A research report submitted to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Architecture (Prof), 2016 / ‘Africa United in Cultural Diversity’ is what is written in bold on a musical event poster outside Home Affairs, during the 2015 xenophobic riots in Johannesburg. In smaller writing it says ‘Opening the doors of learning and culture from Cape to Cairo ’.This thesis is an exploration of how music can act as a universal medium of engagement in an urban space, where interactions between an African diasporic and the local communities can occur. The thesis discusses the relationship between inclusiveness and civic life through Sociologist Ray Oldenburg’s hypothesis of The Third Place (A place between home and work that is critical to the cohesion of diverse society). I also look at ethnomusicologist Ruth Stone`s work on the development of cultural music traits in Central and Southern Africa. Additional I speak to famed composers and performer of traditional Southern African music Dizu Plaatjies. What emerges from this research is a unifying musical pattern (Keita`s Asymmetric Timeline) that mirrors the qualities of The Third Place in its engagement with the inhabitants of the city and sense of the familiar amongst the general public. My building design process then demonstrates that through the use of these two, a spatial and networked experience of African culture can be created in the city. Informing a place where a dialogue of understanding between an African diasporic and the local communities can begin to occur. This place provides an exciting opportunity for designing the way that production and engagement of vernacular music is used as unifying source in shaping The Third Place as a musical performance venue. / MT2016

no abstract provided by author / M.L. Arch.

The design of urban open spaces often does not address the physical and psychological comfort needs of the users with regard to the type, location and orientation of the seating that is present within those spaces. In order for urban open spaces to be used by the urban population, it is important that the needs and preferences of the user population be identified and taken into account when designing and locating seating elements within those spaces. This thesis was done to better understand how people who live and work in urban environments use seating in urban open spaces. This was accomplished though a series of observations and interviews in two open spaces in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The people who used the spaces were grouped into different user classes which were defined based on their age, behavior and mode of apparel. Data was collected with regard to the seating elements that they preferred to use. The data was analyzed to determine whether patterns of seating use existed within specific user classes based on the type, location and orientation of the seating elements. The seating types that were studied included benches, walls, steps and grass areas. The location and orientation of the seating elements were described in terms of the microclimatic and contextual conditions in which they were located. These included sun/shade exposure, whether the seating was located on the interior or exterior portions of the space, proximity to a path or walkway, location in an open or secluded area, and whether or not the seating was located close to high or low traffic areas. The findings of the research suggest that patterns of seating preference do exist within certain user classes based on the location and orientation of seating. The primary implication of these findings for landscape architects and urban open space designers is that providing a choice of seating options, in terms of seating type, location, and orientation, should be a fundamental goal when designing or redesigning spaces that are intended to be used by a diversity of people. / Master of Landscape Architecture

Fung Yiu Leung. / "Architecture Department, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Master of Architecture Programme 2001-2002, design report." / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 89). / Chapter Part 0 --- Synopsis --- p.02 / Chapter Part 1 --- Objective --- p.03 / Chapter Part 2 --- Research --- p.04 / New Learning Ideas / Existing Youth Facilities / Examples / Street Atmosphere / Chapter Part 3 --- Hypothesis --- p.22 / Chapter Part 4 --- Site --- p.25 / Site Selection / Site Information / Site Analysis / Chapter Part 5 --- Preliminary Design --- p.37 / Design Component / Approach / Spatial Organization / Leisure Learning Space / Open Space / Access & Circulation / Site Plan & Section / Chapter Part 6 --- Design Development --- p.48 / Ideas / Plans / Elevations / Sections / Details / Chapter Part 7 --- Final Design --- p.59 / Spatial Organization / Access & Circulation / Visual Connection / Plan / Elevation & Section / Perspective / Structural System / Special Study / Chapter Part 8 --- Appendix --- p.81 / Review 1201 / Model Photo / Presentation Panel / Bibliography

Hui Mei Ling Florence. / "Architecture Department, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Master of Architecture Programme 2000-01, design report." / Includes bibliographical references. / Introduction / Pedestrian Environment / In Hong Kong / Footbridge and Subways / Pedestrianization / "Mid-level Escalator, Central" / Elevated Walkway in Housing Estates / In Foreign Places / "Ponte Vecchio, Florence, Italy" / Frankfurt Centre Competition / Civic Space / City Centre / "Central, Hong kong" / "Largo de Senado, Macau" / The New Tokyo City Hall Complex / Civic and Cultural District in Singapore / Objectives of Study / Objective / Issues / Environment of Pedestrians / Walking Experience / Values to Society / Sense of Community / Permanence and Transience / Site Selection Criteria / Potential Sites / Mong Kok / Central / "Tung Chung, NWNT" / Site Selection / Central / Site Analysis / Macro Site Studies / History of Central District / Significance of Site / Reclamation / Land uses / Significant Buildings / Existing Pedestrian Environment / Micro Site Studies / Pedestrian Flow / Transportation / Activities & Urban Setting / User Groups / Site Opportunities / Site Constraints / Program / Programs / Justification / Schedule of Accommodation / Design Development / Stage 1 (1st Semester) / Stage 2 (2nd Semester) / Final Design / Presentation / Contribution of Thesis / Appendix / Interviews / Reviews / Summary on Design Guideline for Pedestrian / Newspaper Cutting / Research Sources / Acknowledgments

Poon Pong Fai Wesley. / "Architecture Department, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Master of Architecture Programme 2000-2001, design report." / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 53). / a story point of Departure --- p.1 / side A --- p.2 / side B --- p.3 / phenomenon / glass architecture --- p.4 / discovering / passive contact --- p.5 / man-fish relationship --- p.6 / psychological aspect --- p.7 / social aspect --- p.8-9 / inward & outward quality --- p.10-11 / about the people... --- p.12 / self-reinforcing & self-congestion --- p.13 / public vs. private --- p.14 / history of open space --- p.15-16 / from the definition... --- p.17 / observation / shopping mall --- p.18 / "mongkok football ""park""" --- p.19 / from the observation / identifying characters --- p.20 / precedent / De meerpall Hall --- p.21 / Park and Sports Complex --- p.22 / D+S --- p.23 / target --- p.24 / site investigation / happy valley --- p.25-27 / pedestrian flyover in Shau Kei Wan --- p.28-29 / "Macpherson Stadium, Mongkok" --- p.30-33 / design concept --- p.34-36 / program --- p.37-38 / design development / sketches --- p.39 / preliminary schemes --- p.40-41 / study models --- p.42-43 / final design / design strategy --- p.44 / final scheme --- p.45-49 / interior views --- p.50 / final model --- p.51-52 / bibliography --- p.53

Choy Pui Cheung Edman. / "Architecture Department, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Master of Architecture Programme 2000-2001, design report." / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 95). / prologue --- p.p. 1 / initiation --- p.p. 2 / short study --- p.p. 3-15 / issue --- p.p. 16-17 / hypothesis --- p.p. 18 / project goal --- p.p. 19 / user profile --- p.p. 20 / justification of the site --- p.p. 21-22 / site history --- p.p. 23 / site analysis --- p.p. 24-30 / program --- p.p. 31-34 / design concepts --- p.p. 35-38 / design strategies for environmental improvement --- p.p. 39 / design record on conceptual design --- p.p. 40-41 / design record on design development --- p.p. 42-63 / design record on final design --- p.p. 64-84 / precedents --- p.p. 85-93 / epilogue --- p.p. 94 / bibliography --- p.p. 95

published_or_final_version / Architecture / Master / Master of Architecture

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1985 J32 / Master of Landscape Architecture

Rand Water contracted UNISA to develop a monetary valuation method for its open spaces and their inherent ecological functions. This study began by reviewing existing contemporary definitions of open space in South Africa and then identifying their key characteristics. The research project then looked at the economic contribution that open spaces make to the economy as a basis for environmental valuation. By determining the economic value of open spaces, decision makers can be informed about the importance of open space provision, preservation and maintenance. The project applied the participatory action research method which requires the active participation of focus groups. The focus groups consisted of Rand Water employees who deal with open spaces in their respective areas of work. During the literature review and problem formulation the various limitations of environmental valuation methods became evident. It became apparent that the development of new valuation methods would not be possible before existing valuation methods had been tested to see if they could feasibly be applied to open space in the Rand Water context. A literature review also determined that open space valuation studies in South Africa are very limited, which made it difficult to formulate a localised context. It was furthermore found that environmental valuers prefer to use the contingent valuation, travel cost and hedonic pricing methods. These methods rely on revealed and stated preferences of open space users to infer an economic value for an open space. Access to Rand Water’s open spaces is largely limited owing to strict access control. The excludability of open space users therefore hampers the generation of sufficient data to apply revealed and stated preference valuation methods. On the basis of this finding, it was decided to eliminate the contingent valuation and travel cost methods from this study. It was decided to apply the constraint composition theory, under the grounded theory model, to study the constraints or moderators which could affect the feasibility of environmental valuation application to Rand Water open spaces. Four moderators were then identified which could influence the outcome of the feasibility assessment. These are the limitations of the methods, the limitations of the legal framework, the limitations of the user and the limitations of the study area. It was found that the limitations of the methods were a moderator owing to their inherent data requirements. The only suitable valuation methods vi were found to be market based as they were not influenced by the excludability factor. These methods include the replacement cost, damage cost avoided, restoration cost and defensive expenditure valuation methods. The focus group was introduced to each method by participating in a method application exercise. Questionnaires regarding each method were completed to test variables. The legal framework was found not to be a moderator since even though there are limited direct provisions in legislation to mandate environmental valuation, there are legal principles which require economic impacts to be measured and damage to the environment to be estimated. These principles in themselves have supported litigation cases and the mere admission of environmental value estimates in court as evidence and support to a case therefore sets the required legal precedence and mandates further application. The user was found not to be a moderator. Feedback from the focus groups as well as an environmental resource economics workshop held at the Gauteng Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Environment showed that users understood environmental valuation principles, their benefits and limitations. With training, environmental scientists can apply these methods. The study area was found to be a moderator. The limited access for potential open space users, limited harvesting, limited agriculture and limited open space categories result in limited values that can be measured. In conclusion, it was found that not all environmental valuation methods can be applied to Rand Water open space owing to inherent limitations of the methods and the study area. Only market-based methods were found to be suitable for use on Rand Water open space. Notwithstanding the limitations of the methods and study area, which restrict the ability of valuers to obtain a total economic value for Rand Water open space, the available suite of methods can provide an indicator of value for environmental goods and services that flow from the utility’s open spaces. It was concluded that the application of environmental valuation methods to Rand Water open space is feasible within the context of the identified limitations. / Environmental Sciences / M.Sc. (Environmental Management)