This study investigated the potential of the daylighting systems used in the indigenous architecture of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), located in Dubai (latitude 25° N longitude 55° E). The analysis tested the lighting performance of three daylighting systems under UAE climatic conditions. The purpose of this research was to investigate the daylighting performance of three of the most common daylighting systems found in the indigenous buildings of the UAE, traditional windows (Dreeshah), gypsum decorative panels and wind tower (Barjeel). The lighting performance of each of the three lighting systems was examined. The lighting performance parameters examined were illuminance level, light distribution, uniformity, and glare. IESNA standards, CIBSE guidelines and LEED 2.2 daylighting credit and recommendations were used as the minimum recommended level for all analyzed variables. On-site measurements (illuminance and luminance) were conducted to compare measured versus simulated measurements inside the space. Desktop Radiance 2.0 Beta was used as the lighting performance analysis tool under clear sky conditions. Results have shown that the gypsum decorative panel performs better than the other two systems in terms of light uniformity and distribution, regardless of a lower illuminance level. The double panel window prototype has poor lighting performance in terms of glare, light distribution and uniformity. Wind tower performed well under the area of the wind tower itself. Apart from that it also had a poor lighting performance in terms of glare, light distribution, and uniformity.

This study investigated the potential of the daylighting systems used in the indigenous architecture of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), located in Dubai (latitude 25° N longitude 55° E). The analysis tested the lighting performance of three daylighting systems under UAE climatic conditions. The purpose of this research was to investigate the daylighting performance of three of the most common daylighting systems found in the indigenous buildings of the UAE, traditional windows (Dreeshah), gypsum decorative panels and wind tower (Barjeel). The lighting performance of each of the three lighting systems was examined. The lighting performance parameters examined were illuminance level, light distribution, uniformity, and glare. IESNA standards, CIBSE guidelines and LEED 2.2 daylighting credit and recommendations were used as the minimum recommended level for all analyzed variables. On-site measurements (illuminance and luminance) were conducted to compare measured versus simulated measurements inside the space. Desktop Radiance 2.0 Beta was used as the lighting performance analysis tool under clear sky conditions. Results have shown that the gypsum decorative panel performs better than the other two systems in terms of light uniformity and distribution, regardless of a lower illuminance level. The double panel window prototype has poor lighting performance in terms of glare, light distribution and uniformity. Wind tower performed well under the area of the wind tower itself. Apart from that it also had a poor lighting performance in terms of glare, light distribution, and uniformity.

Behavior of wide flanged beams is of much importance to civil engineers as this one of the main materials used in steel structures. Openings are made in the web of beams to pass services pipes from one side of the building to another, when these openings are made in the beams, the shear and moment capacity at this section will be reduced. This will increase stresses at this section of the beam and will subsequently affect the stress distribution in the beam with web opening. Longitudinal stiffeners are placed at the top and bottom edges of the web opening to increase both moment and shear capacity at the section with web opening. Four samples were used in this study; a solid wide flange beam, a wide flange beam with web opening and two beams with reinforced web openings. The von Mises stress and the first principal stresses were obtained from the nonlinear static analysis. The results from a nonlinear finite element analysis of the four simply supported beams are discussed. The AISC steel design guide series 2 provide equations for the design of reinforced web opening. The reinforced web opening beam using the AISC guidelines is evaluated by comparing it to the finite element analysis.

The effect of door and window openings on long timber framed shear walls was the subject of this thesis. Four different wall configurations containing various openings and one control wall with no openings were tested to examine ultimate load capacity and stiffness. All walls were forty feet in length and contained tie-down anchorage at the extreme ends of the wall only. Two replications of the five wall configurations were built. Each of the five wall configurations was tested using a: 1) monotonic displacement pattern and 2) sequential phased displacement pattern. A better understanding of the effect of monotonic and cyclic loading (and the relationship between the two loading types) on ultimate load capacity and stiffness for a given wall configuration were examined. To efficiently design shear walls, the effect of openings on shear wall performance must be known. This thesis adds to previous work on shear walls with openings to provide valuable information for future use. Results from this investigation are intended to provide useful information regarding performance of long shear walls with openings. Data concerning capacity, drift, elastic stiffness, and ductility are presented. Two methods of capacity prediction of shear walls with openings are examined. Sugiyama (1994) provided an empirical equation for prediction of load resistance that has been applied to capacity and is the basis for the perforated shear wall method. This thesis further validates his work to full scale long shear walls. A new method for capacity prediction was developed by the author and is also presented. / Master of Science

The main objective of the study is to verify the accuracy of the approximate hand calculation method used extensively by the engineers for the calculation of the rigidity of shear walls with openings. Different types of shear walls are considered varying in the dimensions and positions of the opening, however, maintaining the same basic material properties. The results obtained by the hand calculation are compared to the finite element approach to check for the discrepancy. The finite element analysis software NISA/DISPLAY IV and SAP2000 is considered for the purpose.

Regardless of genre, Shakespeare’s plays open in many different ways on the stage. Some openings come in the form of a prologue and extend from it; others in the form of a framing dialogue; some may begin in medias res; and there is also a single case of an induction in The Taming of the Shrew. My dissertation, “Shakespeare’s Openings in Action: A Study of Four Plays from the Period 1591- c.1602,” subsequently referred to as “Shakespeare’s Openings in Action,” attempts to define the construction of openings in the context of Shakespeare’s dramaturgy and to understand texts which were written in the first place to be performed on a platform stage by actors experienced in theatrical practice. By analysing the playwright’s organization of the dramatic material, as reflected in the play-texts, I attempt to gauge how an opening set out to engage original audiences in the play, an essential function of theatrical composition, and to determine to what extent the play-text may be considered as an extended stage direction for early modern actors.1 What is the present state of scholarship in the subject? Although sparse, critical interest in the openings of Shakespeare’s plays can be found as early as 1935 in the work of A. C. Sprague, Shakespeare and the Audience. In more recent years, other studies have appeared, for instance, Robert F. Willson, Jr., Shakespeare’s Opening Scenes (1977), and a number of articles included in Entering the Maze: Shakespeare’s Art of Beginning, edited by F. Willson Jr. (1995). Existing scholarship provides a good general framework for further research into the openings of Shakespeare’s plays. In addition to the studies presented above, I shall draw on analytical approaches to play-text analysis which involve theatre practice, for example in the work of André Helbo, Approaching Theatre (1991), Anne Ubersfeld, Reading Theatre (1996), and John Russell Brown, Shakespeare’s Plays in Performance (1993); John Barton, Playing Shakespeare (1984), and Cicely Berry, Text in Action. London (2001). These works provide revealing insights into the theatrical possibilities of dramatic language and actor technique. 1The analytical method presented in this dissertation supplements studies made of the complex textual histories of Shakespeare’s plays by considering the staging and characterisation information they contain. In the case of multiple-text plays, it takes account of editorial scholarship and explains the reasons for choosing to analyse the material contained in one version over the other(s).

Regardless of genre, Shakespeare’s plays open in many different ways on the stage. Some openings come in the form of a prologue and extend from it; others in the form of a framing dialogue; some may begin in medias res; and there is also a single case of an induction in The Taming of the Shrew. My dissertation, “Shakespeare’s Openings in Action: A Study of Four Plays from the Period 1591- c.1602,” subsequently referred to as “Shakespeare’s Openings in Action,” attempts to define the construction of openings in the context of Shakespeare’s dramaturgy and to understand texts which were written in the first place to be performed on a platform stage by actors experienced in theatrical practice. By analysing the playwright’s organization of the dramatic material, as reflected in the play-texts, I attempt to gauge how an opening set out to engage original audiences in the play, an essential function of theatrical composition, and to determine to what extent the play-text may be considered as an extended stage direction for early modern actors.1 What is the present state of scholarship in the subject? Although sparse, critical interest in the openings of Shakespeare’s plays can be found as early as 1935 in the work of A. C. Sprague, Shakespeare and the Audience. In more recent years, other studies have appeared, for instance, Robert F. Willson, Jr., Shakespeare’s Opening Scenes (1977), and a number of articles included in Entering the Maze: Shakespeare’s Art of Beginning, edited by F. Willson Jr. (1995). Existing scholarship provides a good general framework for further research into the openings of Shakespeare’s plays. In addition to the studies presented above, I shall draw on analytical approaches to play-text analysis which involve theatre practice, for example in the work of André Helbo, Approaching Theatre (1991), Anne Ubersfeld, Reading Theatre (1996), and John Russell Brown, Shakespeare’s Plays in Performance (1993); John Barton, Playing Shakespeare (1984), and Cicely Berry, Text in Action. London (2001). These works provide revealing insights into the theatrical possibilities of dramatic language and actor technique. 1The analytical method presented in this dissertation supplements studies made of the complex textual histories of Shakespeare’s plays by considering the staging and characterisation information they contain. In the case of multiple-text plays, it takes account of editorial scholarship and explains the reasons for choosing to analyse the material contained in one version over the other(s).

Shear walls are the primary lateral load resisting elements in bearing wall systems used in masonry construction. Horizontal loads due to wind or earthquake are transferred to vertical walls by diaphragms that are rigid such as concrete floor slabs or flexible such as wood floors. With rigid diaphragms, loads are apportioned to the supporting walls based on their relative rigidity. Walls with openings accommodating doors and windows (“perforated walls”) have reduced rigidity that can be determined using available hand calculation methods. These methods primarily focus on analysis procedures, not on the visualization of the load path that is critically important in structural engineering practice. The analogy of springs in series or parallel is used to determine the equivalent stiffness of elastic systems in structural dynamics. This thesis uses this analogy to develop a method that can help visualize load flow in perforated shear walls connected to rigid diaphragms. Rigidities are calculated using existing methods and combined as springs in series or parallel to represent a perforated wall. Loads taken by the wall segments correspond to the electrical current flowing through this imaginary “circuit”. To help visualize the load path, the line drawing representation of springs in series or parallel and the applied lateral load are deliberately oriented in the vertical direction. The application of the analogy is illustrated by several numerical examples of varying complexity taken from text books. Finite element solutions are included in the comparisons to provide a measure of the relative accuracy of hand calculation methods. The analogy can be extended to refine existing hand calculation methods though this increases computational effort. It improves accuracy but only for cases where the aspect ratio of the wall segments is such that shear effects are dominant.

Bakgrunden till denna rapport ligger i hur arkitekturkonsten genom tiden behandlat dagsljuset med största precision för att på bästa sätt ta tillvara på dess kvalitéer, och hur den tekniska revolutionen med artificiell belysning idag påverkat vårt sätt att behandla dagsljus. Syftet med studien är att bidra till kunskapen om hur dagsljusinsläppet påverkar upplevelsen av ett rum. Målet är att klargöra hur dagsljusinsläppets proportioner och placering påverkar hur det infallande ljuset uppträder i rummet och hur det inverkar på hur rummet upplevs. Studien är tänkt att kunna användas av planerare för att i trivsamhetssyfte skapa ett så bra dagsljusinsläpp som möjligt. Följande frågeställningar formulerades: Hur påverkar placeringen av dagsljusinsläppen upplevelsen av ett rum? Hur påverkar proportionerna av dagsljusinsläppen upplevelsen av ett rum? Hur mycket ljus kommer in i rummet med hänsyn till proportioner och placering av dagsljusinsläppen? Undersökningen inleddes med ett förexperiment där fönsterutformningar observerades i en modell för att sedan testas i ett fullskaleexperiment. Under experimentet gjordes enkätundersökningar på en urvalsgrupp om 20 personer som fick svara på frågor om rumsupplevelse, och därefter gjordes ljusmätningar i samtliga fyra experimentrum. Resultatet visar att stora dagsljusinsläpp ger en hög ljusnivå men bidrar till låg rumslighet, försämrade kontrastförhållanden och ökad risk för bländning. Mindre, lågt placerade horisontella dagsljusinsläpp ger i princip samma ljusnivå men skapar en bättre rumslighet och minskar risken för bländning. Med högt placerade horisontella dagsljusinsläpp visar resultatet en försämring av rumsupplevelsen då rummet upplevs slutet och instängt. Det har visat sig att fönsterytans area påverkar, men inte varit avgörande för hur dagsljusinsläppet påverkar upplevelsen av rummet, det ser ut som att placeringen istället haft mycket större påverkan på rumsupplevelsen. Det visar också att de mörkare rummen har högre rumslighet än de ljusare. Studien visar att testpersonerna trivdes bäst i rummet med lågt horisontellt placerade dagsljusinsläpp. / The background to this report is based on how architectural art through times been treating daylight with greatest precision to take advantage of its good quality, and how the technical revolution with artificial lighting affects our way of working with daylighting today. The purpose of the study is to contribute to the knowledge how the daylight opening affects the perception of a room. The aim is to clarify how proportions and placement affects how the incident light occurs in the room and how that affects on how the room is perceived. The study is meant to be used by lighting planners, and in terms of pleasantness, be able to create the best possible daylight environment. The following questions were formulated: How do the positions of daylight openings affect the perception of a room? How do the proportions of daylight openings affect the perception of a room? How much light enters the room as a result of proportions and placements of daylight openings? The investigation began with a pre-experiment where window configurations were observed in a scale model and then tested in a full-scale experiment. During the experiment surveys were made in a sample group of twenty people who had to answer questions about spatial experience, followed by lighting calculations that were made in all four experimental settings. The result shows that large daylight openings provide a high level of light but contribute to low spatiality, deterioration of contrasts and increased risk of glare. Smaller, low-set horizontal daylight openings tend to give the same levels of light but create a better sense of space and reduce glare. With high positioned horizontal daylight openings the result shows a deterioration of spatial experience and the room is perceived closed and stuffy. A vertical daylight opening is shown to make the room feel small and high, and the level of light is low, the contrast ratio and the completeness experienced worsening. The result shows that the window surface area affects the experience but is not essential how the daylight openings affect the perception of the room, it looks like the matter of placement have greatest impact on the room experience. It also shows that the darker rooms have higher spatiality than the lighter ones. The study shows that the test group liked the room with low-set horizontal daylight openings better.

The background to this report is based on how architectural art through times been treating daylight with greatest precision to take advantage of its good quality, and how the technical revolution with artificial lighting affects our way of working with daylighting today. The purpose of the study is to contribute to the knowledge how the daylight opening affects the perception of a room. The aim is to clarify how proportions and placement affects how the incident light occurs in the room and how that affects on how the room is perceived. The study is meant to be used by lighting planners, and in terms of pleasantness, be able to create the best possible daylight environment.