Masters Research Projects

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https://hdl.handle.net/10292/9823
The Masters Research Projects collection contains digital copies of AUT masters research projects deposited with the Library since 2016 and made available on open access.

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Browsing Masters Research Projects by Author "Douglas, Carl"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
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    The Emotional Kitchen Space Aging With Dignity Around the Kitchen Table
    (Auckland University of Technology, 2020) Wang, Guangjin; Douglas, Carl; Nienhuis, Anke
    How can a kitchen be designed as an elderly-friendly emotional space that encourages people to share positive social experiences of cooking and dining? How can designers support people to age with dignity? This practice-based design research is based on the strong emotional bond between me and my grandfather, and my observations of how he struggled to use his home. I have developed design principles for emotional spaces that support independence, social connection, and cultural belonging. I have focused on the kitchen as a space that poses particular challenges, and ultimately propose an Emotional Kitchen Table, a piece of furniture that could be fitted into existing apartments or houses to provide a more fulfilling spatial experience for the elderly. My methodology centers on developing empathy, and I use ideas from design ethnography (particularly personas and scenarios) and digital technologies for simulating use. My aim is to demonstrate how a concern for emotional space and empathy can help designers like myself give older people the opportunity to age with dignity.
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    Siheyuan: Refurbishing an Auckland Childcare Centre Using Traditional Chinese Courtyard Typologies
    (Auckland University of Technology, 2019) Chen, Sida; Douglas, Carl
    Cities can be alienating places for children. In the fast processes of urbanization children are often deprived of the opportunity to be part of a local social environment. In this study, I use Chinese courtyard spaces as a model for redesigning a rooftop daycare centre in Durham Street, in Auckland CBD. I have developed and presented my design concept for a kindergarten in the form of a visual narrative. I employed a mixed methods approach drawing on aspects of the Design Thinking methodology and visual storytelling. The narrative comic book exhibited as the culmination of this project conveys the social world of children in the courtyard kindergarten, expressing life situations, instead of pure architectural design. This exegesis is divided into five chapters: an introduction, a discussion of siheyuan courtyards and contemporary kindergarten spaces, a discussion of my methodology and methods, an account of my design development, and a conclusion pointing to the outcomes of my research. I hope through this work to demonstrate first, the value of siheyuan for reimagining childcare spaces; and second, the value of narrative techniques for describing living spaces.
Research projects are protected by the Copyright Act 1994 (New Zealand). The research projects may be consulted by you, provided you comply with the provisions of the Act and the following conditions of use:
  • Any use you make of these documents or images must be for research or private study purposes only, and you may not make them available to any other person.
  • Authors control the copyright of their research projects. You will recognise the author’s right to be identified as the author of the research project, and due acknowledgement will be made to the author where appropriate.
  • You will obtain the author’s permission before publishing any material from the research project.