A place where all the different African Nations and the different African embassies can meet to learn about each other. The facilities provided in the complex are to aid in the development Of africa as a continent. Importantly, all those who visit must feel at home without any fear of being discriminated against. / Dissertation (MArch(Prof))--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Architecture / unrestricted

This study reports on an investigation into individuals’ experiences of spiritual leisure. Though there is a range of literature and research that examines the independent concepts of leisure and spirituality, there continues to be a lack of empirical research into the existence and experience of leisure that may be spiritual. Given that both traditional and ongoing understandings of leisure emphasise their impact on the whole of the person, this lack of attention to the spiritual dimension creates a gap in our understanding. Leisure is increasingly seen as having a role to play in human well-being. What is less well known is the role and place of spirituality in that interplay. It is recognised that a sense of spirituality can be accessed in a diversity of ways, through, for example prayer, meditation and an engagement with sacred places. The spiritual forum of leisure however, remains less acknowledged and understood despite the fact that spiritual benefits have been identified as part of leisure participation. The purpose of this study was to develop insight into the existence and nature of this relationship by exploring the phenomenon of spiritual leisure experiences. As a primary research focus, this topic is rarely directly considered. Rather it is most often raised as an anecdotal benefit of leisure, a philosophical potential for leisure, or more recently, a component of people’s spiritual and general well-being. Based on personal interest, informed by intuition and grounded in the theoretical and philosophical concepts of leisure and spirituality, this study sought to fill some gaps in our understandings of spiritual leisure experiences. Using a phenomenological approach, this descriptive, qualitative study aimed to explore the subjective meanings individuals give to experiences they refer to as spiritual leisure. Thus, 24 co-researchers were invited to share their self-defined spiritual leisure experiences, through open, unstructured interviews and reflective journaling. The leisure experiences the co-researchers described as spiritual occurred within various locations and involved multiple contexts. These included social and solo experiences, nature based or urban environments and active or passive pursuits. Reflective of what happened, the descriptions of the co-researchers revealed that spiritual leisure experiences could vary in situation, conditions, activity and contexts. The meanings behind these descriptions were also sought and three groupings of common themes were recognised: namely triggers; responses and outcomes. These structural components of spiritual leisure were interrelated in the co-researchers conscious understandings and represented a suite of feelings, thoughts, sensations and meanings embedded in the context, actions and locations of their leisure. Finally, the research included an exploration of the underlying essences of the experiences. Five interrelated essences of spiritual leisure emerged representing the phenomenon of spiritual leisure. These were: experiencing self; time and space for self; being; becoming; and belonging. Overall, the results demonstrated that experiences of leisure that were spiritual were evident for the 24 co-researchers. The experience of spiritual leisure was understood as an event that was lived physically, emotionally and affectively and while it varied in context it also shared the characteristics of providing a forum for knowing, being and becoming more of the self. In spiritual leisure, individuals found a life-space in which to discover and know aspects of themselves and to feel a sense of belonging. This study clearly identifies leisure as a valuable and edifying aspect of some people’s lives in relation to developing their spiritual self or for experiencing their spirituality. The essential themes remind us of the true potential leisure can have in people’s lives. More broadly, the study acknowledges the nature of spiritual leisure, its structural components and the value of studying the phenomenon from the perspective of the experiencing person.

Syftet med föreliggande studie är att utifrån ett genusperspektiv studera det sociala och musikaliska samspelet i ensembleundervisning på högstadiet och gymnasiet. Studien utgår från ett genusperspektiv där genus ses som en social konstruktion. Datamaterialet består av videoobservationer av tre musiklektioner där ensemblespel stod på schemat. Resultatet visar att eleverna aktivt återskapade könsstereotypa instrumentfördelningar och på så vis befäste den heteronormativa hierarkin. Resultatet visade dessutom ett mer dominant platstagande hos vissa killar i grupperna och ett generellt sett mer understödjande beteendemönster hos tjejerna i grupperna. Diskussionen antyder att ramarna för handlingsutrymme är snävare för tjejerna än för killarna (bland annat i och med kopplingen till de informella läroprocesserna i undervisningen) och erbjuder genuskontraktets regelsystem som möjlig förklaringsmodell för tjejers och killars olika platstagande. / The purpose of this study is to examine, from a gender point of view, the social and musical interaction in ensemble groups during ensemble lessons at secondary levels. The study is based on a gender perspective where gender is seen as a social construction. The data consists of video observations of three separate music lessons where ensemble playing was on the curriculum. The result showed the pupils actively recreating gender stereotypical instrument allocations and, in doing so, consolidating the heteronormative hierarchy. Furthermore, the result showed a more dominant behaviour amongst certain of the boys in the groups, and amongst the girls a predominantly more supporting behavioural pattern. The discussion suggests the space for action for girls being narrower than that for the boys, and presents the set of rules accompanying the gender contract as possible key for understanding girls' and boys' different place-taking.

This study examines processes connected to teacher’s transformation of the Montessori theory and it's described application to a daily practice.  The aim is to create knowledge about what constitutes possibilities and limitations for teachers in their daily work with Montessori education. This does not only refer to what constitutes opportunities and limitations in teachers'  everyday work with teaching, but also to what constitutes opportunities and limitations for teachers to learn at work. The theoretical framework is based on action theory and theories on adult learning and connects to a tradition called workplace-learning in which learning is considered to take place in, but also between, individuals. This approach indicates that the contextual conditions which the teachers were imbedded in are important to identify. The study was conducted in four different Montessori-environments and involved nine Montessori teachers. The methods used were participant observation, interviews, informal conversations and review of teacher produced material and documents. Possibilities and limitations in teachers work were related to if they had access to Montessori materials or not. In work with Montessori materials teachers identified the children's abilities to a greater extent than they did when other materials were in use. This identification directed their interventions. When the teachers did not have access to Montessori material their method often appeared to be the same as “individual work” with the provided material. Furthermore, interventions of the teacher were then significantly often procedural rather than content-related, although the teachers clearly expressed that they wanted to go into a dialogue with children about the treated subject area. The survey therefore contradicts with the opinion that Montessori-teachers withdraw in favor of Montessori materials that sometimes has been brought up by interpreters of the pedagogy. Rather, teachers stepped back when other materials were in use. The study also shows how a prerequisite for a collective development-oriented learning among the teachers was dependent on whether teachers made their own private understanding of the pedagogy available to each other. At times, however, teachers took the use of the materials for granted. Some of the teachers also deliberately refrained from making their personal understanding available to others due to the fact that they then could be seen as a less competent Montessori-teacher. This maintaining of a “false” collective understanding is seen as an expression of an institutionalization of teaching practice which was maintained by sanctions from the environment if the individual didn´t recognize the institutionalization in question. Since teacher’s “space for action” in this way was limited, the institution created conditions that prevented a possible development of the working methods in use. In those cases when conditions for a collective development-oriented learning were more favorable, it was clear that the teachers did not perceive Montessori education as a given method but rather saw it as a "model" for teaching in which the teachers had to interpret and define their own method from. The teachers thus came to take advantage of a potential “space for action” which was not noticed when the pedagogy was seen as a method.

This doctoral thesis deals with the type of architecture that materializes when age-related problems become a long-term condition (LTC) and gradually restrain the individual’s ability to perform activities in daily life (ADL). Their life situation necessitates a support from relatives or municipal eldercare staff in order for them to continue to participate in everyday living. In addition, the architectural space requires a close adjustment to the personal panorama of cognitive or functional impairments. The habitat can be a flat appropriated many years previously or in a residential care home for dependent and frail seniors. Architecture for ageing with dependency demonstrates how space can be used either to affirm or oppress the older person’s attempts to maintain an independent life style. By use of design theory, case study methodology and a heterogeneous research strategy, this study uses a threefold approach—a retrospective, a contemporaneous, and a future-oriented approach—to explore frail older people’s interaction with the architectural space of residential care homes. This has resulted in seven papers that focus on aspects of these human interactions with the built environment. Based on twelve exemplary models, the research paper I concludes that national guidelines result in a homelike, a hotel-like or a hospital-like environment. Research paper II is a retrospective study that examines the use of architecture competitions as a socio-political instrument to define architectural guidelines. Research paper III focuses on dependent seniors’ spatial appropriation of the communally shared space of a ward in a residential care home. Research paper IV employs two environmental assessment methods from the architecture profession and gerontological research (TESS-NH) in order to evaluate the use of interior colouring when refurbishing two residential care homes while the residents remained in place. Research paper V displays a municipal organizer’s considerations to opt for an architecture competition as a means of renewing architecture for the ageing population. Research paper VI examines competition documentation of three municipal architecture competitions organized during the period of 2006 to 2009. Research paper VII, the final study, explores notions concerning the appropriate space for ageing found among a group of municipal representatives, and people from organizations defending older people’s right. It supplies a model for understanding the appropriate space for ageing. This study illustrates the absence of older people with frailties in the public discussion about appropriate architecture for ageing. During the 20th century, the multi-dimensional idea of an architectural space with a homelike appearance has been used to contrast the negatively charged opposite—the complete and austere institution. The overarching conclusion of this study is that architecture for dependent and frail seniors constitutes a particular type of built space that requires an extended dialogue involving dependent seniors, architects, building contractors and care planners in order to conceive appropriate architecture for the ageing society. / QC 20110921

Doctor of Philosophy / Division of Biology / Brett K. Sandercock / Impacts of climate change on biological systems include shifts in seasonal phenology. How do migratory animals adjust reproductive decisions as they shift timing of breeding? I investigated patterns of climate change at a network of Arctic sites in Alaska and Canada, and examined the impacts of climate change on the breeding phenology, reproductive performance, and trophic interactions of Arctic-breeding shorebirds. First, I compared the breeding performance of three species, Western Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper, and Red-necked Phalaropes, at Nome, Alaska, across a 14-year interval. I found that shorebirds responded to a decreasing temperature during laying by delaying timing of breeding. Delayed breeding shortened the incubation duration for two biparental species but extended incubation for a uniparental species. Despite a short Arctic summer, the breeding windows of three sympatric species were temporally distinct. The three species often nested within several meters from each other, but bred under different temperature regimes and adjusted their reproductive output to different sets of environmental factors. Shifts in breeding phenology can disrupt trophic interactions, especially the phenological match between peak prey availability and hatching of shorebirds. Comparing the extent of phenological mismatch between six shorebirds and their invertebrate prey at ten Arctic sites, peak demand of shorebird broods occurred on average 3.8 days (± 13.8) later than local food peaks, and population demand curves overlapped with food curves by 47% (± 14%). Latitudinal and longitudinal gradients in the extent of trophic mismatch were mediated through geographic variation in the seasonal phenology of invertebrates and shorebirds. For individual nests, both more northerly and easterly sites showed greater phenological mismatch with annual food peaks. Delayed emergence of food peaks at more northerly and easterly sites alleviated the extent of phenological mismatch. My multi-site study provides the first evidence that large-scale geographic processes can determine the extent of phenological mismatch in a bitrophic system. Trends of climate change are sensitive to breeding stages and also vary along a longitudinal gradient. Variability in climatic trends in the Arctic, combined with species-dependent responses to local climate change, indicate that it will be challenging to predict the impacts of future climate change.

This thesis describes a project documentation for consruction of a guesthouse. The building is situated on the flat land in cadastral territory in Vsetín. It is two-storey building. External loadbea-ring masonry is from ceramic blocks filled with polystyrene. The ceilings are made of ceramic-concrete panels. Stairways and elevator shafts are reinforced concrete. The building is roofed with a flat roof.

This thesis describes the preparation of a project documentation for construction of a mountain guest house. The building is situated in the outskirts of the village Řeka on sloping land. It is a four-storey building with a basement and three floors. Peripheral bearing structures in the basement and first floor are in indirect contact with the soil and are lined with shuttering and a monolithic concrete. Perimeter and interior bearing walls are lined with ceramic blocks. The ceiling structure consists of a pramic - concrete panels. Stairways and elevator shafts are reinforced with a concrete . The building is covered with a gable roof, which is divided in the centre by an aisle roof. The part of the loft is used as an attic.

In a rapidly changing world, sustainability is becoming more and more of a priority for organizations. This paper evaluates the possibility of using the Doughnut Economics Model (DEM) as a tool to implement sustainability within an organization on the firm-level, highlighting the potential opportunities and limitations that it poses. Through case studies conducted with two organizations (Apotea AB & Proton Group), both common and firm-specific gaps within sustainability strategies are identified, and the applicability of the DEM is appraised as a tool to help fill these gaps. A qualitative research method was employed, and interviews were held with sustainability managers from Apotea AB and Proton Group. A qualitative thematic analysis process led to the generation of initial codes, themes, and patterns that emerged throughout the interviews held. The results from this study highlighted the illustrative and visual nature of the DEM, and how it could help firms view sustainability from different perspectives. The visualisation of the model helps stimulate conversations about sustainability within the firm, and raising awareness on the topic of sustainability, promoting it within organizational culture. This study additionally concluded that the implementation of the DEM in only a firm-specific, directly impacted area, could help the firm with pinpointing niche areas where the enterprise can make its largest contribution towards a safe and just space for humanity. On the other hand, this study found and supported existing claims through past research on the model’s limitations in terms of its downscaling, as the planetary boundaries are designed for a global scale. Moreover, the model lacks in defining policies, indicators, or measurements regarding areas of improvement. The opportunities that lie in the DEM are plentiful, however, the downscaling process on a firm-scale is extremely challenging, and little-to-no existing research or literature exists on the topic.

Missbruksproblematik är ett globalt samhällsproblem som kräver insatser, särskilt från verksamheter som socialtjänsten. Missbruk i kombination med psykisk ohälsa är komplextoch utmanande för individen. Det innebär att socialsekreterare, vårdpersonal och behandlare behöver samverka för att uppnå effektiv behandling. Studien syftar till att förstå socialsekreterares och behandlares upplevelser av samverkan, gällande klienter som lider av dubbbelproblematik i form av psykisk ohälsa och missbruk. Detta är en kvalitativ studie som använder sig av sociala representationer, handlingsutrymme och makt som teoretiska utgångspunkter. Genom sju semistrukturerade intervjuer samlades data in för att vidare analyseras utifrån de teoretiska utgångspunkterna i den tematiska analysen.Resultatet visar att de intervjuade socialsekreterarna och behandlarna upplever att samverkan är hjälpsam och nödvändig för personer med missbruk och dubbelproblematik. Trots detta framhålls det svårigheter med samverkan när yrkesverksammas åsikter kring insatser skiljer sig åt. Det framkommer otydligheter gällande ansvarsområden, där socialsekreterare och behandlare upplever att klienter flyttas mellan psykiatrin och socialtjänsten. Det visar även att socialsekreterare upplever hinder inom ansvarsområden vid början av ärendet, medan behandlare uttrycker liknande utmaningar under pågående behandling. Resultatet visar att behandlares handlingsutrymme verkar vara mer flexibelt än socialsekreterares vid val av metoder och strategier. Några faktorer som påverkar socialsekreterarnas handlingsutrymme är ekonomiska ramar, politiska begränsningar och brist på resurser. Avslutningsvis lyfter studien i sin helhet förståelsen för hur samverkan kan påverkas av olika faktorer, men även hur det kan påverka yrkesverksammas möjligheter att hjälpa klienter. / Substance abuse is a global societal issue that requires efforts, especially from social services. Substance abuse in combination with mental illness is complex and challenging for the individual. This means that social secretary, therapists and psychiatry need to cooperate to achieve effective treatment. The study aims to understand social workers and therapist experience of collaboration regarding clients who suffer from co-morbidity in form of mental illness and addiction. This is a qualitative study that utilizes social representations, space for action and power as theoretical foundations. Through seven semi-structured interviews. data is collected and further analyzed based on the theoretical foundations in thematic analyses.The results indicate that the interviewed social workers and therapists perceive collaboration as helpful and necessary for individuals with substance abuse and co-morbidity. Although, it appears difficulties with collaboration when professionals have differing opinions on interventions. Difficulties in collaboration are highlighted regarding responsibilities where social workers feel that clients are shifted between psychiatry and social services. The study's results showed that therapists appear to have more flexible space for action than social workers in choosing methods and strategies. Some factors affecting social workers' space for action are financial constraints, political limitations and lack of resources. In conclusion, the study highlights overall understanding of how cooperation can be influenced by various factors but also how it can impact the roles of professionals.