MARCH, University of Cincinnati, 2012, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: Architecture

The suburban development pattern has displaced urbanism in the United States resulting in sprawl and a number of negative environmental, financial, health and social consequences; however, an emerging restructuring of the national demographic and economic profile suggest the need for a return to urbanism. In architectural discourse, urbanists have thoroughly documented the consequences of the suburban present and envisioned an urban future. This urban future is largely based on the analysis of precedent, i.e. historic urban neighborhoods; yet, less than adequate attention has been devoted to the design of appropriate dwellings for this urban future. This thesis identifies the attributes and characteristics of certain archetypal urban dwellings useful to the design of new urban dwellings, such as the private gardens of ancient courtyard houses and the built-in furnishings of early American homes. These design principles are then applied to the design of an apartment building to be located on the site of the recently demolished Schiel School in Corryville, Cincinnati. The design seeks to fulfill an emerging market demand for compact and dense residential rental properties in vibrant urban districts. This demand originates with the young professionals and active retirees whose lifestyle is no longer compatible with the suburban paradigm.

Committee: John Eliot Hancock MARCH (Committee Chair); Jeffrey Tilman PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Architecture

MARCH, University of Cincinnati, 2012, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: Architecture

China is a country with a booming economy that has paved a path to tremendous development and growth. The urgency to build at an accelerated pace due to the country's political and economic transformation, along with its unprecedented population growth, has been reflected in its architecture. Following Mao's Cultural Revolution in the 1970s, the motto became “revolution, not evolution”. Traditions, culture, and anything considered old were viewed as taboo and were suppressed and disregarded. Only the new could represent China's new face. Under new leadership, China aims to rebuild its cities, there has been a strong pull to attract international star architects to develop cutting-edge work. This thesis seeks to question if there is an “in between” that merges the past and future. It aims to discover new architecture potential in old Chinese architecture principles with contemporary architecture strategies to create a new architectural identity in China. The focus is in Houhai, a historic hutong neighborhood in Beijing that sits within the Second Ring Road. The site consists of restaurants, bars, and lounges with waterfront views that promote vibrant night life; with adjacent residential neighborhoods consisting of old traditional Chinese courtyard houses. The site has gone through transformation to adapt to the changes of the city. Thus, the methodology of introducing new construction with emphasis on traditional Chinese architecture principles is the appropriate approach to preserve the culture of the site. Traditional principles will be revisited and applied to a new setting, which in turn will aim towards culturally sustainable architecture.

Committee: Aarati Kanekar PhD (Committee Chair); Michael McInturf MARCH (Committee Member) Subjects: Architecture