This thesis is an inter-disciplinary and inter- cultural exploration of home as understood as the place in which we usually live. Empirical research in an Australian suburb and an Indian town provide the fabric from which cultural studies engages with phenomenology to produce a design used to cut and style this exploration. Motivated by an interest in what threads contribute to the weave of contemporary household dwelling, this thesis revisits the two questions used by Heidegger to frame his essay ‘Building Dwelling Thinking’: “What is it to dwell?” and “How does building belong to dwelling?” It is an inquiry committed to its respondents as bearers and representatives of ‘structures of feeling’ circulating within the socio-cultural milieu or habitus in which they live and engage with the idea of ‘home.’ This inquiry offers an exploration of the chief constituent mediums of home which I call its ‘archi-texture’. As such, it looks at location, physical and material attributes, domestic technology and household membership as framed by the presence or absence of a family. This thesis is almost certainly the only example of an empirically grounded examination of Heidegger’s ontological exposition of dwelling. Hence I position it as a meditation on the mediations of dwelling rather than a judgmental critique, although in no sense do I believe it to be either a dispassionate position nor an impartial digest of the research material.

Thesis (M.Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 89-91)

It is the responsibility of the discipline of architecture to enhance and compliment the human act of dwelling. One must engage the sun, moon and the changing seasons, provide spatial efficiency to lifestyle, purpose, and need, and harmoniously embed the contextually harmonious mechanics required to aid in modern dwelling. There are three underlying axes in this thesis in an effort to provide a perspective to reflect upon the entire body of work from the precedent studies, the process work and the final presentation. First, are the Hiedeggerian thoughts pertaining to the human act of dwelling. He states "We do not dwell because we have built, but we build and have built because we dwell that is, because we as dwellers." Simply, architects build to satisfy a specific need of a particular person, family, organization or society. We do not build arbitrarily but require a need to build or change the built environment to satisfy a perpetually evolving act of dwelling. Buildings protect, preserve and cherish dwelling and the evolution of dwelling facilitates the need to build. Architecture responds to this need. Second is the city as the built canvas of society. The perpetual building, rebuilding, unbuilding and modifications illustrate and identify the grain and subtle contextual geometries of city. Lastly is the role of technology in architecture. Sustainable technology, engineered building materials, digital communication and computer controlled systems all aid in making the act of living easier but are not the reason for life itself. Therefore, technology cannot be the concept of an architectural project but only assist the idea. The Site: Employing the idea of working with the grain of the city, I chose to begin examining one city block on the island of Manhattan in New York City. Understanding what has been built, unbuilt, rebuilt and modified on this site throughout history enabled me to understand the grain and internal geometries of it; allowing my interpretation of the history of the site to direct my design. The site is the triangular block bordered by Edgecombe Avenue, Bradhurst Avenue and 145th street in Harlem. Both Edgecombe Avenue and Bradhurst Avenue are secondary streets mainly occupied with 3 â 6 story apartment houses and single-family row houses. 145th Street is one of the large commercial boulevards of the area. The natural and social geography of the site was my initial attraction. It is one of only a few areas where two drastically different neighborhoods, known to the locals as the hilltop and the flats, connect. These neighborhoods are separated by a series of linear parks that were set-aside during the initial planning of the city because they were considered unbuildable land. They are literally shear rock cliffs with elevation changes of twenty-five feet to over sixty feet. The separation provided by the natural geography greatly contributed to the social separation between the two neighborhoods. This site is situated on one of four areas where the city fabric spans the separation and links "the hilltop" with "the flats". The Program: The project I chose to pursue is a mixed-use urban infill project with four distinct building programs executed with one architectural expression. The programs are two types of urban housing, office/work/retail space, civic/public space, all aligning with the information-driven society and the extension of an urban park interlacing itself with the city fabric and reconnecting the fractured linear parks. The Thesis: By using the urban context and a conglomerate program, my goal is to realize the architectural possibilities while reflecting on the human act of dwelling. Furthermore, I hope to gain insight and direction for my own career as an architect on how to engage an existing urban context. The method allows the built history to remain and work within the existing context to further adapt and modify the urban fabric. The Design: I began my design with a typology study. Understanding the existing site axes and geometries, solid verses void, hierarchy of buildings, solar orientation, building types and the construction method used in their making. Using the program I established and the site studies, I began laying out in plan, section and elevation the various architectural elements. The goal is to provide architectural generosity in space, volume and natural light. This was a three dimensional applied program to the site. Through my precedent study, I interpreted forms in nature and especially the complexity and elegance of the human body. My interpretation of the structure of the human spine, shoulder and arm and the interplay of muscles, tendons, ligaments and bones aided in the development of the structural form of my buildings. Repeating the forms and structural idea generated from my interpretations, I used the variation in the scale and program of the buildings to provide variation within a repetitious design. This approach enables the complex of building types and sizes to be part of one architectural expression. / Master of Architecture

No description available.

No description available.

published_or_final_version / Conservation / Master / Master of Science in Conservation

Class of 2015 Abstract / Objectives: The specific aim of the study was to examine the effects of a 30-minute educational intervention, developed and delivered by student pharmacists, on knowledge of hypertension and its management among community-dwelling older adults and their caregivers. The study also aimed to examine the helpfulness of the program and readiness of the participants to adopt healthier lifestyle practices afterward. Methods: This was a pre- and post-interventional study. At senior centers around the Phoenix metropolitan area, community-dwelling older adults (ages 60 or older) and family members or caregivers (ages 18 or older) were recruited to participate. Participants completed knowledge-based questionnaires prior to and after the educational program. The mean number of correct responses was calculated for pre- and post-program questionnaires, then compared using paired t-test. Results: A total of 77 individuals participated in the program with mean age of 72 and 67% female. The mean number of correct responses calculated for survey before the educational program was 3.03 and 5.46 for survey after the program, which was significantly different (p <0.01). 85% of participants reported the program to be helpful, and 84% participants were willing to adopt healthier lifestyle after attending the program. Conclusions: An intervention tailored to community-dwelling older adults, developed and delivered by student pharmacists, was found to improve awareness of hypertension and generated willingness to adopt healthier lifestyle among the participants.

The original constructive act of human nature was to make shelter. The original architectural act of human nature was to create place. Nature is made of emotive elemental matter- the horizontal of earth, the vertical of sky, the transcendence of water and the energy of fire. Human beings, alone among the living, have the opportunity to purposefully act. We have squandered this privilege until now, only considering nature where we have not yet built. We must endear ourselves to the source of our existence and through each experience gain nourishment and inspiration. Architecture manifests the spiritual revelation of human intervention into nature. The intimate act of dwelling requires fulfillment and sacrifice. The home should inspire the mind, envelop the soul, nurture the body, and free the spirit. The inhabitant must feel grounded within the foundation, thoughtfully carved into the earth, permeated with the warmth of being embedded, and enriched by the centering focus of a flame within the darkness. The inhabitant must feel elevated without weight upon lightness of frame, touched by a cool breeze, surrounded by canopy and inspired by the heavens. For this journey, the architect must purposefully and poetically place humanity within nature. This is the intimate domain of dwelling between earth and sky. / Master of Architecture

Yes / The biographical approach has become a well-recognized and adopted method to theorize the establishment and development of settlements in accord with their human occupation. Recent proposals for such a biographical model for the lake-dwellings of the northern Alpine region have been largely based upon theoretical and hypothetical considerations. Lake-dwelling sites in the Alpine region generally have excellent levels of organic preservation, particularly for artefacts and building foundations, but with poor representation of building superstructures. They do however have high potential for archaeology micromorphological soil analysis, with sediment deposits providing indications of both human activity and environmental conditions within the settlement. Using specific examples from Switzerland, this paper intends to highlight some of the contributions that micromorphology can provide to the consideration of settlement biographies. / Swiss National Science Foundation

What the Middle Neolithic Alvastra pile dwelling in Östergötland, Sweden, was used for has been discussed since the site was discovered in early 20th century. The interpretation by Mats Malmer of the pile dwelling as a ceremonial settlement is until today the most widely accepted. How the word 'settlement' (swe. 'boplats') has been defined and used in the interpretations of the pile dwelling is however something to consider. Hence, from definitions of the word 'settlement' this essay aims to investigate different researchers’ interpretation in the context of Alvastra pile dwelling. Using secondary sources both the interpretations of the definition and the archaeological material found at the pile dwelling will be studied. The interpretations of the pile dwelling have been, and still are, varied. This study is therefore of importance for the understanding of what a settlement is as well as for how it is, and has been, interpreted.