Architecture Theses and Dissertations
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2743
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Item Sustainable Living: Integrating Climate Adaptation in Bangkok's Informal Settlements(2024) Pipatpongsa, Ploy; Kim, Taejun; Architecture; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This thesis intends to demonstrate how the largest urban vulnerable communities in Thailand, using the case of At Narong in Khlong Toei, an informal settlement of over 30,000 residents who rent lands adjacent to the Port Authority of Thailand (PAT) in Bangkok. The PAT plans to evict the slum dwellers and develop the land, posing a severe threat to their lives and livelihoods. The thesis a multifaceted design framework that leverages social assets to enhance community resilience and inclusivity, particularly among vulnerable populations. The site location in PAT presents an opportunity to relocate informal settlements in the Lock 1-2-3 and 70 Rai communities, proposing multipurpose wetlands that serve as flood control, recreation areas and a market plaza that encourage social interaction and community cohesion.Item Chinese-American Community Center: Expressing Community and Immigrant Identity(2012) Chen, Patricia; Gournay, Isabelle; Bennett, Ralph; Architecture; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Monterey Park is a small suburban community, ten miles east of downtown Los Angeles, with a population of 60,269 residents. The largest percentage of Chinese immigrants in suburban America can currently be found in Monterey Park, California. Monterey Park has rightfully earned the title as "The First Suburban Chinatown" (Fong). It is the only city in America with a majority Asian population. Bounded by three major freeways, Monterey Park serves as the gateway to the San Gabriel Valley. Though a majority of the residents are of Asian descent, the community also consists of Caucasian, Hispanic, and African American residents. The goal of this thesis is to design a community center that will serve as a gathering space to bring the different populations together. The center will house public functions important for understanding Chinese culture. This will include a restaurant and teaching kitchen, theater, library, exhibit space, courtyard, garden, workshops, dance rooms and classrooms. The arrangement of these spaces, the choice of materials, and the expression of the façade reflect a unique Chinese-American style. This thesis explores the multi-faceted meanings of "identity" and how architecture can express the Chinese-American struggle to hold on to heritage while assimilating to a new culture.