551 research outputs found
Do the constants used in adaptive comfort algorithms reflect the observed responses of children in junior school classrooms?
No full textThis paper compares the values used for the Griffiths constant (G=0.5) and the running mean constant (?=0.8) in adaptive comfort algorithms with the values calculated from thermal comfort field surveys in two naturally ventilated junior schools in Southampton, UK. The surveys were conducted outside the heating season in 2011 and 2012 respectively, including both questionnaire surveys and environmental monitoring. A total of 2693 pupil responses were used for this analysis. The data was examined in two steps: first, each survey set; obtained over a 1-day visit to the school; was examined in order to derive the relationship between indoor temperature change and comfort vote with minimum impact of adaptation. Second, the dataset was investigated for the prolonged periods of the surveys, in relation to weather experienced by the pupils in order to estimate their time for adaptation to outdoor temperature changes. The paper gives an insight into the response of pupils to internal and external temperature changes, immediate and over prolonged periods, in comparison to adults
The role of a building’s thermal properties on pupils’ thermal comfort in junior school classrooms as determined in field studies
No full textRecent thermal comfort research in a light-weight junior school building showed that children were more sensitive to higher temperatures than adults and subsequently that current thermal comfort standards were not appropriate for the assessment of their thermal environment. This paper presents a comparison of these survey results to those from a survey conducted in a medium-weight school building, in order to evaluate the role of the construction type on the results. Both surveys followed the same methodology, including thermal comfort questionnaires and measurements of indoor environmental variables. A total of 2990 responses were gathered. The buildings had an average difference in air temperature of 2.7oC during occupied hours in the period of investigation (June and July 2012), with the medium-weight building being cooler than the light-weight building. However, the different construction type and the cooler overall thermal environment in the medium-weight school building had little impact on the pupils’ overall thermal sensitivity. The comparison showed a general agreement on the pupils’ warm thermal sensation trends, interpersonal variation and undeveloped adaptive behaviour. The results further support the finding that current thermal comfort criteria lead to an underestimation of pupils’ thermal sensation during summer
Lussazione bipolare della clavicola. Descrizione di un caso e revisione della letteratura
No full textPeople’s Republic of Bolzano or how digital artifacts can be adversarial to misinformation
No full textDesign scholars have been focusing more of their attention to public controversial “things”, through the focus on “making public things” or on the “formation of publics” in relation to design projects. With this in mind, this paper describes a design case contrasting and challenging the main media narrative through the production of digital artifacts. The design intervention we describe, aimed at counteracting the racist stereotyping which targets the local Chinese community of Bolzano. The project People’s Republic of Bolzano reshapes the identity of the local Chinese community through digital media, in order to restore more transparent and balanced information, allowing a broader audience to inform itself on such a complex and multifaceted issue. This small project is part of an emergent phenomenon to counterbalance misrepresentation, in this case over the issue of migration
Field study on thermal comfort in a UK primary school
No full textThis paper presents findings from a field survey in a naturally ventilated primary school building in Southampton, UK. The study included thermal comfort surveys and simultaneous measurements of indoor environmental variables. Approximately 230 pupils aged 7-11 in all 8 classrooms of the school were surveyed in repeated survey runs outside the heating season, from April to July 2011. In total 1314 responses were gathered. The survey involved questions on the thermal sensation and preference of the pupils. This paper investigates the children’s thermal sensation trends, their perception of overall comfort and tiredness. Furthermore, it compares the survey results to predictions achieved with current adult-based comfort standards, namely ISO 7730 and EN 15251. The results suggest that children have a different thermal perception than adults. Possible explanations are discussed in relation to the particularities and specific character of school environments
L'auto-rappresentanza del precariato e i media digitali: un contributo metodologico dal caso della rete dei redattori precari
No full text
Ai confini dei libri, tra passione e lavoro : mettersi in rete per resistere alla precarietà
No full textLavorare nelle industrie culturali e creative spesso significa essere coinvolti nelle contraddizioni alla base del free work, che si configura come una significativa caratteristica del lavoro contemporaneo. In questo articolo sono presentati i principali risultati di una ricerca svolta nel mondo dell’editoria. A partire da un approccio qualitativo, che ha combinato metodi tradizionali e digitali della ricerca sociale, è stata analizzata una rete auto-organizzata di lavoratori e lavoratrici della conoscenza, la Rete dei Redattori Precari. Sono state in particolare considerate tre dinamiche che sottendono l’esperienza lavorativa dei soggetto coinvolti nella Rete: l’istituzionalizzazione dello stage come punto di ingresso al lavoro, l’uso di un doppio registro formale-informale per gestire sia il lavoro che le relazioni personali, e i diversi modi in cui in questo settore le passioni sono messe a valore. Viene infine presentato un evento di protesta organizzato dalla Rete, in cui il surplus di creatività è stato trasformato in conflitto sociale. Nel caso empirico, si mostra come l’utilizzo delle tecnologie digitali è uno dei modi attraverso cui la resistenza alla precarietà può essere collettivamente costruita
Aspirations of retailers and visitors towards the regeneration of declining streets in cities
No full text1. IntroductionCities have been described as transaction machines enabling human interaction (Stonor, 2011) with city centre retail spaces an integral part of the socio-economic fabric, acting as a centre of creativity allowing local communities to pass, relate and transact (Granger, 2010; Griffiths, 2015). Research has proven that city centre viability is essential to the sustainability of cities (Ozuduru et al., 2014), and retails’ economic and cultural role within a city requires study at multiple scales, from various theoretical viewpoints (Wrigley and Lowe, 2002).The aim of this study is to examine how businesses and visitors perceive secondary retail areas and actual and potential interventions, beginning to understand how stakeholders compare and contrast and what impacts their perceptions have upon their behaviour. The paper adds to the ongoing literature on the regeneration of the UK retail environment by providing insights into the complexity and diversity of secondary retail and how this affects implementing sustainable regeneration.Secondary retail locations have been defined as either; town centre fringe retail streets on the periphery of major town centres, urban district centres within large towns/cities or local centres which are the retail streets of small towns and villages (Hillier Parker, 2000; Tym, 2000). It is necessary to distinguish between these types of secondary shopping areas as they each have distinct issues that merit independent investigation (Tym, 2000). This research is specifically looking at peripheral streets in town centres where the hierarchical terms ‘primary retail areas’ and ‘secondary retail areas’ are used to distinguish between types of retailers present, pedestrian flows, size of retail units and rental values (Baldock et al., 2004). Primary retail areas are characterised by having a high representation of national retailers, larger units and high pedestrian flow and rental values. Secondary retail areas differ in that they are defined as having relatively small retail units and are predominantly occupied by independent retailers with low pedestrian flow and rental values. This definition concurs with definitions used in planning documentation which further state that secondary retail areas are within walking distance of primary retail areasTurner, P, et al. 2018. Aspirations of Retailers and Visitors Towards the Regeneration of Declining Streets in Cities. Future Cities and Environment, 4(1): 14, 1–12, DOI: https://doi.org/10.5334/fce.45* Energy and Climate Change Division, Sustainable Energy Research Group (www.energy.soton.ac.uk), Faculty of Engineering and the Environment, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK† Division of Building Services, Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Göteborg, SECorresponding author: Philp Turner ([email protected])CASE STUDIESAspirations of Retailers and Visitors Towards the Regeneration of Declining Streets in CitiesPhilip Turner*, AbuBakr Bahaj* and Despoina Teli†City Centre retail spaces are integral to the sustainability of cities, and within this hierarchy secondary shopping streets, which act as hubs for local communities and businesses, have become isolated. There is now a recognised need for academic studies to reverse these trends in these areas, especially in a UK context. This work analysed and compared stakeholders’ perceptions of urban interventions in a declining secondary retail area in Southampton. The investigation was based on interviews and surveys of stakeholders, as well as observational studies enhanced through analysis of secondary data.This paper presents the outcomes of such investigations addressing the perceptions and behaviours of retailers and visitors, focusing on where these are aligned or divided. The overall results reveal that retailers are more concerned with ‘static’ improvements, such as parking provisions or building façade improvements, while visitors are concerned with active and spatial improvements, with street level interventions being the most important. The results also show that (a) whilst retailers may believe that they understand what visitors require; they differ greatly and (b) many aspirations of retailers are costly or dependant on other businesses’ intentions. Visitor’s desires: include the reuse of vacant stores and creation of public space, which are far more viable, and can be enacted by governance. Such options should be trialled as a means to educate and improve understanding of less traditional interventions. The paper also provides input on ways to make these failing areas more sustainable through a shared vision and wide applicability
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