Housing Diversity in Coal Company Towns: An architectural exploration of building types

The history of American housing has always included the planned company town. The coal company town in Appalachia is a particular variety of that and embodies varied forms. Generally planned to fulfill an economic model, these communities had a rich and complex community life. This presentation will present research that reviews the way people lived in these communities from an architectural perspective. The focus of the work is on the family home, garden and immediate environment. The research questions if particular themes and design directions emerge from the analysis of how families inhabited these homes and towns. The co-authors, as architects, will present an analysis of housing and neighborhoods in selected company towns utilizing standard analytic models of town planning to determine patterns of how people lived in these towns to see if relationships exist with current town planning trends. The goal of the presentation is to frame the research work and present text, images and diagrams that explain the findings. Audience feedback through subsequent discussion will be solicited to refine the work

Architecture as a device of control : themes of prison life with focus on solitary confinement

This research is focused on the factors that affect the behavior of those within correctional environments, from general population areas to solitary confinement environments. The architectural perspective of this work views the building as the device of control and is based on extensive prior research into the historical theories that underlie it, while answering the question of what qualities of correctional environments shape the behavior and experience of its inhabitants. The research was conducted at two medium security correctional institutions in a large northeastern state, with one being the second oldest and the other being the newest prison within the system. This research was conducted with twenty-four participants using a qualitative research methodology, as the researcher sought to listen to the experiences of those involved. Critical stakeholders that constituted the sample included inmates, officers, architects, health and mental health professionals, and administrators. Grounded theory was used to code the data that was obtained to identify emerging themes. Research tools included memos, interviews, observations, journals, and photographic and graphic analysis. Specific themes emerged from the coded analysis that reflected broader environmental factors within the solitary confinement experience and in general population living areas of the facility. Themes of trust, sound, views to nature, routine, and time were identified. This work highlights the impact of mental health needs within the prison system and how those needs inform future prison design. The integration of nature and access to views can reduce inmate stress. Sound control as well as visual control can contribute to officer safety and inmate well-being. Future building design can help with experiences of time and routine that will foster both a sense of relevance and rehabilitation for inmates and security for officers.Includes bibliographical reference

Diversity when rebuilding Appalachian housing: Lessons from historical subsistence homesteads

Design a blueprint for the renewal of neighborhoods in an Appalachian town. Use diverse histories as a way to frame the discussion. Oral histories as a way to record stories and provide themes for further exploration

Problem-Based Learning as a Model for the Interior Design Classroom: Bridging the Skills Divide Between Academia and Practice

The addition of problem-based learning (PBL) pedagogy to studio-based learning (SBL) environments may help bridge the divide between traditional design education and initial postgraduate jobs. This paper demonstrates how one instructor adapted a PBL model to the interior design studio, including planning, execution, and evaluation. The relationship between PBL and SBL is explored. Two realistic design problems were created for use by interior design students who participated in PBL sessions. All of the groups adequately answered the client’s design programmatic needs. Students learned to perform as team members, including how to collaborate and compromise while working toward an effective design product. The evaluation process was the most challenging component for students. The skills fostered by PBL would be valuable in the workplace

Tragedy as an Impetus to History and Design: The Silver Bridge Collapse

The 1967 collapse of the Silver Bridge that linked West Virginia and Ohio brought tragedy to the Appalachian towns that were linked by it. A lack of redundancy in its structural design allowed the bridge’s collapse when a key connection sheared. This discussion will review theory related to place and memory and how that can be used through the vehicle of history as a way to approach design. The remnants of uncomfortable histories are often removed due to discomfort, but their presence can provide a positive force for a place. The use of architecture as a means to invigorate memory and to give presence to the past will be discussed. The goal of this presentation is to use this event as a way to bring the power of that past event into the living current memory of the region. The presentation will end with a design model of how to approach the conceptualization of an architectural intervention on the site that could reinvigorate reflection on those events of nearly fifty years ago