Sisyphus and Entropy; Adaptive Architecture in Flood Prone Nanjing

<p>This thesis attempts to rationalize two diverging practices in Architectural discourse, that of Western pedagogy and that of the ‘Other’. A disparity in approach to understanding architecture as a permanent object, can be noted in the dialogue between resilient architecture and temporary structure, this manifests itself in transient spaces and adaptive urban fabrics. The increased danger of flooding within China; with a particular emphasis on river infrastructure, posits an interesting position for new urban typologies and innovative floating solutions. Positioned on the expansive Yangtze River Delta, Nanjing encompasses a complex narrative of historical reverence and progressive tendencies, that encourage experimental approaches. The process and methodology within, seeks to provide an adaptable and affordable response to the recurring floodings, through in depth concise historical, cultural and philosophical analysis of the social, spiritual and architectural landscape within China as a whole as well as in specificity. These insights, juxtaposed with traditional western technique intends to produce an intricate and considered response to flood situations, with a particular focus on community generation and maintenance. Although Nanjing remains the central focus of the research, the concepts and practical results are intended to be abstracted and drawn into all cultures within Asia, primarily those with Buddhist and Taoist social structures. The proliferation of Feng Shui and the Metaphysical throughout the region provide a framework from which to expand. This network of social and cultural similarity allows for cross disciplinary and pan Asian approaches, noting the Japanese Metabolist Movement as a practical indication of socio-cultural influence on architectural theory.</p>

Sisyphus and Entropy; Adaptive Architecture in Flood Prone Nanjing

<p>This thesis attempts to rationalize two diverging practices in Architectural discourse, that of Western pedagogy and that of the ‘Other’. A disparity in approach to understanding architecture as a permanent object, can be noted in the dialogue between resilient architecture and temporary structure, this manifests itself in transient spaces and adaptive urban fabrics. The increased danger of flooding within China; with a particular emphasis on river infrastructure, posits an interesting position for new urban typologies and innovative floating solutions. Positioned on the expansive Yangtze River Delta, Nanjing encompasses a complex narrative of historical reverence and progressive tendencies, that encourage experimental approaches. The process and methodology within, seeks to provide an adaptable and affordable response to the recurring floodings, through in depth concise historical, cultural and philosophical analysis of the social, spiritual and architectural landscape within China as a whole as well as in specificity. These insights, juxtaposed with traditional western technique intends to produce an intricate and considered response to flood situations, with a particular focus on community generation and maintenance. Although Nanjing remains the central focus of the research, the concepts and practical results are intended to be abstracted and drawn into all cultures within Asia, primarily those with Buddhist and Taoist social structures. The proliferation of Feng Shui and the Metaphysical throughout the region provide a framework from which to expand. This network of social and cultural similarity allows for cross disciplinary and pan Asian approaches, noting the Japanese Metabolist Movement as a practical indication of socio-cultural influence on architectural theory.</p>

ROYAL TOURISM IN THAILAND: VISITORS’ EXPERIENCE AT KING BHUMIBHOL’S CREMATORIUM EXHIBITION

This paper examines the characteristics and potential of royal tourism as a niche tourism interest in Thailand by focusing on the case study of the royal crematorium of King Bhumibhol, a temporary structure created for the funerary event of the late king in October 2017 before being transformed into an open-air exhibition in November and December 2017. Borrowing Wang’s (1999) concept of “existential authenticity,” this paper investigates visitors’ interpretation of the site visit, to elucidate how royal culture is regarded in the context of the tourism experience. In doing so, 15 visitors were approached for a semi-structured interview. The findings revealed that the crematorium exhibition was an occasional opportunity enabling the public to gaze at the royal traditions. Royal culture retained its salience despite being transformed into a tourism offering. The crematorium exhibition was an educational medium enabling visitors to discover national art and culture in a participatory manner and stimulated their interest on studying art and culture. Moreover, by visiting the exhibition, visitors could consolidate their bond with the monarch, to be seen from their appreciation of the royal stories and their expression of gratitude toward the deceased king. To conclude, royal tourism demonstrates the ability of tourism in sustaining the country’s traditions and promoting nationalism. Tourism should not be seen as the degrader but as the protector of royal traditions. Royal tourism can be an addition to the country’s existing cultural tourism offering or used as an instrument to consolidate individuals with the national heritage. Nevertheless, the operation of royal tourism should be aware of the particularity of the country’s laws and sociocultural values. The researcher proposes that presenting the negative actions and influences of royalty that might disgrace the royal dignity should be avoided.

Penerapan Value Engineering Dalam Pemilihan Jenis Beksiting Kolom Beton Pada Konstruksi Gedung Bertingkat

ABSTRACTValue engineering is a sistematic and structured approach to increase the value of a project, product, and process. Value engineering helps in achieving an optimum balance between function, performance, quality, safety, and cost, so that the maximum value for a project can be achieved. In its application, value engineering can be used to analyze a project as a whole or to analyze specific works in a project, one of them is the formwork installation. Formwork is a temporary structure used to support and protect fresh concrete until it could support itself. Based on the function of the formwork itself, formwork becomes an inseparable part of a building’s structural component making process such as beam, colum, slab, etc. In this study, an analysis to determine the best type of formwork for the construction of a building’s columns using value engineering analysis was done. Based on the results of this study, it can be concluded that aluminium formwork is the best alternative for column formwork and quality is the most influential criteria on the installation of column formwork. ABSTRAKValue engineering adalah sebuah pendekatan yang sistematis dan terstruktur untuk meningkatkan nilai suatu proyek, produk, dan proses. Value engineering membantu dalam mencapai keseimbangan yang optimum antara fungsi, performa, kualitas, keamanan, dan biaya, sehingga dapat dicapai nilai yang maksimum untuk suatu proyek. Dalam penerapannya, value engineering dapat digunakan untuk menganalisis suatu proyek secara keseluruhan maupun menganalisis pekerjaan-pekerjaan dalam suatu proyek secara spesifik, salah satunya adalah pekerjaan pemasangan bekisting. Bekisting adalah suatu struktur sementara dengan tujuan untuk mendukung dan melindungi beton segar sampai beton tersebut dapat mendukung diri sendiri. Berdasarkan fungsi dari bekisting itu sendiri, maka bekisting menjadi suatu bagian yang tidak dapat dipisahkan dari proses pembuatan komponen struktur suatu gedung bertingkat seperti balok, kolom, pelat, dan struktur-struktur lainnya. Dalam penelitian ini, dilakukan analisis untuk menentukan jenis bekisting terbaik untuk digunakan dalam konstruksi kolom gedung bertingkat dengan menggunakan analisis value engineering. Berdasarkan hasil dari penelitian ini, dapat disimpulkan bahwa bekisting aluminium merupakan alternatif terbaik untuk bekisting kolom dan kriteria mutu/hasil cetakan beton merupakan kriteria yang paling berpengaruh terhadap pekerjaan pemasangan bekisting kolom.