HISTORY + THEORY
DISSERTATION
AA3HTA - Critical Writing
Module Convenor: Penélope Plaza
Research Clusters:
1. Architects as makers and shapers of our built environment: landscape, urban design, public space, and housing
Flora Samuel, Stephen Gage, John Harding
2. Public life, street actions and urban activism: architects as agents for social change
Oliver Froome-Lewis, Carolina Vasilikou, Penélope Plaza
3. Imagination, matter, experience and narratives of the sensorial and relational nature of architecture
Izabela Wieczorek, Lorraine Farrelly, Amy Butt
Module Convenor: Penélope Plaza
Research Clusters:
1. Architects as makers and shapers of our built environment: landscape, urban design, public space, and housing
Flora Samuel, Stephen Gage, John Harding
2. Public life, street actions and urban activism: architects as agents for social change
Oliver Froome-Lewis, Carolina Vasilikou, Penélope Plaza
3. Imagination, matter, experience and narratives of the sensorial and relational nature of architecture
Izabela Wieczorek, Lorraine Farrelly, Amy Butt
Mapping the use and creation of 'Desire Paths' at Whiteknights Campus, University of Reading // Wiktoria Jarosz
This dissertation is an analysis of Whiteknights Cam-pus, University of Reading, to understand why peo-ple choose to make their own desire path and pres-ent the importance of desire paths in urban design. To answer these questions, a structured observation, at three intervals during the day, were conducted to create mappings examining the nature of desire paths to gather more information surrounding their creation. The results suggest that desire paths are created as an alternative faster route from A to B, in relation to destination points on campus. Results also ex-press the yearning for more organic routes which, as a result, cut angular corners of paths design on site. There is an indication that natural barriers, de-signed to eradicate desire paths, do not work in the manner they were intended. This investigation offers some insight into the needs of users and provides a more personal exploration of the space. Although the results speak to the creation and use of desire paths, the investigation only provides a site-specific overview of them. It should not be considered the optimum solution to an ideal urban design. This ob-servation provides an understanding of desire paths and their creation, supported by a review of the work of Le Corbusier, Furman, de Certeau and Nichols.
Refugee Women’s perspectives on the physical and psychological impact of social housing attainment on their wellbeing: A Reading town Case Study // Qamar Ayoubi
The arrival of over 1 million refugees in Europe in 2015 has demanded great effortsfrom European authorities in attempts to process applications alongside housing and integrating refugees. While the number of new refugee arrivals in Europe is decreasing, many European countries,including the United Kingdom,are still attempting to shape their approach towards integrating refugees. This includes shaping the housing attainment process, and access to employment and education. Bonewi and Shreeves (2016) note that from January 2016 onwards, 60% of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants reaching the EU were women and children. Refugee women are found to be an underrepresented group of society, with their perspectives often overlooked. By performing a literature review of the current knowledge surrounding refugees and social housing attainment as well as interviews with 4 refugee women in Reading, the process of accessing social housing is found to negatively impact the mental and physical wellbeing of female refugees. To improve the present situation, current policies must develop a more inclusive approach which gives more consideration to the needs of female refugees.
- Architects as makers and shapers of our built environment: landscape, urban design, public space, and housing
Reflection of Public Use in ‘The Garden at 120’ according to the Principles of Landscape Urbanism / Tala-Carol Khouri
Sejima Kazuyo: A study of the elements and qualities of contemporary buildings in Japan / Adesina Oyinkansola
Housing in pieces. Timber self builds: a sustainable solution to the UK’s housing crisis? / Tasha Greenfield
UK Passive House Insulation: Understanding the Governing Factors behind its specification / Wei Jie Lee
Alternative Sustainable Construction Methods for Housing in Nigeria. An investigation into how design and construction industries are responding to he housing crisis in Nigeria by using alternative construction methods / Hafsat Usman
Ageing populations: the effectiveness of intergenerational spaces and the wider community in an urban public setting / Jamie Wren
Architects and Disaster Relief / Yasmine Khoury
“We are not here to chase every penny”:A property developer’s perspective on the delivery of design value, within the UK housing crisis / Olivia Hughes
Intergenerational Place Design and its Future in the UK / Wan Inas Wan Mohammad Sobri
Housing Retrofit in the UK for Existing Homes / Fraidoon Jami
Refugee Women’s perspectives on the physical and psychological impact of social housing attainment on their well being. / Qamar Ayoubi
Public space through society’s eye – does ownership matter? Exploring the attitudes surrounding public and quasi public space in Bristol. / Anna Woolerton
The impact of architecture on the positive correlation between urban living and student loneliness in Reading. / Matthew Houghton
How sustainability improves the ‘Social Value’ of housing: the improvement of well being and living from the view of residents from post occupancy evaluation. / Violet Sheppard
Exploring the role of an architect in the design of outdoor public sport and recreational spaces and to what extent this can influence social well being in Greater London. / James Healey
Seats of London: the effects of design and usage on the vitality of public space. / Georgina Reid
- Public life, street actions and urban activism: architects as agents for social change
Psychological aspect of permanent residence in an airport and how it affects human perception of public and private spaces. / Sergiy Pysarchuk
Social activation within public spaces in London: Comparing and evaluating the success of the social activation of St Pancras Square and Waterloo Millennium Green in London. / Temilade Odele
Social Cohesion in Stratford: To what extent have the original long-term goals of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park been met? / Will Pike
The Fall of Rome: the role of architecture in a Tourist’s experience. / Esther Pilling
To what extent has the W hotel’s lobby transformed the social environment within the public realm of Leicester Square. / Youssef Mohamed Shafiek
The dying High Street: what is happening to Reading high street? / Sophie Paauw
Examining aspects of design which encourages social interaction, before, during and after the recent redevelopments of three (Islington, London) sporting facilities. / Ellis M. Christodoulou
Designing for the Embodies Space: Architecture’s Response to Mental Health Through Designed Space in the UK. / Jacob Hill
Building for Well-being: an investigation into how co-housing impacts the well-being of its dwellers. / Yuanjin Li
The road in context” traces of cultural heritage and urban identity in Oxford Road, Reading. / Isabella Aguiar
The Extent to which ‘What Design Can Do’ competition’s design entry, AGRIshelter, can be regarded as Humanitarian. / Jude Faris Bagaeen
How does social class and race influence access to public space in Johannesburg? / Jesse Oppong
Street Art and Urban Regeneration: an exploration of the inclusion of arts in regeneration projects. / Afan Ahmed
Mapping the use and creation of ‘Desire Paths’ at Whiteknights Campus, University of Reading. / Wiktoria Jarosz
How does the business model of the Coin Street Community Builders co-operative inform the design and management of their housing and public spaces in Central London? / Ryan Sullivan
- Imagination, matter, experience and narratives of the sensorial and relational nature of architecture
Learning from the past: Investigating the value of ancient sustainable methods of optimising ‘comfort’ within built environment design for future practice. / Noor May Razooki
The evolution of the housing comfort from the 18th century to the present day. A study on the recent history of comfort in the city of London. / Charaktiria Papastergiou
Comfort in Architecture: How Climate Change affects social behaviour in open-air markets. / Farah Karim Sami Saad
Gentrification in London: Regeneration at the Cost of the Working Class. / Harriet Bladen
Exploring and Examining the Development of Iconic Architecture through the lens of monumentality. / Marcus Perks
The Relevance of the Humanitarian Sector in Architecture. / Maria Jesus Paolini
Influence of Studying Architecture on Students’ Mental Health and Well being. / Francesca Garbi
How do renegeration projects increase interest and participation in public space? / Ravi Jilka
Benefits that Heidegger’s philosophy on dwelling can bring to social institutions like prisons and hospitals. / Cristina Sena Verdu
How can Architects design for total sustainability? A discussion on Retrofit and Reuse. / Tamzin Dodd
A study on the sensorial human experience and nature and their relevance within architecture. / Daniel Brudkiewicz
An Investigation Into Fear as an emotional response to High-Rise Buildings and the role of Popular Culture. / Aiya Khabbush
Imagined Futures: Exploring the depiction of Architecture in Science Fiction Film. / Takudzwa Rungano
The personal experience of walking: a study of subjective emotions in Lea Valley. / Saba Alsa’di
A study on the impact on gender and ethnicity in the precedents of architectural practice. / Gurpreet Lotay
Social sustainability and housing: to what extent can the term ‘social sustainability’ be usefully applied to the design of cohesive and integrated housing in the UK? / Jordan Sale