GSD Theses and Dissertations
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://dash.harvard.edu/handle/1/13398958
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Publication Huffing and Puffing: A New Language for Straw Bale Construction(2024-11-04) Dankens, Juliette; Höweler, Eric; Kara, HanifSituated in the Hauts-de-France, a region in France grappling with a severe housing shortage, this student housing project services the capital of the region, Lille, a prominent student hub, and its neighbor, Roubaix. In addition to the Nord's industrial history, the Hauts-de-France is renowned for agriculture, being France’s second-largest producer of straw. Straw bales, an agricultural byproduct, are load-bearing modules, exceptional insulators, and when used as a building material, a renewable resource drawing down carbon. Pairing the availability of the material with the region’s housing needs, the project capitalizes on straw bales’ structural, thermal, and ecological properties to expand their use in construction beyond the one-story home and develop multi-story student housing. It seeks to generate a structural and material expression unique to the straw bales to bring greater spatial and sensory diversity to extant, repetitive student housing typologies. As the discipline becomes increasingly concerned with its environmental and social impacts and shifts towards engineering new materials and building systems, there is a unique opportunity to reconsider natural materials long used in construction and address disciplinary misapprehension surrounding biogenic materials such as straw. The project diverges from trends in digital and material fabrication to embrace this hyper-local, renewable byproduct and unite ecological, architectural, and social aims.Publication Factory(2024-11-04) Behling, Christian; Haber-Thomson, LisaIn a series of essays critiquing industrialized manufacturing entitled Factory Work: As It Is and Might Be (1884), William Morris elucidated the social underpinnings of the British Arts and Crafts movement, which found in handicraft a philosophy that unified labor, education, and economic production. One hundred and forty years later, the relationship between learning and labor continues to bear relevance, with increasing visibility placed on the nature of work post-Covid, and the four-year bachelor’s degree regularly questioned as the best path to a career. This thesis foregrounds the contemporary importance of Craft as a theory of labor, tracing its educational ideology as it evolved within the context of American craft schools before investigating a manifestation of Morris’s vision for the present moment. Unlike a “makerspace,” “research incubator,” nostalgic craft school, or any other contemporary dilution of craft philosophy, Factory places on the table a method of production which considers the end-product secondary to the empowerment gained through traditions of learning that surround handwork.Publication After Water: The Infrastructure and Politics of Desalination in Kuwait(2024-10-21) Alsaffar, Rawan; Doherty, Gareth; Waldheim, Charles; Ghosn, RaniaThis research examines the role of desalination in the process of urbanization. The focus of the investigation is Kuwait, a country situated within a region containing some of the highest levels of water stress and per capita consumption around the world. The aim is to reveal the spatialization of desalination infrastructure, its underlying ecological epistemology, and the historic urbanization patterns that it has generated and will continue to perpetuate into the future. In doing so, this research reveals a novel view of water politics that is less focused on crisis and scarcity to instead examine the spatial practices that inform water management and consumption from the extraction of salt water to the metabolism of potable water in everyday household use.Publication Chinese State Capital and the Politics of Mega Infrastructure in Sri Lanka(2024-10-21) Li, Yihao; Rowe, Peter; Mehrotra, Rahul; Rithmire, MegThis dissertation concerns the growing role of China, specifically Chinese state capital, in reshaping the built environment through financing, building, and operating mega infrastructure projects in Sri Lanka over the past two decades. In the early 21st century, China quickly emerged as the world’s largest official financier of infrastructure projects around the world, providing a cumulative total of nearly one trillion U.S. dollars by 2022. Of the 165 recipient countries, Sri Lanka stands out as a country that has seen one of the most dramatic – and uneven – restructuring of urban space. Observing that China-backed megaprojects had divergent performance and spatial outcomes in Sri Lanka during Mahinda Rajapaksa’s presidency, the dissertation explains this curious within-country variation by comparing three China-backed megaproject cases with otherwise similar characteristics. Why did the Colombo Port City project succeed in producing early agglomeration effects while the Mattala Airport project became a wasteful “white elephant”? Why did the Hambantota Port project become more successful over time after initial struggles? The dissertation finds that the length of time horizon in Chinese state capital and the degree of power concentration in Sri Lanka’s planning process are key determinants. It shows how a toxic combination of an authoritarian approach to planning in Sri Lanka and short-term oriented Chinese capital can lead to mega infrastructure projects built at the wrong scale, at the wrong place, or at the wrong time. It also shows how a patient form of Chinese state capital and a more inclusive approach to planning can result in better performance. In so doing, the dissertation highlights the politics of risk allocation. It details the circumstances under which specific risk management strategies were adopted, and how different incentive structures shape the relationship between planning power and Chinese capital. While the dissertation is focused on Sri Lanka, the findings hold broader implications for the theory and practice of megaproject planning across the Global South.Publication Acoustemological Resonances: Brewster’s Archive and the Emergence of Ethical Observational Science(2024-10-21) Koeva, Elitza; May, John; Helmreich, Stefan; Frahm, Laura; Eigen, EdwardThis dissertation examines William Brewster’s (1851-1919) seminal yet underappreciated contributions to ornithology through the analysis of his extensive archival materials—including field notes, journals, diaries, systematic bird observations, photographic prints, and voluminous correspondence. The thesis elucidates the development and impact of Brewster’s ethically driven, non-lethal observational methodologies, contrasting substantially with the earlier practices of John James Audubon (1785-1851), which involved the widespread killing of birds for illustration purposes. Brewster’s approach marked a pivotal shift towards more ethical scientific inquiry and early conservation principles. Housed at Harvard University’s Ernst Mayr Library at the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Brewster’s archives span five decades and provide an unparalleled dataset of bird behavior, habitats, vocalizations, and population changes, alongside notes on the changing landscape. This dissertation probes the evolution from visually biased scientific methods to sensory-integrated observational practices, examining the implications of Brewster’s auditory and multi-sensory engagements in the broader context of 19th-century scientific epistemology. By intersecting theoretical frameworks such as Bruno Latour’s Actor-Network Theory, Tim Ingold’s work on “phenomena of the weather-world” and Steven Feld’s “acoustemology” with archival methodologies informed by Jacques Derrida’s concept of “archive fever,” Frédérique Aït-Touati’s analysis of Robert Hooke’s Micrographia, and Friedrich Kittler’s media theory, this work offers an analytical discourse of the archive as a technological apparatus. Key research questions guiding this dissertation include: How did Brewster and Audubon’s ornithological methods navigate tensions between scientific objectivity and subjectivity in the representation of birds? What do their methodologies reveal about the evolving notion of the scientific self and ethical engagement with avian species during the 19th century? How did contemporary technological advancements and cultural perceptions of the so-called “nature” shape their observational practices and understanding of human-animal-machine interactions? Critically, how did Brewster’s implementation of non-lethal observation methodologies and his meticulous documentation of ecological changes contribute to early notions of conservation and foreshadow contemporary multispecies approaches as articulated by scholars like Donna Haraway and Anna Tsing? By integrating frameworks from the history of art and sciences with critical theory across critical posthumanities, new materialisms, cultural geography, media, and sound studies, this interdisciplinary inquiry underscores the vital role urban environments play in conservation efforts. The study foregrounds how contemporary artistic practices and digital scholarship could not only contextualize Brewster’s legacy within the historical trajectory of ornithology but also advocate for the re-evaluation of ethical practices in current scientific disciplines. It underscores the urgency of fostering multispecies cohabitation and sustainable living practices in the Anthropocene (a contested term), thereby addressing broader ecological crises and redefining human-animal-machine relations. Engaging multispecies perspectives in multiple modalities offers insights for cultivating more ethical and sustainable ways of living on a damaged planet (Tsing 2017).Publication Sacrificing Cities Modernity, Religions, and Urban Spatial Dynamics in Dhaka, Bangladesh(2024-09-25) Mim, Nusrat Jahan; Mehrotra, Rahul; Blau, Eve; Chen, MarthaThis dissertation examines the complex interactions between urban religiosity and modernity in the context of Dhaka, Bangladesh, focusing on the celebration of Eid ul Adha. As a South Asian megacity, Dhaka undergoes significant transformations during this annual religious festival, temporarily disrupting the city's usual modernist development trajectory. The thesis introduces the concept of "Sacrificing Cities" to describe how Dhaka, like several other South Asian cities, tends to sacrifice its modern development mandates temporarily to accommodate traditional religious practices. These sacrifices manifest in various urban domains, including infrastructure, institutions, markets, and technology. The study is based on three years of ethnographic fieldwork in Dhaka, exploring how the city manages the influx of millions of rural cattle farmers and traders, the transformation of urban spaces into makeshift cattle markets, and the temporary suspension of regular urban activities during Eid ul Adha. The research highlights the adaptability of Dhaka's urban infrastructure and institutions to non-secular functions and the role of the informal economic sector in managing the festival's demands. It also discusses the challenges posed by digitalization in maintaining traditional communal practices and religious sentiments. By situating Dhaka within the broader frameworks of postcolonial, modern, and global city discourses, the thesis argues that the city's temporary disruptions during Eid ul Adha challenge conventional understandings of urban modernity. The concept of "Sacrificing Cities" provides a new lens for analyzing how cities in the Global South negotiate between tradition and modernity, revealing the unique ways in which urban religiosity shapes economic and political pathways. Through detailed case studies, the thesis explores the justifications and mechanisms that enable Dhaka to temporarily deviate from its modern development goals, emphasizing the importance of understanding these practices within the context of South Asian urbanism. The findings contribute to broader discussions in critical urban development, postcolonialism, modernism, and developmental studies, offering insights into the evolution, development, and functioning of cities like Dhaka.Publication Princeton Architectural Laboratory, 1949 to 1954: A Matter of Maintenance(2024-10-21) Yeo, Seok Min; Waldheim, Charles; Eigen, Edward; Samuelson, HollyThis dissertation describes the institutional history of Princeton Architectural Laboratory from 1949 to 1954. While recent scholarship in architectural history and building science clarified the Laboratory’s enduring contribution to environmentally informed design strategies, the circumstances of its establishment remain underreported. This work argues that a closer look at this early history is warranted. It reveals the administrative mechanics and challenges involved in establishing an organizational capacity for experimental design research. Using maintenance as the governing theme, this account describes the relationship between the Laboratory’s intellectual project, its material expression, and institutional support. Based on archival research, it contends that Labatut’s project and its ultimate failure were necessary preconditions for the Olgyay’s arrival at Princeton and the Laboratory’s subsequent success. This dissertation elucidates the continuity between the two iterations of the Laboratory. It offers a historical account of how Princeton University’s architecture program established an organizational capacity for experimental research. This work seeks a new audience interested in developing a design laboratory or a research center within an academic institution.Publication From Data to Learning: The Role of Data Pathways in Advancing Cross-Functional Public Sector Team Inquiry Cycles(2024-10-23) Royalty, Adam; Forsyth, Ann; Bechthold, Martin; Mayne, QuintonAddressing climate change requires public and private organizations with varying disciplinary approaches to collaborate in cross-functional partnerships. This research investigates how cross-functional teams learn new knowledge and skills while developing adaptive responses to large scale climate challenges. Two case studies of cross-functional teams working on sustainability programs in a federally owned electric utility in the American South demonstrate the importance of managing data pathways as the basis for team learning. Project scope and preconceptions of colleagues’ professional identities were major factors that affected how the teams acquired and utilized information. Technological advances have made tools for complex data analysis and interpretation widely accessible. The findings from this research provide guidelines that help leaders of cross-functional public sector teams maximize the data their teams use to learn about and develop adaptive solutions to climate challenges.Publication Territorial Instruments(2024-05-21) Taylor, Hugh; Waldheim, CharlesThis thesis investigates the reciprocal relationship between architecture and territory. How are discrete architectural instruments shaped by the territories which they inhabit? In what ways do these instruments structure and order the territories in which they are found? How can architecture be conceived as a fulcrum between built and un-built, between object and void, between building and territory? Tuktoyaktuk, NWT was established in the 1950s, around a Distant Early Warning Line station - one in a series of radar stations constructed in the Canadian Arctic to detect incoming aerial threats from across the north pole. These decommissioned artifacts, like other architectures of distance, oscillate between the technical as well as the ordinary and the local and the global. This thesis proposes three buildings for this town at the forefront of an environmentally and spatially changing Arctic: a small airport, a research station, and a road maintenance depot. These instruments leverage a historical analysis of technological and representative tools to imagine new modes of understanding, responding to, and establishing territory.Publication Relate, Relate, Relate: In the Age of Machine Learning(2024-05-21) Chung, Chun Tak; Witt, AndrewRecognizing the impact of image-generating machine learning models on architectural discourse, this thesis offers a fresh perspective on the role of machine learning in conceptual relationships within architecture. The thesis explores ML's capacity to interrelate architecture beyond tradition lineage framework or categorization framework. Structured into three chapters, the first correlates projects from the "five on five" lecture series with large language and image-based models, forming a cloud of relationships. The second chapter delves into machine learning-aided design by relating projects and generating conceptual text. The final chapter investigates the challenge posed to museum design as the traditional architectural history framework is also challenged, proposing a museum embedded within a material reuse center. Through these explorations, the thesis uncovers ML's potential to contextualize and interconnect architecture, highlighting its significance beyond its prowess in generating realistic images and text.