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Ways of knowing = [Founga ʻo ʻilo]: A knowledge hub for Tonga
No full textRESEARCH QUESTION
How can contemporary architecture intervene in Tonga to provide a re-imagination of a library in the Pacific?
ABSTRACT
It was only in 2019 that the first public library in Tonga was opened. And even this library is not enough to cater to the wider needs of Tonga. The project implements a library that contributes to the needs of Tongans locally and globally.
The library is a building commonly known for storing, preserving, and consuming knowledge. The role of the library and ways of consuming knowledge have changed over time. From the storage of books to readily available digital information, knowledge consumption also changes with time. As the library evolves, so does the function. With modern libraries incorporating community spaces for social interaction and more, the evolving programme opens opportunities for what a library can become.
The project teases out the merging of traditional Tongan knowledge with modern and digital methods. The integration of the three knowledge systems gave the opportunity to explore how the programme of a library has progressed. This project reimagines what a library can become for the Pacific and Tonga.
Traditional knowledge has been passed down orally for generations. With the traditional knowledge being kept by the elders in Tonga, access to cultural information becomes difficult to attain. As the world shifts in its ways of living, cultural knowledge is in danger of being forgotten. While the loss of cultural knowledge is taking place, so too is the architectural identity of Tonga. This project seeks to preserve Tongan knowledge and reflect it through contemporary Tongan architecture.
Looking at the problem of a contemporary library through a cultural lens, this research project provides an architectural reimagination of a library in Tonga. With that, it suggests what a contemporary library can be in the Pacific.
SITE: Nukuʻalofa, Tong
Maintaining client mental well-being within a physical health setting through therapeutic mechanisms: A scoping review for occupational therapy
No full textBACKGROUND
Well-being is a subjective concept embedded within the core values of the occupational therapy philosophy. Well-being is comprised of mental/emotional, physical, cultural/spiritual, social, financial, environmental, intellectual, and vocational aspects which have direct impact on the perceived mental and physical health, and quality of life of an individual. An individual’s perception of their well-being also influences the occupations that they engage in, their roles and routines, resilience, and how they cope with day-to-day life. The way the clinicians address an individual’s holistic well-being has a powerful influence on occupational therapy outcomes and experiences while accessing healthcare services. Occupational therapy is said to be a holistic practice; however, due to the mental health and physical health gap, clinicians who work within a physical health focused setting often find themselves faced with barriers when clients present with mental well-being concerns which negatively impact their engagement with rehabilitation interventions. Mental health and physical health co-morbidities are an increasingly common occurrence; however, there is a lack of literature which explicitly links the two and supports therapists in finding proactive solutions which align with their unique skillset to help to bridge this gap.
OBJECTIVES
This research was conducted to identify what is currently known about the skills, strategies, and techniques used within occupational therapy practice to promote mental well-being within a physical health setting; and to collate this information in the form of a scoping review for the occupational therapy community to access
METHOD
A scoping review methodology was used to achieve the outlined objectives and explore the given research topic. A priori protocol, informed by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) and the Joanna Briggs Institute, guided the researcher through a ten-step review process. While using a consistent search strategy, four online databases (ProQuest, EBSCOhost, Gale Cengage, & Google Scholar) were utilized to locate articles with relevance to the research topic. Articles were examined according to the predetermined eligibility criteria at the article title, abstract, and full-text level. A data extraction process also assisted the researcher in the manual evaluation of each of the articles during the level-two screening process. Ten percent of all articles were randomly selected to be independently verified by a research supervisor to ensure validity and consistency. Completion of this process yielded nine final scoping articles.
FINDINGS
Information extracted from the nine final scoping articles was collated and grouped into themes. Collectively, the articles provided insight about what is known about the facilitators and barriers to addressing psychological well-being within clinical settings; the relationship between occupation and well-being; positive changes recommended for occupational therapy and healthcare service delivery to more prominently encompass well-being values; effective approaches for enhancing the mental and holistic well-being of all individuals; specific interventions and strategies with therapeutic attributes; and assessments which can be added to the occupational therapist’s toolkit to consistently address the mental well-being of their client throughout the rehabilitation recovery process.
CONCLUSIONS
The occupational therapist’s unique occupational identity and informed, therapeutic, holistic, and person-centered skillset makes members of this profession equipped and capable leaders during a shift in healthcare service delivery which focuses on mental well-being promotion and the prioritization of subjectively measured holistic well-being outcomes. Although there are current barriers which decrease clinician’s self-efficacy to effectively address a client’s mental well-being within a physical health setting, there are many solutions which can be implemented alongside regular therapy interventions to enhance the experience of the service user. Conclusions drawn from the collated evidence outlined within this review indicate that the mental/physical health gap can be minimized by normalizing well-being as a standard practice; integrating positive mental well-being strategies into primary care; and increasing the use of person-centered practices which demonstrate cultural responsiveness, provide opportunities for spiritual expression, and facilitate creative interventions with respect to the individuality of each person. These interventions can easily be integrated into an occupation identity well-being perspective, which provides a unique occupational therapy slant to supporting well-being
Breaking bread: Navigating contemporary screen narratives through a traditional Sāmoan storytelling lens
No full textRESEARCH QUESTION
How can indigenous scriptwriting practitioners keep traditional Sāmoan stories alive within a contemporary screen art form?
ABSTRACT
My creative practice-led research weaves traditional Pasifika forms of storytelling with contemporary screen arts storytelling methods through a Sāmoan lens. Breaking Bread, is a triptych series that integrates fāgogo (traditional performance art), tatau (traditional tattoo) and faʻamatai (governance) into the written scripts and script writing processes.
Due to the escalation of PASIFIKA PEOPLE living within the diaspora, traditional Pasifika stories have become increasingly popular across all storytelling media, particularly in screen formats from the South Pacific. Although Pasifika/Māori filmmakers contribute a small percentage to screen works produced worldwide, a significant number of films produced in Aotearoa are from those that identify as TAGATA MOANA, indigenous Pasifika/Māori filmmakers. Despite the success and overall popularity of these films, Pasifika/Māori stories are often conveyed through a western lens to suit a western audience.
My creative practice-led research contributes to the future of Pasifika storytelling by bringing Pasifika methodologies to Pasifika scriptwriting and storytelling processes. Celebrating the digital era that is the 21st century with a new wave of emerging Pasifika voices, my research extends beyond Pasifika people being seen on screen. Rather it speaks to story sovereignty, reclamation and the survival of Pasifika cultures
New growth rises out of historic ruin: Adaptive reuse of Christchurch Cathedral
No full textRESEARCH QUESTION:
How could the Christchurch Cathedral be rebuilt and adapted using contemporary technology to meet the demands of a modern society and economy?
ABSTRACT:
In New Zealand, in 2011, Christchurch Cathedral was severely damaged in an earthquake. Before the 2011 earthquake, the Cathedral and Cathedral Square were the physical and social centre of Christchurch. For locals and tourists, Cathedral Square is not just a religious place, but also a centre of leisure and entertainment. But, for almost a decade after 2011, the site has been closed due to safety issues. Initially, Bishop Victoria Matthews decided the original Cathedral should be demolished and replaced with a new, contemporary design. But various groups opposed the intention of the church and, through negotiations, the Anglican Church finally decided in 2017 to reinstate the Cathedral using a combination of repair, restoration, reconstruction/rebuild and seismic strengthening. However, to restore the Cathedral to its original appearance using traditional technologies and materials is also a kind of damage to the history and memory of the Cathedral, because too much restoration work makes the line between the new and the old difficult to identify. And if the Cathedral is fully reconstructed or restored to its original form, will the history or the memory associated with the time of earthquake be ignored or reduced
Alternative practice lab methodologies for remote teaching
Get PDF1. Karakia (Opening)
2. Introduction
3. Purpose of experimental lab
4. Experimental lab floor design
5. Experimental lab form
6. Interpreting experimental data
7. Learning techniques and their application
8. General consideration
9. Other useful tools
10. Q&A
11. Karakia (closing
Diverse morphology : a study of Chancery Square
No full textThe design of the urban environment is a challenging and complex exercise. The way people experience and use public open spaces is a valuable source of information for planning our cities. Indeed, understanding how these urban spaces are used and perceived by their occupants can provide a platform for learning and testing their adequacy and success. Based on research conducted in downtown Auckland – at the Chancery Square project – this paper investigates the way urban compositions influence our perceptions of space, and the effects spatial elements have psychologically on their occupants. The paper identifies urban aspects that stimulate the use and perception of such open spaces; in particular, enclosure, the outdoor room, datum lines, here and there, compression, release, deflection of sightlines and occupied territor
Re-imagining the slum of Khlong Toei
No full textAn architectural research project explores how resilient water structures such as housing can provide long-term habitation for the slums threatened by flooding and rising sea levels. The test case for this project is Khlong Toei slum, Bangkok.
RESEARCH QUESTION
How can architecture support an alternative sustainable community development in response to flooding and related sanitation issues in the slums of Bangkok?
ABSTRACT
Urban flooding has been an unwarranted issue that the world is currently facing in different cities across the globe, such as Mumbai and Jakarta. Today, it is massively affecting how people occupy urban areas in the affected cities. Bangkok is a well-known vast metropolis in Southeast Asia, Thailand, experiencing annual monsoon floods, threatening the capital’s future existence. Research suggests that the city will be completely underwater within the next decade. Bangkok is the habitat of over 10 million people, meaning it will have to address and solve the severe annual flooding concerns soon before it gets worse, damaging the lives of the Thais.
The floods create penurious living environments for millions of urban citizens in Bangkok. However, it is not the upper or middle-class citizens that are mostly affected; it is the lower-class Thais, the people living at the bottom, those living in poverty and low-income communities. These people live near bodies of water, marshy fields, and low-lying regions that are infected with diseases and are unsafe and vulnerable to floods. In addition, the result of the annual floods in Bangkok desolates the mainland and potentially diminishes jobs, especially for the Thais in poverty, who are trying to make a living day by day and already earning little to no income.
Hence, through the analysis of low-income housing, flood resilient and Thai traditional architecture, Thai culture and traditions, and their powerful beliefs in animism and guardian spirits; Re-imagining the Slum of Khlong Toei aspires to redevelop and design a sustainable and vernacular community of houses and other essential amenities that are slum dwellerfocused and resilient to seasonal flooding in the slum of Khlong Toei, Bangkok.
NOTE: Cited supervisors vary.
On title page "David Chaplin, Magdalena Garbarczyk, and Lucia Melchiors".
On declaration form "Lucia Melchiors and Graeme McConchie". Links are for the latter
"There’s a problem with BMI”: An exploration of midwives’ perspectives on the provision of maternity care to women with an increased BMI during pregnancy and childbirth in NZ
No full textThe global burden of ‘maternal obesity’1 continues to receive worldwide attention, with the dominating focus being the identification and management of the perceived risks obesity poses to pregnancy. This focus, however, has neglected to seek solutions and perspectives from the individuals themselves and those others that may be best placed to understand the nuanced dynamics and realities. In Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ) over 95% of women2 choose a midwife as their Lead Maternity Carer (LMC) (Ministry of Health [MOH], 2020) yet research exploring midwives’ perspectives on the provision care to women with increased Body Mass Index (BMI) is limited.
The aim for this thesis was to explore ‘the perspectives of midwives in NZ regarding the provision of maternity care to women with an increased body mass index (BMI).’ The research question driving this study was “What are midwives’ perspectives on the provision of maternity care to women with an increased BMI in New Zealand?” To answer this question, this qualitative study utilised a feminist standpoint theoretical lens to explore the experiences of seventeen midwives who provide care to such women, in three separate geographical locations in NZ. Data was collected using focus groups and semi-structured interviews and Braun and Clark’s (2013) thematic analysis process was used to identify four themes.
Midwives within this study perceived that the use of BMI as a single measure of risk in maternity was flawed. They identified that hype exists around increased BMI which leads to over medicalisation and unnecessary and potentially harmful interventions taking place when women present with an increased BMI. Midwives are aware of and witness both discriminatory behaviour towards, and poor treatment of women with increased BMI within their midwifery work. Midwives desire change, yet often feel obstructed and powerless within the current maternity system which is dominated by these practices. The study themes presented are titled, a flawed approach, concern for women's experience, being stuck, and sticking together.
This study suggests that systemic and structural barriers to equitable care exist within the maternity system in NZ regarding the provision of care to women with increased BMI. Viewing this situation from a feminist standpoint perspective has enabled the articulation of a position that despite midwives feeling the system hampers their ability to advocate for women and protect normal birth, their expertise about how to most effectively work with obese women has the potential to transform women’s experience and improve maternity outcomes. Explicit pathways for women who are obese require strengthening within our current system to enable judgment-free informed choice regarding interventionist or non- interventionist care.
1 Maternal obesity is a term used often in literature to refer to women who are obese (≥ 30 kg/m2) in pregnancy. The author acknowledges that this term has the potential to cause offense and is not one that the author condones.
2 The words ‘women/woman/her/she/māmā are used throughout this thesis, yet the author would like to acknowledge trans/nonbinary individuals within our communities and within the maternity spac
Bazaar model: Engaging community identity
No full textRESEARCH QUESTION
Can the concept and architectural components of a traditional bazaar be used in Tāmaki Makaurau to reinforce its local community identity?
ABSTRACT
Individual identity plays a significant role in providing us with an understanding of the place we hold in this world. A community is created and represented by the actions of individuals that are influenced by their local context, which may include shared interests, experiences, and values. Traditional bazaars, as public spaces, are one of the greatest attainments of historical Islamic civilizations. The bazaar’s public spaces were regarded as a symbol of local community identity in their respective areas. The traditional bazaar is not only designed as a retail space, but is a public space serving as a microcosm in which economics of trade merged with aspects of social life. Ultimately, this had an impact of elevating the community by merging individual experiences and assisting the spread of shared values. Over time bazaars have successfully retained their true essence and are known as the ‘heart’ of the city.
Tāmaki Makaurau has always been a meeting place for different ethnicities, cultures and where people interact collectively. Today it retains its position as Aotearoa’s largest and most populous city and the nation’s economic engine. Tāmaki Makaurau has become a melting pot of culture with its dynamically buoyant cultural milieu, evident through its openness to outside influences and people, with different identities that call it home. This unique identity of Tāmaki Makaurau and its connection to its roots should be embraced and reinforced through architecture.
This project will explore ways to analyse a traditional bazaar model and break down key architectural concepts and components that make them successful public spaces that showcase the relationship between people, community, and their space. The goal is to adapt and develop these architectural components in an attempt to design a public space unique to a specific, chosen local context in Tāmaki Makaurau. The concepts and components of a traditional bazaar model will be researched and applied to create a complex, multi-purpose structure, providing a public space aiming to successfully embrace and reinforce the identity of the chosen local community.
Site: Opposite the upcoming Karangahape Train Station on Mercury Lane, between Cross Street & Canada Stree
Just my type: An exploration of documentary filmmaking for New Zealand typographic education
No full textRESEARCH QUESTION
How can an online multi-part documentary series on perspectives and approaches to typography be used as an educational resource to enhance the teaching and learning of the subject?
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this practice-led research is to examine conventional approaches to typographic education commonly employed in the New Zealand graphic design classroom and to investigate how the integration of multi-part documentary films into the teaching of typography can help to widen the discourses and perspectives related to New Zealand typographic design. Through this project, I draw upon my personal experiences as an undergraduate student of graphic design, and at present, an educator of the same field, to explore the democratisation potential of digital filmmaking and online distribution, specifically a dedicated online documentary series archive, and how it can enhance the graphic design student’s learning experiences in typographic studies. The expert subjects included in this research were deliberately selected to help illustrate as well as challenge the typographic canon commonly favoured in the delivery of a conventional New Zealand undergraduate visual communication curriculum, which stands as the motivation for this research project