M.S. in Architecture

Yujin Park, M.S. Arch. ARCH 591: Research & Thesis. Thesis topic: Urban Habitat. The ultimate goal of this thesis was to create an urban uptopia for homeless pets. Here, people and animals can be equal and people can become one with the animals. Southeast view. 1 of 6

Yujin Park, M.S. Arch. View of entrance and steps leading up to dog park. 2 of 6

Yujin Park, M.S. Arch. The goal was not to design a conventional shelter or adoption center but rather a loving home for dogs and cats. 3 of 6

Yujin Park, M.S. Arch. In an ideal human–animal relationship, the person does not consider the pet to be property that is owned. Since pets are loyal and accepting of all people, they deserve to be treated like family or best friends. 4 of 6

Yujin Park, M.S. Arch. Dog park. 5 of 6

Yujin Park, M.S. Arch. Model. 6 of 6

Maria Palencia Muro, M.S. Arch., ARCH 591: Research & Thesis. Thesis: "Building" Skin Concepts. The interest of this research stems from the desire of understanding the true concepts behind the elements that constitute glass-facade building envelopes for a responsible architectural project. In response to the present need for energy preservation and the role buildings have in the environment, architecture should exploit its capabilities to provide solutions that aim for a connection between the technical requirements and the subjective desires in order to dilute the limits and conflicts between the exterior and the interior spaces. Therefore, the main purpose of this project is to analyze the components for an energy efficient facade and evaluate the space comfort within the context of an economically derivable solution. The research undertaken will then be applied to the upgrade of an existing building envelope. 1 of 3

Maria Palencia Muro, M.S. Arch. The work has been performed in several stages. The first stage consisted of intense research and review of the existing literature. This allowed me to become aware of the existing possibilities for glass facade technology in architecture. In addition, this research has been crucial in identifying the existing obstacles in current facade design that tend to obscure advanced strategies. After analyzing the existing conditions and establishing the requirements comes the identification of the parameters that define the facade principles. These are determined through an intensive analysis of how the location and user needs create opportunities for the different conditions to take place. These parameters are defined in terms of orientation of the facade, window-to-wall ratio, glazing types, ventilation strategies or solar control devices, among others. The identification of the advantages and disadvantages offered by the different types of facade technology will be used to discover the expectancies related to their performance. 2 of 3

Maria Palencia Muro, M.S. Arch. The third stage constitutes the main phase of the research outcomes and products. It is the analysis of the different parameters and components analyzed and defined during the first two stages, and it will validate the benefits of using one wall or another. This part of the scope is currently being assessed. The performance of these parameters is being analyzed through different simulation approaches and techniques. The combinations of these parameters will define the various facade types and will assess them according to the requirements of the different orientations. For the purpose of this research, the simulation strategy has been simplified to consider one facade at a time of a unit prototype, allowing the work to center around the performance of that surface in particular. Although still in progress, the research suggests that (with careful understanding, examination and selection of different components of the facade elements, and with a strong grasp of glazing technologies) it is possible to achieve an optimum energy performance with glass facades despite other considerations. During the final stage of the project, the goal will be to apply the conclusions extracted from the analysis to the design of the facade of the selected existing building. This will show the applicability of the defined principles in a real-time project and the importance of including a responsible facade design in the very early stages of the architectural process. 3 of 3

Maria Paulina Carvallo, M.S. Arch. ARCH 591: Thesis: Textile Openings for Building Envelopes. (Note: Carvallo was awarded the 2010 Martin Roche Travel Scholarship from the AIA Chicago Foundation. She has received a $5,000 grant toward her thesis research trip to Germany to study technical textiles.) Precision tests are performed with mechanical testing devices in combination with computer-based finite element studies. This graph depicts results of displacement testing. 1 of 3

Maria Paulina Carvallo, M.S. Arch. Different materials are used to examine deformations and openings that can eventually be transferred to textiles. This photo shows an example of how shapes cut in paper can be manipulated and investigated. 2 of 3

Maria Paulina Carvallo, M.S. Arch. Visual analyses are made for three purposes: 1. to discover what effects different cutting patterns have on the behavior of different materials, 2. to evaluate mechanisms and identify potential patterning that looks promising for further investigation, and 3. to detect so-called "soft qualities" such as haptics and light/shadow interaction. 3 of 3