A educação ambiental proposta pela ecologia onírica: uma releitura do ambiente externo-interno das casas da cidade do rio grande sob a perspectiva poética

O ser humano vive maior parte do seu tempo em contato direto com o ambiente construído, portanto tornou-se fundamental pesquisar as relações de alteridade, qualidade de vida e pertencimento dentro de um espaço específico, a casa. Ressaltando que a casa nesta pesquisa é todo e qualquer lugar de moradia, percebe-se que ela exprime um estilo de vida, ou seja, um modo de viver e conviver, de pensar, de sentir, e de se relacionar com as pessoas e com o espaço. A partir das relações de seis moradores do Município de Rio Grande com suas respectivas casas pudemos conhecer os processos que ali ocorrem e quais são os efeitos deles na vida e atitudes de cada morador dentro e fora da morada. O estudo é fundamentado primordialmente na Educação Ambiental e na Ecologia Onírica. Mais especialmente, na Educação Estética Ambiental e Educação Estética Onírica, porém também dialoga com outras áreas do conhecimento, como a Psicologia Ambiental. Esta avalia e compreende o homem, como ele reage, interpreta e sente os espaços, e consequentemente, como ele é constituído através de todas as experiências, vivências, memórias neste meio tão íntimo que é a casa de cada um. O objetivo da pesquisa foi, a partir das relações dos moradores entre si e com o espaço da casa, conhecer qual é o significado desta na vida dos seus moradores, despertar a valorização do espaço/morada e o sentimento de pertencimento a ela, promovendo através dessa consciência uma maior qualidade de vida dentro e fora de casa.

A Generalized Methodology to Characterize Composite Materials for Pyrolysis Models

The predictive capabilities of computational fire models have improved in recent years such that models have become an integral part of many research efforts. Models improve the understanding of the fire risk of materials and may decrease the number of expensive experiments required to assess the fire hazard of a specific material or designed space. A critical component of a predictive fire model is the pyrolysis sub-model that provides a mathematical representation of the rate of gaseous fuel production from condensed phase fuels given a heat flux incident to the material surface. The modern, comprehensive pyrolysis sub-models that are common today require the definition of many model parameters to accurately represent the physical description of materials that are ubiquitous in the built environment. Coupled with the increase in the number of parameters required to accurately represent the pyrolysis of materials is the increasing prevalence in the built environment of engineered composite materials that have never been measured or modeled. The motivation behind this project is to develop a systematic, generalized methodology to determine the requisite parameters to generate pyrolysis models with predictive capabilities for layered composite materials that are common in industrial and commercial applications. This methodology has been applied to four common composites in this work that exhibit a range of material structures and component materials. The methodology utilizes a multi-scale experimental approach in which each test is designed to isolate and determine a specific subset of the parameters required to define a material in the model. Data collected in simultaneous thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry experiments were analyzed to determine the reaction kinetics, thermodynamic properties, and energetics of decomposition for each component of the composite. Data collected in microscale combustion calorimetry experiments were analyzed to determine the heats of complete combustion of the volatiles produced in each reaction. Inverse analyses were conducted on sample temperature data collected in bench-scale tests to determine the thermal transport parameters of each component through degradation. Simulations of quasi-one-dimensional bench-scale gasification tests generated from the resultant models using the ThermaKin modeling environment were compared to experimental data to independently validate the models.

Application of the nZEB methodology in the retrofitting of a typical Portuguese dwelling from the 60's.

Buildings and the whole built environment are in a key role when societies are mitigating climate change and adapting to its consequences. More than 50% of the existing residential buildings in EU-25 were built before 1970. Thus, these buildings are of significant importance in reducing energy consumption and CO2 emissions. The existence of more nearly zero energy buildings (nZEB) is a possible solution for this problem. This study aims to analyze the application of the nZEB methodology in the retrofitting of a typical Portuguese dwelling build in 1950. It was shown that the primary energy used can be reduced to a very low value (11,95 kWhep/m2.y) in comparison with the reference consumption (69,15 kWhep/m2.y), with the application of the best construction techniques together with the use of energy from on-site renewable sources.

A Random Walk down Main Street

US suburbs have often been characterized by their relatively low walk accessibility compared to more urban environments, and US urban environments have been characterized by low walk accessibility compared to cities in other countries. Lower overall density in the suburbs implies that activities, if spread out, would have a greater distance between them. But why should activities be spread out instead of developed contiguously? This brief research note builds a positive model for the emergence of contiguous development along “Main Street” to illustrate the trade-offs that result in the built environment we observe. It then suggests some policy interventions to place a “thumb on the scale” to choose which parcels will develop in which sequence to achieve socially preferred outcomes.

The Indistinct Edge: Reconnecting Experience in Nature and Architecture

This thesis explores how architectures sense of place is rooted in the natural environment. The built environment has been constructed to protect and sustain human culture from the weathering of nature. Separating experience from the natural environment removes a sense of place and belonging in the natural and reinforces architectural dominance. This separation distinguishes the natural world as an article of spectacle and gives the human experience an unnatural voyeurship to natural changes. By examining the fusion of architectural and natural edges this thesis analyzes how the human experience can reconnect with a naturalistic sense of place through architecture, blending the finite edge where architecture maintains nature, and adapting buildings to the cycles of the environment. Removing dominance of man-made spaces and replacing them with the cohabitation of the edge between built and natural forms.

Place in Time: The Role of Architecture in Establishing an Emotional Connection between Man and Time

This thesis explores the role of architecture as a means of reconnecting humans to the passage of time. A neglect of the temporal in our built environment obscures understanding of the human condition in all of its sensory aspects. The exploration and design of a series of ritual engagements, both culturally, and architecturally, begin to offer a venue through which designers can engage human senses. Rituals act as a means of demarcating the passage of time. It is through the engagement with these moments that people can begin to gain a richer understanding of the ephemeral nature of their own existence. The Pritzker Architecture Prize serves as the selected ritual of exploration because of its celebration of humanity and the art of architecture. However, the notion of ritual is explored down to the level of detail of engagement with handrails and door handles.

The Co-Adapted Community: A New Vision for the Parks at Walter Reed

The human-canine bond is one that has existed for thousands of years, yet not until more recently has it gained serious attention in the military medical field. The following thesis will use architecture as a way to explore the physical and psychological rehabilitative relationship between veterans and rescued canines. As soldiers return home from deployment, many struggle with reintegration into civilian life. The therapeutic potential of service dogs, however, has become a widely recognized recovery tool. Meanwhile, there are thousands of non-service dogs suffering extended periods in animal shelters with adverse psychological effects. In a society primarily centered on the typical human experience, the built environment often demonstrates a narrow perspective that lacks sensitivity towards the atypical user. Soldiers and dogs alike perceive and experience the world uniquely, and a further exploration of their distinct relationship can begin to inform how we might develop a new type of shared healing environment or co-adapted community.

THE INFLUENCE OF URBAN FORM AT DIFFERENT GEOGRAPHICAL SCALES ON TRAVEL BEHAVIOR; EVIDENCE FROM U.S. CITIES

Suburban lifestyle is popular among American families, although it has been criticized for encouraging automobile use through longer commutes, causing heavy traffic congestion, and destroying open spaces (Handy, 2005). It is a serious concern that people living in low-density suburban areas suffer from high automobile dependency and lower rates of daily physical activity, both of which result in social, environmental and health-related costs. In response to such concerns, researchers have investigated the inter-relationships between urban land-use pattern and travel behavior within the last few decades and suggested that land-use planning can play a significant role in changing travel behavior in the long-term. However, debates regarding the magnitude and efficiency of the effects of land-use on travel patterns have been contentious over the years. Changes in built-environment patterns is potentially considered a long-term panacea for automobile dependency and traffic congestion, despite some researchers arguing that the effects of land-use on travel behavior are minor, if any. It is still not clear why the estimated impact is different in urban areas and how effective a proposed land-use change/policy is in changing certain travel behavior. This knowledge gap has made it difficult for decision-makers to evaluate land-use plans and policies. In addition, little is known about the influence of the large-scale built environment. In the present dissertation, advanced spatial-statistical tools have been employed to better understand and analyze these impacts at different scales, along with analyzing transit-oriented development policy at both small and large scales. The objective of this research is to: (1) develop scalable and consistent measures of the overall physical form of metropolitan areas; (2) re-examine the effects of built-environment factors at different hierarchical scales on travel behavior, and, in particular, on vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and car ownership; and (3) investigate the effects of transit-oriented development on travel behavior. The findings show that changes in built-environment at both local and regional levels could be very influential in changing travel behavior. Specifically, the promotion of compact, mixed-use built environment with well-connected street networks reduces VMT and car ownership, resulting in less traffic congestion, air pollution, and energy consumption.

Percepção Ambiental em Museus Paisagens de Arte Contemporânea: a legibilidade dos museus Inhotim/Brasil e em Serralves/Portugal avaliada pelo público/visitante

This thesis nalyzes the wayfinding in Landscape Museum of Contemporary Art (MPAC), based on the Institute of Contemporary Art CACI, Minas Gerais, Brazil and the Museum of Contemporary Art of the Serralves Foundation, Porto, Portugal. The study focuses on the interrelationship of the public/visitors with the landscape, architecture and contemporary art museums in these, in order to understand visual perception and apprehension of such an environment for their users. For both were confronted documentation (visual and written) and people talk. The main hypothesis put forward is that the audience/visitor MPAC appreciates the interrelationship between the natural environment (park/garden) and built environment (the works of contemporary art and the galleries), giving equal value to both. To complement this, a second hypothesis is that during the visit to MPACS, visitors define their paths spontaneously, but strongly influenced by existing visual indicators (maps, signage and striking landscape elements), which facilitate the readability of space, which also contribute to the offered services and the experiences of similar institutions. The analytical basis of the research used the concepts of legibility (LYNCH, 2009), wayfinding (GIBSON, 2009; ARTHUR, PASSINI, 2002; WEISMAN, 1982), Experiential Cotinnum (TUAN, 1985), Space Bound (CRUZ PINTO, 2007) and habitus (BOURDIEU, 1992). Methodologically was used qualitative research (DEMO 2000) by means of a case study (YIN, 2005; STAKE, 1999) and participant observation (WHYTE, 2005). In the two institutions interviews with researchers and curators, behavior observation and questionnaires from employees, trainees, monitors and the public/visitor of the two museums were performed. Although partially referende the initial hypothesis, the research showed that the public/visitor value appears more natural environments, they experience a greater intensity and in addition to the factors listed in the second case, your perception and definition of paths suffer significant influence of emotional relations established with space. Generally the audience/visitor adapts easily to different demands of contemporary art exhibition in the two museums and the built environment (park/garden and museum) interferes with your reading path during the visit, perceived by the public/visitor condition as a factor that favors the enjoyment of works on different mounts (wayfinding), though often become a factor that hinders the legibility of the building and its built environment

Uma cidade para pessoas: funcionalidade, racionalidade e emotividade nas relações mobiliário urbano, espaço público e cidadãos

This research investigates how functionality, rationality, and emotionality applied to urban furniture design contribute to the organization, legibility, and qualification of public spaces, according to different layouts, physical and visual qualities of the urban furniture as well as the quality of urban infrastructure that may influence the uses and appropriation of urban spaces by pedestrians, turning those spaces into socially centripetal or centrifugal places. The work consists of two parts. First refers to a bibliographical review concerning two main issues of the investigation: product design and legibility of public space, defining the conceptual and theoretical bases, linked to methodological strategies aimed at systemic planning and integrated management of urban furniture design and legibility of public spaces (sidewalks), that are necessary to define the existing relationships among the user s interface (pedestrians); product (urban artifacts); built environment (sidewalks). The second part refers to the achievement of empirical approach throughout visual analysis of public spaces and the functional and qualitative evaluation of the existing urban furniture in the central neighborhood of Cidade Alta, Natal, RN, according to the theoretical researched concepts and methodological procedures. The results expose the weaknesses and levels of intensity arising from the relations among public space, urban furniture, and users, revealing the need for theoretical and practical approaches which would help the decision-making in planning, designing and integrating innovative, sustainable, and ethical solutions in order to design attractive public spaces that could provide sociability and citizenship throughout integrated public management, city systemic thinking and urban identity. The suggested guidelines at the end of this research will provide the necessary strategies to design suitable urban furniture systems according to aesthetic and practical urban infrastructure and city context, aiming to ease visual and physical conflicts that may negatively interfere with the appropriation of public spaces by the citizens

Arquitetura da (in)segurança: estudando relações entre configuração espacial, artifícios de segurança e violência urbana no bairro Manaíra, João Pessoa, Paraíba

João Pessoa, the capital city of the state of Paraíba (Northeast Brazil), is reputed throughout the country as a quiet place, although it has been acquiring, over the past years, an urban character with social implications similar to those of major metropolitan Brazilian areas. The new situation is evident by the social inequalities, with the creation of confined spaces, which segregate and cause enclosure of the inhabitants, leading to death the public space. This study correlates accessibility in spatial structure with two types of crime data, burglary and robbery, recorded in 2008 and 2009, by the Secretaria de Segurança da Paraíba (The government agency public in charge of safety), in the district of Manaíra, an upper middle class neighborhood, which has, in recent times, been considered one of the most violent areas in João Pessoa. Sought to understand connections between these events and morpho-social aspects of the built environment, where examined the spatial properties, such as accessibility of the urban net, the presence of control measures, the safety of buildings and their uses. Spatial properties were also validated by the observation of pedestrian flows at strategic points of the study area. It was concluded that the presence of intense flows helps to attract potential thieves, physical security and control offers little protection

Reciclar o moderno para reabilitar o urbano

Dissertação para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Arquitectura, apresentada na Universidade de Lisboa - Faculdade de Arquitetura

Análise bioclimática como ferramenta para implementação do plano diretor do campus central da UFRN

This research investigates the microclimate and the morphology features of the central campus of the UFRN, in Natal-RN, through the use of bioclimatic tools of analysis in order to assist the implementation of the campus´ Master Plan. It develops a diagnosis of the evolution and growth of the urban space surveyed by analyzing its initial plan and the basic urban conception behind it, as well as the morphology and typologies utilized. The study makes a qualitative analysis of the local microclimate by using Katzschner (1997) methodology, with land-use and topography maps, building heights, vegetation and soil covering. It also makes use of the methodology proposed by Oliveira (1993), which examines, from the bioclimatic standpoint, the human environment as related to the urban form (site and built mass). It identifies zones whose climatic characteristics are representative of the local microclimate and classifies them into areas to be strictly preserved, areas to be protected and areas to be improved. By means of the methodology for spatial and environmental assessment developed by Bustos Romero (2001), the survey selects characteristic points of each area in order to register the environmental data relative to the two basic seasons found in the region where the campus is located, that is, the dry and the rainy season, so that it can evaluate changes in the environment which might have been caused by urban density growth, by arborization or by the influence of the urban form. It then proceeds to a quantitative and statistical survey of the collected data with the purpose of evaluating the degree of influence of the identified features over the environmental variables along the different scales of approach. The study shows the existence of different microclimates and emphasizes the relevance of the bioclimatic analysis of the built environment as a tool for the decision-making process along the development of the Master Plan for UFRN Central Campus

NEIGHBORHOOD PERCEPTION OF SAFETY AND THE MOBILITY GAP BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN IN OLD AGE

Thesis (Master, Community Health & Epidemiology) -- Queen's University, 2016-10-02 21:02:07.735