RSS 1.0Senior Capstones
ABOUT THE COLLECTION
The Senior Capstone is the culminating experience for Sustainable Built Environment majors involving a substantive project that demonstrates a synthesis of learning accumulated in the major, including broadly comprehensive knowledge of the discipline and its methodologies. It is intended to be a personalized experience in which a student explores a concept in-depth while incorporating the knowledge or investigative techniques learned during his or her undergraduate career. Students are encouraged to build upon their major Emphasis Area, internship, or a previously completed project or research topic for the starting point of their Senior Capstone experience.
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For more information, please visit: http://sbe.arizona.edu.
Recent Submissions
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A Review of Alternative Building Materials in comparison to CMU: Hempcrete, Woodcrete , Papercrete(The University of Arizona., 2017-05)Buildings consume an extraordinary amout of our finite natural resources during their construction and operation. It is imperative we begin to examine more sustainably-produced materials to construct them, as well as lifecycle costs. Concrete is the most widely-used building material in the world, and aggregate forms the majority of its composition. The goal of this research is to compare building materials incorporating renewable aggregate—hempcrete, woodcrete, and papercrete—as alternatives to traditional concrete utilizing nonrenewable aggregates. Comparing and contrasting commercially-available, similar products helps identify feasible applications for these alternatives to concrete that may prove more responsible, sustainable, and cost-effective throughout a building’s lifecycle.
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Land Use for Photovoltaic Solar Electric System Siting Rating Metrics(The University of Arizona., 2015-12-04)Since solar electric power is becoming increasingly popular throughout the United States, there is some concern that this growth can have negative environmental effects associated with the siting of solar modules and land use. Five different locations for siting photovoltaic (PV) systems were evaluated including open lands, brownfields and mine tailings, rooftops and carports, building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), and transportation corridors. A ranking system was created to determine which locations are the best for PV systems. The ranking system examined and compared four important metrics including environmental impacts, technological barriers, cost, and social implications. Based on the results of the rating system, rooftops and carports received the highest ranking with a total score of 11 points, BIPV received the second highest score with a total of 10 points, open lands received 9 points, and brownfields and mine tailings and transportation corridors both received a final score of 8 points each.
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Sustainable Pool(The University of Arizona., 2018-05-09)The following document addresses the importance of sustainability into design of a private swimming pool. It shows how easy it is to establish human thermal comfort, xeriscaping ideas for a cooler environment, and recycling water and recharging aquifers. All by powering the pumps, lights, heaters, and maintenance only by using solar energy from PV panels used as a Ramada for the pool design. The study was conducted at a residential home in Tucson, AZ. A house was chosen to see how these benefits will impact the thermal zone and how it will perish the water we don’t have much of in the southwest region of the US. Different materials were implemented into the design to show the comparison of the sustainable principles and products versus the non-sustainable products to show how you can save and how the payback period of all the costs to pay back in 2 years.
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Evaluating the Effectiveness of Rede CUCA: A Precedent for Environmental Education(The University of Arizona., 2018-05)In the area of sustainability, community outreach and engagement is a crucial part in encouraging communities to make more environmentally conscious decisions, such as through environmental education. An important process in the implementation of community engagement programs is the evaluation of the programs to determine whether they are working as intended. This report will use the organization Rede CUCA as a case study. The report will research different methods of program evaluation currently used at CUCA and an independent evaluation of the organization will also take place to analyze its effectiveness. The purpose of the research is to study how to evaluate programs by analyzing current assessments on CUCA as well as through the practice of conducting an evaluation. The gatherings will provide insights on best evaluation practices and processes which programs and organizations can use to analyze their impacts and make improvements where necessary.
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Renovation and Revitalization of Imuris, Sonora River and Downtown.(The University of Arizona., 2018-05-04)Revitalization and Restoration of the zone composed of the River and Imuris downtown, is a main emphasis of development purpose. Based on a mixed methodology studies, it is intended to achieve a sustainable development on the community, by starting with the redesign of downtown and then, following with the river to revitalize it, where residents and non-residents can spend mornings and afternoons enjoying a nice, environmental and sustainable moment. It is focused for all the public, where will be enjoyable to hang out and spend time with friends, couple, kids or the entire family.
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Congestion Control Along Tucson's Streetcar Route: A Case Study Analysis of Implementing Dedicated Lanes(The University of Arizona., 2018-05-04)This paper discusses the relationships between traffic congestion and public transit within Tucson, Arizona in attempt to pinpoint the direct repercussions traffic congestion has on public transit operating systems and suggest potential solutions to these issues. This paper focuses on Tucson’s most recent public transportation development of the local streetcar system, also known as the SunLink. The significance of traffic congestion along the SunLink route was measured both currently and in the future in respect to estimated population growth and increased automobile dependency. In attempt to distinguish these potential traffic concerns along Tucson’s streetcar route, a case study analysis of two different cities was incorporated within this study. The reported traffic concerns along the streetcar systems of these two cities were compared with Tucson’s streetcar system by similarities in trends that created traffic issues along the routes. Both of these case studies presented in this paper initially implemented a streetcar plan where the public transit systems shared a lane with mixed traffic, similar to Tucson’s initial plan of the streetcar. Each of these cities identified the shared lanes as the underlying reason for traffic concerns along their streetcar routes and later adopted dedicated lanes for the streetcar to alleviate these concerns. Ultimately, this paper seeks to determine whether similar modifications should be adopted along Tucson’s streetcar route and if so, whether these modifications are even feasible for Tucson.
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Sustainably Covering the Central Arizona Project(The University of Arizona., 2017)The Central Arizona Project is second largest and expansive aqueduct system in the entire United States. It moves more than 1.5 million acre feet of water annually which is only half of its capacity. This engineering marvel is truly incredible that supports millions of people in the state as well as well as millions of people around the United States that are in need of crops year-round. The Southwest is one of the fastest growing regions in the country. With climate change affecting yearly temperatures and water needs in this region increasing, infrastructure of the Central Arizona Project needs to be retrofitted with new technologies to combat against the water loss that comes from evaporation due to the open aired canal. This study was designed to look at three different technologies with the capability of covering the Central Arizona Project canal and reduce the amount of water that is lost annually.
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Creating a Sustainable House for Klong Toey(The University of Arizona., 2018-05-04)This capstone looked at a housing problem in Klong Toey which is a slum in Bangkok, Thailand. Currently 100,000 people live in Klong Toey which is only on a 1 square mile plot of land. (Sapsuwan, Peewara, n.d.) The goal was to come up with a new sustainable housing design that could not only solve their housing issue, but also solve power and water shortages and health issues that arise due to their current living situation. The capstone looks at a resource called “Community Action for Sustainable Housing: Building a Low-Carbon Future” to help understand what goes into making a sustainable home. Two case studies were looked at to take ideas that had previously worked. There is also a cost benefit analysis to compare the design of just a simple house to one with more sustainable features added on. In the end it was concluded that there is not enough money to build the most sustainable home so it would be better to just go with the simple design.
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Factors Influencing Recycling Behaviors and Contamination at the University of Arizona(The University of Arizona., 2018-04-30)
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Revitalization of Low-income Neighborhood in Douglas, Arizona(The University of Arizona., 2018-05)Environmental justice has negative impacts on lower socio-economic status populations. The intent of study was to address environmental justice through the sustainable design measures of urban greening and green infrastructure in a low-income neighborhood in Douglas, Arizona. The site was thoroughly analyzed and evaluated for potential implementation of urban greening and green infrastructure practices. It was clear that the neighborhood was in need of a revitalization process as it lacked many of the amenities that relate to public health and quality of life. A selection of case studies was reviewed as a means of design inspiration and to evaluate the positive impacts rendered by the implementation of the designs. The preliminary design plan demonstrates that strategic planning in low-income neighborhoods can offer amenities that enhance the quality of life of the residents. The design plan also accounts for a more structured and organized space that facilitates the interaction of the residents with the environment. Although the benefits that the design plan fosters were derived from the selection of case studies, actual implementation and evaluation of the results of this proposal must be done to determine a strong and concrete conclusion. However, creating consciousness about environmental justice and how to approach it is of vital importance.
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Low Impact Development: A Sustainable Approach to Stormwater ManagementThis capstone aims to assess the viability of implementing Low Impact Development (LID) as a sustainable alternative to conventional stormwater management systems. Conventional stormwater management systems are expensive, can cause pollution, and waste stormwater runoff that could otherwise be used as a resource. The goal of this study will be to assess LID as a stormwater management technique and identify the most important features and techniques to consider using in future implementation of LID projects. This was accomplished through the review of research pertaining to stormwater management, conventional stormwater management systems, and LID features and techniques. Four case studies of projects that implemented various LID features and techniques were reviewed. A ranking system was developed in an effort to assess and analyze the various components of each case study’s project design and performance. After applying the ranking system to the case studies, it was determined that the most influential and impactful features and techniques included bioretention areas, bioswales, and the incorporation of large amounts of native vegetation.
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Hydroponic Towering Agriculture vs Traditional Soil Farming in Southern Arizona(The University of Arizona., 2018-04-30)The purpose of this study is to define the sustainable differences between vertical agriculture and traditional soil based farming. In order to first understand what hydroponic towering agriculture, historical research will aid in explaining how technology and agriculture have advanced to create such sustainable farming techniques. Readily available food is a privilege that people take for advantage and forget that much of the world is not so fortunate. An analysis of nutriment deficiency is an important subject to discuss which will pave the path for the exploration of alternative types of farming. As populations are on a continuous rise, less space will be available for agriculture due to increased demand in houses and city sprawl. The concept of vertical agriculture is not only benefiting food availability but it also has the ability to beautify a city. It is important now more than ever to begin looking towards alternative sustainable ways of life so that there is a future that generations after us can enjoy. Hydroponics and aquaponics are advancements in agricultural technology that, if implemented correctly, could have tremendous long term benefits. This capstone is heavily based on qualitative information with quantitative data to support such results. Combining all of the data, through a mixed methods analysis, it will assist someone in understanding the importance of alternative agriculture.
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Neighborhood Connectivity, Walkability and Safety in Tucson, AZ(The University of Arizona., 2017-04-30)This research compares two neighborhoods in Tucson, with similar amenities, and age cohorts but one has adequate sidewalk infrastructure while the other does not. The neighborhoods included are Hedrick Acres and West University. Satellite imagery was used to measure the pathways and categorize them into paved, unpaved and nonexistent. A t-test two-sample assuming unequal variances with the interpretation of a two-tail p-value was done to see if there was a statistically significantly difference between the categories of pathways. It was found that two of the pathway categories had statistically significant findings, unpaved (p-value: 0.0049) and not present (p-value: 0.0181). In addition, this research looks at the effects of inadequate infrastructure through social capital, connectivity, and safety.
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Solutions to Restrictions on Sustainable Strategies with Homeowner Associations(The University of Arizona., 2017-04-30)Homeowner Associations were originally created through groups of homeowners with similar ideas on what makes a perfect neighborhood. The policies were collaboratively made by these groups who had the same vision for their neighborhood. Over time, Homeowner Associations became more of an enforcement against the homeowners rather than working with the homeowners. The policies created tight restrictions against homeowners and these restrictions became costly. Communal areas within the neighborhood were maintained by Homeowner Association (HOA) fees that can become extremely costly depending on the intensity of the maintenance. This paper suggests solutions to adjusting the Homeowner’s Association policies in order to reduce costs and allow sustainable implementations to homes that may currently be constrained due to strict rules under Homeowner Association policies.
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Defining Community Gardening: Why People Garden and How to get More Involved(The University of Arizona., 2017)1. Introduction: explanation of how gardening and food production related to agriculture has affected me personally and how that motivated me to choose this topic. 2. Literary review: gardening as we know it – This section will cover what we know about gardening and urban agriculture and how it can benefit the health of people and communities. 3. Literary review: Limits to gardening – This section will begin to discuss the limits and questions the capstone discusses about gardening that has been addressed in literature. What types of people participate in gardening? Why do those people garden? What does it require to garden? 4. Data collection & Results: This section will discuss in principle the collection of data to make a conclusion about gardening and how it affects the population that participate in it and how those can help define how to provide its benefits to more people. This will be structured in three ways, a firsthand analysis of the Community Gardens of Tucson as an intern, an interview with a garden manager with the community gardens, and a case study of a garden there. The interview will focus on what can be done about the population of people that use the gardens and how to recruit would-be gardeners as well as other barriers and challenges to community gardening. The case study will focus on the specific situation that an individual garden may go through. 5. Proposal: This section will discuss a possible way of recruiting more people into the realm of gardening, using the context from data collection and the current literature about the topic. 6. Limitations & Conclusion: This section analyses how the data collected can be used in a practical manner to better the practice of community gardening.
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Rainwater Harvesting at the University of Arizona(The University of Arizona., 2018-04-30)
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Rainwater Harvesting at the University of Arizona(The University of Arizona., 2018-04-24)Cost-benefit analysis, case study, and research paper on the ENR2 Building and CAPLA on the University of Arizona Campus
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Planting a seed in future generations: A Comparative Analysis of the Implementation of Sustainability Principles in Public High Schools of Tucson(The University of Arizona., 2017)The following paper addresses the importance of sustainability in education and just how imperative it is that students receive an education that includes sustainability values and practices, and where their campuses act as examples of sustainable architecture and as living laboratories. The study was conducted in Tucson Arizona. Three schools from different districts were selected and studied as a means to evaluate the degree of implementation of sustainability principles in their academic curriculum and their built environment, and to identify potential barriers for wide implementation of sustainability principles in schools.
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Designating and Maintaining Buffer Zones: A Look at Tucson’s Protected Lands(The University of Arizona., 2017-12)This paper examines the continued encroachment of Tucson, Arizona’s built environment on the borders of the surrounding protected lands. This will be a concern as the city of Tucson continues to grow and develop its rural areas. Case studies were conducted on three separate cities: Tucson, AZ, Estes Park, CO, and Missoula, MT. In each of the case studies the cities growth rate is looked at, as well as the zoning laws located around the boundaries of the cities respective protected lands. Tucson’s zoning laws and growth was compared to the other two case study cities. A sample buffer zone was created to show how these protected lands could help implement policies to maintain the ecosystems health, while also protecting Tucson’s rural population from dangerous encounters with wildlife or natural disasters.
