No description available.

The objective of this practicum project was to explore the role of interior design in transforming unused urban space into public opportunities for gathering. This was achieved by extracting design guidelines from theoretical concepts of space and place, interiority, and immersion. In doing so, subsidiary concepts of interactivity, placemaking, boundaries and thresholds were also examined in order to help achieve the overall goal of transforming in-between space within the city of Winnipeg into meaningful opportunities for spatial and social interaction. It is the intention of the project that these newly designed spaces will help to foster spatial opportunities for pausing that will help to engage the users of the space with one another, the city of Winnipeg, and in turn create a sense of place.

No description available.

The objective of this practicum project was to explore the role of interior design in transforming unused urban space into public opportunities for gathering. This was achieved by extracting design guidelines from theoretical concepts of space and place, interiority, and immersion. In doing so, subsidiary concepts of interactivity, placemaking, boundaries and thresholds were also examined in order to help achieve the overall goal of transforming in-between space within the city of Winnipeg into meaningful opportunities for spatial and social interaction. It is the intention of the project that these newly designed spaces will help to foster spatial opportunities for pausing that will help to engage the users of the space with one another, the city of Winnipeg, and in turn create a sense of place.

NDLTD Innovative ETD Award 2007. No abstract available / Dissertation (MArch(Prof))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Architecture / unrestricted

Situated within the Wonderboom Poort on the banks of the Apies River, this architectural manifestation is a culmination of the exploration of how the forgotten or left over urban spaces can be revived to contribute to the creation of sustainable facilities and infrastructures accommodating ‘Third space’ within the South African urban context. These forgotten spaces include isolated and underutilised natural spaces, such as Wonderboom Nature Reserve. This dissertation briefly explores the shortfalls of traditional urban planning, while addressing how architectural interventions can contribute not only to urban fabric, but also how they create a platform for positive change through combining socio-economic programme and natural processes. The designer utilises Landscape Urbanism and similar theories as lens to explore appropriate interventions at various scales. This is not only an interrogation of site and context to identify the most appropriate site for intervention, but also an interrogation of form, function and the larger role architecture plays in the social and environmental context of the city. In conclusion it is evident that fragmented (lost/forgotten) urban spaces possess the latent potential to positively alter the status quo of South African cities, generating network continuity (whether natural, infrastructural or social) through the implementation of appropriate architectural intervention when rooted in sustainability theory. In this case the intervention will primarily be focussing on the continuity of public space, serving as a catalyst for future growth and improvement in the area and significantly encouraging the inclusion of the ‘human focus’ – setting a precedent for future development or intervention. / Mini Dissertation (MArch(Prof))--University of Pretoria, 2020. / Architecture / MArch (Prof) / Unrestricted

Critical writing on public art in the late 20th century in the UK and USA either legitimized public art as an extension of studio art intended to widen its public, or implied a new relation to public space - as demonstrated in texts by Cork (1995) and Phillips (1988) respectively. This suggests a polarization of art's aesthetic and social dimensions. A deeper understanding of the relation between these dimensions is found in the work of Marcuse, Bloch and Adorno. Marcuse, in his early work, sees art as serving the needs of bourgeois society by displacing ideas of a better world to an independent aesthetic realm; Bloch sees art as giving form to hope, shaping a recurrent aspiration for a better world; Adorno sees the tension between the aesthetic and social dimensions of art as unresolvable, and, like Marcuse in his later work, sees art's autonomy as a space of criticality. But, as Bloch argues, conditions for change are noncontemporaneous, fostering culture which is both progressive and regressive. In this respect, Gablik's appropriations of other cultures may be seen as regressive, whilst Lippard's concern for locality offers art a basis for progressive intervention. The introduction of the local, as a point of reference alongside the aesthetic and social, leads to consideration of three cases of art practice: Common Ground's Parish Maps (1986-96), the Visions of Utopia Festival coordinated by the Artists Agency (1996-8), and 90% Crude (1996--), a project by PLATFORM in London. The originality of the thesis is in its investigation of these cases; and equally in making connections between them and the elements of art criticism and critical theory noted above.

What was once begun as research called LIFE has become the key component of my master's project. The meaning of LIFE has been redefined by a new landscape language. Living, infrastructure, traffic, shopping and eating identify the most common scenarios that are an intrinsic part of our daily lives. These are not exempt from the problems and difficulties characteristic of large cities like Shanghai. Landscape no longer focuses only on building parks or squares. In my project it has its own definition that informs about how to create a sustainable space not only for public use but also for private use. The research into the different ways people live has assisted me in identifying the Longtang morphology -a living system that was very popular and successful in downtown Shanghai in the 30's. Longtang is a fast-disappearing architecture due to the urban expansion in older Shanghai. Nowadays people's living conditions have improved. The buildings are new and mostly high-rise, without the unique Longtang style- easy eating and shopping ¨C in the past and without the good neighborhood relationships and useful public space. However, Longtang's living style to some extent surpasses the modern high-rise living structure. This research acknowledges the success of LIFE as a balanced schema in Longtang. The space in a traditional Longtang is neither public nor private. Longtang residents concede and build on its spatial negotiations, as private space is very restricted. Transferring private space into public space is one of the most important rules people learn while living in the Longtang. And my research question concerning how Longtang urban morphology can be used as a tool in the development of Shanghai becomes my key point in studying the Longtang structure, especially the changeability of the Longtang space. The research also identified a need for public space in various scales. The provision of this space is not easy as Shanghai is a highly dense area. My project proposes the use of public space as private-testing the strategy at different scales.

City halls have long been regarded as the social, organizational, perceptual and physical centers of cities. A successful city can be recognized by the success of its city hall. As a city develops, so must its city hall. Over several decades of construction, urban sprawl in Michigan has resulted in an increasingly contiguous network of cities. Devoid of distinction, the boundaries of these cities meld with each other, disintegrating developed city centers. City halls have furthered this disintegration by relocating municipal service buildings along the periphery of downtowns reducing accessibility to the services and involvement with the vitality of the downtown. The city hall is then left to contend with mid-rise commercial buildings for prominence and distinction or to simply become isolated amidst residential neighbors. In downtown Ann Arbor the 1964 city hall stands, exemplary of an era concerned with accommodating the conveniences of driving, economy of construction and the modernist style. Building upkeep, working conditions, accessibility of services and expansion cause problems today. This thesis recognizes the city hall as an intrinsic part of the development of downtowns for midsized cities. It looks at how a city such as Ann Arbor could further that development by relocating and transforming the city hall into a new, central, responsive, informative and integrated hub for administrative and social functions, worthy of pride. Devised in response to numerous observations made across the State, related studies and discussion with city officials, the project identifies eight major criteria to consider when designing a new city hall. An integration of community and social programs with those of the administrative departments of the city, draw the citizens to use the building regularly and become more actively involved with political issues. Success of this project might assert the city as a leader in inspiring others to evaluate the role of architecture in smart growth planning and urban densification.

City halls have long been regarded as the social, organizational, perceptual and physical centers of cities. A successful city can be recognized by the success of its city hall. As a city develops, so must its city hall. Over several decades of construction, urban sprawl in Michigan has resulted in an increasingly contiguous network of cities. Devoid of distinction, the boundaries of these cities meld with each other, disintegrating developed city centers. City halls have furthered this disintegration by relocating municipal service buildings along the periphery of downtowns reducing accessibility to the services and involvement with the vitality of the downtown. The city hall is then left to contend with mid-rise commercial buildings for prominence and distinction or to simply become isolated amidst residential neighbors. In downtown Ann Arbor the 1964 city hall stands, exemplary of an era concerned with accommodating the conveniences of driving, economy of construction and the modernist style. Building upkeep, working conditions, accessibility of services and expansion cause problems today. This thesis recognizes the city hall as an intrinsic part of the development of downtowns for midsized cities. It looks at how a city such as Ann Arbor could further that development by relocating and transforming the city hall into a new, central, responsive, informative and integrated hub for administrative and social functions, worthy of pride. Devised in response to numerous observations made across the State, related studies and discussion with city officials, the project identifies eight major criteria to consider when designing a new city hall. An integration of community and social programs with those of the administrative departments of the city, draw the citizens to use the building regularly and become more actively involved with political issues. Success of this project might assert the city as a leader in inspiring others to evaluate the role of architecture in smart growth planning and urban densification.