Biophilic Design Patterns for Primary Schools

open access articleAbstract: Existing frameworks for biophilic design have similar strategies and attributes as useful checklists for designers; however, the focus has been on adults rather than children, and there remains the need for more guidance related to school design by extension. The application of biophilia would be a design resolution in schools because of its impact on children’s health and well-being, which has been more important since the pandemic started; however, it remains quite unexplored in school design in many countries, including the UK. Biophilic design patterns can be used in school buildings and grounds for greater connectivity between spaces and nature in order to promote children’s well-being. This paper focuses on ten biophilic design patterns under two categories of ‘nature in the space’ and ‘natural analogues.’ This study presents the findings of case studies in various countries. The analysis focuses on the manifestations of biophilia to inform the application of biophilic design patterns for primary schools. Finally, this paper suggests how primary school children could be involved in a co-design process in order to evaluate biophilic design patterns

Stabilization and Solidification of a Clay Soil Contaminated with MTBE

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the American Society of Civil Engineers via the DOI in this record.This paper presents an investigation into stabilization and solidification of a clay soil contaminated with methyl butyl ether (MTBE) using two different agents (cement and a mixture of bentonite and cement) through a program of laboratory experiments. The samples were prepared in two stages. In the first stage, they were prepared with 20 and 30% cement, but in the second stage they were prepared with 20 and 30% mixtures of bentonite and cement (with ratios of bentonite to cement equal to 1∶11∶1 and 3∶13∶1). Unconfined compression tests (UCT) and leaching tests using a gas chromatography (GC) apparatus were conducted on the samples prepared in the described two stages at different curing times. The results show that by using cement, the strength of the soil is increased. The results of the leaching tests on contaminated soil show a major reduction in the concentration of MTBE. Adding cement to contaminated soil causes a reduction in the concentration of MTBE, but by increasing the curing time, the concentration of MTBE is increased. It is also indicated that using a combination of bentonite and cement leads to reductions in MTBE concentration, and the amount of reduction is decreased by increasing the curing time. A bentonite to cement ratio of 3∶13∶1 is more effective than 1∶11∶1 in reducing the concentration of MTBE

Primary school design: co-creation with children

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.The school environment affects children’s health, emotions and learning. The good design of school buildings makes these places more pleasant and more functional. Children’s views are important and need to be more effectively integrated in the school design project, especially after the pandemic as many schools had to re-design their spaces. However, there are challenges for academics, designers and policy makers in determining which methods are appropriate for listening to children’s views and ensuring their effective participation. The study aims to evaluate the different ways in which children could get involved in designing schools, and to identify spatial design trends from the perspective of the children. For this study, qualitative and quantitative research methods were used. Various data collection techniques were drawings, model making and questionnaires. The empirical study was undertaken by 120 children (8-10 years old), who designed three spaces in two Primary Schools in England. This paper discusses the change in use of spaces for current and future (post- COVID) school design and the need for multi-purpose spaces that can flip form one to another. The findings highlight the importance of involving children in the school design process that could then inform the decision-making processes of architects and designers. The findings would have implications for school design practice, demonstrating how research can be embedded in primary schools to evaluate the quality of indoor and outdoor spaces. More research focusing on diverse spaces, various age groups and in different primary schools would provide reliable and age-appropriate guideline for future school design. It is recommended to gather children’s and teachers’ views related to the changes that primary schools in the UK have applied in response to the pandemic since June 2020 to assess the impact of social distancing in various indoor and outdoor spaces. The study is a response to effective involvement of children in school design process as the main user. By identifying appropriate methods to gather children’s views, the gap between academics, designers and policy makers can be bridged, especially for innovative post-COVID design of primary schools with radical changes. The study also highlights children’s views for design of outdoor and indoor multi-functional spaces and suggests some Post Pandemic design considerations to respond to children’s preferences as well as their health and well-being

Mechanical and Leaching Behavior of a Stabilized and Solidified Anthracene-Contaminated Soil

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from American Society of Civil Engineers via the DOI in this recordThis paper presents an investigation into the remediation of an anthracene-contaminated clay soil through experimental tests. Samples were prepared of uncontaminated and contaminated soil-cement with 20 and 30% cement. Unconfined compression tests (UCT) were conducted on the natural soil and on soil contaminated with anthracene. Similar tests were carried out on uncontaminated and contaminated soil-cement at various curing times. Leaching tests were also conducted on contaminated soil and contaminated soil-cement with 20 and 30% cement at various curing times by using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) apparatus. The results showed that adding cement to the contaminated soil increased the strength of the soil and that the amount of increase in strength was a function of the percentage of the cement and the curing time. The results of the leaching tests on the contaminated soil showed a major reduction in the concentration of anthracene. The results also indicated that adding cement to the anthracene-contaminated soil caused a reduction in the concentration of anthracene after the leaching tests and that the amount of the reduction increased with the increase in the curing time for a given cement content (20 or 30%). Increasing the percentage of cement is an important factor in the reduction of the concentration of anthracene

Electrokinetic Remediation of a Soil Contaminated with Anthracene Using Different Surfactants

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Mary Ann Liebert via the DOI in this recordElectrokinetic technique is one of the common methods that can be used for removal of organic contaminants in soil. There are some organic contaminants with low solubility in water. To improve the efficiency of remediation it is possible to use appropriate surfactants as flushing solution. In this work nonionic (Poloxamer 407 and Tween 80), anionic (sodium dodecyl sulfate [SDS]), and humic acid (HA) with solution of 0.1 M NaOH were selected for improving the remediation of a soil contaminated with anthracene. A solution of NaOH and surfactants were used as anolyte, but HA was mixed with contaminated soil. At the end of each test a number of soil samples were extracted from the middle of the soil at different distances from the anode, and removal of contaminant was measured by a high performance liquid chromatography apparatus. Results show the effectiveness of solution surfactants and NaOH in removal of anthracene was SDS > Tween 80 > Poloxamer 407. In addition, results indicate that effect of HA on remediation is less than SDS and more than nonionic surfactants

Children's and teachers' voices : a framework for school design.

The school environment affects pupils' and teachers' health, work and emotions: on average they spend around six hours a day and over one thousand hours a year in school. There is strong evidence for the argument that good design of school buildings makes these places pleasanter and more functional; and increases the quality of the considerable amount of time users spend there. A problem identified in a review of literature was that there appeared to be a gulf between school users and designers. This thesis is an effort to bridge that gap by involving school users' voices in the design process. It has been argued that users have a lot of implicit knowledge about school buildings and it would be valuable to make this explicit so that it can be instructive to all educators, architects, designers and policy-makers. This study explores the views and expectations of pupils and teachers regarding their school environments and has focused on making a tool for the school design process, based on information and reflections provided by both user groups. The research objective required the undertaking of three separate studies: analysis of secondary data, qualitative and quantitative empirical studies, each one leading to the next. The findings revealed that teachers and pupils are not necessarily more satisfied with recently built schools as compared with much older schools. The findings helped to highlight the importance attributed to various issues by each user. It is revealed that the two groups of participants have different priorities in terms of the types of things in their environment that are more important to them. However, within each user group there are clear patterns in responses. Overall, 'Nature and Outdoors' became the least important category for both school users. 'Facilities' was the most important category for pupils though 'Comfort and Control' was the most important category for teachers. The overall findings have been developed as the basis for a 'generative tool' for school design to guide the design and decision-making processes of architects and designers. The generative tool and the relative importance of each item helped to progress the study further by suggesting an 'evaluative tool for designers': able to assess the quality of an existing school or a new school at various stages of design by consideration of the given scores and the weighting that each item obtained according to school users' opinions. It is suggested that further research could, in a similar way, involve other school users in the design process by developing appropriate tools

A Systematic Review of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Health Facilities and their Impact on Maternal and Newborn Mortality: A Focus on Pakistan

Almost one third of global maternal deaths and 39 percent of newborn deaths occur in South Asia. Pakistan has a maternal mortality ratio of 178 deaths per 100,000 live births, and a neonatal mortality rate of 46 deaths per 1000 live births, both exceeding the United Nations targets for maternal and neonatal mortality. Of the direct causes, sepsis is the second most common preventable cause of maternal mortality, and third most common preventable cause of neonatal mortality in Pakistan. Although the connection between water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), infection prevention and maternal and newborn health has long been recognized, many health facilities in Pakistan are without the WASH interventions necessary to meet the needs of pregnant mothers and newborn children.This paper discusses the issue with reference to the global, regional and country specific burden of maternal and neonatal mortality and WASH conditions in health facilities. The paper considers the role of WASH interventions in preventing infection, sepsis and related mortality, and lastly, formulates recommendations at the community, health facility and government levels to improve WASH services in health facilities and to decrease rates of infection and maternal and neonatal mortality in Pakistan.Master of Public Healt

Non-incorporation of Terms to the Parties’ Contractual Intention in English Law and Islamic Jurisprudence: A Comparative Matching Study

The Matter of entering the condition into the contract has received less attention from jurists.  Maybe this is because just signing means accepting all the provisions to make a contract. While the signature is a type of way that includes conditions.  There are other ways, such as notification and history or trading period. The main question of this essay is that, first, How many ways to enter a condition in the contract can be imagined? Secondly, if there is a heavy condition in the contract, what is the approach of English law and Islamic jurisprudence? Onerous terms may be entered into the contract in one of the three ways mentioned.   What English law has established as a rule with a correct understanding of business custom is the principle called the red hand, the absence of which is quite noticeable in Islamic jurisprudence. However, the mechanism of jurisprudence is similar for simple and heavy conditions, and it is the rule of action that is adhered to by signing the contract by the contractor, and the contractor is bound by the condition It gets heavy.This thesis proved with a comparative-approximate study that if the heavy conditions in the contract are not brought to the attention of the contracting party in a reasonable and unambiguous manner, the signature of the contracting party cannot be relied upon, and according to the principle of innocence in jurisprudence and the rule of interpretation against the drafter, ambiguity is in favor of the contracting party. It is interpreted. In Iranian jurisprudence and law, according to the existing implicit condition, the burden of proving the knowledge of the party to the provisions of the heavy conditions can be considered to be on the party. Therefore, the abuse of the contractor in the drafting of the contract will be closed to some extent and good faith will be observed in the preparation of the contract