Date of Award

Spring 5-31-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Architecture (MArch)

Department

Architecture

First Advisor

Emily Wissemann Ezquerro

Second Advisor

Debbie Chen

Abstract

The AEC industry is responsible for an estimated 39% of all global greenhouse gas emissions. Of that 39%, 11% is generated by embodied carbon, including material production and transportation. High embodied carbon materials used in the standard North American house rely on extractive practices and typically travel long distances to the site of construction. Additionally, the globalization of the material supply chain means that the standard North American house is increasingly ubiquitous and estranged from its cultural and environmental context. In response, Building From Found proposes a design process that learns from local building traditions and sources materials in situ to minimize environmental impact and create place based assemblies made from irregular, found materials. Using the Ozarks as a case study, this project documents historic, informal building practices in the area where scarcity elicited ingenuity and created identity in order to speculate about how these practices can be applied in the region today.

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