AUT Research Repository (Auckland Univ. of Technology)
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A Novel Methodology for Structural Health Monitoring of Buildings Subjected to Earthquakes
No full textRecent advancements in sensor technology and data processing algorithms have revolutionized Structural Health Monitoring (SHM), enabling real-time monitoring and analysis of structural responses to dynamic loads. As a result, many buildings are permanently instrumented with sensors, typically accelerometers, to continuously record vibrational responses over time, hence generating huge amounts of monitoring data. However, the analysis and extraction of meaningful insights from the recorded data to assist engineers and building managers in assessing structural conditions would be a challenge. Monitoring systems can be programmed to record ground motion-induced vibrations that surpass specific trigger threshold levels. Nonetheless, there are challenges to long-term damage detection of buildings including automated analysis of previously recorded data, the limited number of available sensors, and nonlinear structural responses under severe earthquakes, to name but a few. In this paper, a new methodology based on adaptive time-series (TS) models for SHM and damage detection in buildings subjected to earthquakes is introduced to overcome these challenges. Using the proposed technique, automated analysis of a large set of previously recorded data and establishing a reliable baseline for the structure using a limited number of sensors, even as few as two accelerometers (one on the building and one on the ground) would be achievable. The efficiency of this method for monitoring large-scale structures instrumented with a limited number of sensors is verified using a 3-D Finite Element (FE) model of a 5-story reinforced concrete (RC) building using SAP2000 platform. Furthermore, experimental validations of the technique were implemented using acceleration datasets of a full-scale two-story post-tensioned concrete wall building tested over a shake table for damage assessments. The simulation results and experimental verifications demonstrated accurate identification of potential damage and provided a clear indication of damage progression as the severity of induced damage increases
“That Says, For Me, You Are a Second-Class Citizen”: A Concept Analysis of Accessibility
No full textAccessibility is useful to consider conceptually to contribute to the discussion about why its societal benefits are under-recognised. We sought to propose a conceptualisation of accessibility that draws together prior scholarly work on accessibility as it relates to disability from across disciplines and knowledge of stakeholders with lived experience of disability. Data sources included a literature review, focus group and interview discussions, and consultation with local disability advocacy and support organisations. We used a concept analysis, identifying different ways in which the notion of accessibility was deployed across our data. The resulting conceptual framework positions accessibility as the enablement of a full range of life’s experiences to be understood, reached, and experienced equally and fully by everyone. Highly relevant but often overlooked in scholarly literature on geography and rehabilitation is the idea that to create accessible experiences the ongoing actions of each person matter: from policy to design to everyday encounters
Euphoria in Demontopia: Utilizing Screen-Printed Photo Collage to Construct Trans-Space
No full textEuphoria In Demontopia is a practice-led research project that explores the very personal yet aspirational desires of my transgender self towards the building of a queer utopia. My practice seeks to reclaim and process the unpredictable nature of violence upon the transgender body. This attempt to process this nature is in relation to a series of experimental methodologies that develop under my self-made term of ‘Queer Chaos’. My project sets out to combine a process of photographic collage portraits into an messy embrace of screen printed fabrics. My research questions how this very personal navigation of my queerness can invite queer communities, through means of my mutative spatial installations, into reflective healing away from a hetero-dominant world
A Variational Formulation of European Option Prices in the 1‐Hypergeometric Stochastic Volatility Model
No full textThe paper proposes a variational analysis of the 1-hypergeometric stochastic volatility model for pricing European options. The methodology involves the derivation of estimates of the weak solution in a weighted Sobolev space. The weight is closely related to the stochastic volatility dynamic of the model. The solution is further analyzed using semigroup theory applied to the pricing operator and leads to certain constraints on the model parameters. An implementation of the model using a finite element method library is carried out and illustrates how the model works
Perceptions of People With Disabilities on the Accessibility of New Zealand’s Built Environment
No full textAccessing the built environment poses many challenges for people with disabilities, severely affecting their independence and quality of life. A panel of experts with a lived experience of disabilities co-designed a survey capturing the challenges in New Zealand’s public places. There were 319 survey respondents with impairments related to mobility (66.5%), vision (18.8%), hearing (5.0%), sensory processing and cognition (8.8%). They perceived sports stadiums as the least accessible venue, followed by bars, boutique shops and public toilets. The most accessible venues were supermarkets, libraries and shopping malls. The type of disability affected the main accessibility challenges. Significant outdoor barriers included uneven and cluttered paths, inadequate provision of curb cuts, seating and accessible parking spaces, and obscure wayfinding. Entrance barriers included heavy doors, complex access control, remote ramps and narrow, obscure entrances. Interior problems included cluttered paths and poor signage. The top priorities for improvement were simplifying layouts, keeping paths clear, and providing clear, inclusive signage, communication and assistance for people with varying impairments. Providing lower counters, better colour contrast, hearing loop facilities and better control of lighting and acoustics also improve accessibility. This research contributes novel experiential data from people with disabilities that is critical to achieving an inclusive built environment
A Critical Reading of Solastalgia Through Indigenous and Care Ethics Lenses
No full textSolastalgia is the emotional response elicited by ecological degradation, originating from the concepts of solace, desolation, and pain. Climate change has profound societal and health impacts especially for marginalised communities who face food shortages, poverty and forced displacement. Indigenous peoples have deep relational ancestral connections with the land that are beyond connection to place, and experience unique intensified forms of distress resulting from environmental degradation. For Indigenous peoples, connections with land are disrupted through extractive politics such as colonisation and now climate emergency, legacies that leave deleterious effects on wellbeing. In collective Indigenous cultures, distress is embedded within wider contexts of community, history, and the earth itself. This paper critically reviews solastalgia from Māori and care ethics perspectives to demonstrate the power of adding relational, contextual, and embodied elements to the concept. This paper argues for the incorporation of Indigenous knowledge in the conceptualisation of climate-related distress. Māori notions of voice and place inform research approaches that are in solidarity with Indigenous voice to examine the impacts of climate degradation
Brand Crisis and Legitimacy
No full textPurpose: This research aims to provide a state-of-the-art overview of brand crisis and legitimacy. Design/methodology/approach: This research conducts a multi-study systematic literature review where brand crisis and legitimacy are reviewed independently and collectively. Findings: This research provides first-hand evidence to show the paucity of the joint investigation of brand crisis and legitimacy despite their established presence in marketing literature. Noteworthily, this research highlights the richness of brand crisis research, albeit the need for greater theoretical grounding and integration in the field, which nevertheless, could be remedied by the strong theoretical foundations available in the body of knowledge on brand legitimacy. Research limitations/implications: This research demonstrates that brand crisis and legitimacy are two important concepts that hold tremendous promise for developing and safeguarding the relationships that brands foster with their stakeholders. Originality/value: This research offers a seminal state-of-the-art overview of brand crisis and legitimacy, along with promising directions for future research to enrich understanding at the point where brand crisis and legitimacy intersect, thereby safeguarding the legitimacy of brands when they experience a crisis in the marketplace
Virtual Worlds, Real Emotions: Exploring Grief’s Sensory Disruptions through Abstract Narrative Gaming
No full textThis paper investigates the role of abstract narrative gaming in opening a conversation surrounding the sensory distortions encountered in grief experiences. It posits that abstract narrative games offer a distinct medium through which to comprehend and represent the multifaceted nature of sensory distortions within the context of grief. Employing qualitative research methods, this paper analyses the nuanced experiences of players engaging with abstract narrative games using Unreal Engine 5. By shedding light on the territory of abstract narrative gaming within the realm of grief studies, this paper makes a significant contribution to opening the discussion of grief and sensory perception, ultimately emphasising the potential of these games as a means of exploring and portraying intricate emotional states
Whakapaparanga - The Architecture of Whakapapa an Iterative Layering
No full textThis research, part of the He Puna ORA’s MĀTOU: Regenerative Co-Housing Lab, explores how the concept of whakapapa can inform culturally specific regenerative housing solutions. Whakapaparanga – The architecture of whakapapa as iterative layering, expands on whakapapa as a framework for relational interconnectedness, examining how socio-ecological relationships and iterative processes in architecture can contribute to socio-ecological regeneration and long-term sustainability. The research aims to investigate how socio-ecological systems-thinking, design approaches, and material selection can support circular processes in our buildings. A combination of methods, including mapping, model-making, and engagement with traditional Māori practices, are employed. A key component of Māori practice within this research involves connecting with Ngāpuhi heritage in the Hokianga region, focusing on Whirinaki and Opononi. The revitalisation of traditional mōteatea (Māori songs) is explored as a means of strengthening the connection of this research to the people, culture, and the land of Whirinaki and Opononi. In the context of practical application this thesis explores timber as a building material, specifically investigating how timber might be responsibly sourced within the Opononi region. It emphasises whakapapa, the connection of ecological systems and how this is reflected in ‘whakapapa circularity’ a focus on community (both human and non-human). Architectural elements such as solar power and water collection systems prioritise regenerative and sustainable material sourcing for the papakāinga development. The study concludes with a focus on designing for adaptation to future environmental changes within a coastal setting, specifically analysing sea-level rise and contributes to iterative design over-time
Navigating the Awa – the Story of a Māori Doctoral Student’s Journey from Start to Completion of a PhD
No full textThis paper explores the journey of a Māori doctoral student navigating the awa (river) and emphasizes the importance of embedding cultural frameworks in postgraduate research supervision for Indigenous Māori doctoral students. It also considers the key factors necessary for effective cultural supervision.
The paper presents a narrative of the dual journey undertaken by a first-in-family Māori doctoral student, who completed a doctoral qualification while simultaneously strengthening connections within te ao Māori (the Māori world). The narrative provides insights into the researcher’s experiences, which led to the development of an Indigenous methodology model called ‘XXXXX’. Drawing on the experiences of a Māori doctoral candidate at AUT, this paper reflects on time spent with XXXX and efforts to strengthen connections to whakapapa (genealogies) and tūrangawaewae (the place where one has the right to stand)