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Dirt under our fingernails: Daylighting waste at the Dome
No full text[...] How might this “productivist bias” be countered by taking erosion, breakdown and decay as our starting points? In this article I explore this possibility with respect to a controversial proposed landfill in Dome Valley, north of Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland.
Soaring global consumption and massive waste production are problems largely masked: the management of the waste stream in wealthy cities has been rendered invisible. Waste is all too visible, however, in the cities of the developing world where waste management infrastructures are often informal and rubbish piles up on roadsides and riverbanks. Despite the good intentions of waste management and minimisation strategies enshrined in recent New Zealand legislation (Waste Minimisation Act 2008) and Auckland’s own Zero Waste by 2040 policy (Auckland Council, 2018), the waste stream to NZ landfills increased by 47% between 2010 and 2019. In Aotearoa New Zealand, escalating construction waste and hazardous waste make up 57% of the Class 1 landfill waste stream, 33% and 24% respectively (Ministry for the Environment, 2021:1). This burgeoning waste has prompted a proposal for a new regional landfill in Dome Valley, north of Auckland (Tonkin and Taylor, 2018). Located adjacent to a forest park and a river, local residents including Māori iwi (tribal groups), have been catalysed to fight the proposal
A day along the river: Creating a Fuding in the image of the greatest Chinese painting
No full textRESEARCH QUESTION
How can an architectural intervention help to rescue and educate on intangible cultural heritage and identity in Fuding, China?
ABSTRACT
China has become the largest construction site on earth, over the past century. However, the country has experienced significant challenges finding the best ways to build for its future. Metropolises like Shanghai are on their way to being constructed to compete with New York. Modernism, which emphasizes function and a streamlined form over ornamentation, is one of the most common terms currently being discussed in architecture. After the Second World War, China built thousands of modern cities with incredible speed, based on this effective and efficient architectural philosophy. However, modernism has turned most Chinese cities into poor imitations of those in America and they lack Chinese culture and identity.
To avoid continuing to build more soulless buildings in China, there is an urgent call to awaken its architecture.
Ancient Chinese cities were built mainly based on a philosophy of harmony and nature. This rich co-existence of architecture and landscape are constantly found in traditional Shanshui paintings. As this type of identity is fading away in the modern Chinese building industry, is it possible to find a cure from within the traditions? Is it possible to bring a second wind to the development of ageing towns by using architecture? Is there a better way to construct our cities, based on tradition, culture and locality?
The country is also facing another challenge: the loss of the intangible cultural heritage formed over the past centuries, which is non-material and difficult to inherit. Most heritage rescuing activities happen in small cities or in the countryside where the cultural heritage has its roots and they meet with great difficulties due to insufficient resources and unprofessional services.
Fuding is the small city in Fujian province where I was born and it is famous for being the home of white tea. This city is experiencing similar problems as other Chinese cities.
My research focuses on literature surrounding the movement to rescue intangible cultural heritage in China and the endeavours that modern Chinese architecture has been struggling with to find its identity. The analysis of precedents that feature culture in traditional and modern architecture, has helped me to understand that there is a possible interconnection of the two fields and the research has inspired a design that may rescue architectural identity and the heritage of white tea in Fuding.
This project cannot fully address the cultural problem in China, but it has a future vision to become an urban precedent to inspire other Chinese cities, even non-Chinese cities around the world, to rebuild our city’s cultural image in a way that we are truly proud of.
Site: Jiangbin Road, along section of Tongshan River, Fuding, Fujian, Chin
A fuzzy recurrent neural network for driver fatigue detection based on steering-wheel angle sensor data
No full textThe study of the robust fatigue feature learning method for the driver’s operational behavior is of great significance for improving the performance of the real-time detection system for driver’s fatigue state. Aiming at how to extract more abstract and deep features in the driver’s direction operation data in the robust feature learning, this article constructs a fuzzy recurrent neural network model, which includes input layer, fuzzy layer, hidden layer, and output layer. The steering-wheel direction sensing time series sends the time series to the input layer through a fixed time window. After the fuzzification process, it is sent to the hidden layer to share the weight of the hidden layer, realize the memorization of the fatigue feature, and improve the feature depth capability of the steering wheel angle time sequence. The experimental results show that the proposed model achieves an average recognition rate of 87.30% in the fatigue sample database of real vehicle conditions, which indicates that the model has strong robustness to different subjects under real driving conditions. The model proposed in this article has important theoretical and engineering significance for studying the prediction of fatigue driving under real driving conditions
To craft a piece of timber: A place for learning timber craft construction
No full textRESEARCH QUESTION
How can a place of learning and its approach to architecture and building revitalise timber craft construction in New Zealand?
ABSTRACT
The demands of society have favoured a standardised approach to building design and are shifting away from handcrafted building methods. Following the Industrial Revolution mass production rose in popularity as a result of its cost and time-effective methods for processing and manufacturing goods and for building construction.
In New Zealand, wood is the predominant building material for construction, particularly for low-rise housing and small to medium-scale commercial buildings. The New Zealand Standard 3604: Timber-framed Buildings offers a standardised construction method, providing buildings with the minimum requirements for safe use. Though wood has not lost its presence in the building industry, there is an opportunity to expand and revitalise construction methods that value craftsmanship and wood’s tangible and intangible qualities.
Therefore, the project asks how a place of learning and its approach to architecture and building can revitalise timber craft construction in New Zealand.
The project explores the virtues of craft-based learning by investigating theories of teaching and learning methods and theories where architecture is an active agent in the learning process – as demonstrated by Torin Monahan’s theory of built pedagogy. Craft is present in all scales of design and making. The project utilises a three-scaled design methodology to address the sensitivity and attention to wood crafts, and is enriched by the theories of construction, tectonics and stereotomics of Kenneth Frampton, Karl Bötticher and Gottfried Semper.
The project aims to design a craft-based place for learning timber construction in Nelson, New Zealand. The school will value the virtues of crafts and wood, offering a place to learn essential woodworking skills and the maintenance of wood supply in the region. The final design will engage craft and all its processes to showcase the craft makers and the approach to timber craft construction.
Site: Near the Centre for Fine Woodworking in Nelson, New Zealan
The green guards: Mitigating urban heat island by small scale green interventions in high-density urban areas
No full textRESEARCH QUESTION
How do small green space interventions alleviate UHI effect in high-density urban areas with limited spaces in Lanzhou, China?
ABSTRACT
The development of urbanisation brings not only many benefits but also many problems. The urban heat island (UHI) effect has become a concern in many cities in China. Many studies have indicated what may cause and exacerbate the UHI effect, such as an increasing anthropogenic release, changes in surface cover, urban expansion and others. In recent years, many cities in China have begun to pay attention to and take measures to deal with the climate problems by returning farmland to forest, strengthening green space protection and increasing urban landscape green spaces to tackle the negative impact of UHI effect. However, some cities in the western regions have occupied many land resources due to rapid urban expansion, resulting in high-density cities and populations. For these small and medium-sized cities, limited land resources hinder the development of urban green spaces.
This study focused on using small-scale green interventions such as pocket parks as a possible mitigation of the UHI effect in Lanzhou, China. Firstly, relevant literature was reviewed to understand the importance of green areas in cities and their influence on the environment and temperature. Case studies, particularly those on small green spaces, were identified as a potential method of mitigating UHI effect in a microclimate; other green interventions, such as green rooftops and roadside greening, were also included to improve the cooling effect. Secondly, the central area of Chengguan District, Lanzhou, was selected as the main design site. Through site analysis, three available lands and two existing public spaces were utilised for park design and renovation; roadside greening was slightly modified for wider coverage. Finally, an overall layout was developed to show how small vacant lands, building tops and other existing spots were integrated into the project, so as to demonstrate an ideal “green network”.
The findings of this study implied that small green spaces could be used to alleviate the UHI effect in high-density cities, suggesting the establishment of a green network based on the fundamental urban structure. Also, a model was provided for other small and medium-sized cities confronting the same issue.
DESIGN SITE: Chengguan District, Lanzhou. Chin
An exploratory study of the management strategies reported by endurance athletes with exercise-associated gastrointestinal symptoms
Get PDFThis exploratory study investigated endurance athletes self-reported exercise associated gastrointestinal symptoms (Ex-GIS) and associated strategies to manage symptomology. Adult endurance athletes with a history of Ex-GIS (n = 137) participating in events ≥ 60 min completed an online validated questionnaire. Respondents included runners (55%, n = 75), triathletes (22%, n = 30), and non-running sports (23%, n = 32), participating at a recreationally competitive (37%, n = 51), recreationally non-competitive (32%, n = 44), and competitive regional/national/international (31%, n = 42) levels. Athletes identified when Ex-GIS developed most frequently either around training (AT), around competitions (AC), or equally around both training (ET) and competitions (EC). Athletes reported the severity of each symptom before, during, and after exercise. Athletes predominantly categorized Ex-GIS severity as mild (< 5/10) on a 0 (no symptoms) to 10 (extremely severe symptoms) visual analog symptomology scale. The Friedman test and post hoc analysis with Wilcoxon signed rank test was conducted with a Bonferroni correction applied to determine differences between repeated measures. The only severe symptom of significance was the urge to defecate during training in the ET group (Z = –0.536, p = 0.01). Ex-GIS incidence was significantly higher during training and competitions in all categories. A content review of self-reported strategies (n = 277) to reduce Ex-GIS indicated popular dietary strategies were dietary fiber reduction (15.2%, n = 42), dairy avoidance (5.8%, n = 16), and a low fermentable oligosaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols (FODMAP) diet (5.4%, n = 15). In contrast, non-dietary strategies included the use of medications (4.7%, n = 13) and relaxation/meditation (4.0%, n = 11). On a Likert scale of 1–5, the most successful dietary strategies implemented were dietary fiber reduction (median = 4, IQR = 4, 5), low FODMAP diets (median = 4, IQR = 4, 5), dairyfree diets (median = 4, IQR = 4, 5), and increasing carbohydrates (median = 4, IQR = 3, 4). Accredited practicing dietitians were rated as the most important sources of information for Ex-GIS management (n = 29). Endurance athletes use a variety of strategies to manage their Ex-GIS, with dietary manipulation being the most common
UNIWAKA : Car pooling application (prototype)
No full textUNIWAKA:
A user interface design for both Android and iOS mobile operating systems developed.
A large-scale test run on Unitec campus for students and staff. The app was reviewed by newspaper and television media.
MP4 is 1 minute and 47 seconds lon
How do L2 student moderators facilitate a peer-led discussion forum?
No full textAssigning students as moderators in online discussion forums is considered to be an effective strategy; however, a review of the literature indicates that previous studies have primarily focused on instructors as facilitators. Inquiries into the behaviours of student facilitators are under-researched, especially in the field of SLA. This presentation reports findings of a study conducted at a university of China. Based on the posted messages of seven student moderators of a L5 English for Academic Purposes course, the study reveals that they employed sixteen strategies and performed four major roles during the process of leading an online discussion: a knowledge constructor, a team builder, a motivator and an organiser. The results suggest that allocating students a facilitating role is a viable and effective strategy to foster learner autonomy and nurture student leaders. The presentation will conclude with pedagogical implications and recommendations which might be useful to educators in a similar context
李提摩太夫人与中国音乐 = i Timotai furen yu Zhongguo yinyue) [ Mrs Timothy Richard's study of Chinese Music]
No full text１８７６年来华、１９０３年在沪病逝的李提摩太夫人是中国现代音乐教育史和中西 音乐交流史上一位重要的人物，她的名字，对于任何一位从事中国音乐研究的人来说都不 会陌生。因为在２０世 纪 上 半 叶 以 前，她是有关中国音乐主题被引用最多的西人著者之 一。她有关中国音乐的一系列文章，以及她的《中国音乐》一书，直到２０世纪５０年代依然 是欧美学界研究中国音乐者必读书目。但是，尽管自２０世纪８０年代起，国内外学者开始 对李夫人在华的事工进行研究，但我们对她的了解实囿于其两篇代表作，对李氏其人、其 在华事工尚缺乏整体、全面的认知。本文根据李提摩太夫人本人的书信、历年来发表的中 英文文章和通讯、教会同行的回忆及其他档案文字资料，试图对李氏这位在中国基督教音 乐本色化、中国现代音乐教育和中西音乐交流史上的重要人物的生平及其主要事迹作一 尽可能全面的评述，旨在引起学界同仁对其在华的事工，特别是其在基督教音乐本色化以 及绍介中国音乐所作出的贡献的重视