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Technology and design: Vancouver Magazine before and after desktop publishing /MacNeill, Tatiana. January 2005 (has links)
Project Report (M.Pub.) - Simon Fraser University, 2005. / Project Report (Master of Publishing Program) / Simon Fraser University. Also issued in digital format and available on the World Wide Web.
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A Museum of Contemporary Architecture in new Yaletown, VancouverErickson, Gary G. 11 1900 (has links)
This thesis project, a Museum of Contemporary Architecture in Vancouver, offers solu
tions to architectural design problems resulting from the placement of an institutional use, the
museum, within the social and physical framework of the city. The emphasis of this project is to
integrate two polar opposites. On one hand resides the bureaucratic elite of a cultural institution:
the curatorial machinery of contemporary architecture. On the other hand are the contradictory
forces of the city: the wandering of the diverse population through the site, the intrusion of other
uses within the body of the building, and the shifting of museum uses onto adjacent
noninstitutional structures.
The method of research has been through a three month iterative process of reading, draw
ing and modelling, following consultation with the thesis committee. Represented here is the
third version of the project, in it’s most resolved form. For a record of the thesis preparation,
please see the design study, directed by Professor Sherry McKay, held in the Architecture Read
ing Room.
The conclusions of this thesis project resulted from aggressive reworkings. First, the uses
of the building were interrogated and then condensed into their simplest form. This involved
deleting most of the traditional museum functions. Libraries and bookstores, meeting rooms and
cafes and staff offices were transplanted offsite or given away to other businesses. This allowed
a new underground film room and night club to intrude in the basement, and an estranged office
and residence to hover over the small exhibition spaces. Second, the massing of these uses
needed separate identities. Finally, out of a desire for an open urban expression, the building
mass was reduced further to introduce empty floors between uses, and a two meter setback
between the building and the next structure on the block. Light and air, infiltrating these intersti
tial spaces of the design, emanated towards the street. A concrete structure holds this composi
tion together, with steel struts bracing against earthquake forces. A double row of street trees
filter the resultant vision, layering the building in the urban context.
The subject of this thesis was prompted by a comment by Thom Mayne’s during his visit
to UBC in 1993. Mr. Mayne felt that the traditional scope of contemporary architecture could be
improved, especially when contrasted to the breadth of issues in the fine arts.
This project helped me to investigate the architectural possibilities of institutional expres
sion in the urban core.
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Interpreting their powerlessness: the case of Filipino domestic workers in VancouverSanchez, Grace B. 05 1900 (has links)
This thesis points to an oversight in the literature about foreign domestic workers. Foreign
domestic workers have, too often, been portrayed as one-dimensional victims — a group of
powerless women vainly struggling for a respectable place in Canadian society. This portrayal,
however, while it can explain their disadvantage along class and gender analyses, assumes a
concept of power which dismisses their ability to resist.
This thesis argues that foreign domestic workers, although occupying a highly disadvantaged
position relative to others in society, are not only victims but actors. This argument
acknowledges that their lives in Canada are only part of their grander life histories. When
foreign domestic workers are placed at the centre of analysis, as subjects rather than objects, I
was able to investigate a multifaceted notion of power.
Fifteen foreign domestic workers from the Philippines were interviewed and specific questions
were asked about their day to day lives, their background, and their ambitions. Their answers
reveal a profound understanding of who they are as women, and as domestic workers. Some
clearly understand the connections between the economic crisis in the Philippines and their role
in that crisis. The interviews also show that domestic workers contemplated their situations
beyond the present, and that they recount their lives in episodes of opportunities as well as
constraints. Finally, what is most revealing is the strategies they employ to get through their
days. Overall, the interviews with foreign domestic workers illustrate that when they are viewed
as active social agents, they articulate power at various levels corresponding with their
overlapping social roles and multiple levels of struggle.
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Pender House: a conversion and addition to an existing building, a student residence, in Downtown VancouverVrignon, Jacques Andre 05 1900 (has links)
In the pursuit of originality, some interventions consciously stand in opposition to the existing. The
approach I've taken is more holistic; rather than pursue the novelty of the moment, I've taken the stance that
creativity in art and architecture is part of a continuum. With that in mind, I've attempted in this project to
make this evolution apparent by bridging the existing to the new without reverting to historical mimicking. My
design is not a heritage preservation project. I wanted to take what exists, re-think it, and build upon it.
My proposal is for a downtown student residence for both individuals and families. It would take
advantage of new developments in the area such as the new S.F.U. conference center, the new B.C.IT.
complex, and other institutions already in place such as the S.F.U. at Harbor Center, and the Vancouver
Community College. This student residence would be an inter-university residence, accepting students from all
of these educational institutions as well as U.B.C. and Emily Carr. Its aim would be to establish greater social
and academic links between the city's post-secondary educational institutes. This project feeds on what has
already started to happen in the area and can re-introduce a residential population to the city core, generating
new life and new activity which in turn will contribute significantly to the wealth of the urban fabric. In short,
one can imagine the formation of a lively downtown university quarter. My proposed residence would be one
seed sown in this larger vision.
Besides feeling that I felt the project should be a dense urban scheme, it appeared imperative to me
that my design foster a real sense of belonging, permitting the development of a small community within a
community. In addition to public commercial space, the new program demanded realms of privacy, and more
importantly a core, or center, around which a community could begin to form. From this organizational idea of
a core the design started to take shape. The existing building opened up in the rear toward a court. A lane
intersected it providing access and making it a space that could be both place and pathway for activity. The
program turned towards this space marking it as the center, and animating it with the activity of daily life.
The existing urban aesthetic informed my design language. Urban context is characterized by wall as
a dominant element, tall vertical spaces, steel stairs and railing, hanging wires, and a strong demarcation
between front, sides and rear accentuated by a change of brick at the corners. All these elements were to
some degree absorbed, assimilated and reinterpreted in the work.
The relationship of 'part to whole' became an important part of the process. Likewise, terminology in
how I started to speak and think about the project. Words like old vs. new stopped being used as they
aggravate the dichotomy between the parts. An effort was made not to mimic the existing building which
would have produce a neo-historic building, this was not my goal. An effort was made not to objectify the
existing building, rendering it a precious object. Nor did I deliberately attempt to contrast it, this would be
counter-productive to the concept of the whole. Contrast aggravates the gap between then and now,
disavowing integration and synthesis.
My approach was rather one of complementing and complicity. Complicity is an interesting concept
because it implies that two or more parties or parts come together toward a common goal, It also implies a
dialogue. This is very different from contrast, for example, that is unidirectional. A dialogue receives and
gives, and both parts form and are informed.
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Remaking an institution and community : the Vancouver Japanese Language School after the warOtsuka, Chihiro 11 1900 (has links)
This present thesis is a study of the re-establishment of the Vancouver Japanese
Language School (first established in 1906), and the Japanese Canadian community in
Vancouver after World War II. Focusing on the reopening of the school in 1952, this
study attempts to discuss how the school's reopening influenced the rebuilding of the
Japanese-Canadian community in post-war Vancouver, where Japanese Canadians had
had a large ethnic community before 1941. B y regarding the Japanese-language school as
a means to comprehend trends in the lives of Japanese Canadians, this study seeks to
understand how and to what extent the Japanese Canadians in Vancouver were able to
reconstruct their ethnic identity: how much they acculturated into anglo-Canadian society
after the devastation of their ethnic community; and how differently each successive
generation has perceived the significance of ethnic cultural retention, such as the Japanese
language.
Until the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour in 1941, the Vancouver Japanese
Language School was the largest such school on the Pacific coast of North America, and
served the Japanese Canadian community as a transmitter of their ethnic culture and
traditions to the next generation. However, after the destruction of the ethnic community
by the World War II evacuation of Japanese Canadians in 1942, the leadership of the
Japanese Canadians shifted from culturally "Japanese-oriented" issei (first generation) to
"more-Canadianized" nisei (second generation). Consequently, demand for fluency in the Japanese language and an understanding of the ethnic culture was replaced with the
demand for English and the anglo-Canadian culture. Despite such a huge change in the
community, the Vancouver Japanese Language School was reopened, though reduced in
size, and continues to operate to the present.
This study draws evidence from several works by a long-time principal and teacher
of the school, Tsutae Sato, and his wife Hanako, a variety of primary sources from the
Sato Collection at the University of British Columbia, and the Japanese ethnic press, as
well as the author's interviews with six people who have historical connections to the
school reopening and management. By using these sources, this study attempts to
examine what the meaning of the school reopening was for the Japanese Canadians after
the devastation of their pre-war communities; how the school's function and roles
changed from the pre-war to the post-war period; how language education and the
Japanese language influenced the formation of Japanese Canadians' particularly that of
the nisei ethnic identity as heirs to a Japanese tradition in Canada.
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A cemetery for the cityBurkitt, James 05 1900 (has links)
The intention of this thesis project will be primarily focused on issues of the cemetery that involve
its utilization as a vehicle to cultivate an awareness of heritage and its role in establishing a
framework on which to promote the sense of communal identity in an authentic manner. For as
many divergent societies that co-exist on earth there are equally as many diverse ritualistic
patterns involving death and dying particular to each society. Although the study of these
ritualistic patterns is an intriguing one, with regard to utilization of the cemetery as a vehicle to
strengthen the identity of place, I believe, it is essential to accommodate and enrich already
accepted notions of death and dying particular to Vancouver and Canada. As a consequence of the
country's age, it seems that there is always the pressure to import character and values from other
places. To begin to define an identity and therefore cultivate community there has to be
acknowledgment and acceptance of heritage as an initial point of growth. For these reasons, rather
than replace an already existing set of rituals with foreign ideologies surrounding death and dying,
it is crucial that existing rituals not be discarded.
The proposed site for this project is the Grandview Cut rail corridor that extends between the False
Creek Flats and Grandview Woodlands in East Vancouver. Specifically, the site is situated between
Clark Drive on the west and Slocan Drive on the east.
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A case study of barriers and opportunities for organizational effectivenessLa Rochelle, Bernard 11 1900 (has links)
This thesis addresses the subject of organizational effectiveness in municipal governance.
It specifically examines the possibility that urban planning agencies may resolve complex
social problems more effectively when using a management approach characterized by
"transformational leadership," teamwork, flexibility, and creativity; an approach that
fosters the development of innovative planning policies, procedures and/or designs.
Successful, innovative, and creative business enterprises that endorse such a holistic
management approach have been called "learning" and "well-performing" organizations.
The management and transformational leadership attributes that encourage an
organization to "learn" relies on a combination of techniques, including non-hierarchical
communications, enhancement of job satisfaction, continuous learning, emotive and
motivational psychology, and team approaches to creativity and problem solving. A
popular term has been coined that captures the essence of successful implementation of
these attributes in combination: Excellence.
The rationale for examining the concept of Excellence in the context of urban planning
agencies' organizational effectiveness derives from assertions made in the planning and
governance literature suggesting that such a business management approach may
significantly improve government operations. Some writers argue that a new approach to
governance is sorely needed. The concept of encouraging attributes of Excellence in
local government planning practices has been extolled as a cure for economic and
political inequalities, restricted avenues of communication, outmoded operating
procedures, "turf wars, and various motivational barriers to innovative practices that
limit the effectiveness of governments (and urban planners). Many of the innovative practices lauded in the business management literature as attributes of Excellence appear
similar to the community development concepts of individual empowerment, citizen
participation in local planning and decision making, collective effort to resolve local
issues, consensus building, and visionary leadership.
This thesis studies the case of the City of Vancouver's Department of Social Planning and
Community Development from 1968 to 1976. The two primary research methods used
are: analysis of archival documents concerning Vancouver's social planning department;
and, open ended interviews conducted with sixteen key informants familiar with the
history, practices, and planning approaches used by department personnel during the
study period.
The findings of this thesis are that:
1) the social planning department originally exhibited elements of innovation,
flexibility, teamwork, transformational leadership, and other attributes associated
with the concept of Excellence;
2) in some cases, these attributes may have temporarily overcome various barriers to
effective planning and problem solving by developing innovative solutions to
minor urban social problems;
3) those innovative elements were not unanimously supported nor encouraged in
other municipal departments or community agencies, thus indicating that diffuse
innovative practices throughout other organizations was a difficult endeavor;
4) over time, attributes of Excellence faded from the social planning department as
the early excitement and energy of planners wore off and new planners were hired
to replace the original social planners who had decided to move on to other
projects. The important lesson learned is that these supposedly "new" management practices,
introduced into business enterprises to help overcome barriers to productivity, efficiency,
or effectiveness, are themselves vulnerable to similar organizational, political, or
behavioral barriers over time. Constant vigilance, monitoring and evaluation of values,
goals, communications strategies and structures, and organizational results are required to
sustain Excellence. Greater promotion of Excellence concepts that explain business
success may legitimize the expansion of participation of individuals in goverment
institutions and result in improvements to their effectiveness.
Urban planners, and social planners in particular, should therefore be interested in
concepts like Excellence and Learning Organizations as heuristic usable in their search
for effective planning, organizing, and management practices toward intentional
interventions in social welfare. Without a systematic approach and understanding of the
complex variables and dimensions involved, concepts like Excellence may be treated
simply as catch-words and trendy marketing ploys. However, as the thesis will show,
planners may discover that further research into the qualities and attributes of individuals
working in a collective organizational environment, may yield positive strategies for
furthering institutional reforms that view workers as factors of human development rather
than as units of productivity and efficiency.
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Two sides to staging public space : enhancing civic function and establishing symbolic content to the Vancouver Art Gallery landscapeGuppy, Graeme Blair 05 1900 (has links)
This paper explores urban design possibilities for the enhancement of the Vancouver Art Gallery landscape. It is
understood that urban public places are necessary for not only the daily functioning of society, but as venues of and for
celebrations, demonstrations, and communication. All public urban spaces have the potential to serve as significant
locations of human experience. The designed urban landscape should have the capacity to elicit response and
heighten our perceptions, thereby furthering our understanding of the world. Understanding the Vancouver Art Gallery
landscape as a central urban space of significant civic importance, it is necessary that its design illuminate the
interactions between humans and the physical world - the actors, the audience, and the stage.
A literature review is conducted in order to discern possible connections between museum processes and designed
landscapes. Analogies are drawn between the processes and display of art within and around galleries and museums,
and the cultural meanings associated with these displays. These processes also reveal themselves in the designed
landscape. Second, museum-landscape analogs are proposed, and from these, precedents are researched in order to
identify criteria that support and reinforce these analogs. These analogs are typologies that may serve to inform the
urban design, and landscape architectural process. In response to the research, the Vancouver Art Gallery landscape
is designed according to one of the types (analogs) identified - Landscape as Theatre. The design provides a model
for the expression of the theatrical aspects of urban life that contribute to the vibrancy and cultural richness of the
urban landscape.
The conclusions drawn herein are suggestive of urban design enhancement opportunities that exist within central
downtown Vancouver, in particular the Vancouver Art Gallery landscape. It is recognized that significant investment in
our urban spaces is a requirement for ensuring the successful evolution of urban life. In addition to the enhancement of
human experiences within the city, successful urban projects that elicit international acclaim and recognition further the
economic growth of, and investment in the city. Certainly, when public spaces are used and enjoyed steadily and
repeatedly the experiences of places are enriched, and human experience is enhanced.
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An investigation of ozone distribution downwind of Greater Vancouver, British Columbia using a novel aircraft measurement systemO’Kane, Stephen M. 05 1900 (has links)
A fast response chemiluminescent ozone sonde originally intended for use as a
balloon borne instrument, was deployed on a single engine light aircraft to determine
mean ozone concentrations in the boundary layer downwind of a major urban centre.
Vancouver is a coastal city at the mouth of a major river delta and valley walled in by
mountains to the north and east. Hence, the pollutant distribution during anti-cyclonic
conditions is influenced by the thermally induced flows of the sea/land breeze and
mountain/valley wind systems. This study focused on ozone concentration in a steep
walled, glacial valley near the city, where ozone concentrations had not been previously
monitored but were suspected to be high. Measurements confirmed this hypothesis and
the mass budget of ozone for the valley was calculated for a period shortly after sunrise
when the rate of boundary layer growth was at its maximum. The high levels of ozone
found in the valley were partly attributed to residual layer storage of ozone above the
nocturnal stable layer. This overnight storage of ozone during sustained anti-cyclonic
conditions suggests that the Pitt River valley and possibly other tributary valleys
represent an important net sink for ozone emanating from precursor sources in the Lower
Fraser Valley.
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Arbutus infill : housing on the edgeSaul, David William Lindsay 11 1900 (has links)
The theme of this exploration is the issue of habitability. In its most basic sense, dwilling seems to
be defined by constructions which carry social values of privacy. At the same time, the many
moves of privacying are understood to be relative to public worlds--to the point that ambiguities
persist: the fact that pivate percetions can be exchanged for public ones in the very same spaces.
Uncovering these relative and, at times, opposite realities means that a great deal of importance is
paid to thresholds. By this, I mean the truns in plan, the drops in section, etc. which relate a
sequence of unfolding via devices which stimulate subtleties in mood and awareness.
Issues of public to private (and its opposite, simultaneous inversion) are investigated using the
concept of nested scales . Here, analogous moods shared by movements through scale (eg.
street to courtyard; hall to room) are investigated for their synergy.
Parallel to these social perceptions are investigations which focus on the elemental specifics of
dwellings. What value can hearths be to dwelling? What is a modern control centre for the
household? What are the requirements for the bathing ritual? These types of questions
permeate the general evalutaion of dwelling design. Sutides which detail abstracted, idealised
elements help to inform the larger project-like a kit of parts, they serve as cornerstones which
seed and temper the sequential experience of the dwelling. Ultimately, this abstraction absolves
the need to make "rooms" but rather to compose dwellings via the integration of elements filtered
through public/private dialogues, sequence, and continuity.
The site is bounded by 15th and 16th avenues to the North and South and by Arbutus St. and
the CPR right of way to the west and east, respectively. Its dimenstions are 270 feet in length
and 16 feet and its narrowest, 44 feet and its widest. The site acts as catalyst for the whole project
of fitting in thresholds and elements. Like a sandwich, the site compresses thin, discrete, and
identifiable componete parts into a whole building. The very narrowness of the site forces a
dialogue to surface between the tremendous, double-sided exposure of the building—its public
condition, and the construction of nesting scales of prospect and refuge.
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