Theses and Dissertations from UMD

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New submissions to the thesis/dissertation collections are added automatically as they are received from the Graduate School. Currently, the Graduate School deposits all theses and dissertations from a given semester after the official graduation date. This means that there may be up to a 4 month delay in the appearance of a give thesis/dissertation in DRUM

More information is available at Theses and Dissertations at University of Maryland Libraries.

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2004 - 200922010 - 20111

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    Rethinking the American Home: Expandable-Life-cycle Houses in Suburban Context
    (2011) Kraushar-Plantholt, Victoria Kathleen; Hurtt, Steven W.; Architecture; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    The range of typical single family houses available in the market today does not respond well to the ever changing size of the family, first expanding then contracting. Ideally, a house should be flexible throughout the household's life cycle and respond to its owners' ever changing needs. A life-cycle-family house could grow and contract with the family and meet any new functional needs, such as accessibility for the elderly. Could a new house type allow each household to stay in residence longer, ease the financial trouble of purchasing new houses as aging precipitates changes in lifestyle? This thesis will explore the possibility of ways to provide a new house type, one that can expand and contract with the needs of a typical family.
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    Suburban Cleansing: An Ecological, Economical and Social Intervention in Tysons Corner Virginia
    (2006-05-17) Fenchel, David Matias; Kelly, Brian; Architecture; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Suburban sprawl in America is destroying the environment and communities at an overwhelming rate. The rapid growth of unplanned suburban sprawl has led to increased traffic congestion, increased dependence on fossil fuels, worsening air and water pollution, lost open space and wetlands, increased flooding, destroyed wildlife habitat, and dying city centers. There is a great need for a thorough investigation in the areas of suburban sprawl and how to transform them into sustainable developments. This thesis investigates Tysons Corner Virginia and attempts to transfigure it into an ecologically, economically, and socially responsible place. The thesis exploration has three primary concentrations: a master plan, a site study within the master plan, and a proposed building typology. The master plan critiques the Fairfax County Comprehensive Plan for Tysons Corner Urban Center and the Dulles Corridor Rapid Transit Project. Within the master plan is a more detailed analysis of a specific site that deals with environmental functions and preservation, adaptive reuse, and infill viability. Lastly, this thesis proposes a mixed-use housing typology that intervenes an existing regional mega-mall.
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    A Recreation and Wellness Center in Waldorf, Maryland: Creating Connections within a Suburban Community
    (2004-05-18) Ault, Edmund Barry; Bowden, Gary; Architecture
    This thesis responds to the common condition of disjointed suburban communities, linked only by roads, in the fast-growing town of Waldorf, Maryland. While the focus of recent development has been directed toward residential dwellings and restaurants, public recreation has been neglected. By applying a new fabric of residential and commercial development influenced by The New Urbanism, and a park system connected by a network of trails, the young members of the disjointed communities can be easily brought together for mental and physical stimulation outside of their homes, where such development is limited. By creating a mixed-use recreation and wellness center in the new park system between three schools, visual and physical links can be formed. Interior spaces provide comfortable areas for activity, socializing, and assembly, all of which are integral parts of a healthier body, mind, and soul.