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Modelling with hydrogen : a holistic challenge
No full textModelling methodology
General/partial equilibrium nexus
Critical drivers for hydrogen technologies
Identifying key variables
Interactions of variables
Robust utilities and elasticities
Transparency/portability
Regional/sector differences
Results with impact
Selection of relevant literatur
The merging city : creating a socially connected urban development
No full textRESEARCH QUESTION:
How can social interactions be improved by integrating medium density housing, a commercial area and transport infrastructure in developing urban areas?
Urbanisation is on the rise, and the least urbanised regions such as Asia have the fastest urban growth. Together China, India and Nigeria are expected to account for 37 percent of the 2.5 billion increase in urban population between 2014 and 2050. With an increase in both higher density development and land transport, social interactions in urban areas are often overlooked. Social isolation is a global issue. It is a core factor in mental and physical health problems, and economic disadvantage. From an architectural perspective, this specific urbanisation problem is due to past approaches to urban residential housing and infrastructure.
Therefore the question arises, how can social interactions be improved by integrating medium density housing, a commercial area and transport infrastructure in developing urban areas?
Therefore the question arises, how can social interactions be improved by integrating medium density housing, a commercial area and transport infrastructure in developing urban areas? Research shows that the street level is a major focus of communication and social interaction. In architecture, ideas have emerged, such as territorial differentiation and the living street. At the same time, transport and urban design research shows overall that there is common ground in the desire to reduce vehicles and increase public transport and walkability. In response, ideas such as new urbanism, transit orientated development and smart growth have emerged.
The purpose of this study is:
to explore the integration of these ideas to improve social interaction;
to retain existing social spaces and develop those areas further;
and to provide different levels of interaction ranging from the public environment to the more enclosed environments, such as the dwelling itself and the spaces in-between these areas. I will explore this problem with a case study located in India.
In India, urbanisation can be seen through the increasing number of people moving from villages to developing urban areas consisting of developments that are gated and isolated from their environment such as apartments and single residential dwellings. Through urban analysis of Patiala, Punjab and literature and precedent analysis, the study will investigate how the integration of medium density housing and land transport infrastructure can improve social interactions. The addition of modelling and approach through design will result in providing a unique perspective in resolving the question
Hydrogen and New Zealand’s heavy vehicle fleet
Get PDFINTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES
What’s driving zero emission fuels – greenhouse gas emissions
Countries banning fossil fuels
Current hydrogen market
Automotive executives perspectives of hydrogen
Benefits of hydrogen
H2Light vehicles and refuelling stations
Buses
Trucks
Nikola Two – fuel cell truck
Forklifts, trains and ferries
Emerging technologies - Catenary Diesel Hybrid Truck
HYDROGEN PRODUCTION, INFRASTRUCTURE AND COSTS
How is zero emission hydrogen produced
What is a hydrogen fuel cell
Production cost of hydrogen from water
H2 refuelling station capital costs
Learning curves for station costs
Near future heavy vehicle cost of ownership
Fuels comparison with diesel
FUTURE IMPLICATIONS
Evolution of vehicle fleets and fuel demand
Electricity requirement to replace diesel with hydrogen in the heavy fleet
Drivers and brakes for uptake of hydrogen fue
Pictogram use during chest pain nurse specialist consultations in regional New Zealand: Patient experiences and clinical outcomes
Get PDFHeart disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in New Zealand. Ischemic heart disease is the single biggest killer of New Zealanders’ and the highest-ranked cause of premature death. The Heart Foundation reminds us “every 90 minutes a New Zealander dies from heart disease.”
Maori have an increased risk of early heart disease and can develop disease ten years earlier than non-Maori. Within the existing health system, there are inequalities in disease rates and outcomes. The burden being geographically and economically significant in Hauora Tairawhiti, New Zealand.
Extended nursing roles in New Zealand are currently in place to support Chest Pain Clinics. One of the purposes of this clinic is to review symptoms and determine whether further investigations for detecting medically important coronary artery disease are required. Chest pain is subjective and is the patient’s perception. Obtaining pain history can be difficult when verbal articulation is limited. This study’s concern is that if the nature and characteristics of pain are not accurately conveyed, investigations and treatment may be delayed.
This study aimed to determine whether the use of a pictogram tool assists patients, regardless of health literacy competence, to accurately recall and describe their chest pain experience during the nurse-led consultation. Patients’ experiences using the pictogram tool during their Rapid Access Chest Pain Clinic consult were obtained by audio recorded interviews that were subsequently analysed for emergent themes. To determine whether the information gained from the pictogram-facilitated consults directed the patient into the correct treatment pathway line of care a retrospective audit of clinical outcomes occurred between two separate years one with and one without pictogram use.
Ten participants were interviewed, ethnicity included (five Maori and five non-Maori). Five key themes emerged from the qualitative responses of the pictogram consultations. These key themes identified what counts as effective communication. The data suggests that the participant's engagement with the pictogram was ‘easy’ and facilitated communication, and was a responsive approach across cultures in keeping with the Treaty of Waitangi principles.
Quantitative results showed an increase in the proportion of Rapid Access Chest Pain Clinic attendees being referred for functional investigations for cardiac sounding ischemia in the cohort of patients who had consultations facilitated by the pictogram compared to those who had not. This increase was observed within Maori only. There was no increase in the proportion of negative follow-up tests or revascularisation rates between the two years indicating that the accuracy of assessment and referral remained consistent across the years. Collectively, these results support the notion that the introduction of the pictogram along with other strategies to reduce communication barriers facilitated, particularly those associated with culture. In conclusion, the results presented in this thesis support the use of the pictogram tool for chest pain symptom communication
Mat-courtyard housing in Auckland : an alternative typology for intensification developments
Get PDFRESEARCH QUESTION:
Following the ‘compact’ intensification model for Auckland’s growth, how can we use the courtyard house model to provide quality urban housing in future intensification developments?
ABSTRACT:
The courtyard house stands as one of the oldest house-types that transcended historical, cultural and regional boundaries. It has been able to accommodate and endure various transformation processes without losing its essential core qualities. Besides its history as a vernacular house model, it has also attracted modern architects of the twentieth century to revisit this archetype and rediscover its potentials in urban housing. These experiments were in an attempt to satisfy contemporary socio-cultural needs and to address specific housing issues wherever the courtyard house provided a solution.
In Auckland, the city faced the problems of urban sprawl and horizontal growth by implementing intensification strategies for new developments. Increasing density can bring many social, economic, environmental benefits. Nevertheless, it will always come with liabilities, as poorly planned intensifications will bring drastic effects to the living conditions for the residents on many levels. Hence, it becomes more critical for housing intensifications to retain the inherent qualities of the low-density detached models while maintaining the approach to higher densities.
The courtyard house shows the capacity to manage these twin pressures effectively, as it has a collection of qualities that combine advantages of the detached house with the characteristics of urban housing models. Furthermore, it can adapt to different climate regions and various contextual conditions. However, it is still not included as an alternative option for medium density developments in Auckland. Thus, this project researches how courtyard house-types can adapt to Auckland’s case and provide quality housing intensification.
The project aims to present courtyard house-type as a viable housing typology for future intensifications in Auckland. It also intends to identify the possible urban densities resulting from using this model on a real site in Auckland’s city. That is proposed in the form of a series of research methods, which involved literature surveying for definitions and design strategies, analysis of precedent projects, followed by the design research. The final part designs a prototype of the courtyard house model, and a masterplan guided by strategies, and relevant urban design concepts to achieve an intensification development that incorporates quality amenity values
A life between us : exploring embodied and relational aspects of a post-heroic approach to leading and following through dance
No full textRESEARCH QUESTION:
How can dance contribute to a better understanding of the embodied and relational aspects of a post-heroic approach to leading and following?
ABSTRACT:
Society’s investment in the leader-as-hero myth is significant. From this perspective hero-leaders, usually male, are adored as powerful, objectified, disembodied and rational individuals. This approach can lead to the lionization of leadership, where leadership is seen as an exclusive and perhaps elusive domain reserved for those blessed with natural gifts from birth or for a chosen few groomed to follow predetermined guidelines for leadership success.
This research is informed by an alternative approach to the mainstream hero-leader paradigm. Its aim is to shift the focus away from understanding leadership as a phenomenon centred around the powerful individual leader exhibiting particular traits and behaviours, to an understanding of leadership as an embodied and relational process of leading and following, where new practices and insights are created in interaction.
Drawing on the synergies I identify between dance and a post-heroic approach to leading and following, my analysis identifies a leadership continuum. Here, the embodied and relational process of leading and following, as experienced within the three partner dances of Tango, Piloting and TACTICS, is conceptualised as a fluid process that can fluctuate between two approaches, where heroic-leadership is at the one end of the spectrum and post-heroic approaches are at the other end.
This study thus demonstrates that dance can enrich our understanding of a postheroic approach to leadership,where the focus is on the embodied experiences of an individual in relation to others and the process of leading and following is coconstructed, collaborative and shared, consequently contributing to the growing scholarly research that seeks to consider an alternative approach to the mainstream hero-leader perspectives
Adaptive reuse and repurposing of industrial buildings to residential dwellings in Auckland City
No full textAuckland is currently facing a housing crisis in which demand for living space has exceeded what is being provided. The ad hoc demolition of older buildings, driven by proactive property developers in hope of meeting the ever-increasing housing demand, often does not take into consideration the economic, environmental and social benefits that existing buildings can offer. Auckland City has at its disposal existing building stock that is often underutilised, with building owners usually opting for demolition as opposed to adaptation, due to a stigma attached that it is both a complicated and costly process. The study utilises a case study approach that focuses on a conversion project, the Ford Factory Lofts, situated in Parnell, one of Auckland’ s CBD fringe areas. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were carried out with the property developer, architect, structural engineer, planner and marketing manager. Fieldwork and documentary research complemented the interviews with the aim to understand the potential that adaptive reuse has in the context of Auckland City. The findings indicate that for a developer to consider adaptive reuse as a viable alternative to demolition, a clear set of financial incentives must be identified. Although the undertaking was not attractive in terms of cost and risk related to buildability, marketability and the potential for return on investment played an important role and ultimately validated the process, allowing the developer to capitalise on the building’s character. Other drivers, associated with sustainable building practices, were not considered and were instead a bi-product of the adaptive reuse process
Policy document analysis : a practical educational leadership tool and a qualitative research method
Get PDFThis paper presents policy document analysis as practical tool that can be put to valuable use by educational leaders and can also be adopted as a research method. Educational leaders are at the forefront of policy interpretation and consequently need knowledge and skills that enable them to analyse policy as part of their work in developing, implementing and reviewing organisational policy. They need to be able to look behind the policy to know what forces brought it into being; to tap into policy history to know how it was constructed; and most importantly, evaluate the way it is working to achieve its stated purposes. The analysis of policy documents is also an established and appealing qualitative research method, especially for students engaged in postgraduate research associated with educational leadership and policy studies because policy documents offer background insights into understanding educational problems in both research and practice. In this paper advantages and disadvantages associated with using documentary analysis as a qualitative research method are outlined and practical document analysis tools and approaches are presented
Translating the transcendent : drawing on Hindu spiritual traditions in the making of a therapeutic healing place
No full textRESEARCH QUESTION:
How can the conceptions of Hindu spirituality be applied in the formation of holistic architectural spaces?
ABSTRACT:
Mental health is a serious issue among university students. Recent studies provide evidence that students are the highest group to experience some form of psychological distress due to the inability of balancing school, work, and life leading to implications of mental illness. Environmental factors also contribute to the increase of mental health problems.
Spiritualism in India can be defined by the healing of the mind and body through the engagement of traditional practices. Hinduism is recognised as a way of life and is centred around the notion of attaining mental happiness that is done through certain constituents. The project has adopted these practices with the association of architectural constituents to provide spaces that assist students with coping methods on mental illness.
The incorporation of traditions and practices commonly used in Hinduism such as meditation, yoga, and mandalas will provide a deeper understanding of spirituality and how it is used in healing. Architectural elements such as light, materiality, threshold, boundary, and water are methods commonly used in spiritual spaces in India that support our inner and outer senses to create a therapeutic experience.
The project explores these practices through a series of spaces contributing to mental health. Located in the proximity of universities, the spaces tend to the active and passive needs to provide students with a spatial experience through architectural elements. The organisation of spaces rely heavily on the integration of the Vastu Purusha mandala. Experimentation of the illumination in a space, the application of water, the use of materiality, and threshold were incorporated into the architectural spaces to act as a sense of therapy through experience. The intent is to illustrate the concepts of Hindu spirituality and its application to architectural spaces, that positively impact students to help relieve stress
Potential markets for snacks : a role for New Zealand snack products
No full textBACKGROUND:
Worldwide there is an increase in the consumption of snack foods and this is a key business driver for the food industry. Snacking impacts on the overall quality of dietary patterns, nutrition and health. In particular, unhealthy snacking is implicated in increasing body weight status and obesity. Consumers’ snacking habits have shifted from simply enjoyable towards natural and nutritious for a healthier lifestyle. What is the solution? How to balance?
METHODS:
In this context, literature on consumer perceptions and health impacts of snacking was explored. Further, information on the latest innovations in snacking, the features of new product launches, and global food and drink consumption trends were sourced from Mintel’s reports.
RESULTS:
In response to the growing demand of wellness-minded consumers, the food industry has dramatically changed products including sustainable sources of wholesome ingredients to the ways products are packaged, branded and marketed. ‘Power to the plants’ has become a global food and drink trend. A steady increase between 2016 and 2017 was recorded in the use of food-related claims e.g., ‘natural product and ingredients’ (29%) and ‘ethical and environmental’ (22%) on global food and drink product launches.
CONCLUSION:
While the potential for new snack products remains high, snack products need new concepts, new ingredients and new messages to stand out. New Zealand has developed an international reputation in food safety and quality related to the natural environment. Snack food development using local ingredients such as oats, flaxseed, fruit and honey would add value for domestic consumers and export markets. While the health star ratings (a scale of 0.5–5) on packaged food help consumers to make healthier choices, there is a need for equal consideration of consumer wants versus needs while developing healthier snacks with verifiable health-related claims, so such an approach could be translated into changes in the food supply to support healthier eating habits