MARCH, University of Cincinnati, 2010, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning : Architecture (Master of)

The building skin provides opportunity to significantly impact the success of a built project. It is responsible for serving a multitude of performative functions as well as providing the visiting card of the building. It mediates between the in and out. The facade is often exploited and developed as a marketing tool, representing the identity of the institution it serves. As Leatherbarrow stated, “The idea of the facade as a distinct representational face of the building has existed since the late medieval and early Renaissance periods.” My thesis inquires if existing, run-down buildings can be renovated and rehabilitated using the building skin as the primary tool for the renovation. As buildings deteriorate and fail to have the ability to accommodate its users and modern building systems, they are often demolished. This destruction fails to take advantage of the existing structure and economic conditions as well as completely eliminates cultural recognition and identity of the community in which it is built. Renovation through recladding achieves a number of established goals. The reclad accounts for higher performance and efficiency. It also allows the client to present the proper identity and image through a high level of aesthetic quality. The thesis suggests that a renovation through a recladding process will be able to achieve the said goals as well as maintain cultural recognition and the identity of the community.

Committee: Patricia Kucker MARCH (Committee Chair); George Bible MCiv.Eng (Committee Chair) Subjects: Architecture

MS, Kent State University, 2021, College of Architecture and Environmental Design

Computer vision, a field that falls under artificial intelligence (AI), is increasingly establishing grounds in many disciplines as the demand for automated means to solve real-world problems gradually grows. AI is progressively simplifying and speeding up the processes of day-to-day tasks. The application of computer vision within the field of architecture has the potential to increase efficiency as well. Building envelope is an important component of a building and requires regular assessment and inspection. The application of deep learning techniques reveals itself as an innovative way of carrying out a task that is typically performed by humans. Hence, this research discusses the explorations of using computer vision as a tool to classify building materials, evaluate the details, and potentially identify distresses of building envelopes. This is done using a collection of existing digital images and algorithms that help train the computer to produce efficient and reliable results. Deep learning techniques such as convolutional neural network algorithms and Google's Teachable Machine are utilized to classify two sets of base data. The successes produced prove the models have the capability of classifying the dataset given to them. These approaches gradually introduce new methods and techniques that can and will revolutionize the industry of Architecture, Engineering, and Construction.

Committee: Rui Liu (Advisor); Elwin Robison (Committee Member); Ruoming Jin (Committee Member); Mirian Velay-Lizancos (Committee Member); Bill Lucak (Committee Member) Subjects: Architecture

Master of Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, 2020, EMC - Mechanical Engineering

The growing concern about climate change has created an urge to increase the energy efficiency of commercial buildings. Although the building envelope does not directly use energy, its thermal performance strongly affects space heating, cooling and lighting. This study develops a data mining method to determine the effective thermal resistance (R-value) of the building envelope and windows using whole building 15-minute interval electricity data and corresponding exterior temperature data. To do this, first the data is subset to the cooling season only, anomalous data is omitted, and only data associated with steady-state condition is analyzed. Next, a linear regression model is generated to determine the effective R-value of the entire building envelope and also for the windows. To assess the relative quality of the effective R-value, a corresponding target R-value is generated from ASHARE 90.1 building standards and compared. Then, the potential energy savings for buildings with poor R-values is estimated. A population study of 72 buildings shows that most exhibit an effective building R-value in a range between 5 to 20 °F h ft²/Btu, and their window R-values range from 0.5 to 3.3 °F h ft²/Btu. The corresponding target building R-values fall between 10 to 22 °F h ft²/Btu. Two factors that most affect the annual electricity savings are both building size and the ratio of R-value to target R-value, as expected. Results demonstrate that windows contribute significantly to energy losses in buildings. In nearly half the buildings studied, window replacement could lead to an annual savings range of 45% to 65% - a significant potential savings opportunity.

Committee: Alexis Abramson Dr. (Advisor); Roger French Dr. (Committee Member); Brian Maxwell Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Mechanical Engineering

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2019, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: Architecture

Saudi Arabia has gone through a major transformation in architecture and lifestyle. The drastic shift in the country's economy during the 1970s exposed all Saudis to the western culture and lifestyle which in turns changed almost all the architectural features that once were locally suitable. This transformation has created a conflict which generates architectural designs that are not in harmony with the surrounding nature and consequently not energy efficient. The country has been giving significant attention to energy conservation due to extensive energy consumption in the building sector. Residential buildings, in particular, occupy two-thirds of the total consumption of electricity. The increasing level of energy consumption burdens the national economy; therefore, the government omitted the energy subsidies to protect the national economy. While this mitigated the economic challenges, it created another problem for homeowners. Energy bills have drastically increased because most of the existing buildings lack of proper thermal insulation. Due to the high energy consumption associated with building use in the country, a study in this regard is needed now more than ever. The current situation of Saudi Arabia requires retrofitting the existing buildings to achieve high energy efficiency standards. The goal of this research is to provide energy efficient design guide and economical retrofitting strategies that would help the public as well as designers in the process of decision-making. The aim is to help decision makers with the most energy efficient and cost-effective alternative available. Additionally, this research aims to revive the traditional architecture which enhance the local identity and ultimately improve the energy efficiency of buildings. So, this dissertation focuses on retrofitting the existing residential buildings to meet the highest possible energy performance they could reach without neglecting other aspects such as cost viability and cultur (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Joori Suh Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Julian Wang Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Hazem Elzarka Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Architecture

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, 2017, Biology

The appreciation for nature as inspiration for design has happened throughout human history. However, it wasn't until the late 1990s that biomimicry was put forward as a discipline providing a framework to more actively and consciously use nature's time-tested and refined strategies to inform innovative products, services and systems. The implementation of biomimicry as a design tool to solve real-life, time-sensitive challenges inherently requires an interdisciplinary and collaborative approach. Biological knowledge needs to be made available, either by new research or by extracting it from existing literature. This then needs to be abstracted into design principles to be used to inform the creation of new designs. Ultimately this design needs to be commercialized by organizations that remain successful under rapidly changing conditions. In this PhD work I explored the implications of implementing biomimicry thinking throughout this entire process, which included the scientific, engineering, design and business world. It is through experiential and observational learning that people are trained to design, support, and lead biomimicry endeavors. By sharing my experiences, challenges, concerns and research results I am hoping to boost the further development of biomimicry as a tool for technological and social innovation, as well as promote the potential of biomimicry to facilitate a sustainability transition and therefore increase its prominent implementation for solving real-life, time-sensitive challenges. The growing interest and successful application of biomimicry can ultimately result not only in more environmentally conscious technologies, but also make organizations themselves nature-aligned.

Committee: Peter Niewiarowski (Advisor); Matthew Shawkey (Advisor); Dayna Baumeister (Committee Member); Pravin Bhiwapurkar (Committee Member); Ali Dhinojwala (Committee Member); Karim Alamgir (Committee Member) Subjects: Architecture; Biophysics; Environmental Engineering; Sustainability