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Abstract not available.

Abstract not available.

This thesis is an exploration of the many benefits of indoor planting in office spaces. Along with the benefits, the challenges associated with indoor planting will be researched. This document serves as a comprehensive overview for designers, architects, business and building owners. The goal of this written work is to outline the various benefits that indoor planting has on both the users and the indoor environment. This overview should encourage designers, architects, business and building owners to implement indoor planting in their interior environments. Along with the benefits of indoor planting, this document will discuss all of the challenges associated with indoor planting. This will provide the reader with the necessary information to make an informed decision regarding indoor planting in their office interiors.

In recent decades a global consciousness concerning the way in which natural resources are being used and how human labor and pollution are impacting the planet arose and since then Sustainable Development has been an influential phenomenon in order to mitigate these damages and set guidelines for sustainable solutions. In high density cities like New York City, green roofs have been considered a viable alternative to help save energy, reduce pollution, and alleviate the urban island heat effect. In New York City, according to the Department of City Planning, residential districts account for about 75 percent of the city zoned land area. In Battery Park City, for instance, a planned neighborhood in the south-west of Manhattan, green roofs have become part of a series of sustainable alternatives which have been implemented since May 2005 when it was first required that residential buildings have to fulfill sustainable requirements and be at least Gold LEED certified. Thus, and from different perspectives, green roofs have mediated the manner in which buildings and Battery Park City residents interact with the natural environment. However, more qualitative and quantitative information is needed in order to establish how these roofs could be more than just a physical boundary between the interior and exterior and function as a transitional space rather than just as a replacement for the space that was taken from the ground in all New York City. This study explores architectural characteristics and spatial functions, as well as people's perceptions regarding how green roofs in residential buildings in New York City can be optimized to increase their usefulness while maintaining their ecological benefits. The goal is to help develop guidelines to further evaluate green roofs as a more comprehensive sustainable option for residential buildings in New York by considering the human needs of the space in addition to the environmental.

Health Problems for preschool children have recently been linked to environmental factors. Currently they're determining the content of products in the built environment and their link to health has been a growing concern. Using observations of a limited amount of local classrooms, surveys were conducted to establish the use of PVC based materials in the early childhood school environment. PVC based materials have been established as a serious health risk factor, especially to the vulnerable bodies of young children. Resulting information exposed not only the consistent use of these toxic materials but also lack of understanding related to specific ways that the children interacted with the materials. Without a significant effort healthier products could be employed if attention is paid to product materials ingredients and the means, extent, and type of exposure children have to theses materials.

There is currently a water scarcity reaching all areas of the globe. If the rate at which humans consume water continues as is, 33% of the world's population could be left with insufficient access to potable water before 2050. New York City has many commercial buildings and the largest population of any city in the United States. As the population continues to increase, the need for potable water continues to grow. Because New York City has such a high population, and so many buildings, there is a high demand for potable water. Much of a commercial building's water consumption is attributed to dated plumbing fixtures, leaky pipes, and cooling towers. Case studies of three prominent, iconic, and landmarked buildings in New York City are explored. The three buildings, the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, and the Exxon Building (part of Rockefeller Center), all underwent major sustainable retrofitting renovations, leading them to achieve high Energy Star ratings and LEED for Existing Buildings certification. As part of the major modifications, each building exhibits unique findings in its attempt to use less water. The common theme between all three buildings is replacing old plumbing fixtures and fittings. The result was that each building significantly reduced its water consumption. The recommendations are to retrofit and replace as many old plumbing fixtures as possible to help ease the demand for potable water in New York City.

The hotel industry is one recognized for its historic explorations in design and hospitable services to societies worldwide. It is one of the largest markets on the international economy agenda: constantly growing and expanding to new limits. Hotel lobbies in particular have played important roles for urban cities throughout history and still today. Biophilic design is a fairly new concept in the sustainable design industry that stems from the theory of biophilia, or the human inclinations to be connected with nature. It is the challenge posed to all designers to utilize their skills to connect their designs of the built environment to direct and indirect forms of natural elements. This thesis examines the ways in which hotel lobbies can be used to bring nature into New York City. It presents ideas not only for design of spaces, but also for the future benefits of city neighborhoods, economic growth, and urban planning overall. Existing literature from a series of interrelated disciplines was reviewed in the process of preparing this thesis. A number of Manhattan hotels were visited and used for case studies in the accrual of observational research and design characteristics. An expansive section of design strategies with recommendations for implementation was created for public reference. The results of the research indicate that hotel selections hinder on expectations and there is an obvious need for reintegrating nature into the dense urban landscape that is New York City.

The concept of biophilia states that humans have an inborn need for contact with nature that is essential to our physical and mental health, productivity, and well-being. Interior designers have the opportunity to support humans' connection with nature through the implementation of biophilic design, but this practice has yet to become mainstream in the corporate interior design industry. To find out why biophilic design is not more widely implemented, I interviewed professionals in the corporate interior design industry. The participants, primarily workplace strategists, engage clients at the beginning of a project and are in a good position to introduce new topics, such as biophilic design. I compared the responses from the six workplace strategist participants with those of three experts on the topic of biophilic design to gain further insight into the challenges facing this practice. From this data collection, I have found that workplace strategists are familiar with biophilic design, but only recognize some of the ways it can be applied. In addition, I found that biophilic design is often implemented unintentionally, or without being referred to as such. Overall, I have concluded that the main barrier to biophilic design implementation is time; the topic of biophilic design is too new and it has not had enough time to gain traction in the interior design industry. While the corporate interior design industry is beginning to realize that promoting human health and wellbeing is an important aspect of workplace design, they need to recognize that biophilic design plays an essential role in achieving this outcome. Connection with nature can no longer be seen as an option—it must be seen as vital to our health and happiness.

The senior population in the United States has been steadily increasing for over six decades. According to the U.S. census bureau, the senior population will reach approximately 80 million by the year 2050, with one in five adults age 65 or above.1 In less than 10 years these numbers will increase exponentially. It is predicted that this surge in the senior population will place a significant strain on available housing and resources that can effectively meet the needs of an aging population. In the city of New York, support systems established in the past such as housing subsidy programs still remain and many seniors continue to live in apartments first rented many years ago. The purpose of this study was to explore the challenges faced by residents of older New York City apartments when physical features of the home no longer meet the needs of the senior occupant. Factors hindering daily activity were examined, particularly those that limit mobility. The study further investigated best practices and design solutions aiming to improve daily life for the aging in place community and design solutions to modify the difficulties associated with existing and older housing stock. The research methodology included a survey, interviews and home visits. Participants for the research survey included senior residents (over the age of 60) living in Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCs) and apartment developments. Some were chosen for home visits where features unique to the apartment unit were assessed on an individual basis. Participants identified limitations of apartment configurations as barriers to mobility. Results pointed to the level of concern participants felt with regard to physical safety and the cost of potential modifications. The findings of this study can assist design professionals to identify problematic conditions, identify solutions, and improve private units. Ultimately transformations will help facilitate activities of daily living, enhance accessibility, improve ease of mobility, and create safer environments.

With building construction and operation accounting for such a significant percentage of material and energy consumption, green building design is essential to a sustainable future. Green building design strategies include ample daylighting, stormwater retention and reuse, natural ventilation, and the use of renewable energy sources. While these technological strategies are key to reducing our negative ecological impact, a sustainable future must also include a cultural component built around a deeper collective understanding of our relationship with the natural environment. In promoting this understanding, architects and designers can play an important role in the way they design the built environment, not just through technological strategies, but also through aesthetic ones. Sunlight, water, and wind are all sources of renewable energy. In addition, these natural elements are taken into consideration in green building design through the evaluation of daylighting, water consumption and runoff, natural ventilation, and indoor air quality. In addressing the relationship between humans and the natural environment, these elements (sun, water, and air) not only apply to energy and environmental impact in building design, but are also natural resources that all living things depend on. I propose that through integrating ecological art features which somehow engage with these natural forces, architects and designers can enhance the experience of the built environment, to illustrate its interaction with the natural environment, and our relationship with other living things.

"The Active Design Guidelines is a technique local government officials and designers developed in order to achieve healthy built environments that regenerate activity and a connection to nature through maximum mental and physical wellbeing. The establishment of these strategies center on healthy neighborhoods and buildings is reflective of leadership across different professional sectors such as New York City departments of Design and Construction, Health and Mental Hygiene, Transportation, and City Planning. Research collected by one of the current authors of the guidelines, Dr. Karen Lee, in partnership with the center for disease controls, began by helping interested states such as New York in the early 2000's to explore design solutions for chronic illnesses, such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and risk conditions, like obesity." The New York City Health department wanted to start addressing some of these diseases by looking at the evidence that had grown behind them, such as studies done verifying the enhancement in quality of life, health and happiness when individuals have access to natural light, ventilation and greenspaces. The driving force behind this thesis study is aimed at an exploration of how to help the Active Design Guidelines gain exposure. Illustrating new application methods, this paper will engage awareness of evidence based design practices and sustainable strategies. This improves health by increasing the amount of recreational and transportation-related physical activity in the everyday lifestyle through information, integration and movement.

The impact of exposure to toxic chemicals in the indoor environment has been greatly underestimated. Children are particularly vulnerable to toxic chemical exposure due to their unique physiology and behaviors, and the sensitive nature of human development. Children spend up to 50 hours a week in daycare or school making these environments significant areas for impact. This study investigates the material health of early childhood learning environments. The hypothesis is that typical school finishes and furniture contain chemicals of concern, and that this issue as not been adequately addressed. This research used both primary and secondary data to test the hypothesis. Finish and furniture plans and furniture specifications were solicited from the architecture and design community. "Green" schools were analyzed separately from conventional schools. The data was used to determine typical classroom finishes and furniture. Data gathered in 2015 by Raquel Marichal for her thesis on PVC in schools was also incorporated. The "typicals" determined by this preliminary stage were then studied for their material content using online chemical and material content databases. This inquiry found that furniture and finishes commonly found in early childhood education facilities are likely to contain chemicals of concern, confirming the hypothesis that material health in early childhood learning environments is not sufficiently addressed. Two of the three green schools studied had healthier materials than the typical schools, but the third has the same finishes that the were found to be typical in regular schools. This research also revealed that while architects and designers do have a role to play in improving the material health in schools, finish and especially furniture selection is usually in the hands of school administrators, departments of education and procurement departments. The implications of this discovery, including who the decision-makers are, their knowledge or awareness of material health, and the criteria that drive material selection merit further study as this will be critical to changing the status quo.

Environmental neglect, unsustainable industrial and waste management practices, and expansion by eminent domain segregating communities are conditions that have impacted the South Bronx over the last half century. The negative health implications associated with these environmental conditions affecting the residents of this geographical area, have been well documented, evaluated and studied. Chronically high asthma rates in school age children should be a call to arms. The South Bronx has the highest asthma rates in the city and nation. Mott Haven has seventeen New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) public housing complexes, including the Mitchel Houses, completed in 1966. The area has a 50 percent higher childhood asthma rate than other parts of New York City, due in part to environmental factors related to the housing conditions, as well as monumental changes implemented by Robert Moses in the 1960s, including the construction of the Cross Bronx Expressway. Since the 1960s, the Mott Haven section of the South Bronx has suffered from a chronic condition of urban decay, and the Mitchel Houses are in urgent need of health-protective renovations. Interior air quality can be just as bad as exterior quality if not worse. Poor air quality can come from exterior sources in the form of ultrafine particles, ozone or combustion gases from vehicular emissions, and there is heavy traffic in the vicinity of the Mitchell Houses. Poor indoor air quality can be a result of behavior such as cigarette smoking and related second hand smoke. Poor air quality can be a combination of both environmental and behavioral factors. Poor interior air quality may be a result of improperly designed or maintained spaces, resulting in biological contaminants. By utilizing best practices in design and construction of the built environment, designers can mitigate or prevent some of the key contributors to poor air quality indoors. The purpose of this thesis is to present a best practices guide tailored to the interior design community, serving as a reference for eliminating asthma triggers during renovation of public housing in the Mott Haven section of the South Bronx, New York. This thesis explores current scientific data, product certification, and best practice guidelines available to the interior design community. The design profession has a leadership role in alleviating the environmental conditions associated with this respiratory disease. Designers can improve air quality in the built environment by minimizing or eliminating VOC's in interior furnishings, finishes and fixtures which can be achieved by selecting appropriate materials, methods and best practices. By identifying potential asthma triggers that are associated with the interior built environment, designers can equip themselves with the understanding necessary to reduce the incidence of asthma associated with housing conditions.

Cities, and in the coming years, coastal cities, face the challenge of not only supplying their communities with water, but also managing that water so that it is brought back into the ecosystem for reuse. As water has the profound ability to sustain and support life for not only humans, but many of the species and organisms that we are dependent on, it is imperative that it be prioritized when interventions in a city or community are considered. Historic Collect Pond is a site in Manhattan that was once a thriving, sparkling and plentiful water resource for the earliest residents on the island. After decades of development across the island the water source was polluted and eventually filled in. This had lasting impacts on the infrastructure and social aspect of the community. The biomimetic design process, unlike that of the traditional design process, begs the understanding of the site and how it responds. Biomimicry is a way of emulating the best practices of nature. Rather than finding a solution that is linear, for example, replace this with that which is better; it asks the question how would nature do this? That often entails understanding more about the site, the occupants, and the conditions at play and how various components respond. The biomimetic design process provides solutions that value the conditions of the site, that encourage the land to respond as it naturally would, rather than aiming to oppress it or beat it into submission. By doing so, the solutions are more sustainable, adaptable and resilient to the predictable and also unpredictable forces it will see over time.