Thesis (M. L. A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2007. / Title proper from title frame. Includes special report study entitled: From components of temporary structures to integration of vegetation. Also available in printed format.

Thesis (M. L. A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2009. / Includes special report study entitled: Visual changes and perception as moving in urban fabrics. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in print.

Throughout the world increasing use is being made of native plants in urban landscapes, both to preserve regional visual character, conserve native biodiversity and to reduce energy inputs in the urban landscape. In Saudi Arabia most designed urban landscapes employ non indigenous plants. This use of exotic plants is problematic as these species require considerably more water and maintenance, This study establishes a basic understanding of the use of twenty Saudi indigenous plants for semi-nature landscape. We have identified the suitable methods for breaking dormancy and the germinating of these species. We have also selected the most appropriate time for germination by defining the optimal germination temperature of each species. In general most of these species were found to have adaptation to cope with water stress and salinity. For most of these species the maximum germination percentage was at the temperatures between 20 T and 30 T. Competition is one of the most important factors which controls the success of a sown community. Therefore we have investigated the establishment of species in mixture under simulated Saudi conditions using microcosm competition experiments within communities of native species. The results show that in the survival of sown species soil moisture stress was the major factor determining survival. Greater competition for moisture was demonstrated in the weedy treatment. It is clear that weeds would be a problem in practice in the field in dry climate. In terms of the growth of these species, at high water stress; weeds are less competitive than under low water stress. Therefore on very weedy sites irrigation would not be valuable in practice. Cutting may be helpful for the establishment of these species within a community in weedy sites. Overall, the results of these studies demonstrate that these twenty Saudi indigenous species could be used in landscape within the target species method where plants are grown individually or in-groups of one or two species. Also they can be used within the target community method for creating communities in practice in semi-natural landscape projects in Saudi Arabia.

Thesis (M.L.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2005. / Includes special report study entitled.

<p>This study investigates the links between urban form and process as evidenced by buildings. Specifically, the objectives of the study are to describe, explain and interpret the post-WWII evolution of the Durand neighbourhood, an inner city residential area in Hamilton, Ontario. The focus in these objectives is placed on viewing buildings as markers or symbols of the forms and processes which characterize the inner city. Using a variety of primary and secondary sources of information, the postwar evolution of Durand is reconstructed featuring ‘place/space vignettes’ which illustrate the significance of buildings on urban landscape. The findings suggest that buildings, in addition to being the products of broad societal forces, can also be viewed as spatial manifestations of actions by individuals and groups acting as knowledgeable agents. In Durand, the ideologies and aspirations of the residents and other key participants are evidenced by the fates of individual buildings. Taken in their totality, the buildings which compromise this urban landscape are both products and symbols of a variety of forces which shape our cities. This study demonstrates that a closer inspection of the urban landscape’s constituent elements, e.g., buildings, can enhance our understanding of the city. It is argued that such a ‘closer inspection’ is possible through an interpretive approach to the study of urban landscape. And while such an approach contains its own inherent limitations, it does provide insights into the urban landscape which otherwise might remain inaccessible.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Thesis (M. L. A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2009. / Includes special report study entitled: Lighting and nocturnal landscape. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in print.

Thesis (M. L. A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2009. / Includes special report study entitled: Treatments of the tidal edge for appreciation. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in print.

Thesis (M.L.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2005. / Includes special report study entitled: Moving water in urban city: a study on the contemporary fountains design.

Thesis (M.L.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2005. / Includes special report study entitled: Urban climate improvement through soft landscape.

No other city in Europe has seen as much urban landscape changes as Berlin, Germany. How can a contemporary urban design approach along the former site of the city’s division help stitch together the physical as well as cultural disconnects and introduce a new public space in the city? The relationship between the built landscape and the social world is dialectical, with each perpetually and cyclically shaping the other. There is a direct language spoken between the architecture of a city and the inhabitants using the space. This relationship is dynamic and stands at the center of my endeavor. When studying the urban grid of a city a production of processes is found – both social and physical – creating a navigable network. “The immediate questions raised for an urban observer by its configuration are related to the communicational capacity and power of these shapes and their legibility” as they relate to the architectural quality of urban space.1 Interruption in the grid of a city can occur from a multitude of reasons: physical terrain conditions, a modernizing intervention such as a highway, urban planning programs (such as a Haussmann boulevard in Paris), or even a political play of forces that can divide a city with physical boundaries. Perhaps the most notable specimen created from political transformations was the Berlin Wall, existing from 1961 to 1989. This physical structure interrupted the building culture and social life of Berlin to an extraordinary extent and changed the urban grid of this city forever. Berlin was seeing a separation in the political positions during this time and soon their ideologies were superimposed onto the citizens. While people attempted to carry on with life as usual the cultural movements also began to divide between the East and West. While there were no physical barriers until 1961, the political ones had begun and were only strengthened by the actual separation of these two “cities”. In Berlin there are three primary phases of this evolving relationship between the urban grid and society: the historical growth of urbanism until 1961, physical division of the city into East and West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, and the forward motion of current design as these two worlds has physically become one again. In a general manner the aim of my urban design solution will be generated by evaluating the historical building culture of Berlin and critically applying a social theory in design to an urban architectural intervention. Key components of the project will focus around urban housing demands and cultural institutions that need a home in the city. I plan to organize public spaces in this contemporary society. Berlin has been chosen as the site for my master’s design study because it has a rapidly changing building development, a collision of nationalities, and a diverse artistic culture. / text