Graduate Student Work from the Department of Architecture and Interior Design

THESIS: “Re-Imagining the Spaces In-Between: Design Interventions to Transform Urban Voids in Downtown Dayton into Active, Breathing Areas”

ABSTRACT: In today’s tremendously growing and busy urban landscapes, pockets of underutilized space, known as urban voids, stand as untapped opportunities for creating activated public spaces encouraging community engagement and social interaction. The thesis delves into the transformative potential of infrastructural interventions in reimagining these neglected spaces. Reclaiming and integrating these urban voids can create breathing spaces enhancing social cohesion for the city dwellers in high ­density areas of the city. Drawing upon a synthesis of theoretical frameworks, empirical analyses, and insights from some key practitioners this thesis explores the multifaceted dimensions of urban voids and the critical role that infrastructural interventions play in reshaping their urban fabric, fostering social connectivity, and promoting community engagement. Through a comprehensive review of the literature and case studies, it further examines the challenges and opportunities associated with infrastructural interventions in high-density urban

areas, considering factors such as accessibility, inclusivity, active use, and sustainability. Ultimately, the findings contribute to a deeper understanding of how infrastructural interventions can redefine urban voids as vibrant hubs for social interaction and community gathering, thereby enriching the fabric of high-density urban environments in the United States.

THESIS: “Crafting Resilient Communities: The Intersection of New Vernacular Materials and Adaptive Design in Public Architecture”

ABSTRACT: This thesis investigates the transformative role of public architecture in fostering socio-environmental resilience through the integration of new vernacular materials, adaptive resilient design, and community engagement. Grounded in the context of Chattogram’s shipbreaking yard, a site marked by industrial intensity, ecological fragility, and human labor, it reimagines how architecture can emerge from within rather than be imposed from above. The project navigates complex intersections of material reuse, cultural memory, and economic precarity, offering an architectural framework that is deeply rooted yet globally adaptable. Through case studies, theoretical frameworks, and design prototypes, the research explores how participatory processes and local craft can align with advanced digital techniques to form a responsive design language. The work embraces adaptive-

transformative modularity, utilizing flexible design tactics that allow architecture to evolve with time and need. By centering the voices and labor of marginalized communities, the thesis positions architecture as a mediator between tradition and innovation, the human and the industrial, the ephemeral and the enduring. Ultimately, this thesis proposes a contextual, inclusive, and scalable approach to architecture—one that not only addresses housing affordability, climate adaptability, and cultural continuity but also catalyzes dignity, participation, and long-term sustainability in public space design.

THESIS: “Sustaining the Sherpa Community: Above the Clouds, Between Humans and the Environment”

ABSTRACT: The Sherpa community is a courageous yet isolated group in the Khumbu region of Nepal who migrated from Tibet in the 16th century. This research highlights the challenges faced by this community, despite their critical role as high-altitude porters and mountain guides, notably on Mount Everest. Currently, they face severe impacts from climate change and natural disasters, including the recent 2015 Earthquake that killed approximately 9000 people. Their homes, nestled between 2,000 and 5,000 meters above sea level, are increasingly vulnerable to avalanches and environmental changes threatening their livelihoods and the longstanding cultural practices. On the other hand, while tourism brings economic benefits, the surge in trekkers and climbers also places pressure on the fragile environment, contributing to pollution and resource depletion. The influx of visitors disrupts traditional ways of life and exacerbates the environmental challenges, intensifying the strain on their community. With limited knowledge of the outside world, the Sherpas are unaware of the causes behind these changes. The design proposal aims to increase recognition of the contributions of the Sherpa community and develop adaptability strategies to preserve their heritage and environment. Specifically focused on the Khumbu

region, the proposal intends to serve as a model for Sherpa villages adapting to the Himalayan ranges. The proposal concentrates on building infrastructure between villages, improving waste management, farming, herding, reinforcing Sherpa homes and lodges, and identifying probable locations for schools, medical services, and disaster shelters through strategic policies, design tactics, and community engagement. The project intends to preserve the Sherpa culture and act as a bridge between tourists and the community while safeguarding their homeland for generations to come.

THESIS: “New Tools, Old Walls: Integrating Artificial Intelligence Into Architectural Design Through Adaptive Reuse”

ABSTRACT: This thesis explores the emerging role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the architectural design process by introducing experimental approaches involving algorithmic logic, conversational tools, and formal manipulation. AI is presented not as a trend but as an evolving design assistant to which Neil Leach refers to as “extended” intelligence. This concept suggests that architectural thinking can now extend beyond human cognition through technological systems increasing complexity and expanding possibilities of process and form. This project applies AI through adaptive reuse of existing buildings in downtown Dayton, Ohio, proposing mixed use programs while focusing on the process. Architectural operations such as subtraction, layering, and void generation are guided by data-driven parameters including solar exposure, site-specific context, and AI-assisted feedback. In this context, AI is not a replacement for the architect, but a tool that broadens the capacity to explore, iterate, and respond to complex design challenges. It enables a shift in how we think and design, while remaining

rooted in the foundational principles of architecture, evolving traditional methods through new tools rather than discarding them. Ultimately, this thesis positions AI as a catalyst for reimagining the design process and uncovering architectural possibilities that were previously inaccessible.

THESIS: “The Use of 3D Printing and Lattice-Based Structures in Architectural Design”

ABSTRACT: The aim of this thesis is to investigate/explore the form generation through the print path creation achievable by additive manufacturing. So rather than having the form dictated by traditional building methods, let the printing process dictate the form. In this way, the architectural form is all parametrically generated, which is a function of the print path, not of the initial form. Current additive manufacturing technologies can assemble lattice structures with length scales ranging from tens of centimeters or larger. In the paper written by Mark Messner “Optimal Lattice-Structured Materials.” lattice materials have shown to have excellent stiffness/strength-to-weight scaling, outperforming natural materials. However, there are currently no methods for producing optimal structures that consider the full space of possible 3D lattice. In the paper written by Messner, methods for optimizing lattice-structured materials, mesostructure, which is a structure or superstructure of size or complexity, is described. The materials consist of arrays of slender members, similar to bridges and frame buildings in terms of their efficiency and lightweight. The design principles of efficient,

lightweight macroscale structures, used in applications such as buildings and bridges, are applied to mesoscale material construction. Considering their excellent strength-to-weight scaling and stiffness, lattice-structured materials can be used for lightweight structural applications. Three main points are noted as reasoning for the use of this construction methodology. (1). Additive manufacturing technologies can now assemble lattice structures on small scales to much larger scales. (2) Commercially available technologies can assemble metal lattices with length scales on the order of millimeters all the way up to feet. (3). On these scales it becomes reasonable to treat the structures as effective materials with an architectural lattice which can be of intermediate size or complexity.

THESIS: “Remediation as Revival: Transforming the Environmental Scars of the Rust Belt into Sustainable, Thriving Spaces”

ABSTRACT: Urban decay in American cities, particularly within the Rust Belt region, represents a significant challenge, characterized by abandoned buildings, deteriorating infrastructure, and widespread depopulation. Decaying industrial buildings, often ecologically contaminated and massive in scale, present unique difficulties for traditional renovation efforts. These issues have profound implications for society and the field of architecture as they directly impact public health, environmental sustainability, and economic stability. Without strategic and effective intervention, such conditions perpetuate cycles of disinvestment, increase crime rates, and exacerbate social inequality. This ultimately diminishes quality of life and hinders the potential for community development. This design intervention focuses on the Mahoning River in Youngstown, Ohio, a city emblematic of industrial decline. Over decades, abandoned industrial sites have severely polluted the river, relegating it to a neglected state and severing its connection to the community. However, Youngstown has recently turned its attention toward restoring the river, seeking to bring back its

lost flora and fauna and redefine it as the city’s focal point, a “front yard” that unites people rather than a “backyard” they overlook. The intervention approaches the grandeur of abandoned industrial spaces and the Mahoning River not as insurmountable challenges but as unique opportunities for architectural innovation and sustainable reuse. By retrofitting industrial structures with contemporary vernacular elements, the design aims to recondition both the past and future of these spaces while preserving the region’s rich cultural heritage. The proposal aligns with broader objectives of sustainability, economic resilience, and social equity, ensuring that development benefits the community holistically.hich can be of intermediate size or complexity.

THESIS: “An Ecological Beltway: Reinhabiting Utopia”

ABSTRACT: With 2023 being the warmest year since preindustrial times and cities making up over 70% of the world’s carbon emissions, the built urban environment must be immediately transformed. In this urban environment the location this thesis will investigate is abandoned urban spaces affected by climate change due to severe water issues. This abandonment procreates lack of care, crime, littering, and other antisocial behaviors that need to be solved while looking through the lens of adaptive architecture and mending the human relationship to water. Using deconstructivist theoretical framework along with several case study analyses that focuses on movement, collision

of events, and adaptability this thesis not only works towards providing tactics towards the carbon emission issues of the city but also provides space for diverse interactions between people, water, and the built realm.

THESIS: “Crafting Space: Architectural Strategies for Education in Appalachia”

ABSTRACT: Broadly, Appalachia is a culturally diverse and historically rich place, often portrayed in popular media through lenses of negativity associated with economic decline, ecological devastation, and cultural stagnation. While the region is often neglected by both government and market forces, a more rich cultural investigation is warranted. For example, the state of West Virginia consistently falls below the national average for educational attainment, according to the U.S. Census. It also has a history of underfunded educational programs. Additionally, there has been a decline in the education of skilled workers. My interests are in thinking about education beyond traditional institutional structures to promote Appalachian arts and culture through architectural design. The lack of education, loss of culture, and decline of trades can be remedied by providing effective educational spaces which facilitate experience-based immersive learning. Architecture has the power to make focusing, calming, and inspiring educational facilities through connections to nature and the design of comfortable, flexible environments. This design aims to provide immersive and experiential environments for the

purpose of teaching underrepresented traditional Appalachian craft and arts. Educational programs offered include woodworking, art glass, visual arts, fiber/textile arts, folk music, stone carving, ceramics, Appalachian cooking, and foraging. Students have access to workshops, nature trails, culinary facilities, classrooms, outdoor educational spaces, performance spaces, and studios. There is a focus on community within the campus. Programs are interrelated to provide a well-rounded and comprehensive educational experience. The campus’s location in the Appalachian Mountains provides a peaceful and beautiful environment with opportunities to learn from nature. The facility is designed to accommodate hands-on learning and apprenticeship-based programs, as opposed to traditional lecture-based programs.