Architecture, Building and Planning - Theses

Permanent URI for this collection

http://hdl.handle.net/11343/280

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 10 of 20

Active frontage design: architecture, affordances and atmospheres

McAllister, Jennifer Clare ( 2021)

Active frontages are promoted in planning policy as ‘best practice’. While acknowledging the importance of public-private interfaces for street-life vitality, this research questions the effectiveness of ‘active everywhere’ frontage codes requiring extensive areas of transparent glazing, and the associated aversion to all forms of frontage ‘blankness’. The conceptual framework for this research is based on affordance theory which offers a pathway for understanding relationships between environment and occupants; looking beyond affordances as opportunities for action, this research also explores sensory affordances, or atmospheres. Through a case study in the Forrest Hill precinct in South Yarra, Melbourne, observed behaviours, and users’ sensory perceptions (captured in walk-along video/audio recordings), in relation to built-form outcomes are analysed. Alternative strategies to ‘active’ transparent frontages are investigated through analysis of global exemplars of non-standard frontage design. The case study research reveals that transparent shopfronts do not always afford the diversity of street-level use, users, and sensory perceptions recognised as impacting on street-life vitality and perceptions of urban quality; and while very long, non-transparent interfaces may be ‘deadening’, pockets of blankness can contribute to street-life, if part of a mix. The analysis of exemplars of alternative frontage designs identifies key themes for alternative strategies and tactics that may, conceivably, more successfully afford diversity of use, users and sensory experience. These key themes inform a series of design principles that are applied to a ‘re-imagining’ of street-level interfaces in the case study area. Using insights gained from the case study and exemplar research, this research seeks a more critical approach to urban codes impacting frontages i.e. a flexible, ‘open’ framework that affords innovative strategies, and a broader range of assessment tools to be employed. For urban research, the thesis builds on existing methods for studying frontages by providing a mixed-method, affordance-based analysis framework that could be applied to the investigation of street-level public-private interfaces in other urban areas. For theory, the thesis shows the value of affordance theory as a pathway for analysing existing urban conditions, and for re-imagining alternative scenarios. For urban design, planning, and architecture practice, it contributes to a more nuanced understanding of the impact of active frontage codes on the street-level public realm and identifies alternative urban design strategies and tactics for street-level interfaces.
Theories and Practice of Urban Transition: Melbourne's Wicked Transport Planning Environment

Seyers, Lawrence Robert ( 2018)

Against a backdrop of balkanised transport and land use planning, a fragmented and disjointed transport planning environment has evolved in Victoria – culminating in the 2014 Victorian Election which saw East West Link juxtaposed against Melbourne Metro Tunnel/Project 10,000 in what the then Prime Minister declared a ‘Transport Referendum’. This pattern has continued with the 2015 commitment to West Gate Tunnel, the 2016 commitment to North East Link and the November 2018 election announcement for a Suburban Rail Loop. Through an exploration of the Melbourne and London case studies, this thesis focuses on transport planning governance to answer the question of how should transport planning decisions be made in a highly complex (wicked) environment to achieve better processes and outcomes? This research explores the Melbourne case study (up to and including East West Link) through an interpretation of political, social, economic and environmental motivators. It then provides a comparative analysis of transport planning governance in London through interviews with political leaders, professionals and academics. A document review, combined with interviews, was carried out to provide an overall account of London and Melbourne’s decision-making process for transport planning. The comparison of transport governance suggests the learnings from London can be applied to Melbourne and other cities to better manage the transport planning complexity and achieve better transport governance. This research is significant as Melbourne’s rapid population growth has outpaced the established political and administrative structures and our existing infrastructure. Since 2000, Melbourne has grown by over 1.3 million new residents – almost 40 percent (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2017). By 2030, Melbourne is likely to grow to become Australia’s largest city, and by 2051, 8 million residents are predicted. The current transport planning decision-making framework in Melbourne was created for a different kind of city. No Australian city has added so many residents so quickly and there is a compelling need for this research.
Green stormwater control assets: a critical assessment of their management at three City councils within Greater Melbourne

Aguirre Mujica, Andrés Felipe ( 2019)

In the context of global warming, with more intense, and more frequent, weather extreme events, like bushfires, heat waves drought and floods, the pressure on governments to guarantee water provision is increasing. Expectations exist at a basic level of service (water supply, access, and security); and further, in developed economies, expectations exist on the protection of public health, social amenity and —in some instances— environmental values. Indeed, these higher needs linked to quality of human life have been identified in literature as the next step in the progression of urban water management. Green Stormwater Control Assets (GSCA) have potential to contribute to these goals. GSCA are assets in the public realm, managed by Local Government; they are connected to urban stormwater drains, and have a vegetated component, that together with filter media, reduce the speed and contaminant load of urban runoff. Despite these assets’ potential contribution to urban water management, they are often found to underperform (in terms of their physical components, and operation, both in the short, and the long terms). Current literature indicates underperformance is due to unsatisfactory management and lacking maintenance. This raised the question driving this thesis: How are Green Stormwater Control Assets being managed at three City Councils within Metropolitan Melbourne? To address this question, six established management frameworks were considered, adapted and applied. Thousands of management frameworks are commonly used across countries and sectors. A management framework refers to a guideline that, when used consistently, can ensure materials, products, processes and services are fit for their purpose. The use of management frameworks can foster higher transparency, environmental awareness and social welfare (Ibanez and Blackman, 2016). Six of such frameworks were selected for review, based on their relevance to GSCA management. The review identified ten key aspects specific to GSCA management. Together they form the “GSCA management framework” developed, which consisted of i) governance, leadership and commitment; ii) roles and responsibilities; iii) resources (financial and human); iv) operational control; v) competence, training, and education; vi) internal and external compliance and accountability; vii) audit, report, analysis and action; viii) documentation and records; ix) engagement (communication and consultation); and x) data and information systems. To investigate these key aspects in practice, a qualitative, exploratory and inductive research approach was employed. Three municipalities within Metropolitan Melbourne informed the research as case studies: The City of Melbourne, the City of Port Phillip, and Hume City Council. In total, thirteen stakeholders were interviewed to investigate the ten elements influencing GSCA management. A Computer Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis System (NVivo) was used to support the analysis that uncovered underlying themes affecting GSCA management at the Municipalities studied. The contribution made to literature and practice enhancing GSCA management is twofold: 1) the GSCA management framework developed, that can prove beneficial for Councils managing GSCA or the like; and 2) the findings, implications, and recommendations specific to the municipalities under study. Notably, it was observed that whilst important efforts have been made by Victorian Local and State governments to develop the Metropolitan Melbourne water management system, attention is still required over the careful definition of an inclusive, coordinated, long‐term management strategy. It should include clear and specific accountabilities for parties involved, at an institutional, as well as government‐official levels. Similarly, to enhance GSCA’s sustained performance, it is necessary to invest on education, both of the general public and incumbent professionals, on key stormwater management matters, and environmental sustainability more broadly. Other findings relate to contractual agreements, and the procurement and use of financial resources.
Supercharged paintings move towards light and space

Adams, Luke ( 2018)

This project considers certain connections between the so-called art world and global social mobility. Is the ubiquity of some universal aesthetic frameworks implicitly promoting the ever-expanding cultural class to become even more seduced by the forces of late-capitalism? The thesis, which comprises a dissertation presented in conjunction with a studio-based investigation, is centred around three distinct, but inter-related templates for display: the generic living room TV wall unit; the painted canvas; and the gallery. I consider how each format conditions our reception of cultural information by influencing our sense of individuality, whilst as the same time signalling our inclusion in a unified non-culturally specific world view that is rooted in western modernism. Significantly, these three selected display arenas all convey a sense of universality—not necessarily through specific content, but rather through their inherent structures. I argue that these successful systems of display potentially mask otherwise visible signs of power through implicit democratic ideologies disseminated via inspirational design trends. Considered together, I demonstrate that all three offer insights into the underlying function of international systems of cultural exchange. A substantial part of this research considers the homogenising effect of Internet image-searching, especially in relation to notions of class and sophistication at a time characterised by a global democratisation of desire and appreciation for ‘good’ design principles. The artworks I have produced in conjunction with this dissertation are designed to critically engage and antagonise the already fuzzy intersection of art, architecture and design. Accordingly, I have sought to produce works that are less distinguished by traditional art-making decisions but rather emphasise compositions, materials, and principles associated within modernist and minimalist infused trends in design and architecture. This strategy seeks to recode the sublime grandeur of late-formalist abstract paintings as a kind-of banal realism perhaps more associated with marketing and pop consumerism. The physical creation of individual artworks has taken place in accordance with two predominate modes of production. Firstly, and in reference to painting, wall mounted sculptural relief works incorporating materials such as Formica composite wood panelling, plywood, hardwood, acrylic paint, enamel paint, glass, vinyl flooring, composite stone samples, imitation plants, real-plants, pots, fluorescent lights, and found objects, were produced. The second mode of production is in the digital realm, and includes digital photographic montages (combining online images with my own photography), video (using online content and making interventions within it) and creating audio tracks (to accompany the video works). Considered together, these modes of production are used as tools to psychologically position the viewer in a space in which materials, surfaces and compositions, might trigger considerations of social mobility, our relationships to design, and finally, notions of personal intimacy and memory that are activated through smart-screen technologies.
One of our neighbours is using too much electricity: demand management in urban energy commons

Burton, Craig Alexander ( 2018)

The World was forewarned 46 years ago that single technological interventions to curb emissions and other human impacts on the environment would in fact not work on their own and may well make things worse (Meadows et al. 1972, p.93) . It is likely that the large scale switch from carbon intensive electricity generation to renewables will, as a single supply-only technology replacement, either be insufficient, be highly costly, and even be counterproductive for emissions control. The simple reason for this is that worldwide electricity demand is still climbing and is expected to double by 2060 (World Energy Council 2016, p.2) , and by 2050 in Australia (Brinsmead et al. 2017) . Demand management efforts to substantially change residential electricity demand have many obstacles acting against them such as rebound effects (Saunders 1992) ; actual increases in demand after home solar is installed (Bahaj & James 2007, p.2132) (Deng & Newton 2016) ; and, a rebound effect where actual efficiency savings fund the consumption of even more electricity (Gillingham et al. 2015) . There is a developed world belief that limits can be fought against and not complied with (Meadows et al. 1972) ; and a running optimism that technology will provide the solution as it seemingly did during the Green Revolution (“ecological modernism”). It is clear that a real reduction in emissions will require more complex, nuanced approaches which change both habits and systems together. Since energy demand itself is the real culprit in human-produced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, meeting the challenge of substantial conservation may require the re-framing of electricity to acknowledge limits away from being an inexpensive, reliable and unlimited good. This study provides a methodology for signalling that electricity is a limited common pool resource (CPR) (Ostrom et al. 1994) within small, inner urban groups of people who know each other. Signalling is here defined as the means to deliver a proscribed message (a signal) to predetermined recipients with an anticipated effect on one or more independent variables in the experimental design. A similar approach using signals is described as re-framing the community as the consumer in water demand management and is credited for substantial and enduring conservation (Liubinas & Harrison 2012) . To test this approach three groups of six adjacent neighbours each were provided with an in-home energy display (IHD) that reported on the performance of a simulated renewable energy supply they shared as a group and on the electricity consumption habits of members. After attrition there were fifteen households split equally in three groups (n=3). The experimental design specifically examined Ostrom’s (1994) 4th and 5th design principles: monitors, and graduated sanctions (respectively). The IHD solicited interactions around electricity use and conservation in a reinforcement schedule over three months. Home electricity use was recorded and compared for Hawthorne effects to the same homes during an earlier observation phase of the study before the IHD was issued. The demand data was adjusted for seasonal effects via data from six control dwellings. Electricity demand was reduced by the signals in two groups (up to -38.2%) but changes in time of use of energy were not evident. Although specific sanctions were not triggered in the short execution time of the study, the presence of the IHD and the knowledge of observing known others is argued as a contributing reason for changed energy use. The deployment provides a promising evidence for the effects of group reinforcement signals (both positive and negative) in a commons-like arrangement around a renewable electricity supply.
Using SNAMUTS to plan for change: the place for accessibility modelling in strategic planning processes for urban transitions

Perkovic, Jana ( 2018)

Advances in 'big data' technologies over the past few years have allowed the creation of new software for modelling accessibility outcomes in metropolitan areas. One such Accessibility Indicator is SNAMUTS (Spatial Network Analysis for Multi-modal Urban Transport Systems), which offers planners a tool to move beyond a simplistic understanding of 'mobility' when planning for integrated land use and transport. These tools are all the more important considering the need for large-scale urban transitions towards TOD across Australian (and global) cities. But how can AIs such as SNAMUTS best be used in the process of urban transitions? This research used an experiential case study to engage with an existing, real-world process of planning for urban transitions in Monash National Employment and Innovation Cluster (Monash NEIC) and introduce SNAMUTS modelling to Victorian planners. The research looked at how the existing process works, and when and where SNAMUTS could best be introduced to improve accessibility outcomes of the long-term strategic planning process. The study shows a lack of long-term strategic process at play in Victoria, which limits the use of data in planning to 'evidence-based lobbying'.
A search for understanding: the architecture of R.J. Ferguson

Murray, Andrew ( 2018)

This thesis is an historical study examining the work of Western Australian architect Ronald Jack (Gus) Ferguson (1931-). It argues that the regional practice of R.J Ferguson was one developed out of a global postwar “anxiety” over the role of architecture in a rapidly changing world, and is the result of a complex interplay of geo-political factors specific to Western Australia. Following an extensive tour of Africa, Europe and Asia between 1957 and 1960, Ferguson set out on what he termed a “search for architectural understanding”: seeking out lessons and principles drawn from a variety of traditional architectural practices as a way to mediate this anxiety. Motivated by Perth’s geographic isolation, Ferguson’s search involved extensive travel, research and application, resulting in a practice that relied on evolving relationships between regional and global traditions. Through an exploration of Ferguson’s work between 1960 and 1975, this study contributes to a better understanding of the conditions which directly affected his practice, including geography, harsh climatic conditions, an active local discourse, and the pragmatics of construction. The thesis explores three key campus projects: the Hale School Memorial Hall (1961); The University of Western Australia campus buildings, including the Law School (1967), the Sports Centre (1970), and the Student Guild (1972); and Murdoch University, Stage One (1975). These significant built works demonstrate the way in which Ferguson worked to construct a personal, locally responsive architectural language, through the careful study and application of lessons learnt during his extensive travels. The research focusses particularly on his interests in the vernacular traditions of the Mediterranean, Japan, and colonial Australia along with an interest in contemporary European modernism centred on the work of Le Corbusier. Underpinning Ferguson’s practice is the relationship between his search for architectural understanding, and his consistent and pioneering use of off-form concrete in Australia. Through a close examination of these projects, this thesis provides new insights into a major Western Australian practice, and adds to a broader understanding of the diverse nature of postwar modern Australian architecture.
Neighbourhood Information Models: the impact of 3D digital information tools on surveyor-architect-planner workflows

Cookes, Simon David ( 2017)

Land surveyors, architects and statutory planners perform information discovery, design and planning assessments with outdated tools. Meanwhile, Melbourne, Australia is rapidly growing and struggling to meet housing demand. Sophisticate tools and processes can aid the housing supply effort. What would be the impact of integrating disciplinary technologies of surveyors, architects and planners into a 3D virtual place called a Neighbourhood Information Model (NIM) to assist their work leading to planning permit approval? This research is a high-level exploration of the impact of 3D digital tools and associated processes for addressing high-density housing supply: quantity, quality, and complexities. Its objectives are to explore 3D tools regarding: user engagement, efficiency gains, adoption drivers, and limiting factors. Then suggestions are made for NIM-type tools and processes. Literature reviewed discusses information technology in terms of: Knowledge Management; human impacts; tool capacity; interoperability; and barriers to adoption. This research uses mixed methods – qualitative and quantitative. A case study shows ‘best-practice’ and gives context to interviews. A cross-section of 20 stakeholders including land surveyors, architects, planners, and industry experts were interviewed. Online surveys yielded responses from 31 registered land surveyors and 51 architect respondents. Results show a strong and growing engagement with 3D digital tools. 3D tools could handle most planning compliance requirements. However, stakeholders mainly communicated in 2D. Respondents believed 3D processes require effort earlier in the project where decisions are more impactful and less expensive. Overall efficiency was improved when using shared 3D digital information. There remain legitimate tool adoption limitations to be addressed. NIM-type tools and associated Neighbourhood Knowledge Management process models are suggested to make surveyor-architect-planner workflows more efficient, effective and integrated.
Constructing publicness: politics and the role of design in Melbourne's grid since the 1990s

Davis, Michael ; © 2016 Michael Davis ( 2016)

During the 1990s the developmental trajectory of inner Melbourne shifted dramatically and the city became the site of an entrepreneurial strategy of urban development. Within the inner grid, spatial interventions grounded this redirection, and a number of the city's open spaces became of utility in catalysing growth. This thesis explores the role of the design of public open spaces within the development of Melbourne's inner grid since the 1990s and investigates the implications on public life within these spaces. Focusing on City Square and Federation Square, analysis draws Upson ideas from contemporary political philosophy in order to understand the political capacities of these spaces and the forms of citizenship they produce. Influenced by numerous factors, Melbourne's inner grid evolved with a scarcity public open spaces and a strong economic focus. This has continually prevented the securing of such spaces and consistently privileged economic concerns over social utility in the creation of new spaces. This focus on the financial aspects of public spaces was heightened during the entrepreneurial shift of the 1990s and design became of importance in satisfying the emerging imperatives of development. Theories of design dominant in the 1990s, particularity deconstructivist methodologies of design and the urban design approach of Jan Gehl, found expression in spaces created and operated well within the broader entrepreneurial paradigm. Both approaches relied heavily on the use of architectural program to catalyse the animation of urban space, and within the resultant spaces there exists a conflation of civicness with programmed activities and consumptive practices. Within spaces analysed, design has proven instrumental in producing forms of citizenship and transforming notions of publicness in space.
New generation learning environments: are students with hearing difficulties included

Munro, Leanne ( 2016)

New generation learning environments (NGLEs) are proliferating in schools worldwide, driven by technology innovations and globalisation (Griffen, Care & McGaw, 2012). Between 2008 and 2012 in the state of Victoria, Australia, numerous schools were built and/or refurbished embracing the principles of open-plan design in the State and Catholic sectors under a Commonwealth-funded initiative entitled Building the Education Revolution (BER). While an increasing body of research is exploring how teachers and students utilise the affordances of such spaces, there exists a dearth of research about their provision of quality educational environments for students with learning differences (disabilities). In mainstream learning environments a significant number of students have suboptimal hearing abilities attributed to transient or permanent auditory disorders, including hearing loss and auditory processing disorders. There are no known studies that have accounted for the prevalence of school-aged children in this cohort, however it is postulated that the proportion of students with suboptimal hearing is between 7–10% (Tomlin, 2014; Wake & Poulakis, 2004). Flexer and Smaldino (2012) stated that hearing is a sense and listening is a skill. This suggests that measuring the capacity of a particular person to hear sounds, as represented on an audiogram, is just a small fraction of what matters in the whole scheme of listening and learning. Therefore it is important to consider how the changing elements in NGLEs help or hinder equitable access to learning opportunities and inclusion for students with suboptimal hearing abilities. Little is known about the performance standard of fully operational NGLEs. Indeed, there is virtually no research on how students and teachers maximise NGLE characteristics towards a positive effect for students with suboptimal hearing abilities. This project utilised a mixed method design, blending building acoustic measurements with qualitative data collection techniques, including semi-structured interviews, focus groups and photo elicitation, to empirically investigate student perceptions of inclusion in communicative experiences in a single sampled NGLE. Three students with suboptimal hearing abilities were treated as case studies, allowing focused exploration of the affective and effective impact of pedagogy, spatial design, building acoustics, and technology on their inclusion in learning activities. Other participants included teachers and the school principal. The research design enabled baseline measurement of the acoustic qualities of the learning spaces to be collected, exploration of how the students inhabited the spaces and participated in learning activities to be undertaken, and investigation into how teachers intentionally or unintentionally manipulated the physical properties of the space while teaching. The mixed methods approach led to the discovery of the value of ‘nooks’ (sensory reduction zones within the learning environment) and ‘the trusted other’ (a person the case study students identified as a good peer who could aid their learning). Coupled with access to technology tools for listening and learning, the students reported feelings of inclusion in communicative experiences. Noisy spaces with high reverberation times precluded the case study students from accessing clear speech; however, it was found that when student agency was given, self-advocacy and self-regulation mechanisms were exhibited by students i.e. the students explored their environment, finding spaces, places and multimodal platforms that supported their learning. Whist speaking and listening remain the central mode of communication in schools, this project highlighted the urgent imperative to evaluate the inclusion of students with hearing difficulties in various learning environment types – especially NGLEs of varying designs. The challenge for future research in this field is to engage with cross-disciplinary approaches that account for the relationships between students with suboptimal hearing abilities and the learning environments they inhabit, to develop new knowledge about how the principles of inclusive education can be enacted. While this study was limited to the analysis of a limited sample of students and teachers in one NGLE, its results carry significant implications for the further research into the design and use of NGLEs.

Architecture, Building and Planning - Theses

Permanent URI for this collection

Filters

Date

Author

Subject

Type

Settings

Sort By

Results per page

Statistics

Citations

Search Results