetics has the ability to develop a concious design able to encourage, predetermine and assimilate a desired range of social behaviors. As a result of that sustainable architecture through sustainable design can be the main medium of a theoretical but also for a practical change that can overcome the financial and the social problems of the present giving back to people a proper quality of life..
In general, hospitals as we know them from experience are buildings with depressing environment, and negative atmosphere. These negative issues alone with hospital phobia can influence someone’s recovery.
On the other hand, hospitals should not only provide medical treatment but also healing environment. A healing environment for the mind, the body and the Soul, a place where Respect and Dignity are waven into everything.
A place where Life, Death, Illness and Healing define the moment.