Abstract
This Undergraduate Thesis Portfolio brings together both a technical capstone project and a Science, Technology, and Society (STS) research paper, each addressing different dimensions of sustainability and accessibility within the built environment. The capstone project focuses on disability concerns related to impaired mobility and independence, aiming to make an individual’s environment more inclusive and responsive to their needs through technological innovation. In parallel, the STS research paper examines sustainability in the construction industry, questioning whether current policies and practices adequately address environmental, economic, and social outcomes across a building’s lifecycle. While one project is rooted in hands-on design and the other in systems-based analysis, both are connected through a shared emphasis on improving how people interact with and benefit from built spaces. Together, these works highlight that sustainability extends beyond environmental performance to include social and functional accessibility, ensuring that spaces are not only efficient but also equitable and inclusive.
The capstone project, G.L.A.S.S. (Glasses for Linked Automation of Smart Systems), is a smart glasses control system designed to improve accessibility and independence for individuals interacting with smart devices. Modern smart homes are filled with connected technologies, yet for individuals with mobility impairments, tasks such as adjusting lights or operating entertainment systems can remain challenging. This system provides a hands-free method for controlling devices using intuitive hand gestures. The core of the system is a microcontroller-based processing unit that interprets hand gestures from a front-facing camera mounted on the glasses. Users can look toward a device within their field of vision to connect, and gestures are translated into commands through Wi-Fi or Bluetooth communication. The system is designed for flexibility, allowing users to add new devices, map gestures to specific functions, and receive interactive feedback through an overlaid display. By increasing compatibility across devices and enabling control of technologies such as smart lights, televisions, and computers, the project aims to enhance user experience and serve as a scalable, hands-free interface for IoT technologies.
The STS research paper examines the effectiveness of sustainable construction policies and practices in the United States compared to those in other countries, with a focus on identifying barriers to improved environmental, economic, and social outcomes. While buildings account for a significant portion of national energy consumption and tools such as LEED and life-cycle assessment methods have been developed to guide sustainable design, the United States continues to face challenges in achieving consistent results. This research argues that these challenges are not due to a lack of capability but rather stem from gaps in knowledge and inconsistent understanding across stakeholders. Public awareness of sustainability issues remains low, and even within the construction industry, designers and constructors may lack the knowledge necessary to implement the most effective solutions. Additionally, misconceptions about the cost of green buildings discourage owners from adopting sustainable practices, despite evidence that such designs can improve efficiency, productivity, and overall building performance. By emphasizing these knowledge and perception gaps, the paper highlights the need for more integrated approaches that align education, practice, and policy to achieve more effective sustainability outcomes.
Working on both the capstone and STS projects simultaneously reinforced that sustainability challenges are not caused by a lack of available technologies, but by disconnects in knowledge, priorities, and implementation across systems. The capstone project demonstrated how technical innovation, such as G.L.A.S.S., can directly improve social sustainability by increasing accessibility and independence, while the STS research showed that gaps in education, stakeholder understanding, and policy enforcement limit the effectiveness of sustainable practices in the construction industry. Through the capstone, I developed technical and collaborative skills, particularly in integrating complex systems, resolving software incompatibilities, and making design decisions under time and resource constraints, while the STS work expanded my understanding of how similar coordination challenges exist at a societal level among designers, constructors, and policymakers. Together, these experiences highlighted that meaningful sustainability requires both well-designed technologies and the broader systems that support their adoption, emphasizing that innovation and implementation must work together to achieve outcomes that are not only efficient but also equitable and impactful.
