In light of pressing challenges including climate change and energy security, urban planners are increasingly being required to make decisions that can be attributed to reductions in energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. Energy mapping is an emerging approach used to make improved energy-related decisions and predict energy performance, although at the time of writing, has not been applied within a Manitoban context. Informed by promising practice utilized in other Canadian locales, this research creates an energy mapping process for use in the City of Winnipeg’s residential sector. The Ebby-Wentworth neighbourhood is analyzed to develop and test the mapping process. The process begins with determining baseline energy use for the neighbourhood, and is then compared to three development scenarios, which include the use of retrofits, and new construction on an adjacent development site. The results of applying the energy mapping approach in Winnipeg demonstrates this to be a key decision-making tool for planners looking to make informed decisions related to energy-using equipment, building and site design, and land use and infrastructure. Recommendations include: increased use of the energy mapping approach as a decision-making tool through enhanced collaboration between federal and provincial authorities, municipalities, and utilities; incorporating energy considerations into the planning and development process through revised and updated energy legislation, policy and programming; and, further refining and testing of the energy mapping process designed for this research to develop a best-practice approach for mapping energy use within the Province of Manitoba.

The location of the site where the pioneers settled permanently was determined by the availability of water in the immediate environment. The Highveld contains fertile soils, a fine climate, and an abundance of water. The area has always been extensively used for crop and stock farming, but in general, mixed farming was practiced. The farmers depended on the availability of water, therefore their experiences, observations, weather forecasts, and conclusions, developed into a popular folk meteorology. Furthermore, environmental factors such as local topography, micro climate, hydrography, ground fertility, and the appearance of natural vegetation determined whether or not an area was suitable for permanent residence. The farmstead may be divided into three functional zones (the core-, extended-, and outer farmyard) that are joined by a canal network, used for irrigation and drinking water. The farmhouse and buildings, erected a stones throw away from the water source, served as a focal point for the activities of the farmer. The manipulation of the water source by obstruction of streams and the construction of water canals, weirs and water furrows, assisted the farmer in planning his activities and in using the water to his advantage. The settlement and development of the residence on the rural parts of the Highveld may be divided into three distinct phases. Firstly, the temporary trekboer phase, secondly the pioneer phase and thirdly the permanent settlement phase. The permanence of residence had a direct influence in the layout of the house, the method of construction, and the use of the available water supply. At first, the trekkers were content to reside in roof dwellings (their wagons and tents and a grass screen as their kitchen and a hut near a spring). The first houses were hartbieshuise and kapsteilhuise. The more permanent homesteads of the earlier settlers were a simple rectangular structure (pioneer house) with a saddle grass roof. With the introduction of galvanised iron sheeting, the house was expanded and developed into the veranda-, stoeproom- and a flat roofed rectangular house. This development resulted into a typical rural Highveld homestead. After the discovery of gold in the vicinity of the Witwatersrand, the first gold rush took place resulting in the proclamation of Johannesburg in 1886. Prospectors, mostly foreigners, descended upon the Witwatersrand. Housing took on a more planned structure resembling the late Victorian period of housing in England. The water supply and drainage systems were planned and improved, making it possible to provide running water to kitchens and bathrooms. This impacted firstly on the upper riches of society in the cities, later on the lower middle classes and lastly on the rural areas. European technology regarding the supply of hot pipe water and drainage systems changed the layout of the house. The cooking activity moved from outside behind a screen to a seperate room inside the house. Inevitable changes regarding collecting, storage, purpose, saving and drainage of household water took place. Between 1840 and 1910, evolutionary changes took place regarding sanitation, water supply and personal hygiene. Being part of a particular social class made certain facilities available to certain individuals. A rural Highveld dwelling rarely included sanitary facilities, instead dwellers had a more primitive wash basin in each room in which they washed daily. On a Saturday, a weekly bath was taken in a bathtub in the kitchen or bedroom. Trekkers simply relieved themselves outside. A revolution in sanitary habits and facilities became inevitable. The Victorian dwelling on the Highveld was built according to a standard plan, including a flush water system already in place. This was the ultimate manifestation of sophistication and civilization. The aim of this investigation is to identify the similarities and differences between the use of water by the pioneer, the poor people and the wealthy in their rural dwellings. Furthermore, information has been obtained regarding water usage and sanitation in the bathroom and kitchen in the rural dwelling to be useful in the area of historic architecture and the heritage of our water history. / Thesis (M.A. (History))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2008.

Natural disasters are increasing in both number and severity, causing the number of people being displaced by disaster to rise as well. Hurricane Katrina provides a particularly poignant example of the human impact of disaster, and of inadequate disaster response, especially where housing is concerned. The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s response to Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans exposed a gap in the approach to housing survivors of natural disasters, especially at the interim housing level. The FEMA trailer - which was only intended to house survivors temporarily but, in many cases, became a long term housing solution, - provided shelter for survivors, but did not account for their psychological well-being. The loss of one’s home can be a traumatic experience, as people identify their sense of self with their home. Therefore, it is crucial to reinstate this sense of home, and in turn provide continuity to the sense of self, early on in the recovery process. Rebuilding after a natural disaster is a long process. Because of this, disaster housing needs to be able to evoke a sense of home and ownership so that inhabitants can connect with their environment and reinstate their daily routines. This helps them to rebuild their lives. The proposed project attempts to do this by allowing for flexibility and choice in both the design and daily use of the house. The house transitions from temporary to permanent housing, allowing for a dialogue between inhabitant and environment to begin early on in the recovery process, and to persist. The design is informed by theories on place making, elements of home, dwelling, as well as loss and the grieving process.

Ce mémoire propose une analyse de l'enfermement identitaire présent dans les romans Lullaby et Survivor de l'auteur Chuck Palahniuk et montré en rapport au rôle que les personnages tiennent dans leur famille et à leur pratique d'habitation. En utilisant les théories de Baudrillard et de Foucault, l'imposition d'une identité par la société moderne s'explique en relation à sa domination par le capitalisme de consommation et par la présence médiatique. Les univers romanesques de cet auteur s'inscrivent dans la tradition américaine où, par l'emploi du langage littéraire, sont développées les notions de liberté et de libre arbitre au coeur de l'identité nationale américaine rendant possible la lutte contre les différents dispositifs de contrôle présents dans cette société (m'inspirant du projet de Weinstein). Cette étude ne porte pas seulement sur l'enfermement identitaire, tant individuel que culturel des personnages, mais aussi sur les problématiques de l'identité masculine et de la passivité dans ces deux romans. L'auteur tente de solutionner lesdits problèmes en brisant la solitude de ses personnages que ce soit parce qu'ils réussissent à faire partie d'une communauté les reconnaissant comme un sujet unique, parce qu'ils établissent une connexion grâce au partage de leur histoire personnelle ou parce qu'ils retrouvent les sentiments d'appartenance et d'amour liés à la famille. / This thesis focuses on the internalization of identity in Chuck Palahniuk's novels Lullaby and Survivor in regards to each character's role within their respective families and surroundings (environments). Using both Baudrillard and Foucault's theories, we can demonstrate that one's identity, created by our modern society, can be explained by its domination by the capitalist mantra and the mediatic presence. The literary universes created by Palahniuk are in the American style where literary language is used to develop the notions of liberty and free will within the American national identity, enabling the main protagonists to fight against the various control methods present within this society (inspired by Weinstein's project). This study does not fucus solely on the internalization of identity, both individual and cultural, but also on the problems related to the masculine identity as well as the character's passivity in both novels. The author attempts to solve these problems by breaking its character's solitude either by way of integrating them in a community that recognizes them as unique individuals, by establishing a connection based on the retelling of their personal history or by reconnecting with the feelings of filial love and belonging.

Do residents find value in smart home functions? How should these functions be designed to offer user benefit? These were the governing questions of this study that involved nearly 200 families in three different housing projects during five years of occupancy. The housing units were equipped with advanced smart homes solutions, electronic and digital devices to control them, and a set of functions to increase comfort, safety and security in the homes. The evaluations of the residents' use and benefits were accomplished in two different phases, i) evaluation of the user expectations' before and direct after occupancy and ii) long-term experiences after 3-5 years. A third phase of the study represents a radical shift in view. Issues related to innovation and organisation of service delivery were brought into the fore. The research is founded on the multiple case-based methodology. Literature studies were effected. Data acquisition was based on interviews and questionnaires. Theoretical models from different research areas were used in order to analyse observations and to arrive to grounded conclusions. Important conclusions include the fact that smart home functionalities must be developed as close as possible out of the users' genuine needs as experienced in their daily lives. Failure to attain accessibility to a certain function will cause disappointment and will be forsaken. To gain and over time preserve the user's trust in smart home functions or in a system as a whole is conclusive for the their use. Another conclusion is that a viable business model for smart homes must include the occupancy phase. Surveillance and maintenance of smart home systems must be secured over time. It is argued that the failure of establishing a viable long-term service to homes to the benefit to the user depends highly on the market’s ability to supply the homes with appropriate services over time. Possible ways to mediate revealed shortcomings are outlined and what role and responsibility the housing construction industry has to consider with the further development of smart homes. / QC 20100809

This study investigates the characteristics of and the interrelationships between disease, disability, service use and social support in a random sample of 647 community dwellers aged 75 years and over. The two broad objectives of the study are: to examine the physical aspects and manifestations of health by investigating disease and disability and the interrelationships between these two factors, and; to examine the social aspects of health by investigating service use and social support and the interrelationships between these two factors. Given the dramatic population ageing in Australia, particularly in the very old age groups, the health, well-being and quality of life of older Australians are of paramount importance and will be well into the future. The proportion of the population with diseases and disabilities increases significantly with age. As the physical aspects of health are manifested with increasing age the social aspects of health also become increasingly important. Older adults, particularly those in advanced old age, are disproportionately high users of health and community services. Despite the high use of services in this age group, far more older adults living in the community rely on their families, friends and neighbours for social support and many older adults use a combination of formal services and informal social support. Little is known about people aged 75 years and over living in the community in Australia. In particular, significant knowledge gaps exist with regard to the relationship between disease and disability and that between service use and social support. The characteristics of social support in this group of older adults are also largely unknown. The papers presented in this thesis are based on data collected in The Sydney Older Persons Study (SOPS). This is a large longitudinal multidisciplinary project which began in 1991 in order to investigate the health and service use patterns of people aged 75 years and over living in the community in the Central Sydney Health Area. The initial sample consisted of two groups: first, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) selected census districts with probability proportional to size and 9271 households were door-knocked to obtain a random sub-sample of the general community (n=320, response rate 73%); second, community-living veterans and war widows residing in the Central Sydney Health Area were selected at random from a list provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs to obtain a veteran/war widow sub-sample (n=327, response rate 82%). Respondents participated in both an interview conducted by a social scientist and a medical assessment performed by a medical practitioner with experience in geriatric medicine. An informant was sought for each respondent and this informant participated in a phone interview conducted by a social scientist. The first paper in this thesis investigates the characteristics of diseases (neurodegenerative, systemic and psychiatric) including their prevalence and association with age. The second paper extends the first by examining the nature of the relationship between disease and disability and in particular which individual diseases and groups of diseases have the greatest impact on disability. The third paper expands the analysis in the second paper by focusing in greater detail on the relationship between disease and disability. The contribution of clinically-diagnosed individual diseases and groups of diseases to three different measures of disability (clinician-rated, informant-rated or proxy and self-report) is investigated here. The fourth paper examines the possibility of disease and disability being the major predictors of service use and social support. It focuses on the determinants of service use and social support using Andersen's behavioral model. The fifth paper investigates the characteristics of social support, in particular gender differences and the socio-demographic variables associated with social support. This is an important research area because lower levels of social support have been found to predict mortality, disease and lower levels of well-being. Finally, the sixth paper links the major themes of the fourth and fifth papers by investigating the relationship between service use and social support. This paper tests Cantor's 'hierarchical-compensatory' mechanism, which predicts a negative association between service use and social support, and the 'bridging' mechanism which predicts a positive association between these two factors. Thus it assesses the extent to which demands for service use and for social support are made together or in a compensatory fashion for respondents of equal disease and disability. The presented work demonstrates that neurodegenerative diseases [dementia, cognitive impairment, parkinsonism, instability (gait ataxia), immobility (gait slowing) and motivation loss/behaviour change] have the largest and most significant increases with age of all disease groups. Therefore the hypothesis made in paper one that neurodegenerative diseases will come to dominate the health care needs of older adults, particularly when combined with population ageing, is supported. Further, results of papers two and three indicate that neurodegenerative diseases result in greater levels of disability, lending credence to the finding that it is these neurodegenerative diseases that are of central importance to the future of the health care needs of older adults of advanced age. While systemic diseases play an important role in disability, the neurodegenerative diseases are under-recognised by self-report and yet are most strongly associated with severe disability. A major recommendation of this study is that assessments and diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases be included in disability assessments. With regard to the social aspects of health, the fourth paper finds that disease and disability are the main predictors of service use and social support. The fifth paper highlights important gender differences in social support and also finds that lower levels of social support are associated with increased age, male gender, single marital status and lower socioeconomic status. Because it is widely accepted that social support is protective against adverse health outcomes and low levels of wellbeing, these groups of older adults are at risk of poorer health and wellbeing. Finally the sixth paper fills some knowledge gaps with regard to the relationship between service use and social support. It shows that with regard to IADL (instrumental activities of daily living) services and IADL social support, Cantor's 'hierarchical-compensatory' mechanism (negative correlation) applies but with regard to medical services and both ADL (activities of daily living) and IADL social support the 'bridging' mechanism (positive correlation) is supported. These complex interrelationships between disease, disability, service use and social support are summarised schematically in a model. In light of significant population ageing, substantial resources in the form of medical and community services and social support from carers, family, friends and neighbours will need to be devoted to older adults with diseases, in particular neurodegenerative diseases, and to those with disabilities. Given the increasing importance of disease, disability, service use and social support in very old age, it is crucial that knowledge and understanding of these factors and their interrelationships be advanced in order to better allocate and sustain resources and to ultimately improve the health, well-being and quality of life of very old adults.

" Dwelling at the Margins" is an exegesis of the short film Boundaries. Boundaries is a journey into the world of marginalised young people in inner urban Brisbane seen through the eyes of a the female main character with an eye for gentle beauty. The film forms the first part of the research and in the exegesis the ideas unfold that were behind the making of the film and that emerged further through its production and audience reception. The exegesis discussion centres on the major aspects of the film which are visual representations, female narratives and the themes of home and dwelling. Boundaries is a political film that looks from the edges of society. The exegesis seeks to explain the ideas behind this intention.

This dissertation aims to provide an insight into English country house fiction by twentieth and twenty-first century authors, such as E.M. Forster, Evelyn Waugh, Iris Murdoch, Alan Hollinghurst, and Sarah Waters. The variety of literary depictions of the country house reflects the physical diversification of the buildings in question, from smaller variants to formerly grand residences on the brink of physical collapse. The country house is explored within the wider social and cultural contexts of the period, including contemporary architectural development. Given the exceptionally evocative and integrating properties that the influential theories of Martin Heidegger and Gaston Bachelard attribute to a house in general, it is unsurprising that the concept of the country house has inspired discussion of such a wide spectrum of topics. Its unique centring quality is echoed in the dense intertextuality prominently marking its literary representations, and enables the successful implementation of various temporal idiosyncrasies, which often set the house apart from the habitual passing of time. Within the scope of contemporary fiction, architecture and poetics of space, the country house accentuates different conceptions of dwelling. Consequently, the literary portrayals of the country house can be...

A pesquisa proposta pretende esclarecer os pontos obscuros e controvertidos do artigo 1228, 4 e 5 do Código Civil, tendo por finalidade a busca da efetividade de tal dispositivo legal, que possui, na sua essência, o reconhecimento do direito fundamental de moradia e, ainda, tutela o direito ao trabalho. O dispositivo em questão rompe com o paradigma da posse como mera sentinela avançada do direito de propriedade e reconhece a defesa da posse autônoma exercida por aqueles que realmente cumprem com a sua função social. A partir do preenchimento dos requisitos previstos na lei, concede-se a legitimação da posse aos possuidores e, com o pagamento da indenização ao proprietário, converte-se a posse em direito de propriedade. Dessa forma, o instituto visa não apenas à regularização fundiária de áreas urbanas ou rurais, mas, principalmente, à efetividade dos direitos fundamentais de moradia e trabalho, que dão substância ao principio norteador de qualquer sociedade civilizada: o princípio da dignidade da pessoa humana. Assim sendo, na busca pela efetividade do dispositivo, o estudo tem ainda como finalidade desenvolver a natureza jurídica específica do instituto, reconhecendo-o como um modo autônomo de aquisição onerosa do direito de propriedade, não se equiparando a formas de desapropriação ou de usucapião do direito de propriedade. / The proposed research aims to clarify the obscure and controversial points presented in the article 1228, 4 and 5 of the Civil Code, aiming at the effectiveness of this legal device which has at its core the acknowledgment of the fundamental right to housing and even guards the right to work. The device in question breaks the paradigm of possession as a mere advanced outpost of law of property and recognizes the defense of autonomous possession made by those who actually fulfill their social role. After the fulfillment of the requirements foreseen by law, it is granted the legitimacy of the possession to the possessors, and as compensation, pay the possession to the proprietor is turned into ownership right. Thus, the institute aims not only the regularization of urban and rural areas, but mostly the effectiveness of the fundamental rights of dwelling and work, which strengthen the mainstream principle of any civilized society, that is, the principle of human dignity. Thus, in the pursuit of the effectiveness of the advice, the study also aims to develop the specific legal nature of the institute, recognizing it as an autonomous way of costly acquisition of property law, not being equated with ways of dispossession or prescription of real property right.

In Sweden housing shortage is a rising issue. Within a ten year period scientists predict that the Swedish population will increase from 10 to approximately 11 million people. Due to this increase in the Swedish population, the production of multi-dwelling buildings should be expanding, though instead building development is now decreasing. The Swedish government recently stated upon a climate strategy, to have no excessive emissions of greenhouse gases until the year of 2045. Regarding this climate strategy and the increasing need for housing, the need to build time-efficient, low cost buildings that have minimal environmental impact is in a greater demand than ever before. The purpose of this degree project is to elucidate the environmental effects, costs and assembly time for multi-dwelling buildings with prefabricated wooden and concrete frames. The study, based on literature and interviews, displays that prefabricated cross-laminated timber frames are more expensive than prefabricated concrete frames. However, choosing a timber frame does not necessarily result in a higher production cost compared to a concrete frame. Due to the dehydration time with concrete frames, wooden frames are almost 20 % more time efficient to assemble. Although wooden frames take less time to assemble, they often need more post-production work to withhold quality demands in comparison to concrete frames. The difference in environmental effect between the two materials is significant. Wood is an organic and renewable material and therefore has a low environmental impact. Concrete, which is a non-renewable material, has a higher environmental impact because of its cement component. Today 90 % of the newly developed multi-dwelling buildings are constructed with concrete. To reach the climate strategy in 2045, an increase of wooden constructions is one solution to lower the greenhouse gas emissions. Regarding that most of today’s construction building companies are using concrete as their primary frame material, this way of construction will have to change. Due to this future change, a decisionmaking model for selecting framework material has been developed. The model aims to guide clients and construction companies in an early process to get a first indication on what type of material that would be most beneficial to use in a project. The model is based on three different key factors; environmental effect, investment cost and time. When using the model, these key factors will be compared to each other and prioritized in a hierarchy setting. The outcome specifies the most preferable material to use in a project.