Throughout human history, people have migrated from one area to another for many reasons, including searching for better economic, political or other conditions that are assumed to improve the human standard of living (Kotkin 2016:6; United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs 2014). Migration to urban areas has increased over the past century, and is only expected to continue doing so. In 2016, 54% of earth’s human population lived within urban areas, making it the largest urban population ever to occur on the planet (Brenner & Schmidt 2014:733; United Nations Population Fund 2014). A 2013 study by El Din, Shalaby, Farouh and Elariane states that, with more of the human population residing in urban areas than in the past, studies around human life in urban areas are more significant and necessary for the sake of increasing knowledge bases for the development of sustainable human environments (El Din et al. 2013:87, 88). Architects and urban planners focus on improving the quality of life of the end users of their designs at a contextual level, which in turn is beneficial as a good quality of life is considered to be one of the most important aspects for sustainable urban development (Othman, Aird & Buys 2015:22). Over the past 15 years there has been a knowledge shift towards global parameters for measurement of quality of life that are not uniform or based solely on economic indicators, but rather are developed so that these indicators can be used to measure quality of life at a contextual level in order to supply informative data and results (United Nations Population Fund 2016; Vermuni & Costanza 2006:124). There are contextual differences, similarities and variations for the definition of a good quality of life between the large urban areas in the developed world as well as in countries within the Global South, which contains the majority of the world’s Third World countries (Rigg 2007:8-10). With the global continuation of the urbanisation of the human population in different contexts, along with the migration of individuals between different parts of the world, urban planners and architects are challenged to design spaces that provide good quality of life within any urban context for an end user coming from any urban or rural context. This study seeks to investigate the means of assessing quality of life in residential spaces of end users who share similar values in terms of quality of life, but will be studied in three varied urban contexts, namely Zimbabwe, South Africa and the United Kingdom. Zimbabwe, is classified as a Low Income country by the United Nations Department of Economics and Social Affairs (2014), has experienced high levels of migration out of the country over the past 16 years (Humphris 2010), with the highest number of migrations into South Africa, which is classified as an Upper Middle Income Country, and the United Kingdom, classified as a High Income country (United Nations Department of Economics and Social Affairs 2014). This research paper seeks to measure and compare quality of life in the homes of Zimbabweans in the three contexts mentioned above, in order to gauge what aspects of residential design impact positively or negatively on the end user’s quality of life. / Mini Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Architecture / MSc Applied Sciences in Architecture / Unrestricted

Bachelor thesis in information design, field of study: spatial design.  Calix and Preciform are companies that manufacture products for the car industry. They have both factory and office spaces on their premises and many of their customer meetings occur on site. The employees are displeased with their workplace since they feel that it is disorganised, and they desire a workplace that has a coherent spatial design.  This study will explore how hierarchies and storytelling can be used to create a workplace that communicates the company’s identity whilst helping first time visitors with wayfinding. Literature studies about legibility, corporate storytelling, spatial experience, colour and form together with methods of observation and a survey have been the foundation for a design proposal that is presented through sketches and 3D pictures. Keywords: information design, spatial design, legibility, corporate identity, wayshowing / Examensarbete på grundnivå, informationsdesign med inriktning rumslig gestaltning. Calix och Preciform är företag som arbetar med att skapa produkter till fordonsindustrin. I deras lokaler finns kontor och fabrik och kundmöten sker på plats i deras konferensrum och fikarum. Medarbetarna är missnöjda med miljön i lokalerna då det känns rörigt och de önskar en röd tråd och uppfräschning i utformningen. I den här studien undersöks hur hierarkier och berättande kan skapa en miljö som kommunicerar företagets identitet och samtidigt skapa en vägledning för förstagångsbesökare. Litteraturstudier om legibility, corporate storytelling, rumsupplevelse, färg och form i samband med observationer och frågeformulär har varit till grund för ett gestaltningsförslag som presenteras genom 3D bilder. Nyckelord: informationsdesign, rumslig gestaltning, legibility, företagsidentitet, vägledning

Den rumsliga gestaltningen på en plats påverkar människor upplevelse av miljön, mer eller mindre. Kortfattat sker detta genom tolkningsprocesser av information i hjärnan som samlats in genom människans sinnen, vilket innefattar den visuella perceptionen. Sjukhusentréer spelar en viktig roll som besökarens första fysiska möte med verksamheten. Det är viktigt att upplevelsen känns välkomnande och trygg eftersom det påverkar upplevelsen av sjukhusets vårdkvalitén på. Mälarsjukhuset har mottagit indikationer om att deras huvudentré upplevs brista i trygghet och välkomnande. Ett problem som genererade ett delprojekt och samarbetsmöjlighet med Mälarsjukhuset. Studien har därför undersökt Mälarsjukhusets huvudentré för att förstå varför miljön orsakar den upplevelsen hos besökare och hitta gestaltningens problemområden. Genom en HCD process har det sedan gjorts ett sökande efter gestaltningsfaktorer som kan bidraga till en tryggare och mer välkomnande upplevelse. Metoder som användes till att hitta lösningar var omvärldsanalys, frågeformulär och workshop som innehöll moodboards. Sammanställningen av studiens teori och empiri resulterade i en samling generella gestaltningsfaktorer och ett specifikt gestaltningsförslag för Mälarsjukhusets huvudentré. / Spatial design affects people’s experience of an environment, to lesser or greater degree. In short this is done through processes in the brain that interpret data gathered via the senses, including the visual senses. Hospital entrances play an important role as the visitor’s first physical encounter with the facility. It is important that the experience feels welcoming and safe as this can affect theoverall experience of the hospital’s quality of care. Mälarsjukhuset (Eskilstuna’s regionalhospital) has received indications that their main entrance is perceived to be lacking this safe and welcoming feeling. A problem that created a subproject and collaboration opportunity with Mälarsjukhuset. This study has therefore investigated the main entrance area to the Mälarsjukhuset to understand what in this environment causes a negative experience for visitors, and to identify problem areas in the spatial design. An investigation has been made, through an HCD process, to find spatial design factors that could contribute to a safer and more welcoming experience. The methods used to find solutions include example analysis, questionnaires and a workshop involving moodboards. The study's theory review and collected data resulted in a selection of generally applicable design factors and also a specific design proposal for the main entrance to the Mälarsjukhuset.

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The central theme of my degree project is the concept of solid and void, with each piece embodying a unique idea. The void element represents a container that can be filled with individual thoughts and perceptions. My goal is to create interactive objects that can be viewed from different perspectives, allowing for a personalised experience based on one’s expectations, experiences, and perceptions. I believe that the point of view from which we look at things (how we look at things) might be more important than what kind of thing it is. Through my work, I aim to induce people to change their perspectives on their daily objects and surroundings.  This thesis report is the story of my graduation work, which I worked on from December 2022 to May 2023. It contains the intentions and aims I was trying to convey through my work, the process of working on it, the difficulties I encountered along the way, and my concerns. I wrote this thesis report as a kind of working notebook or end-of-day diary, writing honestly about what I felt and learned during the process. / <p>KunSik Choi</p><p>www.kunsik.com</p>

Through translations and transformations, my degree project aims to explore what makes something – space, or an object– charged. I am investigating ways to create objects with the starting point in two pieces of furniture, analyzing them both in their everyday contexts, and in certain works of art. This has resulted in the creation of two works that I have called an imprint and a bench and a bed. The quality that I have been searching for in this project is what activates a subjective feeling of recognition that will stay in the mind of the beholder, a charge in an object that affects memory or consciousness. The way I explore this quality is by analyzing the terms Eros and punctum and by investigating the relationship between the abstract and the figurative, examining the bodily connection to the objects and the surrounding.

To explore the question of how race and design are related, I have developed a set of analysis strategies, involving props that are investigating objecthood and subjectivity. I use prototyping techniques and sketching in full scale. The design process contains three main investigation packages that ran parallel and was intertwined with each other, and resulted in a staged planetarian habitability (Mbembe, 2020) that communicates how to decolonize the African objects.  The objective of this project was to investigate how to make stories about African design as well as identify how an African spatial design practice could unfold. The myth building around race is a successful practice even today. Therefore, it is necessary for each generation to undo these myths. The project resulted in objects and a spatial installation that render tangible, new ideals about modernity and design in relation to race.

Normer om manligt och kvinnligt har präglat idrotten under historien och än idag finns det föreställningar om hur män och kvinnor ska vara. Gym har historiskt sett varit för mannen, men är nu även en arena som kvinnor intagit. Dock finns det många historier om kvinnor som blir illa behandlade på gym och faktorn av det har blivit att tjejavdelningar och tjejgym har etablerats. Att skilja på män och kvinnor på detta vis löser inte det egentliga problemet. Den här studien ska undersöka hur män och kvinnor upplever gymmiljöer och hur det påverkar deras träning på gym. Till följd av det ska genusperspektivet appliceras på ett designförslag som har som mål att underlätta processen att hitta i en gymmiljö för en förstagångsbesökare. Genom litteraturstudier, platsanalyser, intervjuer med användare av gym och personal på gym samt en enkät blev resultatet en digital 3D-modell som grundar sig i ett befintligt gyms planlösning. Ett lösningsförslag som förbättrade vägledningen i miljön för förstagångsbesökare med hjälp av färgkodning, rumslig form och wayfinding i samband med träningszoner. Slutsatsen blev att det är bortom rumsliga egenskaper att skapa en gymmiljö där både män och kvinnor trivs och att det krävs en förändring i beteende och normer om vad vi anser är manligt och kvinnligt. Dock kan en förändring av rummet vara ett första steg i rätt riktning. / Norms about masculinity and femininity have characterized athletics throughout history and even today there are notions of how men and women should be. Gym has historically been for the man but is now also an arena that women have taken over. However, there are many stories of women being treated badly in gyms and the factor of that has been that girl departments and girl gyms have been established. Though the real problem cannot be solved by distinguishing men and women. This study will examine how men and women experience gym environments and how it affects their training at the gym. As a result, the gender perspective will be applied to a design proposal that aims to facilitate the process of finding in a gym environment for a first-time visitor. Through literature studies, site analyzes, interviews with users of gyms and staff at gyms and a survey, the result was a digital 3D model based on an existing gym's floor plan. A solution proposal that improved the guidance in the environment for first-time visitors with the help of color coding, spatial shape and wayfinding in connection with training zones. The conclusion was that it is beyond spatial characteristics to create a gym environment where both men and women thrive and that a change in behavior and norms is required about what we consider to be masculine and feminine. However, a change of the room can be a first step in the right direction.

We have a tendency to want to sort our surroundings, we set things against each other, value them and place them in a hierarchical order.Where something goes up, something else goes down.We attribute different properties to materials, techniques and spaces and load them with values. Our perception of the environment is based on a collective construction. Textiles are sorted among the home, women and decoration while glass is associated with exclusivity, traditional masculine craftsmanship and architecture.Where something goes up, something else goes down.Textile can be defined as material, like fiber, or as technique, like weaving, knitting, sewing. Threads that together form a composition by running over and under each other.Where something goes up, something else goes downCan I disrupt the hierarchical order between textile and glass by merging them? Because, I would like to change our view of how we can use textiles in a spatial context.My experience is that textiles in spatial and architectural contexts are often something added afterwards to adjust things that the building process has not considered. But other materials such as glass have an obvious position as part of the definition of space.

This degree project, “Ripples,” explores the dynamic interplay of reflections in urban environments, focusing on how natural elements like puddles can transform the spatial experience and perception within these settings. Situated within the field of spatial design, this project emphasizes the potential of reflective surfaces to enrich urban spaces, making them more engaging and adaptable to environmental changes. The importance of “Ripples” lies in its ability to enhance urban livability and ecological awareness by integrating artfully designed reflective elements into everyday spaces. This approach addresses contemporary challenges such as increased rainfall and climate change, demonstrating how design can play a crucial role in urban sustainability and resilience. The project was conducted through a series of experiments and installations in diverse settings, including the Telefonplan tunnel and a controlled exhibition space at Konstfack. Using phenomenological methods alongside practical tools such as walking analyses and sensory observations, the project explored the effects of reflections caused by different materials and lighting conditions. Artistic interpretations through watercolour painting were also employed to conceptualize reflections abstractly, further enriching the study. Conclusions from “Ripples” suggest that thoughtful design interventions can significantly alter public engagement and enhance spatial perception, making everyday environments not only more aesthetically pleasing but also more responsive to human emotions and environmental factors. The project’s implications extend into future design practices, advocating for the integration of reflective surfaces in urban planning to foster environments that are not only functional but also inspirational, paving the way for a reflective future in urban design.