Author:
Rashid Mahbub

Advisor:
John Peponis

Graduation date:
1998

 

Abstract
This thesis deals with the problems of description and construction in configurational studies of building plans, consistent with the viewpoint of a situated observer (i.e., an observer who is located and moving inside the plans). The problem of description consists in identifying and stating explicitly the properties of plans so as to make comparisons possible. The problem of construction consists in identifying the rules, and the successive operations that account for the generation of a plan from a logical point of view. These problems constitute the first two levels of a possible three-level theory of configuration. The third level, which would deal with the problem of meaning and interpretation, remains outside the scope of the thesis.

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Author:
Saif-ul Haq Ph.D.

Advisor:
Zimring, Craig M.

Keyword(s):
Architectural settings, Cognitive variables, Wayfinding, Space syntax, Hospitals

Graduation Date:
2001

Abstract
A considerable body of research, as well as common sense, suggests that people have difficulty finding their way and describing complex settings. However, the spatial definition of 'complexity' is not clarified. Recently, several studies of small buildings have found that 'Space Syntax' measures of environmental form are useful in understanding the relationships between the environment and the search patterns people use when they explore a building or wayfind in it. This study replicates the research in three large buildings and explores environmental understanding as a third pattern that can be rigorously described and linked to environmental form and patterns of search. In addition, the study employs Space Syntax and other format descriptive tools to comprehend the development of environmental knowledge as people explore a setting. One hundred twenty-eight volunteers participated in three large urban hospitals: they performed 'open searches' where they attempted to become familiar with the hospital, 'directed searches' where they sought specific locations and various cognitive mapping tasks. Environmental variables were categorized into local, relational and global variables. Correlational analysis revealed that Space Syntax measures of connectivity and integration were good predictors of the use of spaces during both open and directed search. However, when people were initially exploring the setting, they relied more on local qualities, such as how many additional nodal decision points could be seen from a given node. As they got to know the setting better, their wayfinding behavior was better predicted by global qualities such as the Space Syntax integration. This suggests that people rapidly move from a local to a more global topological understanding as they learn a setting. Additionally, it was found that the possibility of gaining subsequent information from any space, labeled 'expectation of exploration' was an important predictor of use. Furthermore, overall search patterns are influenced by the characteristics of the starting point: if an entry is shallower with respect to the rest of the building people will tend to have a quicker understanding of the layout.

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Author:
Charlotte Frances Grant, Ph.D.

Advisor:
Wineman, Jean

Keyword(s):
Garden, Therapeutic landscapes, Outdoor space, Dementia, Long-term care

Graduation Date:
2003

 

Abstract
This multi-case study was designed to develop a better understanding and holistic description of the interrelationship among organizational/programming policies and spatial/physical attributes of the outdoor space in influencing how much this space was used by residents with dementia in long-term care (ltc) facilities. The protocol replicated at each site involved an initial site analysis, distribution of staff questionnaires, and behavior observations for 6 days, including 5 weekdays and Saturday at every site but one. The results of the study discussed the alignment and findings based on descriptive analysis and collected data at each site regarding the following factors: organizational policy, staff attitudes, visual access, physical access and garden design. The research did not demonstrate a strong link between staff attitudes as measured by responses to the "Garden Use" questionnaires and use of the outdoor space among residents. Stronger influences on use appeared to be physical access and programmed outdoor activities. The "Recommendations" and underlying theoretical framework diagrammed in the "Gardenuse Model" indicate that to achieve optimal use of the outdoor space among residents with dementia in ltc facilities, all of the above factors must be aligned and defined in a positive way at each facility.

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Author:
Sheila Jones Bosch Ph.D.

Advisor:
Craig M. Zimring

Keyword(s):
School facilities, Educational outcomes, Physical environment

Graduation date:
2004

 

Abstract
Many school facilities in the United States are old, out-of-date, poorly maintained, and lack specific design elements that are likely to enhance teaching, learning, behavior, and other desirable outcomes. This study proposed that one reason why previous research regarding the effects of the physical school environment on educational outcomes has had little impact on the quality of schools is because there is a lack of knowledge about these relationships. A multi-method approach was used to solicit information from educators and researchers familiar with school facility effects literature to develop a set of research priorities to guide future research. In Phase I, a literature analysis provided important physical and outcome variables to seed brainstorming lists used in following phases of the research and provided the basis for a gap analysis to identify unavailable information. A concept mapping methodology was utilized in Phase II to solicit feedback from a group of seventeen experienced educators who were asked to brainstorm a list of measures of student, school, or school district success, sort their final list of more than 100 items into categories that made sense to them, and rate each item regarding how important it is to monitor or otherwise track. Using a Delphi method, a series of four questionnaires was given to a group of experienced researchers who developed a list of physical variables plausibly related to educational outcomes, rated the importance of those items, developed hypotheses that included top-rated physical variables and top-rated outcome variables (i.e., measures of success rated by educators), and then selected from those hypotheses several that became the basis of the recommended research priorities for the field. These research priorities propose investigations of the relationships between a set of physical variables (including the provision of team work stations and faculty collaborative spaces, well-designed circulation spaces, spaces for quiet reflection, adaptable seating, daylighting in classrooms, and overall maintenance and building quality) and a variety of educational outcomes (e.g., achievement, behavior, satisfaction, affective performance).

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Author:
Anjali Joseph, Ph.D.

Advisor:
Craig M. Zimring

Keyword(s):
Retirement communities, Path design, Walking, Older adults

Graduation date:
2006

 

Abstract
The aim of this thesis was to identify the characteristics of path segments and routes that are associated with where older residents choose to walk for recreation or for getting to destinations in retirement communities. The goal was to use the findings from this study to help formulate criteria and strategic choices that can be used to design retirement communities that support walking among elderly residents. Case studies were conducted at three Continuing Care Retirement Communities. The study shows that route choice for walking to destinations is shaped by practical considerations of distance and convenience and largely determined by the relative location of destination and origin. On the other hand, route choice for recreational walking is more complex and is determined by local, relational and structural environmental characteristics of the path segments that comprise the routes as well as characteristics of the residents themselves. Residents chose routes of different difficulty levels for walking based on their physical abilities and health. This study also found that many residents chose to walk indoors for recreation, especially along corridors between resident apartments. Understanding how the different factors together shape route choice leads to the clarification of design alternatives. This study suggests that designing campuses to support walking involves not only a careful consideration of individual local path segment characteristics but also an understanding of how path segments and routes fit within the larger network of path segments on campus. Further, it is important to design routes with a range of characteristics and a range of challenge so that residents have many options to choose from and they have the option to move from a lower level of challenge to a higher one when they feel ready.

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Author:
Clarissa Sucupira Andrade Lima

Advisor:
Godfried Augengroe

School:
Georgia Institute of Technology

Keyword(s):
Stair use, Academic workplace, Built environment, Health promotion

Graduation date:
2007

The Pre-Project Phase of building construction manages the communication between client organization, user groups and designers. Disconnects and miscommunication in this phase may result in a product that does not fulfill the expectations of the parties involved. It is expected that the adoption of more formal methods can streamline the communication and improve its precision. Based on a literature review, a triage of methods is introduced: (a) a method for initial criteria management, supported by the EcoProP software (developed by VTT in Finland); (b) a method to rationalize and manage criteria in relation to the design organizational instruments, supported by the QFD ProP software (developed by VTT in Finland); (c) a method that supports multi criteria decision making, supported by a range of commercially available software tools. In order to assess the effectiveness of these tools they have been applied in the specific case of Pre-Project Phase of a healthcare facility. A Case Study on a concrete discrete decision problem is dealt with. It concerns the choice between a central medication room and patient room dispenser closets (also known as ‘Nurservers’). The Nurservers Case Study is used to evaluate the applicability of the proposed criteria gathering, ranking and decision methods in the Pre-Project Phase’s daily practices. The claim that these rational methods increase efficiency, precision and satisfaction of the parties involved in this phase is investigated. The thesis evaluates how the introduction of rational methods benefits the communication between stakeholders.

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Author:
Gayle Nicoll

Advisor:
Craig M. Zimring

School:
Georgia Institute of Technology

Keyword(s):
Stair use, Academic workplace, Built environment, Health promotion

Graduation date:
2007

 

Abstract
Although increasing stair use among adults with sedentary occupations can provide an accessible means of integrating moderate physical activity within daily work routines, there is little evidence-based information available to guide architects on how to design buildings that promote stair use. This study examined the relationship between stair use and a broad range of features of the physical environment within 10 buildings. Based on a review of the literature, a thematic framework (Appeal, Convenience, Comfort, Legibility and Safety) was developed for identifying the features of buildings that may influence stair use. Three methods of investigation were used to examine the relationship between stair use and variables of the five themes and their constructs. Buildings users were surveyed for their reasons for both single and multi-level route choice. The results indicated that reasons associated with convenience and legibility of route had greater influence on route choice than appeal, comfort or safety. Stair and elevator use were measured in the ten buildings along with variables that operationalized the thematic framework. Regression analysis was utilized to examine the relationship between stair use and the operationalized variables of the thematic framework. The results of regression analysis indicated that stair use was associated with 8 key spatial variables of convenience and legibility (travel distances from stair to nearest entrance and to the elevator; percentage of total building area or total occupant load attributed to each stair; physical accessibility of each stair; area of stair isovist; number of turns from the stair to closest entrance and to the most integrated path). Most local environmental features of stairs such as lighting levels and views were not statistically influential. Multivariate regression analysis indicated that three variables (effective area of each stair, area of stair isovist, and number of turns required between the stair and the most integrated path) explained 53% of stair use. A graphic analysis of the arrangement of the 8 key spatial variables within the ten buildings indicated that buildings with high overall levels of stair use optimized the key spatial variables in respect to the location of stair(s) within the building floor plan.

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