Good work

Sam Clark explores what it takes for work to contribute to human flourishin

Particle-Fluid Flow Simulations of an FCC Regenerator

A particle-fluid flow simulation of a commercial-scale fluidized catalytic cracking unit has been conducted. The simulation was full-scale, three-dimensional, and with complex internal geometries. The focus of the computational model was to predict wear on internal structures. The geometry of the particle feed pipe was found to cause asymmetric flow of high-speed gas which led to significant wear

Architectural reflections on housing older people : nine stories of retirement-living

PhD ThesisThis thesis presents and interprets the stories of nine actors involved in the design, construction, management and inhabitation of third-age housing in the UK. It comprises a PhD by Creative Practice, integrating original storytelling with architectural survey, analysis and design techniques; bringing together the social science practice of participant observation with architectural post-occupancy evaluation. The research foregrounds ‘designerly’ modes of inquiry, resulting in design-relevant feedback for those involved in the production of retirement-living environments. Specifically, the study benefits from the researcher’s unique position in and in-between architectural sectors – design, research and teaching – enabling an expanded field of practice and reflection. This dynamic researcher positionality, involving multiple personas, has resulted in unexpected interactions between sectors, making connections between unrelated actors. Aspects of this research were commissioned by a UK property developer, providing ‘independent’ retirement-living apartments, and are necessarily applied in scope and approach. The underlying research context is the major societal challenge of housing a ‘super-aged’ UK population, and the particular needs and aspirations of active thirdagers. The research contributes to the field through (i) a synthesis of design research and social science research methodologies, with examples of techniques applied in new contexts; (ii) an original study resulting from a unique situation and shifting research positionality; and (iii) new knowledge on a little-studied building typology. A diverse range of tactics were used, including short residencies at retirement developments; staying overnight and engaging in the social life of the shared lounge, as well as recording show-and-tell home visits, contingent on the hospitality of informants. Furthermore, the researcher made creative use of a befriending programme, leading to rich observations of an older person at home. Altogether the research stories make up a multi-sited ethnographic study; each story presents the position of an actor (or actors) encountered within the field. The Baby Boomers story indicates a resistance to developer housing products, partly based on misconceptions of retirement housing and inappropriate associations with residential Architectural Reflections on Housing Older People: Nine Stories of Retirement-Living ii institutions. The Befriended gives insight to the benefits of ageing in place and longterm relational meanings of home. Developer Director questions the popular stereotype of developer as ‘villain’, revealing work undertaken at risk and uncertain challenges within the planning system. Resident Owner shows how older UK consumers lack exposure to high quality housing and are committed to making their purchases work; reporting an enthusiasm for the social architecture, over-and-above the physical environment. Chalet Manager portrays the central role staff play in the promotion and maintenance of this social architecture; ‘untapped’ experts in the lived-experiences of the products they share with customers. Architecture Student shows how undergraduates had a role within a situated research practice, involving dialogic work with emerging products of architecture shared with professionals. Company Architect found the developer’s staff to be shaped by a strong business context, with multi-layered management and production-oriented processes designed to maximise profit. Similarly, Town Planner considered a disempowered actor, lacking ‘voice’ and the necessary resources to play a more central role in the delivery of housing choices for older people. Lastly, the Creative Practitioner story highlights how an interdisciplinary position can contribute to the advancement of research-informed design propositions, helping to evolve housing for older peopl

Jim Jam Jems: October 1914

From October 1914. This month\u27s issue focused on the start of the First World War, the British bias of the news media, and gripes toward traveling salesmen

Jim Jam Jems: March 1917

March 1917 edition of Jim Jam Jems. This issue includes articles on the controversy of women smoking cigarettes, police committing sexual assault on a child, and the double standards of prostitution

Jim Jam Jems: September 1915

September 1915 edition of Jim Jam Jems. This issue includes articles examining quack doctors and sham medical treatments, as well as the nature of lynching in the southern United States

Jim Jam Jems: February 1913

February 1913 edition of Jim Jam Jems. Clark discusses the impeachment of Federal Judge Robert Archbald of Pennsylvania and the political implications of that action. Clark also muses on social issues, including the unspeakable depravity of homosexuality, in light of legal cases in Portland, Oregon

Jim Jam Jems: March 1914

March 1914 edition of Jim Jam Jems features ten articles, including features about abortionists in Minneapolis, a blind politician from Oklahoma, and a seventy year old pickpocket in New York

Jim Jam Jems: July 1915

July 1915 edition of Jim Jam Jems. This issue includes articles examines German and British motivations in the First World War, as well as the subject of domestic violence