Architectural Precast Concrete Wall Panels: Their Technological Evolution, Significance, and Preservation

Architectural precast concrete wall panels played an important role in mid-twentieth century architecture by providing a concrete technology that could be applied to the curtain wall system of construction utilized in this time period. Moreover, the precasting process, which enabled the controlled production of expressive facing concrete mixes and surface treatments and finishes, made this a concrete technology that could contribute to the architectural expression of the building. To promote the preservation of these panels, this thesis investigates and illuminates their historical and architectural significance in the United States in the mid-twentieth century. There are, however, numerous technical challenges to the physical preservation of architectural precast wall panels, the most significant of which is due to their specially designed concrete mix and surface finish. Given the importance of preserving these characteristics, the general retroactive preservation action of applying patches to deteriorated concrete is unsatisfactory; instead, we must adopt a preventive approach. Towards this end, this thesis examines documents published in the United States between 1945 and 1975 that informed the design, production, and assembly of architectural precast wall panels. The information from these documents is used to trace the technological evolution of these panels and, ultimately, to identify potential material vulnerabilities and associated deterioration mechanisms to which they may be subject. This methodology provides foundational information to be used in the creation of preventive conservation plans for buildings constructed with this concrete technology

Circulation, access, and tourist experience: Berlin's center and periphery as case study

The desire for authenticity has been recognized to be one of the main factors affecting tourist behavior and experience. It is not, however, the only variable. Circulation and access, topics that belong to the hereto-limited genre of sociology known as “mobilities,” also affect how tourists behave and experience a tourist environment. Indeed, the circulation of tourists and access to tourist sites, which are influenced by the built environment, the limitations of physical infrastructure, and tourist resources, impact how tourists interact and experience space, and thereby fundamentally affect their behavior and experience. Through critical reexamination of secondary literature, assessment of primary sources such as guidebooks, tourist websites, and city maps, and site analysis, I compare the tourist environment that constitutes Berlin’s central district, Mitte, with two sites in Berlin’s periphery, the Soviet War Memorial and Cemetery in Treptower Park and the former Stasi prison memorial in Hohenschönhausen, through the perspective of accessibility and circulation. This includes a visual analysis of the movement from the center into the periphery to more fully understand how circulation and access affect the experience of these sites and, more broadly, the tourist environment of the periphery. This exploration of the two distinct tourist environments present in Berlin, that of the central tourist enclave and that of the city’s periphery, reveals advantages and disadvantages that traditional tourist studies would not and demonstrates the significance of studying how tourists circulate, access, and ultimately interact with tourist sites and the built environment to developing our understanding of tourist experience