Search results
1 – 10 of over 56000Behdad Alizadeh and James Hitchmough
Urban landscapes play a significant role in supporting municipal, ecological and social systems. Besides, valuable environmental services and urban green spaces provide social and…
Abstract
Purpose
Urban landscapes play a significant role in supporting municipal, ecological and social systems. Besides, valuable environmental services and urban green spaces provide social and psychological services, very important for the liveability of modern cities and the well-being of urban residents. It is clear that the area of green space in a city, the method of designing urban landscape and access to urban green space potentially affect the health, happiness, comfort, safety and security of urban dwellers. Urban landscape plays a significant role in providing habitats for wildlife, and an important vegetation type in doing this is species-rich herbaceous vegetation that provides pollen and nectar plus physical habitat for native fauna. Any factor that makes an impression on the urban landscape (such as climate change) will affect people’s lives directly or indirectly. There is a universal consensus that the temperature has increased in most of the world over the past century the investigation of climate change impacts on the urban landscape is the purpose of this study.
Findings
Understanding the process of climate change adaptation is necessary to design plant communities for use in public landscapes. Increased CO2 and air temperature in conjunction with the changing rainfall conditions, as the three important factors of climate change, potentially alter almost all world ecosystems. Climate change provides new opportunities, and in some cases, an obligate need to use non-native plant species in conjunction with native plant species, not only to reduce the side effects of climate change but also to increase the species diversity and aesthetic value in meadow-like naturalistic planting design.
Originality/value
The authors confirm that this work is original and has not been published elsewhere. In this paper, the authors report on the effects of climate change on urban landscape and suggest different kind of solutions to reduce the effects. The paper should be of interest to readers in the areas of landscape architecture, landscape ecologist, landscape planner, landscape managers and environmental designer.
Details
Keywords
Michael Behm and Poh Choon Hock
Singapore is transforming from a “garden city” to a “city‐in‐a‐garden”. Designing for safety is recognized by researchers and some governments as a best practice in facilitating…
Abstract
Purpose
Singapore is transforming from a “garden city” to a “city‐in‐a‐garden”. Designing for safety is recognized by researchers and some governments as a best practice in facilitating eventual worker safety within the built environment. The purpose of undertaking this research was to understand and describe the status of safe design for skyrise greenery in Singapore.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 41 rooftop and vertical greenery systems were observed with a focus on access, fall from height, and planting considerations.
Findings
Rooftop greenery systems in Singapore were found to be adhering to safe design principles. Vertical and ledge greenery systems, on the other hand, are newer arrangements and were found to be in need of design for safety guidance.
Originality/value
The results add to the body of knowledge in the area of safe design and skyrise greenery and will aid those seeking to understand from a policy and practice perspective.
Details
Keywords
From past to present, Istanbul has witnessed many empires and historical events. This accumulation has made Istanbul one of the most important cities in Turkey. The architecture…
Abstract
From past to present, Istanbul has witnessed many empires and historical events. This accumulation has made Istanbul one of the most important cities in Turkey. The architecture and historic potential of the city dates back to centuries ago. Palace architecture is the most important cultural inventories of the city. Over time, technological developments and the industrial revolution brought the “western influence” to Turkey. This effect is observed on planning character and on the planting design. The main material of the work is Topkapı Palace, Beylerbeyi Palace and Dolmabahçe Palace. In this context, this paper consist of three stages. Literature studies have been carried out in the first stage. “Western effect” on the palaces has been investigated after the second step consisting of the field study and mapping. As result of the examinations, western influence was studied in three stages as general planning character, structural material and plant material. As a result of the study, results were obtained for each title. Suggestions were made for rehabilitation and palace gardens planning.
Details
Keywords
Andrew Smith, Matthew Tucker and Michael Pitt
The purpose of this paper is to investigate office users' perceptions of their working environment in relation to the addition of plants.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate office users' perceptions of their working environment in relation to the addition of plants.
Design/methodology/approach
Office users' perceptions were examined using a survey, administered to an experimental group and a control group before and after the installation of plants. The results were analysed to determine any statistically significant differences between the two groups and between the pre‐ and post‐test surveys for the experimental group. Absence data were analysed to establish any changes in absence rates.
Findings
Significant differences were found between the experimental and control groups for the work environment contributing to pressure, health concerns, morale and preference for plants. There were also perceived improvements in productivity, pressure, privacy and comfort although these were non‐significant. Sickness absence reduced substantially in the area with plants and increased slightly in the control area.
Research limitations/implications
It would be useful to extend this research over a longer time frame and in a greater range of buildings to validate the results.
Practical implications
By providing well‐designed workplaces, including living plants, organizations can potentially improve employee perceptions, leading to performance gains and reduced absence. This paper suggests that significant savings can be achieved in comparison to the cost of plants.
Originality/value
The role of indoor nature has received relatively little attention compared to the number of studies on outdoor nature. Additionally, this paper applies the research to a real working environment as opposed to experimental designs, which have formed the majority of previous studies.
Details
Keywords
The Food Hygiene (General) Regulations, 1970, when they first appeared, seem to have attracted more notice in the daily press than in the specialist journals, although, while…
Abstract
The Food Hygiene (General) Regulations, 1970, when they first appeared, seem to have attracted more notice in the daily press than in the specialist journals, although, while re‐enacting much that was in the 1960 regulations, which they repeal, the new measures break new and important ground, as well as introducing a number of amending provisions, which experience has shown were needed. We tend to associate hygiene needs of food and drink with the thronging streets of the city and town, the hidden backrooms of restaurants, the bustling market and the mobile food van, which, in this motorized age, has ousted the bawling backstreet hucksterer.
This paper aims to provide a design of intelligent model‐based topology analyzer that can be used to improve plant operation.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to provide a design of intelligent model‐based topology analyzer that can be used to improve plant operation.
Design/methodology/approach
POOM process modeling methodology is proposed to model and partition plant topology so that plant operation can be designed in effective manner as mapped to plant topology partitions. Plant topology is divided into areas based on the operation required and material flow and isolation paths are identified automatically using intelligent algorithm.
Findings
It is possible to define hierarchical plant structure (topology) partitions that can be mapped to plant operation levels, which are described by ANSI/ISA‐S88. In addition, the use of design knowledge can be useful to define conceptual partitions such as Block, which is essential to link design and operation knowledge. Plant operation (jobs) can be flexibly defined in view of plant structure partitions in terms of resources (materials, plant structural areas) required and operation scheduling.
Research limitations/implications
It is important to link to production scheduling to ensure effective use of topology partitions in real time based on available resources. The proposed approach can be improved via the integration with intelligent production scheduling.
Practical implications
Production and manufacturing plants will be able to use the proposed approach to design and validate plant operation and to improve plant maintenance while reducing operation risks by identifying plant structures required for each operation task. The proposed technique can be helpful to engineers and R&D members to consider in their design and investigation for process safety, risk management, and plant operation and management.
Originality/value
The idea of topology analysis is quite new where it is usually implemented using search algorithms without considering domain knowledge and operation structures. This paper proposes a valuable technique to link plant structure with plant operation hierarchies, which is important for design and engineering practices and R&D activities for plant operation.
Details
Keywords
Design audit is a risk reduction process, in situations where large sums are involved and the costs of mistakes could be high. The aim is to increase assurance of performance by…
Abstract
Design audit is a risk reduction process, in situations where large sums are involved and the costs of mistakes could be high. The aim is to increase assurance of performance by anticipating and forestalling potential problems. To be effective and accepted, the design auditor must be objective and demonstrate professional and personal skills, in a manner not very different from those engaged in more familiar forms of audit. The approach is outlined and examples are given.
Details
Keywords
Tomas Engström, Bo Blomquist and Ove Holmström
This paper reports on the history of the main Volvo Tuve truck plant in Gothenburg from its beginnings in 1981 until 2002. It focuses on the assembly work involved in the…
Abstract
This paper reports on the history of the main Volvo Tuve truck plant in Gothenburg from its beginnings in 1981 until 2002. It focuses on the assembly work involved in the completion of truck chassis carried out by blue‐collar employees. Extensive (physical) alterations during this period have been important for understanding the plants' present design. The various designs of the assembly system, in combination with alterations and changes, have radically reformed the blue‐collar employee's work in a way that, in most respects, had not been intended. The ambitious guidelines, design assumptions and praxis of the early plant design which promoted collective dimensions of work have shifted to ones in which assembly work can be seen more as a set of individualised tasks. Moreover, the plant, which in earlier times had been small‐scale and utilised a heterogeneous assembly systems design, now has been transformed into a large‐scale plant with a homogenous assembly systems design. That is, to be more specific, two rather short assembly lines with intermediate buffers (1980s assembly systems design) were turned into the use of extended assembly lines without intermediate buffers (1990s assembly systems designs). The latter assembly systems were earlier working in coexistence with so‐called assembly docks (small work groups completed their own truck chassis). Lastly, these heterogeneous assembly systems designs were recently changed by further extension of the two main product flows and the assembly docks were closed down (2000s assembly system design). We argue that the choice of assembly systems designs was, and maybe still is, an ad hoc process and not a truly rational process. The history of the Volvo Tuve plant history illuminates how one specific plant can illustrate an uneven line of development with regard to assembly system design, within an organisation which successively has turned more international by an ongoing process of creating one single, larger scale, assembly system design. Thereby leaving behind the characteristics which were once a trademark of the Swedish automotive industry.
Details
Keywords
Tomas Engström, Dan Jonsson and Lars Medbo
Argues that the design of the Volvo Uddevalla plant may be described as a process with an “internal logic” in which design options were eliminated through irreversible design…
Abstract
Argues that the design of the Volvo Uddevalla plant may be described as a process with an “internal logic” in which design options were eliminated through irreversible design decisions until only one alternative remained ‐ an unorthodox alternative comprising, for example, long cycle time work never used before for full‐scale production of automobiles. Contends that the most innovative features of the Uddevalla plant ‐ i.e. the detailed layout in the assembly workshops and the corresponding unorthodox production principles used ‐ were in many respects an unanticipated outcome of the design process. Pre‐existing gross layout of the plant as well as the interaction between the materials feeding techniques adopted and the operation of the automated guided vehicle system. When this was perceived by the Volvo managers, the design process had passed the point of no return, i.e. the investments made and lack of time prevented regression to more traditional layouts and production principles.
Details
Keywords
Kemal Yildirim, Nazlı Nazende Yildirim Kaya and Ferdi Olmus
The purpose of this paper is to focus on the effects of indoor plants on customers' shopping decisions in the restaurant environment.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to focus on the effects of indoor plants on customers' shopping decisions in the restaurant environment.
Design/methodology/approach
The assumption of the research is that there is a relationship between restaurants where indoor plants are used and the customers' shopping decisions (restaurant entry and purchase). A hypothetical study was performed to test this assumption that was based on the digital images of two different restaurants (restaurant with and restaurant without indoor plants) modelled in a virtual environment. The Likert scale questionnaire used in this study was completed by 335 participants.
Findings
Results indicated that restaurants designed with indoor plants had a more positive effect on the shopping decisions of participants than restaurants designed without indoor plants. The statistically significant results between evaluations of customers and their demographic backgrounds were determined. The male participants with a 26–35 age range showed more positive opinions about the plant designed restaurants than female participants with a 36–55 age range. Also, higher education graduate participants showed more positive opinions about the plant designed restaurant than secondary education graduate participants.
Originality/value
This paper reveals a significant relationship between restaurant design and shopping decisions. Results of the study suggest that retailers and designers may be able to make easily stores more appealing for customers by designing them with indoor plants.
Details