Scholarly Commons @ MiamiOH
Scholarly Commons is a service of the Miami University libraries. Research and scholarly output included here has been selected and deposited by the individual university departments and centers on campus. To learn more about Scholarly Commons, please visit our FAQ page.
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Communities in Scholarly Commons
Recent Submissions
Remediation as revival: transforming the environmental scars of the rust belt into sustainable, thriving spaces
(2025) Tazim, S M Shams;
Urban decay in American cities, particularly within the Rust Belt region, represents a significant challenge, characterized by abandoned buildings, deteriorating infrastructure, and widespread depopulation. Decaying industrial buildings, often ecologically contaminated and massive in scale, present unique difficulties for traditional renovation efforts. These issues have profound implications for society and the field of architecture as they directly impact public health, environmental sustainability, and economic stability. Without strategic and effective intervention, such conditions perpetuate cycles of disinvestment, increase crime rates, and exacerbate social inequality. This ultimately diminishes quality of life and hinders the potential for community development.
This design intervention focuses on the Mahoning River in Youngstown, Ohio, a city emblematic of industrial decline. Over decades, abandoned industrial sites have severely polluted the river, relegating it to a neglected state and severing its connections to the community. However, Youngstown has recently turned its attention toward restoring the river, seeking to bring back its lost flora and fauna and redefine it as the city's focal point, a "front yard" that unites people rather than a "backyard" they overlook.
The intervention approaches the grandeur of abandoned industrial spaces and the Mahoning River not as insurmountable challenges but as unique opportunities for architectural innovation and sustainable reuse. By retrofitting industrial structures with contemporary vernacular elements, the design aims to recondition both the past and future of these spaces while preserving the region's rich cultural heritage. The proposal aligns with broader objectives of sustainability, economic resilience, and social equality, ensuring that development benefits the community holistically.
Central to the proposal is the preservation and adaptive reuse of existing infrastructure. This reduces carbon emissions and transforms decaying industrial buildings into spaces for housing, healthcare services, public transportation, coworking hubs, and community-oriented facilities. These interventions address the housing crisis, generate employment opportunities, and stimulate the local economy, breathing new life into previously neglected areas.
The vision for Youngstown integrates sustainable design strategies along the Mahoning River, creating a walkable city enhanced by multi-modal transportation hubs, recreational opportunities, and innovative spaces for education and healthcare. This comprehensive, multi-faceted approach transforms the river into a symbol of the city's resilience and cultural identity, positioning it as a catalyst for economic growth and community revitalization.
Ultimately, this design intervention presents a forward-thinking model for cities in the Rust Belt and beyond, demonstrating how architecture can be a powerful tool in addressing urban decay and building a sustainable, equitable future.
The use of 3D printing and lattice based structures in architectural design
(2025) Ruxanda, Razvan;
The aim of this thesis is to investigate/explore the form generation through the print path creation achievable by additive manufacturing. So rather than having the form dictated by traditional building methods, let the printing process dictate the form. In this way, the architectural form is all parametrically generated, which is a function of the print path, not of the initial form.
An ecological beltway: reinhabiting utopia
(2025) Warman, Andrew;
This thesis shows how Cincinnati, a city defined by itself and FEMA as a climate haven, can reimagine its beltway of I-275 and its pockets of failed suburban utopia into an ecological beltway. Designed for both those who are forcibly displaced or those who choose the nomadic lifestyle, this reimagination of space provides hubs of temporary stay and necessary means of maintenance.
This thesis proposes a transformation of waste landscapes along the metro area’s porous edge of the 275 beltway. This restorative transformation allows for nomads to reside in spaces that are connected to transportation, necessary resources, and surrounding nature. Specifically it looks at recycling existing infrastructures directly falling off the highway and bleeding into the corridors running through its many pockets of failed suburban utopias.
This thesis’ question asks: how can architecture respond to the waste of the sprawling 20th century industrial city, and the increasing nomadism of populations, to foster desirable forms of inhabitance for multi-species collaboration?
Crafting space: architectural strategies for education in Appalachia
(2025) Wean, Chloe;
Broadly, Appalachia is a culturally diverse and historically rich place, often portrayed in popular media through lenses of negativity associated with economic decline, ecological devastation, and cultural stagnation. While the region is often neglected by both government and market forces, a more rich cultural investigation is warranted.
For example, the state of West Virginia consistently falls below the national average for educational attainment, according to the U.S. Census. It also has a history of underfunded educational programs. Additionally, there has been a decline in the education of skilled workers. My interests are in thinking about education beyond traditional institutional structures to promote Appalachian arts and culture through architectural design.
The lack of education, loss of culture, and decline of trades can be remedied by providing effective educational spaces which facilitate experience-based immersive learning. Architecture has the power to make focusing, calming, and inspiring educational facilities through connections to nature and the design of comfortable, flexible environments.
This design aims to provide immersive and experiential environments for the purpose of teaching underrepresented traditional Appalachian craft and arts. Educational programs offered include woodworking, art glass, visual arts, fiber/textile arts, folk music, stone carving, ceramics, Appalachian cooking, and foraging. Students have access to workshops, nature trails, culinary facilities, classrooms, outdoor educational spaces, performance spaces, and studios. There is a focus on community within the campus. Programs are interrelated to provide a well-rounded and comprehensive educational experience. The campus’s location in the Appalachian mountains provides a peaceful and beautiful environment with opportunities to learn from nature. The facility is designed to accommodate hands-on learning and apprenticeship-based programs, as opposed to traditional lecture-based programs.
Raw Data for "Understanding Charged Polymer–Lipid Interactions in Model Membranes Revealed by EPR and Solid-State NMR: Implications for Membrane Protein Studies"
(2026) Okorafor, Evelyn A.; Rotich, Nancy C.; Sahu, Indra D.; Konkolewicz, Dominik; Lorigan, Gary A.
Raw Data for the article "Understanding Charged Polymer–Lipid Interactions in Model Membranes Revealed by EPR and Solid-State NMR: Implications for Membrane Protein Studies"