The Jumano Indians of Texas have long been an enigma in Texas history and archeology. Many researchers from both disciplines have sought to connect the historic accounts with those of archeological assemblages, but have largely been unsuccessful. Part of the problem has been that the records tend to present problematic issues and very little information in the way of material culture. Another problem has been the tendency among archaeologists in the state to continue to lump site assemblages into larger analytical units, which in effect acts to homogenize any variability that would lend a better understanding of behavioral aspects. Recent efforts in the area of identity and social fields have opened new possibilities. Along these lines this report uses the ethnohistoric data on the Jumano to construct a frame of reference to define the Jumano identity and social field. Using the variability embedded in the Cielo Complex as a model, several sites within the Jumano range were identified for further investigation. / text

At archaeological sites around the world, architectural interventions utilizing distinctly modern materials and designs have provided solutions for protection from environmental impacts, control of visitors’ access to ruins and presentation of historic remains to the public. In various contexts, reliance on the modern has resulted in educational opportunities and emotional experiences for visitors that would not have been possible using traditional modes of reconstruction. The incorporation of in situ archaeological remains into a modern building often enhances the phenomenological potential of the ruins while sacrificing positivist presentations of them. Many European countries have seen different examples of creative applications of modern architecture for the presentation of excavated sites. My thesis focuses on several European prototypes of the modern architecture–archaeological remains hybrid type, surveying how contrast in materials and stylistic breaks between new and old enhance visitor’s experiences. The prevalence and promise of modern architectural design at archaeological sites calls for the clear identification of the emerging type in order to promote it as a bona fide option for meeting preservation challenges. The classification requires the intervention rely on distinctly modern materials and construction methods, offer a stark contrast between new and old fabric, enhance the archaeology and foster understanding of the remains. The prototype studies point to the following benefits of enveloping ruins in a modern structure: nontraditional materials often lead to less literal, more open-ended presentations that promote discovery, transparency and spanning potential provide a broad range of possibilities for protection and interpretation, a dialogue between past and present allows for creative expressions about temporal relationships, and the appearance of decay enhances the phenomenological impact of the site. / text

“Can the understanding of the patterns of urban development around a temple complex in India, using Christopher Alexander’s methodology, help better preserve these temple communities and their related temple architecture?” India, a country largely governed by a spiritual culture, draws sustenance and strength largely from religious buildings, thus leading to an emergence of many towns around these religious buildings and events associated with them. The temple acts as the nucleus and the body of life and township shoots from it with the cultural, religious and commercial needs acting as its driving force. Certain groups of people having similar experiential, ideological and sociological backgrounds tend to form a chorus in their pattern generation. The patterns refer to the patterns of relationship between the events that occur in the temple with the various spaces that they occur in. It also refers to the recurring relationships and influences of the temple on the temple town including both the urban development and community which shoot around the temple. The reverse recurring events also forms its own set of patterns. These patterns are seen both in the physical development of streets, shops etc around and in the intangible aspects of the culture, festivals and beliefs of people living in that town. Thus pattern language in this thesis refers to the life, culture and architecture generated by the recurring interactions and interdependencies of the temple communities as a whole. Thus this thesis concludes that the thorough understanding of these interdependencies and interconnections between the structure, its town and community helps preserve the temple architecture as well the town and its intangible culture more effectively. This approach to preservation makes the outcome more holistic and sustainable. This thesis, through its case studies of an existing successful temple town in Puri, India and an ongoing project of the Bindusagar lake, understands this interdependency and develops patterns to be applied in the context of a deteriorated temple village of Kapileswar. They are studied both as sacred places and urban growths where communities thrive. This thesis will focus its final chapters on the application of the studied patterns and its outcome in the form of a preservation model for the Kapileswar temple and temple village based in Orissa, India. However the model in its fundamental framework attempts to suggest that it can be applied on any other setting, location and architecture. This proposed model summarizes the above findings and tries to draw concepts for the preservation process of the Kapileswar temple village based on a pattern approach. The above case studies and their comparative analysis very clearly indicate the various similarities and dissimilarities between their respective settings and approaches. The proposed model for the holistic preservation model of the Kapileswar temple village draws its similarities from the culture, rituals, festivals, commercial endeavors, networks and location of the Puri Jagannatha Temple and the Bindusagar project and its differences from their management structure, devotee following, history, legends and economics. The model includes the proposed management structure and execution structure of the preservation process of the Kapileswar temple based on the above study that will help in the sustainable growth and maintenance of the temple village as a whole. The nucleus of this model is the temple. The model identifies the various elements that when incorporated in the co-operative society management structure and the space allocation diagram form the necessary patterns that ultimately make up for the pattern approach to preservation. The model also includes various charts and diagrams that prioritize and compartmentalize the many small and big items, events and spaces as a part of the above patterns. Hence the proposed model creates a flow of steps that will help preserve the Kapileswar temple and village based on a holistic pattern approach. / text

Music is an essential piece of the culture of south Louisiana. Three genres -- Cajun, Zydeco, and Swamp Pop -- grew up in this region. The genres developed as separate cultures, primarily Cajun and Creole, developed and blended before entering a period of cultural assimilation in the early twentieth century. The music, and the social dancing that accompanies it, took place at weekly gatherings in rural residences in the eighteenth century. Commercial dance halls began to appear in the state around 1900 and have evolved throughout the century. The evolution of dance halls and their use follows a cultural evolution from relative isolation to assimilation and eventually cultural awareness and promotion as tourism blossomed in the state. Despite their significant place in the region's history, dance halls are not yet recognized in any official capacity, including the National Register of Historic Places. The Center for Louisiana Studies is collecting information about the extant and demolished buildings to advocate for preservation of dance hall culture and extant buildings. I am contributing to this advocacy effort with a National Register of Historic Places Multiple-Property Documentation Form for extant historic dance halls. The form will discuss the historic contexts of Cajun, Zydeco, and Swamp Pop music and establish typical and variable characteristics, both physical and associative, for dance hall buildings. Registration requirements based on significance and integrity will establish criteria for eligibility of extant buildings for the National Register of Historic Places. / text

published_or_final_version / Urban Design / Master / Master of Urban Design

In the past decade, the government has been planning to further develop Lei Yue Mun into a more popular tourist spot. Works had been carried out to beautify the public areas such as erecting signage and re-paving the streets and open spaces. However, emphasis has been put mainly on the image of “Seafood Paradise”. In 2003, new plan was announced by the Tourism Commission for discussion by the public. This proposal involves construction of new public landing facility, observation deck, new street paving and lighting, etc. But it seems that these proposals do not take into account the potential heritage resources of the area. In fact, a substantial extent of the physical characters of this village can still be found even under such rapid urban development. It is partly due to the inaccessibility of the area and discontinuity with the larger urban core of Kowloon. In view of this, it is necessary to have a proper documentation of the historical development of Lei Yue Mun and to identify the values. Only through this historically grounded approach in introducing conservation principles and guidelines, that future development of the area can be made more successful in retaining its historical merits of the area. The dissertation will examine the identified heritage resources in Lei Yue Mun and explores the current challenges and opportunities. / published_or_final_version / Conservation / Master / Master of Science in Conservation

This dissertation shows the way in which movies, as a form of popular culture and contemporary medium, can be used as a tool for facilitating an alternatively impressionable approach in understanding social history in context, which can be complementary to the purely historical approach in conducting research in the field of heritage conservation. 6 representative post-war Hong Kong movies from the 1950’s to 2000’s are selected for discussion through textual analysis of key cinematic frames based on 5 specific criteria. The ‘cinematic reality’ of each is discussed against the ‘historical reality’ of the year of its release, so as to facilitate a contextual understanding of the social-economic, architectural-geographical and ideological-political conditions of Hong Kong for the past 5 decades. / published_or_final_version / Conservation / Master / Master of Science in Conservation

- The Conservation Plan for Ladder Street is prepared based on the research findings by going through the early history about the development of the streets in Hong Kong and particularly the driving forces about how the Ladder Street was developed. - Based on site survey to record about the significant value culturally and architecturally of the Ladder Street in this study. - Being part of the urban heritage of Hong Kong, the ever changing in nature of the street will be discussed. Taking the street’s basic function, statutory requirements and together with the significance values into consideration to develop a Conservation Guidelines for conservation and maintenance usage. - The importance of sustainability in conservation for the future generation will also be considered / published_or_final_version / Conservation / Master / Master of Science in Conservation

The urban renewal is the inevitable product during the urban development process. Chongqing has been carrying out a serious of reconstruction and urban revitalization during these years, and the SHI-BA-TI area is included in the process. SHI-BA-TI area is one of the most famous sight-spots of Chongqing which represents the traditional culture spirit of the city. So that the high-valuable culture features of the site should be reserved in the reconstruction project and expressed in new way with creative method. The concept of my design is reserving the “old core and skin” while adding in the “new core and skin”. This reconstruction design achieved the objective that reserving the historic and cultural core of the site while adding some urban public functions upon the site, which makes the site correspond to the land value of the city center and help with enhancing the status and image of the city center. / published_or_final_version / Architecture / Master / Master of Landscape Architecture

The key issue addressed by this dissertation is that a number of heritage buildings undergoing the adaptive reuse are having building components such as timber structure, timber staircase which cannot meet the current fire safety regulation. Given this, it is imperative to begin researching the reasons why the timber component in heritage buildings cannot comply with the current statutory fire resistance requirement and find out the methods in preserving the timber component. The dissertation will focus on timber floor which is a highly important component in meeting the fire safety requirement as it provides the compartment separation to inhabit the rapid spread of fire and smoke in a building and as the same time it is usually a character defining element having heritage value. The dissertation will try to find out the different methods of conserving the timber floor of the heritage building under adaptive reuse with examples. The different methods will be evaluated based on the fire performance, statutory acceptance and conservation principles and the appropriate method will be matched to the adaptive reuse heritage buildings in Hong Kong. / published_or_final_version / Conservation / Master / Master of Science in Conservation