Friends of Fondren Library Research Awards

Permanent URI for this collection

https://hdl.handle.net/1911/21949
Launched in 2008 and funded by the Friends of Fondren Library, the Fondren Library Research Awards program recognizes students who demonstrate extraordinary skill and creativity in the application of library and information resources to original research and scholarship. Students submitted their research project and an essay outlining how they used specific library tools and resources to do their research. For more information about the awards, see here

Browse

Browsing Friends of Fondren Library Research Awards by Subject "Architecture"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Architecture in the Marketplace of Ideas: Copyright and its "Chilling" Effects
    (Rice University, 2009) Tankard, Jessica
    This paper questions the applicability of current legal standards of copyright to architectural works. Copyright law, as currently written, does not address the unique needs and design practices common to the field of architecture. For example, in architecture, the appropriation of existing design strategies in new built works is common, and should not be seen as a copyright infringement. Secondly, architectural works integrate aesthetics and utility in ways that are often difficult to separate, therein complicating the legal distinction between patents (intended for utilitarian objects) and copyrights (intended for artistic productions). Furthermore, architectural works are not usually meant to be mass-produced and are difficult to copy, thus bringing into question the need to regulate their reproduction. The desire to create connections with the surrounding context of a built work is a fourth argument against the copyrighting of architectural works. This paper problematizes architecture’s position as a copyright protected field, synthesizing information from intellectual property law, cultural theory, economics, and architecture, using the works of prolific architect Rem Koolhaas as key examples. Copyleft thought and antirivalry policies are defined and proposed as alternative solutions to copyright law in the domain of architecture.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Hyatt Regency Court Case: How the defense could have won
    (Rice University, 2017) Vijayakumar, Rakesh
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Socialism and Representational Utopia: Club of the new social type
    (Rice University, 2017) Zhou, Yixin
    This paper studies the “Club of the New Social Type” by Ivan Leonidov in 1928, a research study project for a prototype of workers’ club. As a project in the early stage of Leonidov’s career, it embodies various sources of influences upon the architect from Suprematism to Constructivism. The extremity in the abstraction of forms, specific consideration of programs and the social ambition of Soviet avant-garde present themselves in three different dimensions. Therefore, the paper aims to analyze the relationships of the three aspects to investigate the motivation and thinking in the process of translating a brief into a project. Through the close reading of the drawings against the historical context, the paper characterizes the project as socialism and representational utopia. The first part of the paper would discuss the socialist aspect of the “Club of the New Social Type”. I will argue that the project demonstrates Leonidov’s interest in collective rather than individual not only spatially, but also in term of mass behavior and program concern. In the second part, the arguments will be organized on the representation technique in the drawings which renders the project in a utopian aesthetic. It reveals the ambition that the club would function as a prototype for the society and be adopted universally. Throughout the paper, the project would be constantly situated in the genealogy of architectural history for a comparison of ideas.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Sustainability at Fondren Library
    (Rice University, 2017) Tolentino, Carolin
    The purpose of this project was to broadly evaluate the environmental performance of Fondren Library, its spaces, and its practices. For this particular case study, I focused on energy use, featuring lighting, air conditioning, and energy production and conservation tactics; water use, involving mostly bathrooms; daylight, views, ventilation, and air quality; and usage of materials. I used a variety of written and online sources to gather general data about libraries and sustainable methods and their feasibility. I also conducted my own small survey of the library’s areas and contacted people who could relay information about Fondren. This research gave way to the conclusion that Fondren Library has made reasonable advances in the area of sustainability, but there is plenty of room for improvement. Some potential improvements are futuristic and perhaps not yet well-developed, or require a large investment (that usually pays itself off soon after); others are very simple to implement and give almost immediate results.