In the wake of a series of devastating earthquakes, Christchurch, New Zealand is faced with a long, complicated mourning and memorialisation process. The initial intention of this research was to comparatively examine memorial design theory with popular memorial sentiment as expressed in Christchurch City Council's 'Share an Idea' initiative. The outcome of such an investigation was hypothesized to reveal conflicting perspectives which may potentially be reconciled by the development of a series of schematic models for memorial design. As the research was carried out, it became clear that any attempt to develop such models is counter-intuitive. This position is reinforced by the literature reviewed and the data examined. Subsequently, a fundamentally different approach to memorialisation focused on an active participation process is suggested.
A video about the preparation for the 2012 Ellerslie Flower Show in Hagley Park. The video includes interviews with Xiaohua Li, an Architecture and Landscape Design student at Lincoln University, Dave Mee, the Ellerslie Flower Show Managing Director, and Leona Murahidy.
An emerging water crisis is on the horizon and is poised to converge with several other impending problems in the 21st century. Future uncertainties such as climate change, peak oil and peak water are shifting the international focus from a business as usual approach to an emphasis on sustainable and resilient strategies that better meet these challenges. Cities are being reimagined in new ways that take a multidisciplinary approach, decompartmentalising functions and exploring ways in which urban systems can share resources and operate more like natural organisms. This study tested the landscape design implications of wastewater wetlands in the urban environment and evaluated their contribution to environmental sustainability, urban resilience and social development. Black and grey water streams were the central focus of this study and two types of wastewater wetlands, tidal flow (staged planning) and horizontal subsurface flow wetlands were tested through design investigations in the earthquake-affected city of Christchurch, New Zealand. These investigations found that the large area requirements of wastewater wetlands can be mitigated through landscape designs that enhance a matrix of open spaces and corridors in the city. Wastewater wetlands when combined with other urban and rural services such as food production, energy generation and irrigation can aid in making communities more resilient. Landscape theory suggests that the design of wastewater wetlands must meet cultural thresholds of beauty and that the inclusion of waste and ecologies in creatively designed landscapes can deepen our emotional connection to nature and ourselves.
A digitally manipulated image of light sculptures on Gloucester Street during the LuxCity event. The photographer comments, "This was part of the LuxCity event in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was a way of creating a city of lights on the sites of demolished buildings in the earthquake devastated red zone. 350 architecture and design students from all around New Zealand created and constructed 16 pop up spaces".
8-pages Special devices can be used to minimize structural damage by energy dissipation or seismic isolation. This research considers High Force-to-Volume (HF2V), Symmetric Friction Connection (SFC), Asymmetric Friction Connection (AFC) and Linear-Elastic Isolators (LEI). Device architectures connecting column-to-deck and ground-to-deck are also compared. Bridge columns are assumed to remain elastic. Performance of bridge columns (peak and residual displacement) under 20 probabilistically scaled ground motions is assessed in spectral analysis (0.1-5.0sec) using reduction factors compared to a fixed, no-device case. Energy dissipating devices have minimum column displacement reduction factors when placed between the column and the deck for rigid connection system periods up to ~2.5s. Above that fundamental period, dissipating devices connecting ground-to-deck provide the optimum configuration. Residual displacements obtained when the energy dissipators are placed between the column and the deck are larger than those of the ground to deck case for periods below ~3.7s. Above this 3.7s, frictional dissipators in the column to deck case are more efficient, but HF2V devices connecting ground to deck remain as the best alternative with no residual displacements. The performance curves obtained in this research provide design guidelines for the best device and configuration applicable to a broad range of bridge structures.
