Environmental Discourses and Rhetoric in the Conceptual Space of Architectural Education

This paper aims to investigate the current state and potential opportunity of strategic environmental discourses and rhetoric in architectural education. Because there is limited research completed on this specific focus, a grounded theory approach was used. In-depth interviews were held with twelve purposefully selected participants, each of whom are prevalently perceived as leaders in incorporating sustainability topics into architectural education. Through a cyclical coding process, larger themes about integrating environmental topics in formal architectural education emerged, with the importance of discourse and rhetoric as one of the primary sub-themes. Different discourses, emphasis on specific terminology, and the implications of each in the conceptual space of architectural educational are explored in the context of both program- and university-level structures. Breaking down the current environmental discourses in these specific contexts offers insight into opportunities to streamline the inclusion of sustainability themes in architectural education. This study concludes with possible avenues for further research regarding environmental discourse and rhetoric in architectural education, and suggestions for application in programs

Education, Environmental Attitudes and the Design Professions

As the concept of sustainability continues to become more popular within society, a number of different professions are called on to help champion the movement. With the resources train inflicted by the construction industry alone, dedicated architects and interior designers are important players in forward progress. Though many organizations and associations have been created to help the building industry embrace sustainability both practically and theoretically, theactual implementation of green building practices in construction has been minimal. The main focus of this study is to look at the influence of undergraduate education on designers' interest in sustainable design. Additional research interest was in environmental attitudes and the impact of interpersonal relations on those attitudes. Self-proclaimed practitioners in the green building industry were surveyed through a specified email list of the U.S. Green Building Council. The survey was web-based and addressed issues including environmental attitudes, undergraduate education and professional training. Dunlap and Catton's widely-used New Ecological Paradigm scale was included to measure proenvironmental orientation of the professionals. Contrary to the main hypothesis of the study, undergraduate education was not seen by subjects to be a fundamental force in the decision to concentrate on sustainability. A number of educational elements typically seen in environmental education, including interpersonal interactions, were mentioned by subjects as substantially influential and are therefore explored.Keywords: ethics, attitudes, design educatio

Evolving Design Pedagogies: Broadening Universal Design for Social Justice

Universal Design came into prominence as a successor to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), contributing to broader notions of accessibility beyond baseline codes and standards. Rooted in human factors research, Universal Design primarily centers on supporting human performance through the development of accessible and usable environments (Steinfeld and Maisel 2012, 95-96). As such, Universal Design pedagogies predominantly focus on enhancing environments for people with disabilities and aging populations (O Shea 2018, 721; Steinfeld and Maisel 2012, 49). However, some believe Universal Design is on the cusp of a paradigm shift to address broader aspects of social justice (Salmen 2012; Steinfeld and Maisel 2012, 159-160). This paper synthesizes existing literature to explore how current academic and practice-facing Universal Design pedagogies support the movement’s expansion to address social justice across demographic groups. Critical audiences for this work include architectural educators, students, researchers, policymakers, and building professionals interested in advancing the theory and practice of Universal Design. Recommendations from this work reposition Universal Design pedagogies as a pathway for creating more equitable and inclusive buildings, spaces, and communities that are truly designed for all.&nbsp

Pedagogy & Praxis:: Emerging Issues from Doctoral Programs in Design Research

As professional practices adapt and specialize to address the thorny complexities of real-world problems, it becomes increasingly important that practical applications of design research should be more quickly digestible, assimilated, and incorporated. This has motivated some practitioners to direct”or produce”the research studies they need. It is not always clear, however, that practice-based research ‘measures up' to academic standards. The situation opens up discussions of alternative "practicum” research training”both for advanced (doctoral-level) research studies but also for applied research methods taught in professional design programs (Masters level). In particular, this study presents preliminary findings on a range of programmatic comparisons between Doctor of Design [DDes] and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Design degree programs, exploring both their alignments and autonomy, in order to discuss the goals and methods of teaching practice-based design research. The study uses research training structures in Education as a model for comparison with Design. A typology is proposed to distinguish: (1) professional (entry-level) doctoral degree, (2) academic doctoral degree with a research focus, and (3) professional (advanced) doctoral degree with a research focus. Using ordinary text analysis tools, key passages describing goals and purpose; mission/learning outcome; structure; and delivery mechanisms from selected doctoral programs are analyzed. Then, keywords from professional doctoral programs (such as DDes, DArch, and DSc), are discussed. Emerging strategies, structures, and delivery mechanisms suggest that professional doctoral degrees may be able to engage more easily with professional practice and to offer clinical approaches for rigorous research as well as innovative design practices. This offers welcome opportunities to bridge academia and design industries. However, because not every concept-making practice constitutes "research,” a significant need remains for the development of workable definitions of research standards and systems. Student- practitioners in advanced doctoral-level design research programs thus require a command of professional ethics and research integrity, as well as setting clear boundaries between professional services and research investigations

Pedagogy & Praxis:: Emerging Issues from Doctoral Programs in Design Research

As professional practices adapt and specialize to address the thorny complexities of real-world problems, it becomes increasingly important that practical applications of design research should be more quickly digestible, assimilated, and incorporated. This has motivated some practitioners to direct”or produce”the research studies they need. It is not always clear, however, that practice-based research ‘measures up' to academic standards. The situation opens up discussions of alternative "practicum” research training”both for advanced (doctoral-level) research studies but also for applied research methods taught in professional design programs (Masters level). In particular, this study presents preliminary findings on a range of programmatic comparisons between Doctor of Design [DDes] and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Design degree programs, exploring both their alignments and autonomy, in order to discuss the goals and methods of teaching practice-based design research. The study uses research training structures in Education as a model for comparison with Design. A typology is proposed to distinguish: (1) professional (entry-level) doctoral degree, (2) academic doctoral degree with a research focus, and (3) professional (advanced) doctoral degree with a research focus. Using ordinary text analysis tools, key passages describing goals and purpose; mission/learning outcome; structure; and delivery mechanisms from selected doctoral programs are analyzed. Then, keywords from professional doctoral programs (such as DDes, DArch, and DSc), are discussed. Emerging strategies, structures, and delivery mechanisms suggest that professional doctoral degrees may be able to engage more easily with professional practice and to offer clinical approaches for rigorous research as well as innovative design practices. This offers welcome opportunities to bridge academia and design industries. However, because not every concept-making practice constitutes "research,” a significant need remains for the development of workable definitions of research standards and systems. Student- practitioners in advanced doctoral-level design research programs thus require a command of professional ethics and research integrity, as well as setting clear boundaries between professional services and research investigations

Exploring developers' understanding of health strategies in multifamily development

Discussions around health are increasingly seen in design. Stakeholders across different built environments are beginning to break apart the meaning of "health”. Despite multifamily housing being forecasted to add an additional 4.4 million units by 2025 (Freddie Mac 2016), market- rate multifamily developers are largely latecomers to health conversations. This paper outlines the structure, methodology, and findings of a multi-year project supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation addressing how multifamily developers understand, talk about, and execute health strategies. Using an exploratory case study methodology to address how and why (Yin 2017), three multifamily developers situated as early adopters of health strategies were recruited to better understand how they conceptualized, executed, and evaluated health strategies. In-depth interviews were held in the developers' home offices in the southeast United States, using a semi-structured interview protocol to explore standard processes, partnerships, designs, and strategies specifically related to health. Cyclical memoing, data collection, transcription, and analysis allowed for reflexivity and protocol modification as new issues emerged. Site visits, web site analysis, and clicks through national online real estate databases also contributed to triangulation and a holistic perspective of this complex problem. Results suggest that private multifamily developers focus on commonly accepted and easily marketable strategies with little application of evaluative metrics (Rider et al. 2018). When directly questioned about health strategies, participants focused on place making, community building, and social and mental wellbeing, as well as designated fitness spaces. Participants were uncomfortable discussing health strategies in terms of health outcomes through a public health lens. This research aims to suggest a shift in interdisciplinary conversations around health in multifamily real estate, ultimately supporting a more diligent adoption of health strategies in this difficult building type. These results can support stakeholders in design, development, private investment, property management, public health, community design, and policy

Design, development, and public health

As awareness of the built environment’s impact on individual and community health spreads through design and construction, different stakeholders are engaging in conversations of strategies and metrics. This paper explores the structure, methodology, and findings of research supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation addressing how multifamily developers conceptualize, discuss and implement health strategies in their projects. Framed in a Critical Theory perspective, this research first explores the traditional multifamily development decision-making process, specifically targeting how early adopters in multifamily development are discussing health and wellness in their projects. By unpacking the discussions around health and wellbeing in design, real estate development, and public health, aligned concepts are identified to operationalize these concepts for further exploration. Using a comparative case study strategy addressing how and why (Yin 2017), five developers positioned as early adopters were engaged to better understand how they each conceptualize, implement and measure health strategies in their multifamily projects. Two-day in-depth interviews were held in two initial developers’ home offices, addressing their standard design and decision-making processes and evolving into specific consideration of various health strategies. Four additional developers were engaged either over the phone or in person. Interview protocol ensured that discussion topics were standardized at the outset, with the following topics addressed with each partner: (1) company mission, (2) organizational structure, (3) differentiation in the market, (4) company evaluation metrics, (5) assessment scales, (6) decision-making processes, (7) market trends, (8) use of evidence-based data, (9) internal health discussions, and (10) investor relationships. Cyclical data collection, transcription, and analysis allowed the interview protocol to be modified for emergent topics. Site visits, website analysis, and clicks through national online real estate databases also contributed to a holistic perspective of this complex problem. Findings indicate that multifamily developers are focusing on upfront, marketable strategies that are likely to foster mental and social health, but with little regard of applying any form of evaluative metrics. Rating systems addressing health are of little help. When asked directly about choices to influence the health of residents, participants heavily cited (1) location, emphasizing access to community amenities; (2) place making, for community building and social and mental wellbeing; and (3) physical fitness opportunities through fitness spaces. Even those developers viewed as early adopters are uncomfortable discussing health strategies using a public health lens. This research intends to highlight interdisciplinary conversations surrounding health in multifamily real estate, contributing to more rigorous adoption of health strategies in this challenging building type. These findings can be valuable to stakeholders in design, development, private investment, property management, public health, community design, and policy.  

OPERABLE WINDOWS, THERMAL COMFORT, AND INDOOR AIR QUALITY IN K-12 SCHOOLS: Identifying the Gap and Proposing Future Studies

ConCave Ph.D. Symposium 2020: Divergence in Architectural Research, March 5-6, 2020, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA.Schools are the second most important environment in children’s lives after homes (Baki-Biro et al. 2012; Mendell et al. 2013), illustrating the importance of school environments in students’ learning performance, health, and comfort (Abramson et al. 2006; Madueira et al. 2009; Annesi-Maesano et al. 2013; Mendes et al. 2014; Almeida et al. 2016). Ventilation is one of the factors impacting student learning performance; ventilation can be provided through operable windows, exhaust fans, or mechanical ventilation systems (Gao et al. 2014). Additionally, different building elements such as air ventilation systems, HVAC systems, and building envelopes, can affect ventilation and occupant comfort (Catalina and Iordache 2012). ASHRAE Guideline 10P (2010) establishes four conditions for human comfort: thermal, visual, acoustic, and indoor air quality. Thermal comfort and indoor air quality are viewed as the most important of the four comfort conditions to improve occupant health and productivity (Pan et al. 2018). Several studies have focused on the relationship between operable windows, thermal comfort and/or indoor air quality, but no literature is found synthesizing these studies to establish a gap in research (Almeida et al. 2016; Dhaka et al. 2013; Jiang et al. 2018; Jindal 2018). Through searching such keywords as operable windows, natural ventilation, open window, close window, temperature, thermal comfort, CO2, indoor air quality, and IAQ, 136 articles were found on Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholars. From these papers, only thirty-one had research conducted in schools. A synthesis shows that these thirty-one articles have been conducted largely through quantitative methods, including environmental monitoring, survey, and simulation. Also, only one of them was located in the U.S., with the rest located in Europe (15 out of 31), Asia (12 out of 31), South America (2 out of 31) and South Africa (2 out of 31). In addition, 54% of the total (thirty-one) papers focused only on thermal comfort, 25% focused on indoor air quality and only 21% addressed the relationship between operable windows and both thermal comfort and indoor air quality in K-12 classrooms. This synthesis of literature shows that the current research emphasized measurements in air temperature, relative humidity, and air velocity to address thermal comfort, and used CO2 as the favored metric for measuring indoor air quality. This paper proposes future studies and methodologies to fill these identified gaps in the literature

Environmental Discourses and Rhetoric in the Conceptual Space of Architectural Education

This paper aims to investigate the current state and potential opportunity of strategic environmental discourses and rhetoric in architectural education. Because there is limited research completed on this specific focus, a grounded theory approach was used. In-depth interviews were held with twelve purposefully selected participants, each of whom are prevalently perceived as leaders in incorporating sustainability topics into architectural education. Through a cyclical coding process, larger themes about integrating environmental topics in formal architectural education emerged, with the importance of discourse and rhetoric as one of the primary sub-themes. Different discourses, emphasis on specific terminology, and the implications of each in the conceptual space of architectural educational are explored in the context of both program- and university-level structures. Breaking down the current environmental discourses in these specific contexts offers insight into opportunities to streamline the inclusion of sustainability themes in architectural education. This study concludes with possible avenues for further research regarding environmental discourse and rhetoric in architectural education, and suggestions for application in programs

Education, Environmental Attitudes and the Design Professions

As the concept of sustainability continues to become more popular within society, a number of different professions are called on to help champion the movement. With the resources train inflicted by the construction industry alone, dedicated architects and interior designers are important players in forward progress. Though many organizations and associations have been created to help the building industry embrace sustainability both practically and theoretically, theactual implementation of green building practices in construction has been minimal. The main focus of this study is to look at the influence of undergraduate education on designers’ interest in sustainable design. Additional research interest was in environmental attitudes and the impact of interpersonal relations on those attitudes. Self-proclaimed practitioners in the green building industry were surveyed through a specified email list of the U.S. Green Building Council. The survey was web-based and addressed issues including environmental attitudes, undergraduate education and professional training. Dunlap and Catton’s widely-used New Ecological Paradigm scale was included to measure proenvironmental orientation of the professionals. Contrary to the main hypothesis of the study, undergraduate education was not seen by subjects to be a fundamental force in the decision to concentrate on sustainability. A number of educational elements typically seen in environmental education, including interpersonal interactions, were mentioned by subjects as substantially influential and are therefore explored. Keywords: ethics, attitudes, design educatio