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It would seem that it is in times of change and transition, when identities are being re-assessed or rewritten, that society looks to the past for guidance hoping to gain knowledge of how to “go on in the world”; it is a search for some meaningful, useable past that can be used as a springing point for present and future development. This dissertation forms a component of a similar search. It asks what the value of the past and cultural memory, a group phenomenon, is to present and future societies. Most importantly it investigates how architecture engages with cultural memory, asks what the nature of the engagement is and what the advantages of such an engagement are to people. The investigation tackles the issue of architecture as a form of non-verbal communication and investigates how that communication is carried out and in particular the modes it assumes when communicating cultural memory – it asks where cultural memory is located in architecture. The aim of this research is to formulate methods or professional attitudes which could obviate the role architecture could continue to play in the evolution of society. / Thesis (M.Arch.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2011.

Thesis (M.Arch. (Professional))--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, 2016. / Indigenous medicine has existed in society for centuries. It is one of the few age old practices that has remained an innate part of our sociocultural environment. African indigenous healing is an important component of African culture and is significant in ensuring both well-being and health of the people. The World Health Organization statistics shows that at least 70% -80% of the population have used indigenous medicine in South Africa. Indigenous medicine often carries stigmas and negative perceptions. Countless misconceptions and misunderstandings are experienced by indigenous medicine and indigenous medicinal practitioners that have contributed to their isolation. The intention of this thesis is to explore the coexistence of different medical and health systems through a place of dialogue and education. The study focuses on creating an interface between conventional and local indigenous health systems. Through spaces of collaboration, well-being and knowledge, a connection can be established between the two systems which could essentially promote an interaction and understanding. Through an exploration of the primary theme of “the self and the other” and a secondary theme of holistic well-being. An intricate theoretical framework can be established within the thesis that contributes to both the design development and practicality of the proposal. By further studying literature that pertains to the themes and by interviewing people within both fields will allow for the profound understanding of both forms of medicine. The role of architecture as a social instigator for the de-stigmatization of indigenous medicine and holistic well-being will also be explored, with reference to perception as an awareness tool. The architectural response to the thesis is a collaborative facility at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital that will look at cooperation, education and research with indigenous practitioners, doctors and the public. The will create an opportunity to link the two medicinal systems together and encourage interaction and understanding between the two. It will further place importance on indigenous systems and knowledge that could potentially be used to treat patients universally. Indigenous medicine practitioners will also be housed within the facility to offer an alternative to the conventional system. Thus ideally creating a place where there is dialogue, transformation and appreciation for indigenous knowledge systems. / EM2017

This thesis is intended to disrupt society's social cruise control. The goal is to make people stop and think, even if only for a brief moment, about the social conventions that guide and control their daily lives. People become disconnected from one another and their environments through repetition, apathy, and a general obliviousness toward shared moments. Making people more attuned to these moments - essentially creating an opportunity to take a brief pause - as a step toward reconnection. Social conventions are unique in that they can exist without the consent of the involved parties; the existence of the convention is enough to demand conformity. While it is possible to find graphic design projects that offer some degree of interactivity to draw people into a relationship with a space, projects that encourage social relationships through acknowledgment between people are rare. This thesis will explore ways in which design acts as a catalyst for disruption, while also encouraging interaction and dialogue. / by Adriana Joyce de Alejo. / Thesis (M.F.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2011. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2011. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

The aim of this document is to explore the potential culture and tradition has in restoring and preserving local cultural identity through built environment. The need to create local cultural identity to built environments and to ensure that these are expressed in a progressive and dynamic way in order to expresses culture as a dynamic evolving organ, not a as static dogma ensuring versatility and significance to all generations. Most built environments do not consider the importance of culture and tradition hence such ignorance has resulted in the formation of spaces that lacks the identity of the society. The research will explore how culture, tradition and built environments may be integrated to create a meaningful environment in order to achieve environments that are an epitome and responds to the people’s needs. / Thesis (M.Arch.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2010.

In the field of architecture the socio-cultural factors have been deterministic in the formation of place, conditions within them and consequently, social relations. Sociologists, anthropologists and environmentalist have advocated that buildings are essentially social and cultural products - King (1980), Rapoport (1969; 1976; 1977) and Bartuska & Young (1994). Architecture that addresses the human socio-cultural factors has been advocated to make a significant contribution to human life; it fosters a sense of belonging, well being and involvement. South Africa has endured years of colonisation and apartheid ruling, this has also reflected on its built environment. It was planned and designed to communicate and reinforce the dominance of the ruling regime which thus transformed the local populace by incorporating them into their political, economic and social value systems. The political shift of 1994 has however (from apartheid to a democratic ruling state) facilitated a renewed interest in acknowledging peoples differences, their unique characteristics and celebrating the diverse nature of a heterogeneous society. The democratisation of South Africa has brought about a major shift in the social and cultural context of the society which in turn has affected the built environment and architecture. It is in this context that this study explores the nature of the transformation, its ideals and principles so to inform the making of environments that help uplift the populace and to integrate our multicultural society while simultaneously celebrating, facilitating and accommodating the diverse cultures of the groups within it. Thus as professionals involved in the design of the built environment, there is an urgent need to identify and understand the socio-culture of society due to the political shift in South Africa in order to orientate in the right direction towards playing a role in the democritisation of South Africa. Hence the topic: The role of architecture in the democritisation of South Africa. / Thesis (M.Arch.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2010.

Space perceived and experienced through movement presents an interesting array of imagery which blends together to form a comprehensive whole. My thesis explores this dimension of spatial complexity through the public ritual of pilgrimage. This profound and deeply significant human activity connects the individual places to form an integrated sacred network. The practice of pilgrimage has developed over centuries across the globe and continues to grow and influence a huge cross section of society to come together and move en-masse towards religious centres and personal enlightenment. Public spaces demand a simultaneous co-existence of people, activities and their setting. The phenomenon of pilgrimage is central to the public realm. Its study involves an intricate layering of beliefs, customs, traditions and religion which collectively govern the people-space relationship. The transformation of a space to a place, from static to dynamic, from passive to active occurs during this activity, maintaining the traditional usage while simultaneously evolving as a product of interaction between people, rituals and spaces. In this thesis, I examine the experiential shaping of space which occurs through pilgrims' activities and their impacts on the given urban and architectural conditions. The research is based on my study of the Alandi-Pandharpur Pilgrimage in India. It is an outcome of my participation in the ritual as, both, an architect and a pilgrim. I focus on the existing public spaces and their spontaneous response to the unplanned activity of the Pilgrimage. The spatial experience transcends the criteria of aesthetics and functionality of a public space to a deeper exploration of human characteristics and convictions. From this perspective, the thesis considers the broader role of designed public spaces, the extent of inclusion of community rituals and their significance in the shaping of built environment.

Through a theoretical and practical examination of how space is socially constructed and perceived, this study hypothesizes that the monolithically negative portrayal in the media and academic literature of the Indian residential school experience does not adequately reflect the full range of the experiences of all children at such institutions. A typology of spaces is constructed which establishes that concepts of gender, race and age impact the ways that institutions and institutional spaces are organized and perceived. This typology is applied to the Coqualeetza Residential School and the Coqualeetza Indian Tuberculosis Hospital in Sardis, BC for the period 1935 - 1950. Interviews were conducted with former Coqualeetza residents. Their comments, along with extant accounts of residential school experiences were examined within the context of this typology. The results reveal that, at Coqualeezta and at other residential schools, social constructions and personal perceptions of spaces affect and reflect peoples' experiences in profound ways. Examining such perceptions has revealed that residents' experiences and memories are heterogeneous, diverse and very personal.

Space perceived and experienced through movement presents an interesting array of imagery which blends together to form a comprehensive whole. My thesis explores this dimension of spatial complexity through the public ritual of pilgrimage. This profound and deeply significant human activity connects the individual places to form an integrated sacred network. The practice of pilgrimage has developed over centuries across the globe and continues to grow and influence a huge cross section of society to come together and move en-masse towards religious centres and personal enlightenment. Public spaces demand a simultaneous co-existence of people, activities and their setting. The phenomenon of pilgrimage is central to the public realm. Its study involves an intricate layering of beliefs, customs, traditions and religion which collectively govern the people-space relationship. The transformation of a space to a place, from static to dynamic, from passive to active occurs during this activity, maintaining the traditional usage while simultaneously evolving as a product of interaction between people, rituals and spaces. In this thesis, I examine the experiential shaping of space which occurs through pilgrims' activities and their impacts on the given urban and architectural conditions. The research is based on my study of the Alandi-Pandharpur Pilgrimage in India. It is an outcome of my participation in the ritual as, both, an architect and a pilgrim. I focus on the existing public spaces and their spontaneous response to the unplanned activity of the Pilgrimage. The spatial experience transcends the criteria of aesthetics and functionality of a public space to a deeper exploration of human characteristics and convictions. From this perspective, the thesis considers the broader role of designed public spaces, the extent of inclusion of community rituals and their significance in the shaping of built environment.

Through a theoretical and practical examination of how space is socially constructed and perceived, this study hypothesizes that the monolithically negative portrayal in the media and academic literature of the Indian residential school experience does not adequately reflect the full range of the experiences of all children at such institutions. A typology of spaces is constructed which establishes that concepts of gender, race and age impact the ways that institutions and institutional spaces are organized and perceived. This typology is applied to the Coqualeetza Residential School and the Coqualeetza Indian Tuberculosis Hospital in Sardis, BC for the period 1935 - 1950. Interviews were conducted with former Coqualeetza residents. Their comments, along with extant accounts of residential school experiences were examined within the context of this typology. The results reveal that, at Coqualeezta and at other residential schools, social constructions and personal perceptions of spaces affect and reflect peoples' experiences in profound ways. Examining such perceptions has revealed that residents' experiences and memories are heterogeneous, diverse and very personal. / Arts, Faculty of / History, Department of / Graduate