Search Results (21)

Temporary architecture, as an expression of the concept of impermanence, offers adaptable and time-sensitive spatial interventions that promote community engagement and encourage experimentation within the urban environment. Beyond its physical and functional qualities, this architectural approach acts as a social mediator, fostering dialogue, networking, and the exchange of ideas between local communities and professionals, while contributing to the development of a socio-cultural common ground. This paper explores the Greenfeel Architecture wooden pavilion as a case study of small-scale architecture embedded within a landscape dedicated to urban agriculture and community-driven activities. The design process was guided by the need to balance functional requirements—providing shelter from the sun and rain and facilitating social interactions—with the protection of the existing vegetation and the enhancement of local biodiversity, with particular emphasis on supporting bee populations. In line with sustainable construction principles, the pavilion was built through the reuse of recovered materials, including used bricks for pavement, wooden slabs for the facade and roof, and several structural components sourced from previous building projects. Since its completion, the pavilion has acted as an urban acupuncture point within the surrounding area and has become a host for various outdoor activities and educational workshops aimed at diverse groups, including children, adults, professionals, and laypersons alike. The duality between the scale of the pavilion and the scale of its social, cultural, or ecological influence highlights the potential of temporary architecture to become a tool for both physical and socio-cultural sustainability in an urban environment. Full article

No-code (NC) platforms empower individuals without IT experience to create tailored applications and websites. While these platforms are accessible to a broader audience, their usability for people with disabilities remains underexplored. This study investigated whether, with targeted training, people with disabilities could effectively use NC platforms to develop customized tools for their workplace, and whether these tools would be adopted by their peers. Conducted in collaboration with a sheltered workshop in Germany, the study had three phases. Phase I involved a brainstorming session with employees, which shaped the study design and product development. In Phase II, six participants with disabilities received a one-week training to develop chatbots. Phase III implemented the chatbots in the workshop. In Phase II, each participant successfully developed four chatbots, which increased the participants’ skills and motivation. Based on the phase III results, users rated the developed chatbots highly (the System Usability Scale (SUS) questionnaire was delivered in the form of a chatbot), indicating their user-friendliness (M = 88.9, SD = 11.2). This study suggests that with appropriate training, individuals with disabilities can use NC platforms to create impactful, customized tools that are user-friendly and accessible to their peers. Full article

This study presents relevant elements of seismic resilience strategy containing an innovative digital mapping tool tailored for Bucharest, one of Europe’s most seismically vulnerable areas. The framework integrates seismic resilience indicators and expert input with Bucharest’s seismic micro-zonation map to systematically identify critical relocation areas, including educational institutions, medical facilities, and open spaces for emergency use. A seven-step methodology underpins the strategy: identifying resilience indicators, gathering local data, conducting expert workshops, mapping vulnerable areas, designating emergency open spaces, incorporating educational institutions as shelters, and evaluating the framework through a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis. The digital mapping tool developed using Google My Maps provides a practical and accessible platform for emergency management professionals and the public, enabling real-time response coordination and informed long-term planning. District 2 is identified as the most vulnerable area due to high population density and peak ground acceleration (PGA), while District 4 faces challenges stemming from limited medical and relocation resources, despite experiencing lower seismic activity. The SWOT analysis demonstrates the tool’s potential as a robust disaster management framework, while highlighting the need for continuous updates, enhanced collaboration, and integration of additional data. This study offers a scalable model for other urban contexts, bridging the gap between strategic planning and operational readiness for seismic risk reduction. Full article

Often, artists of all time periods have unintentionally crystallized in their works the image of landscapes distant in time; of those landscapes, sometimes only faint traces remain, adding to the collection of so-called indirect sources. In many cases, a critical analysis carried out using the comparative method of those iconographic sources allows the inference of the relevant information regarding the layout of places, the structures housed there, and the practice of arts and crafts, or about customs and habits (e.g., dressing, eating, etc.); it is possible to recompose the so-called ‘buried landscapes’ by combining it with, and thanks to, the substantial contributions of other disciplines (such as history, archaeology, and anthropology). This contribution shows the first outcomes of research carried out within the Ghibertiana Project by CHMlab of DIDA (UNIFI), which aims to analyze the ‘landscape characterised by cultivated areas’ from the Florentine countryside in the early fifteenth century. In particular, it is maintained that Lorenzo Ghiberti (Pelago, 1378–Florence, 1455), just like other contemporary artists, depicted territories and architectures he had first experienced in some of the ten bronze panels of the Gates of Paradise of the Baptistery of Florence. He described in great detail the flora, fauna, and anthropic structures of the extra moenia territory. The focus of the early stage of analysis and this contribution is mainly on shelters: temporary structures functional to agricultural work. The encouraging results obtained may give rise to new research on other Florentine landscape elements artfully chiseled in Ghiberti’s workshop. Full article

The main goal of this paper is to explore the difficulties the refugee minors face in the process of seeking inclusion in Portugal. The project conducting this research takes place in a shelter for refugee minors in Portugal, and its inhabitants are the main focus of the analysis. The research is guided by Applied Anthropology which means that, in methodological terms, we use active listening, participant observation, and artistic workshops in drawing and photography in order to get to know them better and establish a closer relationship with the minors. Our interlocutors are refugee minors, boys and girls, aged between 15 and 18, who have been institutionalized by an NGOD responsible for hosting them in Portugal while they await their residence permit. These minors are characterized by a diversity of nationalities, socio-cultural and ethnolinguistic references and different life projects. The artistic focus (drawing and photography) is explored as a non-invasive methodology, a tool that best helps to express emotions, perceptions and desires in a creative and uncompromising way. We chose to focus our analysis not on the traumatic past, as is usually the case when it comes to refugees, but on the future. In other words: we invite these minors to think about their future, what they want for themselves in Portugal and the European Union. As we discuss our difficulties of conducting fieldwork in the institutionalized context, we conclude the article with the idea that working with refugee minors in that environment should not be an end in and of itself, but rather an opportunity to do more profound research. This investigation should continue, preferably outside the institutional gates, on a more personalized basis. As a practical goal, we also propose the idea of organizing an exhibition with the results of the workshops to facilitate the two-way process of inclusion. Full article

Inadequate early scope estimation is a common problem in software projects, leading to failures in meeting project requirements. Agile projects usually do not concentrate on a comprehensive requirements analysis and specification before the start of the project, making scope assessment difficult. This paper presents the methodology for facilitating a more accurate early estimation of project scope, based on requirements information gathered in various forms (requirements models and textual descriptions) during the requirements workshop. The requirements from different sources are compiled into one list and reconciled, since they are prepared by a number of participants in the requirements workshop using different notations (UML diagrams, SysML models, Story map) and may have differences in the vocabulary. Reconciliation encompasses the unification of vocabulary, as well as the identification and the removal of overlaps in requirements. The final list of requirements is used to estimate the scope of the project in story points. The estimate can be presented to the client and used as a basis for the project contract. A case study on the application of the proposed methodology is presented, using the animal shelter information system as a development project. It demonstrates that the methodology is viable and can facilitate the gathering of a more extensive set of requirements, thus ensuring a more detailed scope estimation. Full article

People with disabilities are severely underrepresented in the open labor market. Yet, pursuing a job has a positive impact in many aspects of life. This paper presents a possible approach to improve inclusion by including a robotic manipulator into context-aware Assistive Systems. This expands the assistance possibilities tremendously by adding gesture-based feedback and aid. The system presented is based on the intelligent control system of behavior trees, which—together with a depth camera, specifically designed policies, and a collaborative industrial robotic manipulator—can assist workers with disabilities in the workplace. A developed assistance node generates personalized action sequences. These include different robotic pointing gestures, from simple waving, to precisely indicating the target position of the workpiece during assembly tasks. This paper describes the design challenges and technical implementation of the first Context-Aware Robotic Assistive System. Moreover, an in-field user study in a Sheltered Workshop was performed to verify the concept and developed algorithms. In the assembly task under consideration, almost three times as many parts could be assembled with the developed system than with the baseline condition. In addition, the reactions and statements of the participants showed that the robot was considered and accepted as a tutor. Full article

The frequency of natural disasters is exacerbated by the escalating impacts of climate change with the need for effective relief shelters for victims and displaced individuals. Providing accessible and easy-to-assemble relief shelters is essential in addressing these needs. Due to climate-related challenges and the need for sustainable solutions, the integration of circularity principles in shelter design has become imperative. Circular economy principles promote the efficient use of resources, minimising waste generation and the cost of shelters. Moreover, a considerable number of people usually suffer from homelessness, and an increasing number of families live in slums in every part of the globe. All such people are entitled to be housed in affordable, safe, and appropriate shelters for at least several months after a disaster until they can either rebuild their former houses or find somewhere decent to settle after recovering from the hardship. With the aim of investigating the immediate housing needs of people after a disaster, this paper identifies the essential factors that must be taken into account during shelter design. The paper also presents the prototype developed on the basis of theoretical criteria and the identified factors. The paper’s main objectives were to design an easy-to-assemble emergency shelter on circular economy principles, identify critical factors for the circularity and buildability of the shelter, and present a proposed smart shelter acceptance model. The methodology behind the research involves conducting an intensive literature review and creating a novel prototype of a smart disaster relief shelter on the basis of long-run laboratory work and various prototype iterations. The paper presents the details of the novel prototype and shows materials that enhance the circularity of the shelter, according to a unique architectural design strategy of ‘reusing’ materials to enhance circularity practice in the design and construction sectors. The prototype was developed in a workshop after 6 months of reiterations using plastic water bottles, basic pipes, and other reusable materials. Then, by incorporating the essential factors, a set of criteria was designed that can be used as a guide for the architectural design of shelters. The criteria offered in this paper are useful to evaluate each factor’s importance in shelter design. In total, 51 effective factors in designing and constructing such accommodation are presented, clustered into five design strategy groups: social–cultural, physical–technical, environmental, economic, and organisational. Full article

Since the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) was created, segregation of persons with disabilities is no longer allowed. Separate schools, sheltered workshops, and isolated social care homes impede inclusion and must be banned. Sport is a remarkable exception to this general principle. The CRPD explicitly states that persons with disabilities should have the opportunity to organize, develop, and participate in disability-specific sporting activities. This contribution—focusing on the Paralympics and Special Olympics—examines why the CRPD allows and encourages disability-specific sporting competitions, despite (or perhaps due to) its radical choice for inclusion. Beyond that, this contribution asks the obvious follow-up question: if disability-specific competitions are allowed, how can the criteria for participation be determined in a manner consistent with the CRPD? The CRPD opposes a medical approach to disability, yet that approach is often used in selection criteria. Although this contribution primarily focuses on sports, the impact is wider: it raises questions on inclusion and how to assess disability. Full article

This study was conducted in 12 unions of the Shyamnagar upazila in the Shatkira District, located in the south-western coastal region of Bangladesh (SWCRB). The inhabitants of the SWCRB are affected by different climate-influenced events such as high-intensity cyclones, saltwater intrusion, sea-level rise, and weather pattern-affected agriculture. This study focused on how the local inhabitants are coping with climate change using multilevel adaptation. A mixed approach of data collection, including quantitative and qualitative data, was followed for both primary and secondary sources. Individual-level data collection, key informant interviews, close-ended questions, focus groups, life history of SWCRB residents, and workshops were used to understand vulnerability and social perceptions at the local level. The findings indicated that multiple adaptation practices are employed by people in the SWCRB, such as rainwater harvesting, plantation of different rice varieties, gardening of indigenous vegetables, and pond sand filtering. However, the construction of multipurpose cyclone shelters along with coastal afforestation contributes to building resilience in the SWRCB from the socio-economic and environmental perspectives. Therefore, this study will help to find the most adequate strategy for climate change adaptation and sustainability. Full article

Consultation with sheep producers was used to quantify the mortality of triplet-bearing ewes and their lambs, identify management practices adopted by producers to reduce these losses and prioritise future research needs to improve the survival of triplet-bearing ewes and their lambs. Surveys were completed by 64 producers across Australia who identified and separated triplet-bearing ewes from twin-bearing ewes in 2017 and/or 2018. On average, 5.9% of all ewes mated were identified as carrying triplets (6.6% of non-Merino ewes and 2.9% of Merino ewes). The average mortality of triplet-bearing ewes was 6.4%, and ewe mortality did not differ significantly between ewe breeds. The average survival of triplet-born lambs was 59%, and survival was significantly higher for lambs from non-Merino compared to Merino ewes (60.1 vs. 52.9%, p < 0.05). The key strategies adopted to reduce the mortality of triplet-bearing ewes and their lambs included management of condition score, feed-on-offer, mob size at lambing and use of shelter. There were no differences (p > 0.05) in the average mortality of triplet-bearing ewes or their lambs between producers that prioritised the adoption of certain management practices. However, significant variation existed between producers in their targets at lambing for ewe condition score (2.8 to 3.5), mob size (10 to 150 ewes) and feed-on-offer (800 to 2500 kg dry matter/ha). Overwhelmingly, the highest priorities for further research identified by producers from surveys, workshops and a webinar were ewe condition score, mob size, feed-on-offer at lambing and mineral supplementation. This study informs benchmarks for mortality of triplet-bearing ewes and their lambs under extensive grazing conditions in Australia, and the priorities for future research to reduce these losses. Full article

The Sustainable Development Goals underscore the importance of migration to the achievement of health, and global migration presents both opportunities and challenges for the development of health promotion. Despite such recognition, very little work has focused on health promotion with young migrants, including how migration shapes opportunities for positive health. This paper reports findings from a qualitative study that sought to advance knowledge of the health experiences of young internal migrants in Ghana (n = 14) and considers ways to harness these perspectives in the development of sustainable health promotion solutions. Methods included community consultations, participatory workshops and interviews with young migrants aged 14–21 years. Findings highlighted how the social determinants of health affected young migrants’ opportunities to support their health. Our analysis highlights how a lack of access to adequate food, shelter and health services often resulted in the adoption of alternative health practices, including the use of herbal remedies. Supporting positive livelihoods as part of tackling the social determinants of health is crucial to mitigate the impacts of poverty and inequalities on young migrants’ health practices and outcomes. We conclude by considering how to advance relevant health promotion with young migrants living in contexts of vulnerability. Full article

For the occupational adaptation and social integration of the intellectually disabled, it is helpful to improve their work performance and interpersonal skills. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of horticultural therapy (HT) programs to improve work performance and interpersonal relationships of persons with intellectual disabilities. Based on observations and analyses of how people with intellectual disabilities work, we have developed a 12-session HT program that includes upper limb movements and physical activities to improve hand function. We recruited, with the consent of their legal guardians, 14 (6 males, 8 females) participants who had intellectual disabilities and were working at a sheltered workshop in K-gu, Seoul, South Korea. The program consisted of twelve sixty-minute sessions that were conducted twice a week at a rooftop garden. For pre- and post-evaluation of the program, the survey of functional adaptive behavior (SFAB), interpersonal negotiation strategies, a horticultural job evaluation (self), hand function tests (pegboard, pinch gauge, fingertips), and blood sample tests for physiological indicators of exercise were conducted. Interpersonal negotiation strategies, functional adaptive behaviors, and physical abilities for job behaviors, including agility and grasping of the hand, improved significantly from before to after the program (p < 0.05). A positive result of VEGF (vascular endothermic growth factor) in blood sample tests implies the need for further research on cognitive changes caused by horticultural activities. This study has limitations due to the small number of participants, but the results suggest that low- to medium-intensity horticultural treatment programs using the upper body and hands could be effective for vocational rehabilitation of the intellectually disabled. Full article

This article explores how physical surroundings may be integrated as a supportive measure in social work efforts. Drawing on ecological psychology and the concept of liminality, the article presents a case study of Kofoed’s School (KS), a social institution in Copenhagen, Denmark. In recent years, KS has undergone a major renovation, opening up previously sheltered workshops to the public. By creating liminal spaces of possibility, where students can take up “both/and” positions allowing for a multitude of ways to participate, students are experiencing increased support and inclusion, which contributes to a growing feeling of citizenship and well-being. Drawing on participant observations and interviews with students, staff members, as well as customers at the school’s shops, we explore how the architectural layout may facilitate students’ flexible and fluid movements between more or less sheltered positions and further discuss how this flexibility may become supportive for their personal development and well-being. We propose to think of such spaces of possibility as enabling spaces, where inclusive architecture contributes to the creation of new possibilities for participation for people in marginalized life positions. This, we suggest, holds a great potential for social work efforts for people experiencing complex social vulnerability. Full article

When a failed military coup provoked civil war in Spain in July 1936, British Quakers were among the first t respond to the tremendous need for humanitarian aid among the civilian population. They distributed food and clothing, set up canteens and hospitals, provided schooling and workshops, and organized the evacuation of children from war zones. Then, in January 1939, when the Spanish Republic finally succumbed to the might of the rebel forces, the Quakers accompanied thousands of refugees in their flight towards the French border. This became known as ‘la retirada’ (the Retreat). Once in French territory, the refugees were herded into improvised internment camps. These were simply vast open spaces on the beaches encircled by barbed wire, with no shelter, no latrines and barely any food. Quakers were the first to obtain permits to access the camps in order to alleviate the suffering and deprivation found there. They distributed not only the most basic aid such as food and clothing, but also pencils and notebooks, as well as tools and materials of all kinds to work with. Thus, in characteristic fashion, they provided people with the means by which they could help themselves. Full article