Lessons in sustainable design : case study of a school in Chicago

This thesis develops an approach to environmentally sustainable design through the hypothetical redesign of the South Loop School in Chicago. Sustainable architecture seeks to reinforce ecological relationships to the greatest extent possible, be they among humans or between humans and other species. Increasingly, pressure mounts in our society to design with such ecological sensitivity. This is especially true in regard to buildings for children- a population vulnerable to environmental problems and significantly influenced by surroundings. The design of an elementary school facility in particular also has the potential to both act sustainably and, on some level, teach sustainability. If, in addition to implementing materials that are nontoxic in ways that conserve energy, the built environment can simultaneously heighten an appreciation of the forces of nature, then it might truly be called sustainable. Thus, this thesis pushes sustainable design beyond its marginalized role of technical implementation by linking it to architectural theory about the relationship between architecture and nature. Sustainable design in this thesis attempts to translate environmentally conscious strategies into active and expressed design elements while fostering an appreciation of natural elements through architectural form.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Architecture.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

1994

Author dc:creator

• Hootman, Heather

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Roy Strickland.

• Architecture.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/67141

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/67141