Interdisciplinary: Ph.D. Program In The Built Environment
Student Profiles
Information about Current Students:
Student Honors, Awards, Fellowships:
- Ashish Nangia: 2007-2008 Research Cluster funding from Simpson Center for the Humanities
- Paula Patterson: 2008-2009 American-Scandinavian Foundation dissertation research fellowship
- Eric Noll: 2007 Public Humanities for Doctoral Students Fellowship
- Ashish Nangia: 2006-2007 India Association of Western Washington South Asian Studies Scholarship
- Paula Patterson: 2006-2007 Valle Scholarship, Finland
- Jayde Lin Roberts: 2006-2007 Blakemore Freeman Fellowships for Advanced Asian Language Study
- Paula Patterson: 2005-2006 FLAS Fellowship for French
- Meriwether Wilson: 2005-2006 Henry Luce Fellowship
- Paula Patterson: Summer 2005, FLAS Fellowship for Finnish
- Jayde Lin Roberts: 2004-2005 FLAS Fellowship
- Paula Patterson: 2004, Kate Neal Kinley Memorial
- Ken Camarata: 2003-2005 Gerberding Fellowship
- Ken Yocom: 2002-2005 National Science Foundation Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) Fellowship
After receiving my Master of Architecture in 2001, I spent two years teaching and doing research for the Design Machine Group. During that time I focused on paradigms of embedded computation: uibiquitous and tangible computing. Now, in the computational design and research track of the Ph.D., I will focus on the use of computationally enhanced artifacts and environments as tools for learning.
B.A. Architecture, Tunghai University (2000)
M.S. Building and Planning, National Taiwan University (2003)
Due to my involvement as planning practitioner in a series of participatory planning and cultural landscape preservation projects in Taiwan, I am interested in the evolution of planning profession and its consequences, particularly from a comparative perspective. In order to expand my views of how planning is practiced in different social and political contexts, I investigated into a case of urban planning in Southeastern China (Zhenjiang City in Jiangsu Province), presented in my thesis "A Case Study of Heritage Conservation and Old City Renewal in China: Zhenjiang City and Xijin Ferry Historic District." Through the process, I gradually expanded my interest from planning practice to its institutionalization and got interested in seeking the common ground among the different political entities in East Asia, including China, Japan, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Following the current academic concerns with the East Asian developmental states, I will focus on the institutional change of the planning profession and explore its political embedded-ness in the process of state transformation. Thus, my dissertation would begin with empirical-based studies (using qualitative case studies to develop a comparative framework) and then go back to the case of China, questioning how the professionalization of planning is consistently held in check not only by the socialist state in the pre-reform era but also by the capitalist one in the reform era.
I received a B.S. from the Department of Architectural Engineering at Kyung Hee University in Korea and an M.S. from the Department of Construction Management at the UW. I am now pursuing the Ph.D. in the Built Environment. What convinced me to join this Ph.D. program is its interdisciplinary nature. I believe that major advances in research and discovery will be made at the interfaces between disciplines. I am interested in information visualization that applies the HII (Human-Information Interaction) concept. Information visualization in construction management provides better understanding of ongoing construction projects to the construction domain. With such visualization, the people within the domain are able to better analyze project status in the dynamic construction environment and take timely corrective actions to complete a project successfully. My research focuses on ontology for construction data, visualization techniques for construction information, and user interface design.
LEED Accredited Professional (2004)
Master of Landscape Architecture, University of Pennsylvania (2003)
Bachelor of Arts in Economics, National Taiwan University (NTU), Taipei, Taiwan (1996)
Interested in understanding how cities can be resilient or adaptable in the face of environmental crises and global climate change, I have been exploring urban design solutions that could meet urban needs while promoting ecological integrity. My focus is especially on the integration between urban design and urban hydraulics system, which includes the issues of urban flood management, river enhancement, stormwater management, and water resource planning.
I spent 16 years working in the software industry prior to resuming my educational studies, and am interested in researching and developing new software tools / technologies that help the AEC industries migrate to the use of Digital Technologies. Specifically this includes: Integrated Practice (IP), Building Information Modeling (BIM), Collaboration, Rapid Prototyping (RP) and Construction Simulation. My dissertation research will focus on shared cognition and its interaction with 3D construction representations.
B.A. Community, Regional and Environmental Studies, Bard College (1997), M.U.P. UW (2005)
APA scholarship (Spring 2003) Valle Scholar, Gothenburg, Sweden (September 2004–February 2005)
I've had a long and abiding interest in what I like to call "human/land interactions," in objection to the dichotomization of human and nature. This human/land interplay is a critical nexus for issues of ecology, human justice, interspecies justice and therefore land use planning and the design of the built environment. I have several current research interests including: regional planning, bicycle transportation planning (the subject of my master's thesis), the relationships between behavior and environment (the topic of my thesis research on bicycle transportation in Gothenburg, Sweden), visual elements of representational theory and environmental justice. I have used a combination of quantitative (e.g. GIS and statistical analysis) and qualitative (e.g. historical and visual) methods in past research and continue to employ that hybrid approach in my present work. My work has also combined visual methods with the more conventional academic medium of words. Most of the visual representations that I have incorporated into my academic writings are either photographs or diagrammatic sketches including: conceptual models, functional models and graphic renderings of place and space. Presently I am engaged in a new effort to work with and study film and video media. One potential dissertation topic is the role of film and video media in pedagogical theory, more specifically in the representation of the human experience of the city, especially as related to design and planning education. My work has been strongly informed by a Lefebvrean approach to understanding the production of space.
B.Arch. (1999). School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi
M.A. (2003). École Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture de Paris-Belleville, Paris
Ph.C. (2006). Built Environment, University of Washington
I have written extensively on histories of architecture in South Asia prior to starting my Master's program in Paris, France. My Master's dissertation linked the processes of national identity and architectural modernity in the Le Corbusian city of Chandigarh, India. Exploring archives at the Fondation Le Corbusier, Paris and at the City Museum, Chandigarh, I constructed a syncretic narrative of postcolonial modernism at Chandigarh that drew influences from histories of modern architecture as well as critical and theoretical understandings of postcolonial thought.
From 2000 to 2003, I guest lectured at schools of architecture in India, served as an invited jury member on architectural design theses in France, and built several architectural projects in Chandigarh, India.
My doctoral dissertation at the University of Washington lies within the architectural history canon that posits a multi-centered conception of architectural that conceptualizes modernity as a fragmented narrative Within this conceptual framework the dissertation analyses Le Corbusier's Chandigarh by tracing/extending the roots of the city's history into the 19th century, by positing alternate and equally valid modernisms that develop concurrently with Le Corbusier's CIAM plan, and finally by chronicling the city's leap "beyond" modernism into the 21st century. To this effect my theoretical investigation is grounded in scholarship as varied as the Subaltern studies project, Gayatri Spivak's critiques of postcolonial thought, and Claude Lévi-Strauss's structuralism, Roland Barthes and Joseph Campbell's re-invention of modern mythologies.
I have presented my doctoral research in professional conferences at the University of Paris (2005), the University of Berkeley, CA (2006), the University of British Columbia, Vancouver (2007, 2008), at the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture Annual Meeting (2008), and at the University of Washington (2005, 2008).
At the University of Washington I have taught a history/theory section to Graduate students in Architecture, led a pre-architecture section on Design Drawing, and guest lectured in the Architecture, South Asia, and Art Departments on topics ranging from the architecture of the Indus Valley Civilization to the Modernist City.
In 2007 I was part of a research team on urban studies funded by the Simpson Center for the Humanities, University of Washington In 2008 we are applying for increased funding with a more ambitious agenda that includes a two-day conference and publication.
B.A. Rhetoric, University of California, Berkeley (1996); M.U.P, University of Washington (2004).
My backgrounds in Rhetoric and Urban Planning connect as I seek to understand the construction and effects of culture, landscape, and policy within my current research. Broadly, my research interests are to understand the effect of conservation and cultural heritage preservation policies on local communities. Particularly, my research will focus on understanding change in cultural landscapes under management by UNESCOÕs World Heritage Program. While current conservation and preservation policies are often focused (for good reason) on conserving or preserving "natural" environments or "cultural artifacts" towards the goal of biological and cultural diversity, little attention is focused on the effect of these policies on the local communities that are inseparable from the places these policies are designed to conserve and protect. I generally take conservation and preservation to be "good" practices. But, if we are to be successful at maintaining places that are unique and of local significance, then we need to look closely at whether our policies to preserve biological and cultural diversity maintain the necessary conditions for local characteristics of place to survive and evolve.
B.F.A. (photography), University of Utah (1992)
M.Arch., University of Washington (2003)
I have held teaching appointments in the UW Architecture Department since 2004. I currently teach Materials & Processes (Arch 430) as well as Furniture Studio (Arch 402, 403/506), which I have co-taught with Penny Maulden since 2005. Prior to that I coordinated and led the first Graduate Discussion Sections offered in conjunction with the history series (Arch 350, 351, 352).
My research examines the poetic image as found in the sacred architecture of Swedish architect Sigurd Lewerentz in relation to the late writings of Maurice Merleau-Ponty. Lewerentz was born in 1885 and practiced architecture in Sweden from 1911 until his death in 1975. His work is largely comprised of cemeteries and funerary chapels and is most noted for two churches; St. Mark's (1960) and St. Peter's (1966), realized in the final years of his life. Together with Gunnar Asplund, he submitted the winning proposal for the 1914-1915 competition for a new cemetery to be built outside of Stockholm on the site of a former gravel quarry. In 1994, Skogskyrkogården, or Woodland Cemetery as it is has come to be known internationally, was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Lewerentz went on to complete some eighteen proposals for cemeteries throughout Sweden, nearly half of which were realized.
My dissertation titled The Architecture of the Poetic Image: the visible and the invisible in the sacred architecture of Sigurd Lewerentz is theoretically grounded in phenomenology, a movement within Continental Philosophy contemporary with Lewerentz's work that was motivated by a desire to show that our experience of concrete phenomena lies at the center of our knowledge and understanding of the world. Its specific focus is the argument made by Merleau-Ponty in The Visible and the Invisible (1964) that meaning and ideas are given only through concrete phenomena. This runs counter to notions favored throughout the history of Western Philosophy that traditionally give eidos or ideas priority over phenomena. Lewerentz's approach to architecture manifests a remarkable affinity for the ideas set forth by Merleau-Ponty and together their work offers a compelling body of evidence for the argument that imagination plays an essential role in the generation of meaning.
B.A. Human Geography & Urban Studies, University of British Columbia (1999)
MScPl. Urban Planning, University of Toronto (2001)
During my studies at the University of Toronto, I worked primarily on urban design issues and youth participatory planning processes, integrating the two in my current issues paper on Skateboard Park planning and designing. After completing my Masters in Urban Planning, I worked at the Philadelphia City Planning Commission as a policy planner in the Strategic Planning and Policy Division. At the Planning Commission, my work focused primarily on public open space, parks, and recreation. I was also involved with the School District of PhiladelphiaÕs capital budget program.
My current interests remain focused on urban youth, participatory planning, and open public spaces. Specifically, I hope to explore the cultural conflicts that arise from the use, design, control, and identity of urban spaces. I am interested in the production, preservation, and meaning of public space as it relates to urban youth. Central to my current studies are the issues of behavior, marginality, regulations, and rights relative to public spaces. In my professional experiences as an Urban Planner I encountered few instances in which youth were actively sought to participate in the development or revitalization of public spaces. Most policy-makers seem to have a limited desire to understand the reasons for conflict and the meanings of space to youth. I want to better understand the spatial dimensions of cultural conflicts of youth and public spaces.
M.A. China Studies, University of Washington
B.A. Architecture, UC Berkeley
My Ph.D. research will explore the locality/ies of identity in the translocal Chinese diaspora, focusing specifically on the Chinese-Burmese in Yangon (Rangoon) Chinatown, and in Mandalay, Burma/Myanmar. What is the relationship between the overseas Chinese sense of identity and their sense and construction of place?
As a Chinese-American who was born in Taiwan and grew up in Southern California, the confusion and potential of transnational and translocal interactions have been potent forces in my life. These forces not only affected me individually, compelling me to question my own identity, they are constantly manifesting themselves in the built environment. How and why do cities or districts take on new forms or acquire new identities? What are the forces behind these changes?
Before returning to school in 2002, I was a simultaneous and consecutive interpreter (Mandarin and English) in China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, and a facilitator for participatory and team building processes.
M.S. History of Architecture, Istanbul Technical University (2005)
B. Arch. Istanbul Technical University (2002)
I am interested in the history and theory of architecture and my studies focus on the interaction between the political developments and the progress of architecture in Turkey. Due to their representative aspects that reflect the cultural, social and political characteristics of the communities to which they belong, museum buildings and their interpretation in terms of social memory and the role of memory in politics are of particular interest in my studies.
M.S. in Civil Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2006)
M.S. in Architectural Engineering, Yonsei University, Korea (2004)
B.A. in Architectural Engineering, Yonsei University, Korea (1999)
My research interests are the improvement of productivity in construction industry, collaboration among participants in construction projects, modeling and simulation of construction processes, and application of emerging technologies in construction production processes. Currently, I am working toward developing "Dynamic Productivity-Based Planning for Large-Scale Construction Projects" that is expected to overcome the limitations of current construction planning methods by modeling complex and dynamic construction production processes and taking into account changing business environments in the construction industry such as process integration, close collaboration, and adopting emerging technologies. This research will involve developing an agent-based organizational simulation model, building productivity causal relation models capable of simulating performance of construction processes, and also developing a way to define construction activities in schedule networks to make them more compatible with process analysis.
I hold a B.S. in Naval Architecture & Ocean Engineering from the National Taiwan University (1996), and an M.Arch. from the University of Washington (2002)
The primary focus of my doctoral studies will be the integration of sustainability and cultural identity into small-scale built environment. The intention is to assist designers to re-achieve sustainability in a built environment that befits the cultural context. Bio-climatic design inherited from the vernacular or developed by building science research will be carefully studied in order to be integrated into a design vocabulary and knowledge that is commonly agreed and practiced by the architectural profession.
Kevin Van Den Wymelenberg is a student in the Built Environment program at the University of Washington, an Assistant Professor at the University of Idaho, and Director of the Integrated Design Lab in Boise (IDL-Boise). His undergraduate degree in architecture is from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and his M.Arch. is from the University of Washington. He teaches classes in daylighting and simulation techniques for integrated design to graduate students and design professionals in Boise. Kevin opened the IDL-Boise in 2004 for the University of Idaho and has successfully secured and completed grants for the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, Environmental Protection Agency, Idaho Power Company and the Lighting Research Center totaling over $1,000,000. As part of the Pacific Northwest Daylight Lab Network, Kevin has consulted on over 400 projects with architects regarding daylight and energy in buildings since 2000. He has a long-term relationship with UW's Integrated Design Lab-Puget Sound and continues to research daylight in buildings at UW. His doctoral research is currently titled: "Accommodating Visual Preference While Optimizing Energy Savings in Workspaces with Daylight & View." He works with Professors Inanici and Loveland.
My current Ph.D. research is investigating the history of transportation in the U.S. national parks. My research will explore from a historical and ecological perspective how to protect and preserve the park's natural resources, while accommodating the public's ability to visit the parks without causing irreparable harm. I believe a new strategy is required to address the critical transportation issues in these parks. I would like to formulate, develop, and evaluate a strategic model that explores alternatives to traditional modes of transport within national parks. There are three basic components of my research: conflict resolution, environmental ethics, and the ecological effects of roads (road ecology).
The main impetus for my decision to apply to the PhD program in the Built Environment, at the University of Washington is the opportunity to work in a program that offers me a unique opportunity to investigate the complicated problem of human-environment relationships. This will allow me to realize my belief that environments can be manipulated and planned to enhance the quality of people's lives. I believe that significant impacts on the development of sustainable responses to environmental challenges can best be achieved through education and research.
I currently work as a consultant for the National Park Service (NPS) in the Cultural Landscape Division at the Seattle Cascade Support Office and the Alaska Regional Office in Anchorage, Alaska. My work there focuses on the documentation of existing conditions, analysis and evaluation of the natural systems and features within park boundaries, and the formulation of a treatment plan that ensures the preservation and protection of the park's natural and cultural heritage. I am presently in the process of developing a treatment plan for Crater Lake National Park's Rim Drive in Oregon and the Dyea Townsite and Chilkoot Trail in Klondike Goldrush National Park, Skagway, Alaska.
I have served for the past three years as Professor David Streatfield's teaching assistant covering the full range of urban and landscape design history courses offered at University of Washington. These courses include both Ancient and Modern Landscape History, and the History of Urban Design.
I received my Masters Degree in Landscape Architecture and Bachelor of Arts in Asian Design at the University of Washington. The chair of my dissertation committee is Professor David Streatfield; co-chairs are Associate Professor Kristina Hill, Dean Bob Mugerauer, Professor Gail Dubrow, and Professor Hilda Blanco.
M.E.S. Yale University (Coastal Resources and Anthropology), 1984
B.A. Duke University (Zoology & Botany Major; Minor Anthropology), 1981
I am pursuing a Ph.D. in the Built Environment through the "Sustainable Systems and Prototypes" track. My research examines the influences of built environments on marine and coastal systems, and explores how human-created interventions can be ecologically positive rather than degenerative for long-term coastal-marine functioning. Examples include marine restoration opportunities that arise through the revitalization of urban waterfronts, and planning and design horizons to mitigate impacts of anticipated climate change in coastal-marine areas.
My interest in "built-environment" solutions as an avenue to enhance the functionality of marine ecosystems is an evolution from my career horizon of the last twenty years. I have worked as a coastal-marine ecologist, planner and policy strategist for various multi-national initiatives organizations (World Bank, UNDP, UNESCO, et al.) in over 30 countries, and remain an active member of the World Commission of Protected Areas. In spite of major strides in the marine conservation arena, most coastal and marine habitats are increasingly degraded and fragmented by human influences; therefore, it is urgent that we re-think and re-shape built environment paradigms to complement conservation efforts.
My course of study is collaborative between the College of Architecture, Urban Planning (CAUP) and the College of Oceanography / School of Marine Affairs, through which I am pursing both the Ph.D. in the Built Environment and a Graduate Certificate in "Interdisciplinary and Policy Dimensions of the Earth Sciences."
B.S. Vertebrate Zoology, Eastern Washington University (1996)
M.L.A. Landscape Architecture, University of Washington (2002)
My current work analyzes the interactions between natural processes and urbanizing environments. More specifically, I study the environmental impacts of development on water resources from an historical perspective. I believe in looking to the actions of the past to understand the patterns and processes of the present and future. In the Pacific Northwest, the past century of development has drastically altered the quantity, quality, and timing of natural hydrologic regime. Consequently, current development patterns are inadequate for the viable co-existence of humans and sensitive salmon populations, and there is a dire need to create alternatives that mediate impacts on salmon and stream infrastructure. I am attempting to quantify these changes over distinct periods of development to further understand the patterns and forms of human habitation. My studies are grounded in science and history, providing a basis for informing design and management alternatives.