bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The (in-) effectiveness of international law: A critical analysis of the rational choice theory in the light of the Ukrainian crisis 2014
Authors:   , Sangmeister Bernadette 
Published: November 2021

<p>The aim of this research paper is to explore the role and content of the rational choice theory in international law and to critically analyse this theory in the light of the current Ukrainian crisis: Does the Ukrainian crisis 2014 prove rational choice theorists right? Can Russia’s military intervention in Crimea and the annexation of this region be seen as the failure of the UN Charter and therefore, as an evidence for the ineffectiveness of international law? Is international law effective at all? It will be argued that the rational choice theory cannot be seen as proven right in the light of the Ukrainian crisis 2014: Although, with regard to Russia’s unlawful military intervention in Crimea, the current crisis might at first glance be considered as validating the rational choice theory and the general ineffectiveness of international law, there is as well some evidence to be found in the actions and reactions of Russia and other nation-states and institutions from which one can deduce that international law does influence states’ behaviours, that states are not merely acting out of self-interest but also out of international legal obligations and that thus the current crisis may rather serve as an example of the (overall) effectiveness of international law.</p>
Sustainable Community-run Development: Experiences from the ADIO Project in Ostional, Costa Rica
Authors:   , Klopfer Katja 
Published: November 2021

<p>In the face of the current global sustainability challenge, seeking out and strengthening sustainable alternative methods for community development has become an urgent task for development professionals and academics. In order to explore one of such alternatives, in this thesis I draw on research conducted with the Associación de Desarollo Integral de Ostional (ADIO). Located on Costa Rica’s rural Pacific coast, ADIO was initiated by the local community of Ostional and resulted in the Project of Sustainable Use, Conservation and Management of the Olive Ridley Sea Turtle in 1987. Co-managed by the University of Costa Rica (UCR) and the Ministry of Natural Resources (MINAE), ADIO practices conservation and scientifically monitors the management of the Olive Ridley sea turtle species. Surplus eggs from the turtle arribadas (the mass nesting’s of sea turtles) at the optional beach are being legally harvested and marketed by ADIO. This project has successfully contributed to the protection of the Olive Ridley turtle population whilst returning socio-economic benefits into the community. The aim of this research is to gain a better understanding of ADIO’s work and the significance of ADIO to the local community. My research draws on the experiences of community members to identify their perception of the benefits of ADIO to their own community, and unpack areas in need of improvement. Qualitative data were collected from community members through: semi structured interviews, participant observation, a reflective workshop, a questionnaire and field notes. The findings of this research identify key elements for the success of ADIO, and demonstrate the benefit of this Project toward the sustainability of the local community. This research demonstrates that socio-economic benefits can be gained through appropriate community participation in sustainable conservation projects, which can further enhance the desire of the local community to be better stewards of natural resources. This thesis seeks to contribute in some small way to an existing body of knowledge on the topics of sustainability, community-run conservation, and development.</p>
European Union citizenship: The acquisition of nationality and the ever-expansive reach of the European Court of Justice
Authors:   , McLellan Bridgette K. 
Published: November 2021

<p>European Union citizenship was established by the Treaty of Maastricht in 1992. Intended to fall within the exclusive prerogative of the Member States, it soon became clear that the autonomy of Member States to determine matters relating to nationality would be restricted by the ever-expansive reach of the European Court of Justice. As such, the European Court of Justice transformed the law on citizenship in the 2010 case of Rottmann where measures affecting or depriving the rights conferred and protected by the European Union were held to fall within the scope ratione materiae of European Union law. While Rottmann affirmed the law as to the deprivation of European Union citizenship, it left unanswered the question whether the acquisition of nationality also falls within the scope of European Union law. This paper aims to identify and analyse the law arising post-Rottmann to determine whether the acquisition of nationality could fall within the scope of European Union law. It shall then analyse whether fundamental principles of European Union law, namely the principle of proportionality, could be applied in order to regulate the conditions imposed by Member States in relation to the acquisition of nationality.</p>
Constructing a Buddhist-Inspired Framework for Examining Tulkus’ use of Cyberspace
Authors:   , Soper Catherine Elizabeth 
Published: November 2021

<p>This thesis is both, an examination of tulkus’ use of cyberspace (with a particular focus on social media); and a methodological experiment. In this thesis I construct a framework for examining tulkus’ use of social media platforms, such as: Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. However rather than using “alien” ideas to construct the framework (such as, the ideas of Virtual Reality, and telepresence), I draw on concepts and doctrines found within the Buddhist tradition. The four ideas I draw on are: nirmāṇakāya; the yamakaprātihārya; ideas surrounding presence and absence in the Buddhist tradition; and visualization meditation. The four ideas are then applied to case studies in order to demonstrate how these ideas could potentially offer a way to view tulkus’ use of cyberspace from a “Buddhist” perspective. One of the aims of this framework is to investigate the potential (from a Buddhist perspective) for cyberspace to be sacralised by the presence of a being such as a tulku, and consider how religious functions and activities seem to be carried out “in” cyberspace. This framework is also a methodological experiment. Rather than using an “off the shelf” theory I plan to construct my methodology using ideas from within the Buddhist tradition. As far as I’m aware, the method of considering material from within the tradition being studied is relatively rare. I hope that this project will demonstrate the general potential for such an approach being used more widely in academia. NB: When I submitted this thesis for examination, I was informed that I should have obscured the names of the Facebook users in the screenshots included in this work. I have done my best to rectify this problem, by obscuring all the names of the followers of the tulkus studied, and removed any reference to them by name in the body of the thesis.</p>
Resilience in the Face of Sea Level Rise: An Architectural Response to Rising Sea Levels in Wellington, New Zealand
Authors:   , Hatch Michael Barrington 
Published: November 2021

<p>Climate change is widely regarded as the leading global issue of the 21st century. There is now a general international agreement, supported by an overwhelming amount of scientific evidence, that the global climate is changing at an accelerated rate and that human-driven emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere is the main factor driving this trend. Arguably the most devastating impact of climate change on the human civilisation will be a rapidly increasing rise in global sea levels, which are currently rising at an unprecedented rate, placing hundreds of millions of people at serious risk of inundation in coastal communities across the globe. In the case of New Zealand’s capital city, Wellington, over ten percent of the city’s residents are at risk of displacement by the end of this century. This thesis aims to find a solution to resident displacement in the coastal city, addressing the question, How can a resilient residential dwelling be designed for the coastal city, in response to the encroaching pressures of climate change driven sea level rise? This research question and its subsequent design aims have been achieved through a highly iterative design process resulting the development of a connected network of amphibious dwelling solutions which provide the residents of the selected focus community of Kilbirnie, a coastal suburb in Wellington city, with the capacity to accommodate, adapt and thrive in the face of sea inundation. Hereby ensuring the social sustainability of the coastal community, currently at serious risk of displacement as a direct result of climate change driven sea level rise.</p>
Parametric atmospheres: An investigation of light, material and mass as the generator for design atmosphere
Authors:   , McFetridge Matthew 
Published: November 2021

<p>Parametric design today is largely embedded within a traditional trajectory. Current use largely sees the role of computers in the design studio operate at a low level, fulfilling no more sophisticated tasks than which was formerly achieved by hand. What motivation there is for parametric design tools seems to be largely inspired by a visual aesthetic. Manipulating relationships between architectural elements to design atmosphere is a long established physical process. By utilising the computer to accurately simulate spatial qualities, I propose the genesis of something more novel. The quantification of atmosphere within a digital toolset allows the designer to accurately control light, material and mass through complex networks of parametric relationships. Simulating and researching architectural atmosphere from architects Peter Zumthor and Tadao Ando allows this thesis to demonstrate a methodology for accurately simulating architectural atmosphere through the generation of geometry in Grasshopper and simulation of real site specific lighting data in 3ds Max. This thesis presents a methodology for how digital parametric design techniques enable greater flexibility and control in designing atmospheric architecture.</p>
Infelicities in Agraria
Authors:   , Woods Elle Laura 
Published: November 2021

<p>In his study Nirvana and Other Buddhist Felicities; Utopias of the Pali Imaginaire, Steven Collins aptly argues that as society transitioned from the nomadic to the agrarian, imaginaires were constructed to provide ideological buttresses for the new political order. Such an imaginaire revolved around a set of felicities, that is to say, supplementary imaginary worlds, that promised post-mortem rewards which compensated for worldly injustice. Collins takes as his paradigmatic case study the Pali Buddhist world, and in this case, the imaginaire constituted centres on nirvana. As working parts of this imaginaire, the various felicities provided an incentive for adhering to socially acceptable behavior, and thus helped maintain stability by compensating those who suffered the costs of the agrarian social arrangement. Collins argues that similar systems of felicities could be found in other agrarian states. In a previous paper, I applied Collins's theory to Latinate Christianity, with surprising results. Collins’s theory was correct, in that Latinate Christianity did share a similar felicity structure; however, Latinate Christianity was also greatly preoccupied by Hell, and often contrasted felicities with infelicities. In Collins's schema, by contrast, there is little room for infelicities. In this thesis, I intend to re-examine Collins’s argument for the Buddhist case, expanding his vision of the Buddhist imaginaire to include a set of infelicities and the structures they constitute. Thus, this study will compare infelicities from both the Buddhist imaginaire and the Latinate Christian imaginaire. A comparative study presents the potential to create a hypothetical structure of infelicities, that may be applicable to infelicities presented in religions outside of Buddhism.</p>
Landscape Sub(Vert.)Urbanity: a model for integrating gardens, as an architectural device, into higher density housing to encourage New Zealanders to live in the inner city
Authors:   , Fraser Annabel 
Published: November 2021

<p>New Zealanders continue to resist higher density housing as a way of living. The detached house in the suburbs remains the preferred housing choice for most. This proposal addresses the key attributes required for higher density living adoption as identified by the Centre for Housing Research, Aotearoa New Zealand (2011). Furthermore, this central Wellington proposal includes additional design features that increase the desirability of this type of housing to the suburban market. Combined, these and other drivers create a new typology of higher density housing in which vertical and other garden types bring a verdant living option to inner city Wellington. Key considerations include creating high levels of amenity: gardens, solar access and privacy to produce a vertical neighbourhood that balances collective and private amenity. The proposal provides three housing typologies (maisonettes, terraces, park houses) to accommodate household diversity to target various stages of the family cycle. This inner city proposal also demonstrates how public amenity access can be used to offset the (perceived) loss of amenity when moving from the suburbs. By drawing from the public amenity-rich city, the need for private amenities is minimised. Furthermore, just as the surrounding city contributes amenity to these dwellings, this proposal illustrates that this kind of development can in turn contribute back to the city.</p>
An affective awareness
Authors:   , Phillipps Bronwyn 
Published: November 2021

<p>One of the most captivating qualities of the New Zealand wilderness is its temporality; season’s, weather, night and day, are multiple interconnected systems in flux. These temporal systems are intricately linked and determine the feel of the environment. We perceive this natural temporal environment through levels of experience that build from affects. Architecture is designed to resist this temporality, with lights, shelter, warmth and more. The limited engagement between interior and exterior also removes environmental conditions that have positive impact. The fixity of architecture, in its resistance to the uncontrollable, to the temporal flux inherent in the environment, limits the potential for wilderness architecture to relate to its constantly changing context. This thesis argues that non-static architecture creates a stronger connection between people, architecture and the natural environment. The success of architecture to emphasise this connection is analysed through the lens of affect as a preconscious reaction, which counters the social and cultural expectations of space. The study of affect provided a framework of understanding to inform the active designing. A fluid semi-permanent shelter is designed, constructed of a woven structural system responsive to both weather conditions and the occupants. The activities that occur within these structures maximise the non-static potential for movement and create a constant interaction with the landscape. The interplay between uncontrollable flux and controllable movement in the structures provides a challenging context that heightens the inhabitant’s awareness of the relationship between people, architecture and natural environment.</p>
A Measured Approach
Authors:   , Swney Logan 
Published: November 2021

<p>The supply of goods to large numbers of consumers results in large, standardised buildings. The typically introverted designs of these buildings reject context and difference in favour of efficiency and standardisation. Secondly, the prioritisation of vehicles over pedestrians often results in second rate public space. Big box retail (BBR) is the epitome of an architecture driven by efficiency, often resulting in a disconnect between architecture and place. This disconnect is amplified in ‘environments of natural beauty’ where the deployed typology results in an inert architecture that withdraws from, rather than engages with, its surrounding environment. What strategies can be utilised in the development of a site-specific BBR, which engages architecture and place avoiding isolation on the town’s periphery? And, how can this car-centric architecture be modified to contribute to the public realm, enhancing rather than detracting from the surrounding context? This inquiry is tested through design-led research: firstly the thesis explores the development of a design proposal for Wanaka (idyllically sited on the southern shore of Lake Wanaka with the Southern Alps forming the horizon). A critical reflection on this site-specific design enables a broader discursive discussion about architectural figure. The first chapter presents a design for central Wanaka. The iterative design process, producing and then critiquing form models (physical and computer), enables the project to comment on the BBR typology. The second chapter discusses the project through the lens of architectural figure, situating the project within the discipline and enabling a broader discussion of the qualities of the project. The third chapter discusses the idea of ‘tightness’. The idea of ‘tightness’ emerges from the design/critical-reflection, enabling a discussion of ‘tight’ vs. ‘loose’ architecture and positioning the design within the discipline. The notion of a tight relationship between form and programme, discussed through a critical reflection on the final design, enables a further discussion and conclusion. This discussion develops from Leon Battista Alberti’s idea of Beauty. Emerging from the design discussion, Ron Witte’s notion of ‘good figure’ and Patrik Schumacher’s concept of ‘Elegance’ enable a development of these ideas. The outcome is an architectural ‘tightness’. ‘Tightness’ offers one potential way that architecture can contribute in the creation of urban spaces through an engagement with the surrounding environment.</p>
The Sound of Sirens: Siren Stelae in Classical Attic Cemeteries
Authors:   , Oldfield Alex 
Published: November 2021

<p>The aim of this thesis is to look at how and why the siren is featured in Classical Attic cemeteries and how its mythical characteristics lead to its appropriateness in such a context. The exact origins of the siren are unknown, although it has been suggested that they stem from the folk tales of sailors at sea, or shared ideas from other cultures. Despite such unknown variables, the siren figure that is considered in this thesis is that found in Greek mythology, frequently remembered for her encounter with Odysseus on his journey home from Troy and ability to enchant sailors with her irresistible song. Typically combining the features of a bird’s body and a woman’s head, the creature known as the siren can also be seen in ancient depictions on vases, jewellery boxes and female toilette objects. During the Classical Period (479-323BC) the bird-women hybrid sirens are used as a decorative feature on top of funerary stelae in Attic cemeteries. The siren can be seen in two different forms in the funerary context, specifically in relation to their placement and representation on stelae: relief images of the creatures in the roof sima of the upper register of the tombstone, and sculpted in the round perched on top. The presence of the siren in this context can provide a constant mourner as well as inviting the viewer to grieve for the deceased. The first chapter details the siren’s character and role in early ancient literature and art, specifically relating to their mythological corpus. Discussion will focus on the evolution of their character and their appearance over time, as well as identifying distinguishing features which make the siren a unique figure. It is also necessary in this section to establish a distinction between the siren and the mythological harpy who combines the similar bird-woman features to make up a very different creature (particularly evident in a commonly misnamed Lycian sarcophagus, the ‘Harpy tomb’.) The second chapter outlines the timeframe of the use and presence of funerary stelae featuring sirens in Attic cemeteries, predominantly found in the Kerameikos, with references to the legislation which may have affected them. This section covers examples of the presence of sirens in this context including, but not exclusive to, images in relief depicted in the roof sima, along with other figures, as well as the limited freestanding sculptures of sirens seen perched above stelae. I will also analyse the ‘traditional’ view of the sirens as ‘soul birds’ as suggested by various scholars, particularly those from the early 1900s. The final chapter looks at the appropriateness of the siren in a funerary context and attempts to identify the reasons why they were used for such a purpose. In order to answer these questions, it is important to look at the reception of these pieces by mourners and passers-by alike and the possible relationship between those that view the sculpture in such a setting and the piece itself.</p>
Intoxicating Impressions: Architecture to enlighten the imagination through the depth of reality
Authors:   , Gray Amber Marie 
Published: November 2021

<p>Wine is created from the delicate and fragile craft of winemaking, a craft reliant on the balance of both science and art. Wine translates qualities and experience of space and creation through the sense of taste and smell. Intoxicating impressions rediscovers the artistic nature of this craft through the space of a winery. It proposes an architecture of engagement. Impressionist painting offers an immersive representation of the qualities and atmosphere of space. This immersive effect creates an engagement of the viewer's imagination within the depicted scene. The painting's execution is based on both science and art through the representation of the intangible. This exploration resulted in testing architectural concepts of 'dissipation of light' and 'blurring of boundaries' to enhance the architectural experience to engage the imagination of the inhabitant. From these concepts, architecture allows the inhabiting of intangible qualities. The landscape presents itself as an ephemeral tool to mediate this relationship of art and science having an imperative role within the winemaking craft. The architectural design becomes a tool to immerse the user within the craft that it houses and within the landscape where the craft of winemaking occurs and upon which it relies upon. This winery is designed for a site in the Hawke’s Bay wine region of New Zealand and follows a brief designed to materialise intangible and immaterial qualities of space. This is to engage the inhabitant within the environment and the winemaking craft. The architectural design allows the exploration of the intangible, balanced, vulnerable and fragile nature of a craft that is balanced by a scientific reality.</p>