Many dangerous or tragic events such as airplane crashes and medical errors are often the result of human errors, and these errors are often the result of a professional worker being interrupted during a critical task. Although their impact can be serious, the ways that interruptions are affected by the physical environment have rarely been examined in the study of architecture. Therefore, this thesis investigates how the physical environment helps manage the interruptions by observing the process of medication administration by nurses in hospital units. Nurse shadowing observation data showed that the level of visibility of work areas in and around nurse stations significantly contributed to the number of interruptions initiated by others. Therefore, this thesis concludes that the physical environment affects interruption events and discusses the design implications of observation-based findings and the potential impact of the physical environment on major clinical errors. As for future directions for investigation, this thesis suggests that interruptions become a more prominent subject for consideration in architecture, and the physical environment as a subject for analyzing interruption and performance in human factors and health care.

The urban architectural environment in modern day life places a variety of additional unnecessary stresses upon people which affects social interaction and well-being. This dissertation is aimed at developing an understanding of what social interaction and well-being is in architecture and how important it is to design architectural environments that enhance these two principles. The research investigates the benefits and design tools of a more appropriate approach to the built environment through the exploration of the theories of Biophilia, Image Of The City and New Urbanism. The theories seek to provide architects and the designers of the built environment with tools that can be used to create architectural environments that enhance social interaction and the well-being of building users. It further endeavours to highlight the destructive qualities that affect well-being and social interaction in the architectural environment on both a macro (city context) and a micro level (the building) to create an awareness in those responsible for the design of these environments and the impact they have on society. The designers of the built environment should consider the social and well-being needs of the people as this will convert architectural environments into spaces that have physical and physiological benefits to its users. / Thesis (M.Arch.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2012.

Orientador: Silvia A. Mikami G.Pina / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Civil, Arquitetura e Urbanismo / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-12T05:31:19Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Barros_RaquelReginaMartiniPaula_D.pdf: 36843030 bytes, checksum: 16fba5947045c132d87988b36793fcf6 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008 / Resumo: A pesquisa valoriza a relação entre conceitos humanizadores e a qualidade espacial do projeto de habitação coletiva com vistas a contribuir para o processo projetual. Os conceitos tiveram como ponto de partida uma seleção de patterns relacionados ao tema habitacional dentre os diversos originalmente identificados por Christopher Alexander e equipe em 1977. Os patterns consistem de proposições que procuram responder a problemas recorrentes no ambiente construído quanto ao melhor atendimento de necessidades psicossociais e ambientais e foram traduzidos e interpretados como parâmetros projetuais. A pesquisa teve por objetivo verificar em que medida os parâmetros selecionados relacionam-se à qualidade espacial do projeto da habitação coletiva no que se refere àquele melhor atendimento. Foram selecionados os projetos de habitação coletiva no Estado de São Paulo premiados e publicados nos periódicos nacionais entre os anos de 1980 e 2005, construídos ou não, incluindo qualquer faixa de renda de usuários. A partir da análise do levantamento abrangente da produção local, constituiu-se coletânea de parâmetros projetuais identificados. A relevância destes para a análise dos projetos fomentou a construção de conceitos humanizadores e revelou potencial de uso. Por fim, foi desenvolvida uma proposta de estratégia projetual que relaciona os conceitos humanizadores a propriedades que lhes são inerentes, representando qualidades do ambiente construído que podem resgatar um senso de urbanidade e de habitabilidade. A pesquisa pretende contribuir para a reflexão e prática do processo projetual visando à melhoria da qualidade da habitação coletiva com relação ao melhor atendimento de necessidades psicossociais e ambientais de futuros usuários. / Abstract: The research values the relation between humanizing concepts and the spatial quality of multifamily housing design in order to contribute to the architectural design process. The concepts originated from a selection of patterns related to housing among the identified by Christopher Alexander and colleagues in 1977. Patterns are propositions intended to answer to recurrent problems in the built environment regarding the fulfillment of social, psychological and environmental needs of its users, and were here translated and interpreted as design parameters. The investigation aimed at verifying to which extent selected parameters relate to the spatial quality of multifamily housing design regarding that fulfillment. The design sample included the awarded and published multifamily housing in the State of Sao Paulo within the time period of 1980 through 2005, comprising built and not built proposals for users of any income level. A collection of identified design parameters was gathered from the analysis of that comprehensive local production. The relevance of those for the design analysis encouraged the construction of humanizing concepts and revealed its potential for use. A design strategy was developed as to relate the humanizing concepts to inherent properties, representing qualities of the built environment which can recover a sense of urbanity and of a sense of dwelling. The research intends to contribute to the reflection on design methodologies and practice regarding the quality of multifamily housing concerning the fulfillment of social, psychological and environmental needs of future users. / Doutorado / Arquitetura e Construção / Doutor em Engenharia Civil

M.Tech. (Architectural Technology) / A persons' well-being is characterized as health, happiness, prosperity and as being in a good state of existence. The way in which we maintain our body, by eating the correct foods to exercising on a daily basis, is an important part of maintaining our well-being. Medical authorities regard South Africa a shaving one of the healthiest environments and climates in the world. South Africans get to enjoy sport and outdoor activities, fresh fruit and vegetable sand some of the planets cleanest air (Health issues in South Africa 2011: [sp]). This however is not the case for many South Africans living in poor overcrowded conditions with the lack of basic facilities. Within the medical field are large areas of controversy, particularly with HIV/ AIDS treatments between Traditional medicine and Bio-medicine. The dissertation will not focus on the study of one specific ailment and space related to health care. Instead an attempt is made to create a space where a multitude of medical functions can operate and share space in a symbiotic relationship. This would ultimately create a place of well-being and healing, where public health can be re-invent for a broader audience through mixed use facilities, social interaction and nature. The investigation area of the dissertation takes place in Yeoville and the function of the building will examine the notion of a Mixed Use Healthcare Centre. The architecture will look at the human scale and needs whilst Nature will deal with form and function. The Design intervention attempts to dissect the existing healthcare system and inject new and fresh responses to the ailing problems in the industry. There are currently large gaps in the public and private sectors of South Africa as well as the dialog between Traditional medicine and Bio-medical practices (Richter 2003: [sp]). The concept of the intervention is to provide a closed loop Healthcare system where the project becomes self sustaining within the Social conditions, Function of space and the Well-being of people This will be done by investigating the existing typologies of healthcare systems in South Africa and by combining both Traditional Medicine and Bio-Medicine. This could allow a better communication network to establish between the two disciplines and provide more information about heath and well being to the public. The intervention can become a framework for future health care establishments where a multitude of functions can operate under one roof providing affordable treatment and advice to...

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 Masters of Architecture (Professional), Johannesburg 2017 / This thesis studies the place and nature of the concept of play in society through the exploration of objects and spaces that stimulate, encourage or deter the notion of play. Nominated spaces that will ideally contribute to the study of play are reviewed, focusing in particular on areas within the local context of Johannesburg where a notion of play takes or could inherently take place. But in order to draw an understanding and a cognitive inspiration, toys are reviewed as objects of play. Toys are studied with the intention of identifying the role it encompasses and the integrity of the notion of play, with a focus on local toy design and manufacture in relation to the international market. / XL2018

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China is engaged in the largest healthcare construction program in history, expecting to build more than 2,000 hospitals and a large number of healthcare facilities at all scale over the next few years. This once-in-a-lifetime construction boom provides a valuable opportunity to rethink Chinese hospital design, and especially to consider how to design modern hospitals that are effective and efficient in delivering care, and are responsive to the cultural needs of the Chinese people as well. This dissertation seeks to rigorously define these issues and develop metrics that link design to key healthcare processes. This study uses a range of concepts and analysis tools drawn from cross-culture organizational communications, evidence-based design, space syntax and other research traditions. This thesis develops and refines metrics for four main drivers of nursing unit design: space economy, staff efficiency, natural light and cultural preferences for communication. Communication among Chinese healthcare workers is strongly influenced by cultural preferences for patterns of authority and decision-making reflected in organizational culture and rooted in Confucian principles of hierarchical social structure (Dengji), social network (Guanxi) and face (Mianzi). While the dissertation builds on a longstanding tradition of research focusing on healthcare space economy and staff efficiency, new measures for cultural preferences are proposed and tested. Based on emerging theories of cross-cultural organizational communication by Hofstede and other scholars, and space syntax, this study particularly explores how cultural preferences for face-to-face communication are reflected in the design of Chinese nursing units. Based on the proposed metrics, the dissertation analyzes six pairs of Chinese and US nursing units, matched on layout type. While the Chinese nursing units appear Western, deeper quantitative analysis of their layouts reveals significant national differences in the application of unit typologies in China when compared to those in the U.S. It shows that Chinese hospital design is rooted in cultural preferences such as for positive energy (qi) based on Fengshui theory, and in Confucian principles of hierarchy, social networking and face.

The research conducted seeks to understand man’s relationship with the natural world, and the translation of that relationship into the built environment. Current and contemporary built form often lacks an integrated approach to the natural environment. Seeing as modern man’s lifestyles is increasingly focused on indoor activities and governed by the technological rather than the physical world, the disconnection between man and the natural world grows ever more, with great physical, social and mental repercussions. The research therefore aims at establishing how the built form may facilitate connections to the natural world. / Thesis (M.Arch.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2012.