Keynote speaker: Frederick Steiner

The 2012 Research Showcase keynote speaker, Frederick Steiner, dean and professor at the School of Architecture at the University of Texas at Austin, gave a presentation titled “Design for a Vulnerable Planet.”

Based partially on his book by the same title, Steiner highlighted the vulnerability of the planet, noting destruction caused by natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and the southern Asian tsunami.

Panel: Transportation and Land Development

The first afternoon panel titled “Transportation and Land Development” kicked off with a discussion about the challenges and innovations in the coordination of land development and transportation and their use in the changing fiscal and economic environment in Florida.

Panelists included Tracy Crowe, principal planner with Littlejohn Engineering Associates; Martin Stone, director of Planning, Tampa-Hillsborough County Expressway Authority; and Pierce Jones, professor in Agricultural and Biological Engineering and director of the Program for Resource Efficient Communities (PREC).  The goal of the panel was “to understand the big part of the connections between transportation and land use,” said Ruth Steiner, associate professor of urban and regional planning, who served as moderator.

Panel Discussions

We are moving into the next phase of the DCP Research Showcase — the panel discussions.

There are two panels, one titled “Transportation and Land Development,” and a second titled “Water Issues in Florida.”

The presentation schedule is on the college website.

Standard questions

Professor Nawari presents at the DCP Research Showcase

Our final presentation is from Assistant Professor of Architecture Nawari O. Nawari. He will be presenting, “Questions on Computerizing Building Codes and Standards.”

Computerization of building codes and standards in connection with Building Information Modeling (BIM) represents a real challenge for the construction industry.

Earthen Masonry for High Wind Regions

Esther Obonyo, assistant professor of building construction, presented a lecture titled “Engineered Earthen Masonry for High Wind Regions.”

Obonyo discussed her collaborative research, which aims to experimentally and theoretically quantify the structural resilience of a novel fiber reinforced earthen masonry system for dwellings in high wind regions. This goal will be achieved by engineering and prototyping stabilized earth blocks and mortar, both of which are enhanced through the addition of natural fibers, and verifying the structural response of full-scale walls through physical testing, she said.

Preference vs. use of space

Nichole Campbell presents at DCP Research Showcase.

Can designers implement factors shown to drive preference and expect these to have the same impact on use? Nichole Campbell, assistant professor of interior design, asks that question in our next presentation, “Differentiating between Factors that Drive Preference vs. Actual Use in Creating Successful Social Space Designs.”

Two approaches toward understanding the problem of creating successful social spaces include examining: 1) preference; 2) space use. However, the relationship between preference, use, and factors driving these is not fully understood.

This study’s findings indicate that it cannot be assumed if a particular factor drives preference it will equally drive how much a space is used.

Wind Uplift Trials for Green Roofs

Glenn Acomb, senior lecturer of landscape architecture, presented a lecture titled “Wind Uplift Trials for Green Roofs: Investigating Issues for Hurricane-Prone Florida.”

Acomb said that vegetated roofs are gaining acceptance for their benefits to stormwater, energy, heat island effect, biodiversity and urban agriculture. Yet, in Florida, their acceptance has been limited due to the absence of research to test their assembly and materials for acceptance within the Florida Building Code, he said.