bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Beyond the Portal
Authors:   , Qureshi Cyrus 
Published: December 2021

<p>This research project began by asking the question, ‘How does mixed reality aid the creation of an inexhaustible three-dimensional world that supports the evolution of inhabitable narratives within sacred spaces? Imdat As states, ‘The user in the digital age is not only a spectator but also an active participant of a parallel world.’ Within this environment, ‘we experience and manipulate virtual space (Imdat AS, 2006, p.60)’. As such, this notion of ‘experiencing and manipulating virtual space’ can provide a valuable set of tools to aid the evolution of inhabitable narratives within sacred spaces. To answer this question, the research proposes a proof of concept for a mixed reality multifaith environment. In its current conception, the multifaith space is limited to room scale spaces, treated as purely functional entities to the point where the experience within the space becomes monotonous. Religious architecture, whether it may be a church, mosque or temple, has been successfully translated into the collective memory of larger society, but within multifaith spaces, our focus has been on neutralization and in the process voided the space of any rich phenomenological experience. In order to activate the space, the research aims to digitally overlay ‘cultural information’ on top of a multifaith space in order to alter its use, essentially transforming it to the spiritual needs of the user. Hereby, a Muslim immersive experience was developed by investigating and interpreting both the tangible and intangible rituals of prayer. By incorporating an ‘altered’ immersive experience, the project aids the evolution in design and concept of a multifaith space that moves beyond the notion of an “empty white room (Crompton, 2013, p.487)”. By creating an MR environment for users of the Muslim faith the project contributes design concepts and methods for others, furthering research in this field.</p>
Overlapping Perspectives
Authors:   , Wong Chun 
Published: December 2021

<p>All urban sites around the world have their own unique, evolving historical identity. However, this identity can often become obscured, or even lost, over time due to the progressive changes that occur to the transforming urban context. An urban site's evolution may include newly reclaimed land, conflicting grid alignments as new roads are added, new buildings being constructed that fail to reaffirm site identity in relation to existing conditions and historic buildings that become re-purposed with a subsequent loss of their original architectural identity. The site selected for this design research investigation is Queens Wharf in Wellington. Located in the heart of New Zealand's capital city, where land meets sea at the center line of the city's skyline, Queens Wharf occupies one of the most important sites in the capital. However, the principal problem of this site is its lack of coherent place identity. This problem has arisen in relation to five main factors: 1) very large, anonymous new metal shed buildings have been added in poor relationships with historic masonry and timber ones; 2)heritage buildings have been re-purposed, and their interior programmes are no longer represented by their architectural facades; 3) enormous, contemporary, and very unattractive buildings such as the TSB Arena house programmes that change throughout the year, preventing the exterior architecture from providing identity to what is happening within; 4) a confluence of conflicting grids has developed over time at this site; and 5) Queens Wharf's important location at the edge of city and sea near the center line of the city's skyline provides a significant opportunity for this site to act as a visual gateway to the capital city, but this opportunity remains unfulfilled. The thesis proposes that architecture can play an essential role in establishing place identity for Queens Wharf by: 1) implicating historic architectural features into new architectural interventions – so that the historic buildings are fundamentally important to understanding the new and vice versa – by integrating the new and the old in ways that present all the stages of the site’s evolution as important chapters in its overall tale; 2) exposing interior programmes to the outside to establish architectural identity through programmatic visibility; 3) establishing new architectural interventions as 'pivots' to help make sense of conflicting grid alignments; 4) arranging architectural interventions as a framing device and an important liminal threshold between the opposing conditions of land and sea.</p>
Inhabiting Omni-architecture
Authors:   , Rogers Jessie 
Published: December 2021

<p>The thesis explores the ideas and mechanics of reimagining inhabitation within a speculative and architectural immersive environment via research through design studies. This demonstrates the generation of architectural spatial design elements in direct relation to the user. Details within the body of work experiment with the laws and bounds of the virtual space through design and research within a real-time virtual engine. Here reimagining the way one inhabits space, compared to current norms of real-world inhabitation, is possible with creativity and applied knowledge. M.C. Escher's lithograph Relativity is the driving concept explored within the thesis, his work transformed concepts into creating gravitational pulls in multiple directions within the immersive virtual reality environment to accommodate various sources of gravity. The result of this research demonstrates the generation of new virtual relativity laws, reimagining how the virtual space is inhabited, within an omnidirectional environment. The thesis presents the trilogy of virtual classifications; the virtual inhabitant; the speculative environment; and the virtual built-form, these coalesce, generating a new realm of design within immersive architectural space. The components within the trilogy are all designed relative to each other following the Interconnective Design Methodology Ecosystem framework, this allowed a high level of complexity and richness to shine through the research and design work. The vital components within the trilogy of virtual classifications virtual inhabitant, speculative environment and virtual built-form are the; Architectural designer’s role; Interactivity; Global time; Diachronic time; Environment boundaries; Virtual body; Spatial locomotion; Audio experience; User population; Aesthetic materiality and filters; Geometry; Spatial orientation; Local-scale; Atmospheric filters; Orthogonal; Polygonal; Curved rotational fractals; Minimal surface; and Reveal sequencing.</p>
How Costing and Funding Systems Create Institutional Tensions Between Management and Medical Personnel in The Public Health Care Sector
Authors:   , Thirsk Caroline 
Published: December 2021

<p>This research examines the conflicting relationship between management and medical personnel in the New Zealand Public Health Sector with regard to costing and funding systems. Due to the lack of research into small DHBs, this research focuses on small hospitals as they face unique circumstances not experienced by larger hospitals, to discover potential areas where costing and funding systems cause conflict, the reasons for this conflict and to provide possible solutions to prevent or mitigate this conflict. The method employed is a qualitative exploratory case study of one DHB utilizing a two phased semi-structured interview approach. A total of 10 interviews were conducted and analysed. Three main areas from which conflict arises were identified: the costing system within the case hospital, the Population-based funding system and Inter-district flows. Each area is investigated from the perspectives of management and medical staff, using Institutional Theory and the concept of legitimacy. The institutional theory lens is used to identify and separate the interviewees into three groups based on their competing institutions. Each group’s answers were then compared to find reasons as to why there was conflict. Three core reasons for the conflict were identified: ineffective communication, lack of trust in management and the costing and funding systems themselves. Much of the tension is because of misconceptions, limited knowledge and poor communication leading medical personnel to feel that management does not respect their opinions and management to believe that medical personnel are unwilling to cooperate with them. This research also determined that the institution of management that focuses on costs and economic use of resources and the institution of medical personnel which is patient focused, are necessary to the operation of a public hospital. Though it can be a difficult to balance, the ideal situation would be for these institutions to work in harmony and perhaps eventually merge. Suggestions are given for reducing internal conflict between management and medical personnel and it is hoped this research offers a starting point for future research into improving both the costing and funding systems and the internal relationships between management and medical staff.</p>
Patricia Highsmith's Queer Disruption: Subverting Gay Tragedy in the 1950s
Authors:   , Findlay Charlotte 
Published: December 2021

<p>Published in a time when tragedy was pervasive in gay literature, Patricia Highsmith’s 1952 novel The Price of Salt, published later as Carol, was the first lesbian novel with a happy ending. It was unusual for depicting lesbians as sympathetic, ordinary women, whose sexuality did not consign them to a life of misery. The novel criticises how 1950s American society worked to suppress lesbianism and women’s agency. It also refuses to let that suppression succeed by giving its lesbian couple a future together. My thesis assesses the extent to which the novel broke the conventions of gay literature, and how Highsmith was able to publish such a radical text in the conservative 1950s. The Talented Mr Ripley, a crime novel published in 1955, is more representative of both Highsmith’s work and 1950s homophobia. Tom Ripley is coded as gay through a number of often pejorative stereotypes, though the novel never confirms his sexuality. This makes it appear far more conventional than The Price of Salt. And yet, it treats Tom sympathetically and gives him a happy ending. Underneath the surface level homophobia is a story of gay survival and success, and once again Highsmith subverts the tradition of gay tragedy. However, because homophobic tropes are central to its narrative, it remains difficult to call Ripley a radical text. In placing the two novels side by side, my thesis draws out the complexity of Highsmith’s relationship with the gay canon. I find commonalities in the novels based on Highsmith’s interest in disrupting conventional morality. She achieves this disruption by humanising outsiders such as gays and lesbians, and constructing narratives in which they are able to find the freedom and happiness that the literature of the period usually denied them.</p>
Urban Compression: Incremental Strategies for Achieving Suburban Densification
Authors:   , Wardle Tegan 
Published: December 2021

<p>Background: Sprawling, car related development dominates and destroys natural landscapes and productive farm land at the edges of urban centres. Yet, suburbs continue to grow outwards to meet New Zealanders’ preferences for stand-alone housing and keep up with increasing housing demand, while existing dwellings are demolished to make way for new developments. Research objectives: This research aims to investigate the implications of building dwellings incrementally to achieve gradual densification within New Zealand suburbs, reducing the need for green field development, and slowing urban sprawl. The objective of this research is to determine how incremental housing strategies could enable suburbs to continue to grow, however in density rather than sprawl, through the design of accessory dwelling units that can be added to existing sites and developed over time. Research method: Built and proposed incremental housing projects are reviewed to determine existing strategies and their suitability for creating buildings that are able to grow over time. Literature is reviewed to identify current preferences and priorities for suburban living, strategies for sustainable suburban development and current provisions within district plans for achieving denser suburbs. Siteless and site responsive architectural strategies for incremental accessory dwelling units are developed through iterative massing and plan studies to generate a wide range of potential solutions at each stage of development, continually reflecting on and progressing with the most successful options. Potential Implications: The development of spatial strategies for incrementally built accessory dwelling units that could facilitate long term densification in the New Zealand suburban context while reducing the need for the demolition and redevelopment of existing residential sites.</p>
Managed Retreat Components and Costing in a Coastal Setting
Authors:   , Olufson Samuel 
Published: December 2021

<p>Climate change impacts are beginning to be felt across the world. Therefore, the development and understanding of adaptation options is becoming more important. Sea-level rise and its associated impacts are predicted to continue and accelerate well into the next century. As such, it is important that adaptation options which reduce risks associated with sea-level rise are developed and are well understood. Managed retreat is one such option. While research on managed retreat is increasing, there is a lack of literature that identifies what managed retreat comprises, how to plan and stage the option over time, and how to cost it as an adaptation option. This thesis aims to address this gap in the literature by answering the following three questions: (1) what are the issues related to implementing managed retreat as an adaptation strategy in coastal areas, now, and moving into the future?; (2) what are the components of managed retreat?; and (3) what framework could be developed for costing managed retreat? A qualitative ‘desk-top’ approach was taken to deconstruct the components of managed retreat across space and time and to develop a framework for costing the components as part of an adaptation strategy. An in-depth analysis of literature, enabled an understanding of managed retreat implementation, and also informed the development of a component typology and costing framework for the adaptation option. The typology and framework were then tested for relevance and utility for decision making through a series of semi-structured discussions with key informants working in climate change adaptation. Using the component typology and costing framework, a new approach is presented for staging and costing managed retreat, over time and in different contexts. The typology and framework contribute knowledge and guidance for local governments and infrastructure agencies when discussing managed retreat with their communities, for identifying and staging managed retreat, and for the costing of components. It does this by presenting components in stages as overlapping and parallel pathways, providing groupings of components according to types of costs, and identifying appropriate costing methodologies that enable the implementation of managed retreat. To conclude, the thesis suggests areas for future research on managed retreat.</p>
The Bunker on the Shore
Authors:   , Journeaux Samuel 
Published: December 2021

<p>This thesis seeks to investigate the role of architecture in distilling of ephemerality within a fixed geometry; using the variables of light, texture, context and atmospheric conditions as experimental catalysts. Consequently, this research explores the notion that a rigid architecture can play a central role in the creation of temporal atmosphere. It investigates this proposition by developing a method to represent ephemerality through architectural form and medium with an iterative design process as the overarching methodology. The design research begins with establishing the literary and physical context of projective geometries, abstraction of ‘place’ and atmospheric manipulation. This follows onto a three-part design-led exploration, with each test increasing in scale and architectural complexity. These include a site less installation, a gallery and a rehabilitation centre site on the rugged South Brighton coastline. This series explores the relationship between the temporary and the constant, with lessons learnt from each previous experiment translated into the later. These develop a range of architectural techniques for distilling ephemerality within fixed geometries with social response and programmatic factors being supplementary factors.The research recognises the already well established study into the ephemerality of spatial conditions within the architectural discourse and seeks to build on this through abstraction of place and site specific design responses.</p>
Midblock: Reimagining the role of the underutilized suburban midblock section
Authors:   , Stichbury Peter 
Published: December 2021

<p>Our society’s inclination towards larger homes upon individually owned land titles has produced vast suburban sprawl, attributing a great deal of societal division and infrastructural strain. A feature exacerbating the situation in Papamoa’s suburban development is the inadvertent creation of midblock sections, primarily due to a lack of development foresight. Due to the rapid conversion of certain rural plots’ land-use from orchards to residential development and the stagnation of others, a mismatch of land sizes, shapes and orientations were left to be developed upon. These underutilised spaces often remain as untenanted interstitial spaces despite a dramatic regional population growth, a record low national home ownership and growing demand for housing from the Auckland market. This thesis examines the complexities of the midblock and the difficult New Zealand social and historical contexts that disrupt their development. It investigates how architects can use these conditions, as well as the spatial contexts of their locale, to inform design principles that can be used to integrate midblock designs into the suburban grain. Design within this research, thus, seeks to test these strategies as well as the development potential of these sites through investigating the efficacy of various alternative programmes. Furthermore, this research explores the potential of small scale public participatory consultation with local residents as a catalyst for architectural processes and design evaluation in analysing the appropriateness of midblock development strategies. It argues that participatory design consultation is a substantial tool for architects in both aligning development with local communities and critically analysing the effectiveness of design within the context of the midblock.</p>
A Holographic Future: Comparing an AR headset to traditional construction methods
Authors:   , Hubber-Davis Tayler 
Published: December 2021

<p>New Zealand’s construction industry has seen a profound uptake in the use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) in recent years. BIM has proven to be beneficial to individuals during moments of the lifecycle of a building, but it has yet to play a significant role in the actual construction stage of a project. In recent years, researchers have become increasingly interested in the use of Augmented Reality (AR) to provide support for BIM implementation and productivity on-site. However, current research has yet to prove the effectiveness of integrating the information from the BIM model into an AR environment. With international AR applications emerging and the improvement on AR and BIM software, it has now become feasible to test the integration of these two technologies dynamically. This paper utilises recent developments in technology to provide a comparison of the effectiveness of information retrieval methods. A three-phase, mixed method experiment was conducted and evaluated over a one-year time frame in Wellington, New Zealand. By using a mixed method approach, the research gained multiple forms of data drawing on all possibilities. One phase involved a focus group with a variety of construction industry professionals exploring the use of BIM and how their teams work together to solve problems and tasks on-site. The second phase had twenty-four construction industry tradesmen randomly assigned to three control groups to complete clash detection tasks using different visualisation mediums. The control groups used either two-dimensional paper drawings, a BIM model on a laptop, or a BIM model in a Microsoft HoloLens to complete the information retrieval tasks. Following the task-based experiment, the control groups participated in a focus group to understand tradesmen’s perceptions of the different visualisation mediums and how current processes could be improved for their understanding. Each group was assessed on a usability framework model of effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction. Based on the results of the experiments and focus groups, this research can produce evidence for determining the most effective methods for information retrieval and clash detection on-site. Can AR provide a more powerful system for construction productivity and information retrieval than paper or computer-based systems? The research does not provide a detailed solution but instead demonstrates the potential marriage between AR and BIM technologies to help evolve future building processes.</p>
Re-orientating the Experience of a Small Town
Authors:   , Hailstone Katherine 
Published: December 2021

<p>An experience by definition can imply that it leaves an impression. It can be how people experience our small towns that influence its viability and success. Small towns in Aotearoa face aging populations, growing social issues and tend to lack economic viability. Current statistics show population growth in our large cities and declining populations in our regions impacting the urban landscape and the experience of our regional towns. So, how can designing from an experiential approach make a difference to town life? A traditional approach to changing the experience of towns and cities is through consultation, a production of a master plan and then staging the design over time. Consider what could be gained if we used on-the-ground experience to inform the structure our towns? If we intensely engage with the ‘on the ground experience’ of the town, looking at how the town structures experience, we should be able to identify opportunities that could re-orientate how people interact with the town. These opportunities or potential design alterations, could reshape the way that the town is structured and therefore inform the development of a master plan or long term plan. Through an experience-based design approach the opportunities that can be identified from this method are often not visible from other techniques such as top down mapping and other common forms of data collection. Through a combination of; an understanding of the experience of the town, its history, influences, though various forms of mapping and the understanding the viability of proposed design alterations we could strategically transform the experience. Therefore, through an experiential design approach and understanding how our small towns work in Aotearoa; can we focus design actions in the public environment to develop potential future change?</p>