An assessment of timber dwellings typical of the Queenslander era, and constraints associated with their relocation, component and adaptive reuse when considering 'regeneration'

This paper presents an explanation of why the reuse of building components after demolition or deconstruction is critical to the future of the construction industry. An examination of the historical cause and response to climate change sets the scene as to why governance is becoming increasingly focused on the built environment as a mechanism to controlling waste generation associated with the process of demolition, construction and operation. Through an annotated description to the evolving design and construction methodology of a range of timber dwellings (typically 'Queenslanders' during the eras of 1880-1900, 1900-1920 & 1920-1940) the paper offers an evaluation to the variety of materials, which can be used advantageously by those wishing to 'regenerate' a Queenslander. This analysis of 'regeneration' details the constraints when considering relocation and/ or reuse by adaption including deconstruction of building components against the legislative framework requirements of the Queensland Building Act 1975 and the Queensland Sustainable Planning Act 2009, with a specific examination to those of the Building Codes of Australia. The paper concludes with a discussion of these constraints, their impacts on 'regeneration' and the need for further research to seek greater understanding of the practicalities and drivers of relocation, adaptive and building components suitability for reuse after deconstruction.

Tangible cultural heritage and adaptive reuse: the Old Government House, Brisbane, Australia

The Old Government House, a former residence of the Queen’s representatives in Brisbane, Australia, symbolises British cultural heritage of Colonial Queensland. Located on the campus of the Queensland University of Technology, it is one of the oldest surviving examples of a stately residence in Queensland. Built in 1860s, the Old Government House was originally intended as a temporary residence for the first governor of the newly independent colony of Queensland. However, it remained the vice-regal residence until 1909, serving eleven succeeding governors. Nearly seven decades later, it became the first building in Queensland to be protected under heritage legislation. Thus its importance, as an excellent exemplar that demonstrates the significance of cultural heritage, was established. The Old Government House has survived 150 years of restoration work, refurbishments, and additions. Through these years, it has served the people of Queensland in a multitude of roles. This paper aims to investigate the survival of heritage listed buildings through their adaptive re-use. Its focus will be on the adaptive reuse of the Old Government House through its refurbishments and additions over a period of 150 years. Through a qualitative research process this paper will endeavour to establish the significance of restoration work on the Old Government house; the new opportunities that has opened up as a result of the restoration work; the continued maintenance and management of the building through adaptive re-use; the economic benefits of restoration work; and its contribution to the on-going interest in the preservation of the Tangible Cultural Heritage.

Objetos tenaces : adaptive reuse en Meatpacking, 1970–1985

OBJETOS TENACES versa sobre la práctica del adaptive reuse (la “reutilización adaptativa”, la reconversión) explicado a través del fenómeno de ruptura, suspensión y reconfiguración de vínculos que el objeto arquitectónico tiene con respecto a su medio económico, sociocultural, normativo y de utilitas. Se trata de un fenómeno en tres fases, muy próximo al mecanismo empleado por el readymade y por el display, que en arquitectura parte de la crisis que supone un cambio de circunstancias, un desarraigo del objeto respecto de su ámbito anterior. El mecanismo tiene vocación de intervención mínima, desde un posicionamiento actual que comprende el mundo construido como una realidad “ya hecha”, y donde las operaciones de proyecto son acciones de transformación que llevan de una situación de obsolescencia a otra de vigencia renovada, es decir, de una realidad completa a otra igualmente completa. Para ello, la investigación se sirve de tres ejemplos de un mismo entorno geográfico (el área en torno a Meatpacking, en el lado oeste del bajo Manhattan, Nueva York) y temporal (las últimas décadas del siglo XX, en las que los casos se solapan a pesar de tener desarrollos cronológicos diversos). Bell Telephone Laboratories, The West Side Improvement y The National Biscuit Company, reconvertidos a Westbeth, a The High Line y a Chelsea Market, construyen juntos el argumento por suma de conceptos, por adición de fenómenos, estudiando las cualidades y las circunstancias que hacen posible la continuidad de las estructuras, es decir, su supervivencia. El texto forma un corpus que proporciona algunas de las claves del objeto denominado como tenaz a través del análisis sincrónico del antes y el después de su puesta en crisis. A tal efecto, se exponen una serie de figuras razonadas entre las cuales figuran el lijado del barniz, los hilos compartidos, la máscara, la momificación y la vitrina, el puente sobre le desfiladero, el enfriamiento, o las reliquias, incrustaciones y adherencias, todas ellas encaminadas a explicar el proceso de renovación del artefacto como un cambio en el sentido, en el significado, y no tanto en lo material. Entre las consideraciones de la tesis está, por un lado, el carácter relativo del término tenacidad, concepto que define a los objetos que se encuentran y se reconocen en su idoneidad, que tienen capacidad de adaptación, y que precisan finalmente de grandes dosis de pragmatismo para su reconfiguración, siendo todas éstas condiciones necesarias pero sólo suficientes a posteriori. Por otro lado, el texto reflexiona acerca del intangible que comparten todos los objetos así llamados y que consiste en la condición, quizá formidable, de ser reconocibles por parte de los sucesivos intervinientes de su historia, convencidos de que su renovación supone una oportunidad; su desaparición, una pérdida. Finalmente, la investigación apunta hacia el concepto de anacronismo como justificación para los objetos que se demuestran adaptables a épocas sucesivas, y que encajan en el tiempo de forma compleja. ABSTRACT TENACIOUS OBJECTS deals with the practice of the adaptive reuse explained by means of the phenomenon of rupture, suspension and reconfiguration of links that the architectural object has vis-à-vis its economic, socio-cultural and regulatory environment, and its utilitas. It is a phenomenon structured in three stages, very close to the mechanism used by the readymade and by the display, which in architecture arise from the crisis that leads to a change in circumstances, an alienation of the object regarding its previous environment. The mechanism aims to the minimum intervention, from a current positioning which understands the world built as a reality “already made”, and where the operations of the project are transformative actions that take us from a situation of obsolescence to a situation of renewed validity, that is, from a complete reality to one just as complete. For this purpose, the research makes use of three examples in the same geographical area (the Meatpacking Discrict, in the Lower West Side of Manhattan, New York) and the same period (the last decades of the 20th century, in which the cases overlap in spite of their diverse chronological developments). Bell Telephone Laboratories, The West Side Improvement and The National Biscuit Company, reconverted into Westbeth, The High Line and Chelsea Market, make up, together, the argument as a sum of concepts, and addition of phenomena, studying the qualities and circumstances which make the continuity of the structures possible, that is, their survival. The text forms a corpus that provides some of the keys of the so-called tenacious object by means of the synchronic analysis of before and after its crisis. To this end, a series of reasoned figures is presented, including the sanding of varnish, the shared threads, the mask, the mummification and the display cabinet, the bridge over the gorge, cooling, or the relics, incrustations and adherences, all of them aimed at explaining the renovation process of the artifact as a change in the sense and the meaning, rather than the material. The considerations of this dissertation include, on the one hand, the relative nature of the term tenacity, a concept which defines the objects found and recognized in their suitability, that are capable of adapting and which finally require large doses of pragmatism for their reconfiguration, all these conditions being necessary but only sufficient a posteriori. On the other hand, the text reflects on the intangible shared among all the so-called objects, and which consists of the condition, perhaps extraordinary, of being recognized by the subsequent interveners of their history, convinced that their renovation represents an opportunity; their disappearance, a loss. Finally, the dissertation studies the concept of anachronism as a justification for the objects that prove to adapt to subsequent periods, and which fit in time in a complex manner.

“ The Creation of an Urban Landscape” in Adaptive reuse,the modern movement toward the future, 14th international conference proceedings, Do_co.mo.mo international, Lisboa ( indexed by SCOPUS)

The headquarters and park of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon represent the first modern Portuguese environment with an outstanding relation between exterior and interior as a spatial continuum . As such, the project refused the more common conceptual attitude of interior plus exterior. This unitary view revealed a clear understanding of the proposed site for the project and what could have been Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian (1869-1955) expectations, while concretizing Modern Movement ideals regarding landscape architecture and architecture. Through its design the park mediates the relation between the buildings’ super-structures, the urban context, and the human scale, while generating a unifying system established by the complicity between natural and synthetic materials. From the first moment of the project’s design process, this complicity resulted in a set of strategies that met programmatic

Regeneration reuse in the context of the waste management cycle of the built environment

This original study creates a philosophy of regeneration reuse, which is a conceptual framework that utilises construction and demolition waste products by building component, relocation and adaptive reuse. Case studies from the greater Brisbane, wider southeast Queensland region and greater London area are used to demonstrate the principles of regeneration reuse through research activities, analysis and evaluation. The regeneration reuse conceptual process draws upon assessing embodied carbon and sustainable benefits to deconstruct rather than destruct, and consider alternative options to waste treatment technologies in the built environment. The importance of waste management is examined, specifically the impacts of governance to the principles of regeneration reuse through analysis of legislation in the Australian and UK jurisdictions. Design process considerations when incorporating the principles of regeneration reuse are defined, and phasing and staging assessment explored to determine the most effective point of intervention in the design process to include waste management strategies.

Built heritage management systems : the framework of a digital tool for the conservation of Brisbane City Hall

Brisbane City Hall (BCH) is arguably one of Brisbane’s most notable and iconic buildings. Serving as the public’s central civic and municipal building since 1930, the importance of this heritage listed building to cultural significance and identity is unquestionable. This attribute is reflected within the local government, with a simplified image of the halls main portico entrance supplying Brisbane City Council with its insignia and trademark signifier. Regardless of these qualities, this building has been neglected in a number of ways, primarily in the physical sense with built materials, but also, and just as importantly, through inaccurate and undocumented works. Numerous restoration and renovation works have been undertaken throughout BCH’s lifetime, however the records of these amendments are far and few between. Between 2010 and 2013, BCH underwent major restoration works, the largest production project undertaken on the building since its initial construction. Just prior to this conservation process, the full extent of the buildings deterioration was identified, much of which there was little to no original documentation of. This has led to a number of issues pertaining to what investigators expected to find within the building, versus what was uncovered (the unexpected), which have resulted directly from this lack of data. This absence of record keeping is the key factor that has contributed to the decay and unknown deficiencies that had amassed within BCH. Accordingly, this raises a debate about the methods of record keeping, and the need for a more advanced process that is able to be integrated within architectural and engineering programs, whilst still maintaining the ability to act as a standalone database. The immediate objective of this research is to investigate the restoration process of BCH, with focus on the auditorium, to evaluate possible strategies to record and manage data connected to building pathology so that a framework can be developed for a digital heritage management system. The framework produced for this digital tool will enable dynamic uses of a centralised database and aims to reduce the significant data loss. Following an in-depth analysis of this framework, it can be concluded that the implementation of the suggested digital tool would directly benefit BCH, and could ultimately be incorporated into a number of heritage related built form.

The value of storytelling

Considering the embodied carbon in existing buildings where expenditure has already occurred, the retrofitting of existing buildings presents a significant opportunity to reduce the carbon footprint of our built environment. In Australia there is also a renewed awareness of the importance of our cultural heritage and the adaptive reuse of our historic buildings is increasingly discussed as a preservation strategy. The ‘design’ phase in building projects is credited with providing “an unparalleled window of opportunity to address environmental objectives” and fostering sustainable development, with up to 80% of overall environmental impacts determined by the decisions made at this stage. Both design and built environment professionals appreciate that a holistic and ‘whole systems’ approach is key in enabling transformation. The design process often comprises of many divergent and convergent activities, many of which seek to understand the people and context. The design process for heritage building adaptive reuse projects revolves around producing or referring to a conservation management plan that articulates what is and isn't heritage fabric. In an Australian context, and according to literature and the emerging results of a series of semi-structured interviews undertaken with designers of such projects, the key themes integral to success are: business case, vision, communication & collaboration, values, and storytelling.

Reimagining Ruins: Preserve | Utilize | Interact

This thesis will examine ways to preserve ruinous structures, utilize their aesthetics, and design an interactive intervention that weaves the old and new together in a seamless way. Ruinous structures should not be seen as an eye-sore to the image of the city. In fact, it is a reminder of all the things the city has faced in the past. This thesis analyzes different ways that previous designers have rehabilitated pre-existing structures. These methods are applied to each potential site in order to determine which typology would prove most fruitful. Site selection followed specific criteria. The first is that the structure could not be a complete building. Second, the site should be part of a community. And third, the structure should be located in an urban area. By the end of this journey, this thesis seeks awareness having pre-existing structures woven into new designs, and as an opportunity to inspire.

Obsolescence and Renewal: Transformation of Post War Concrete Buildings

In this thesis I investigate issues of post-war concrete buildings and how we can both add value and make adaptable what we have traditionally defined as not valuable and not adaptable. 55% of United States’ commercial building stock was built between the years of 1960 and 1980, leaving 36 billion square feet of building material to be adaptively reused or at the bottom of a landfill. Currently, our culture does not value many character defining features of these buildings making the preservation of these buildings difficult, especially at this 50 year critical moment of both the attribution of a “historic” status and time when major renovation of these buildings needs to occur. How can architects add value to a building type, sometimes called “brutalist”, that building culture currently under values and thinks is “obsolete”? I tested this hypothesis using the James Forrestal Building in Washington D.C. After close study of the obsolescence, value,history and existing conditions, I propose a design that adds value to Southwest Washington D.C. and may serve as an example for post-war renewal around the country.

Integrating Architecture for a Live-Work Lifestyle

Urban centers all around the world are striving to re-orient themselves to promoting ideals of human engagement, flexibility, openness and synergy, that thoughtful architecture can provide. From a time when solitude in one’s own backyard was desirable, today’s outlook seeks more, to cater to the needs of diverse individuals and that of collaborators. This thesis is an investigation of the role of architecture in realizing how these ideals might be achieved, using Mixed Use Developments as the platform of space to test these designs ideas on. The author also investigates, identifies, and re-imagines how the idea of live-work excites and attracts users and occupants towards investing themselves in Mixed Used Developments (MUD’s), in urban cities. On the premise that MUDs historically began with an intention of urban revitalization, lying in the core of this spatial model, is the opportunity to investigate what makes mixing of uses an asset, especially in the eyes to today’s generation. Within the framework of reference to the current generation, i.e. the millennial population and alike, who have a lifestyle core that is urban-centric, the excitement for this topic is in the vision of MUD’s that will spatially cater to a variety in lifestyles, demographics, and functions, enabling its users to experience a vibrant 24/7 destination. Where cities are always in flux, the thesis will look to investigate the idea of opportunistic space, in a new MUD, that can also be perceived as an adaptive reuse of itself. The sustainability factor lies in the foresight of the transformative and responsive character of the different uses in the MUD at large, which provides the possibility to cater to a changing demand of building use over time. Delving into the architectural response, the thesis in the process explores, conflicts, tensions, and excitements, and the nature of relationships between different spatial layers of permanence vs. transformative, public vs. private, commercial vs. residential, in such an MUD. At a larger scale, investigations elude into the formal meaning and implications of the proposed type of MUD’s and the larger landscapes in which they are situated, with attempts to blur the fine line between architecture and urbanism. A unique character of MUD’s is the power it has to draw in people at the ground level and lead them into exciting spatial experiences. While the thesis stemmed from a purely objective and theoretical standpoint, the author believes that it is only when context is played into the design thinking process, that true architecture may start to flourish. The unique The significance of this thesis lies on the premise that the author believes that this re-imagined MUD has immense opportunity to amplify human engagement with designed space, and in the belief that it will better enable fostering sustainable communities and in the process, enhance people’s lives.

Adaptive optical flow for person tracking

Person tracking systems are dependent on being able to locate a person accurately across a series of frames. Optical flow can be used to segment a moving object from a scene, provided the expected velocity of the moving object is known; but successful detection also relies on being able segment the background. A problem with existing optical flow techniques is that they don’t discriminate the foreground from the background, and so often detect motion (and thus the object) in the background. To overcome this problem, we propose a new optical flow technique, that is based upon an adaptive background segmentation technique, which only determines optical flow in regions of motion. This technique has been developed with a view to being used in surveillance systems, and our testing shows that for this application it is more effective than other standard optical flow techniques.

Adaptive unsupervised learning of human actions

Automatic detection of suspicious activities in CCTV camera feeds is crucial to the success of video surveillance systems. Such a capability can help transform the dumb CCTV cameras into smart surveillance tools for fighting crime and terror. Learning and classification of basic human actions is a precursor to detecting suspicious activities. Most of the current approaches rely on a non-realistic assumption that a complete dataset of normal human actions is available. This paper presents a different approach to deal with the problem of understanding human actions in video when no prior information is available. This is achieved by working with an incomplete dataset of basic actions which are continuously updated. Initially, all video segments are represented by Bags-Of-Words (BOW) method using only Term Frequency-Inverse Document Frequency (TF-IDF) features. Then, a data-stream clustering algorithm is applied for updating the system's knowledge from the incoming video feeds. Finally, all the actions are classified into different sets. Experiments and comparisons are conducted on the well known Weizmann and KTH datasets to show the efficacy of the proposed approach.

Toward a fuzzy domain ontology extraction method for adaptive e-learning

With the widespread applications of electronic learning (e-Learning) technologies to education at all levels, increasing number of online educational resources and messages are generated from the corresponding e-Learning environments. Nevertheless, it is quite difficult, if not totally impossible, for instructors to read through and analyze the online messages to predict the progress of their students on the fly. The main contribution of this paper is the illustration of a novel concept map generation mechanism which is underpinned by a fuzzy domain ontology extraction algorithm. The proposed mechanism can automatically construct concept maps based on the messages posted to online discussion forums. By browsing the concept maps, instructors can quickly identify the progress of their students and adjust the pedagogical sequence on the fly. Our initial experimental results reveal that the accuracy and the quality of the automatically generated concept maps are promising. Our research work opens the door to the development and application of intelligent software tools to enhance e-Learning.

Adaptive depth estimation in image based visual servo control of dynamic systems

This paper considers the question of designing a fully image based visual servo control for a dynamic system. The work is motivated by the ongoing development of image based visual servo control of small aerial robotic vehicles. The observed targets considered are coloured blobs on a flat surface to which the normal direction is known. The theoretical framework is directly applicable to the case of markings on a horizontal floor or landing field. The image features used are a first order spherical moment for position and an image flow measurement for velocity. A fully non-linear adaptive control design is provided that ensures global stability of the closed-loop system. © 2005 IEEE.

Distributed orthogonal space-time block codes with adaptive diversity gain

In this paper we present a novel distributed coding protocol for multi-user cooperative networks. The proposed distributed coding protocol exploits the existing orthogonal space-time block codes to achieve higher diversity gain by repeating the code across time and space (available relay nodes). The achievable diversity gain depends on the number of relay nodes that can fully decode the signal from the source. These relay nodes then form space-time codes to cooperatively relay to the destination using number of time slots. However, the improved diversity gain is archived at the expense of the transmission rate. The design principles of the proposed space-time distributed code and the issues related to transmission rate and diversity trade off is discussed in detail. We show that the proposed distributed space-time coding protocol out performs existing distributed codes with a variable transmission rate.