Topic Review
Picrolite Raw Material on Cyprus
Picrolite is a soft, green massive, banded or crudely fibrous metamorphic rock with a hardness of 3.5, a waxy feel and a conchoidal to subconchoidal fracture (massive), whilst crudely fibrous varieties splinter easily. Picrolite artefacts comprise some of the most distinctive material remains in the prehistory of the island of Cyprus, in the Eastern Mediterranean. Picrolite exploitation dates from at least 12,000 years ago for the manufacture of personal ornaments and items with a symbolic function.
  • 1.8K
  • 21 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Inclusive Design of Workspaces
Accessible design within the built environment has often focused on mobility conditions and has recently widened to include mental health. Additionally, as one in seven are neurodivergent (including conditions such as ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and dyspraxia), this highlights a growing need for designing for ‘non-visible’ conditions in addition to mobility. Emphasised by the growing disability pay gap and the disability perception gap, people with disabilities are still facing discrimination and physical barriers within the workplace. To ensure the built environment contributes to an equal and inclusive society, people need to ensure their spaces are being designed to be accessible and inclusive. Successful integration of inclusive design within the design process contributes to the overall usability of the space, thus improving the overall sustainability of infrastructure. Similarly, by following the social model of disability, designers must aim to remove barriers experienced by the user, hence shifting the responsibility onto the designer to actively design a better space.
  • 661
  • 21 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Actors and Challenges of Participation(s) in Cultural Heritage
Participation has been an important topic in research across different disciplines, including cultural heritage. The panoply of definitions of participation, whether specific to a discipline or not, makes people acknowledge controversy over the term “participation”. Since 2005, the relevance of participation in cultural heritage has been institutionalized through The Council of Europe Framework Convention on the Value of Cultural Heritage for Society, better known as the Faro Convention. It emphasizes that the significance of cultural heritage lies less in the material aspect than in the meanings and uses people attach to them and the values they represent.
  • 756
  • 21 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Digital Preservation for UNESCO Architectural Heritage
Architectural heritage includes built structures that are of outstanding value of natural and cultural identity and require conservation, preservation, presentation and transmission to the future generations. In this regard, UNESCO has enlisted six World Heritage Sites in Pakistan that need to be preserved. Moreover, the heritage sites are undergoing theft, vandalism, natural decay and other socio-cultural harms. One of the state-of-the-art methodologies is the digital preservation of the historic sites. Amongst the various available computer technologies, photogrammetry is the quickest and most cost-effective method that can be used for digital preservation. The research will focus on the digital preservation of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, which is an emerging trend in an architectural context. Developing countries have limited funds and resources and most historic sites are being neglected by the lack of financial resources. This research suggests digital preservation as an emerging solution, identifies its challenges and suggests photogrammetry as a cost-effective solution to six UNESCO enlisted historic sites of Pakistan. It also suggests that once digitally recorded, information of historic sites can also be used in diverse applications to generate further finances. 
  • 1.1K
  • 19 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Pakistan’s Heritage Management
Improving archaeology policies means fostering search and exploration of ancient sites, promoting protection and preservation actions of architectural remains, and management of cultural heritage.
  • 2.1K
  • 19 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Documented Skeletal Collections in the United States
In the US, documented skeletal collections are a collective of human skeletons that originated (mostly) from body donations, human taphonomy facilities (e.g., the William M. Bass Donated Skeletal Collection), and anatomical dissections (e.g., Robert J. Terry Anatomical Collection). These collections are a major asset in the testing and development of methods used to infer the biological profile of human remains.
  • 1.1K
  • 19 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Partnership Development at the University–Industry–Government Nexus
The increasingly entrepreneurial intent of universities implies the commercialization of knowledge and innovation through the triple helix of interactions between universities, industry and government. However, there remains a lack of clarity concerning best practice partnerships for innovation. 
  • 488
  • 19 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Wind Tower Houses in Dubai
Due to the similar climate conditions and proximity of the United Arab Emirates to other neighboring countries such as Iran and India, who have been familiar with the use of wind towers as cooling devices for a long time, wind towers were readily adopted in traditional buildings in the UAE. The most concentrated number of wind towers can be found in the residential neighborhood of Dubai called Alfahidi Historic Area. The number reaches around 50 wind towers in less than 0.25 km2, with an average of one wind tower per house. This neighborhood was originally designed for merchants who immigrated from Bastak in Iran. Later, wind towers were applied to various different types of buildings, such as shops and stores, as well as other residential neighborhoods of Shindagah and Deira.
  • 4.1K
  • 19 Apr 2022
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
Passivhaus
Passivhaus or Passive House buildings are low-energy buildings in which the design is driven by quality and comfort, hence achieving acceptable levels of comfort through post-heating or post-cooling of fresh air. Additionally, Passivhaus building design follows the Passivhaus design criteria, as described in the Passive House Planning Package (PHPP). This article aims to introduce the Passivhaus background, development, and basic design principles. Finally, it also presents a brief description of the performance of Passivhaus buildings. 
  • 2.1K
  • 18 Apr 2022
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
William II of Hauteville (1171-1189)
William II of Hauteville King of Sicily (1171–1189). William II of Hauteville was the third king of the Norman dynasty on the throne of Sicily. He ruled independently from 1171 (from 1166 to 1171 he was under the regency of his mother) to 1189. From an iconographic point of view, he is particularly interesting because he was the first king of Sicily who made use of monumental images of himself. In particular, we have five official (namely, commissioned directly by him or his entourage) representations of him: the royal bull, the royal seal, and three images from the Cathedral of Monreale (near Palermo): two mosaic panels and one carved capital.
  • 1.9K
  • 18 Apr 2022
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