Fieldwork Test Research of the Impact on Building Physical Environment on Six Types of Atrium Space in Cold Climates

Since the research on verification to passive design strategies in sustainable building is at the initial stage,and its test method and verification conclusion are not scientific enough to validate,this paper proposes the necessity of building physical environmental monitoring to quantitative optimization of passive strategies efficiency from the perspective of architecture design and building environment. Adopting comparative research method,this research chooses six types of atrium space in cold climate in China as a prototype,focusing on building physical environmental performance difference in and between atrium and building main space. Spatial parameters of the atrium space will be divided into four factors: spatial geometry,interfacial properties,internal and external related categories. With subdividing these four factors into sub-factors,this paper makes crosscomparison among the sub-factors to clarify passive strategies effectiveness in atrium. Data comparison analysis shows that Winter atrium passive strategy in cold regions from traditional view is not obvious in practical application,and test data need to be stratified refined in atrium design in case of optimizing passive strategy from building prototype perspective.

Research on Two Types of Buffer Zone Impact on Surrounding Office Space Environment in Winter in Cold Climate Zone—a Fieldwork in Architectural Design Institute Building of Tsinghua University,Beijing

Building buffer zone space is not only one of essential approaches for better mental quality of interior building space, but also an important factor that may influence interior thermal comfort and energy consumption. This study aims to analyze regulative advantages of buffer zone to the surrounding functional spaces. Based on a fieldwork test in a typical office building in cold climate zone in Beijing,China,the monitor data show interior physical performance in the Winter. The research selects two types of different buffer zones in the same building. One is a south-faced greenhouse which has large dimension with plenty of vegetation,and the other is a simple atrium in the middle of five floor building with mount of skylights. The factors and their influence to surrounding functional spaces and the whole building are found out from the comparisons of collected data by floor to floor monitor test on both buffer zones at the same time. The comparisons of two types of buffer zones conclude that the greenhouse is more effective to air quality regulation but not so clearly wellperformed to thermal buffering as expected due to the dominate active central heating in the Winter. This fieldwork test results for building performance can be helpful for both architects and engineers in the early phase of sustainable design.

How I Found My Way to the Written Word Through Visual Art

The author＇s practice-led research explores ＂the act of living.＂ In order to advance this idea, the author has acquired skills in investigation and expresses her thinking through a descriptive and explanatory visual language. The author＇s learning journey, while not unique, has not been an ordinary one. Initial academic failure to achieve in the school education system contributed to her choosing a life working on the land and harbouring the belief that she was unable to learn academically. Still, the author has gained a rich base of physical knowledge and experience through the traditional oral route including learning interpersonal communication through body language and vocal tonality. The author has used this intuitive knowledge to develop an arts practice where she explores the bio-cultural links between people and the lands they inhabit, creating works that aim to extend knowing through emphasising the experience and atmosphere of landscape. At this time, when our lives have become increasingly encoded and intellectually based, the author shares a belief with American philosopher Eugene Gendlin （b. 1926） that the ＂felt sense＂ can be developed in order to enable us to engage more fully with the world around us. The author explores this idea in her visual art but also realizes the need to express it in writing, both in order to reach a wider public and because of the possibilities offered by the written word to make public which is private and held deep within.

Enhancing Shariah Audit Practices in Islamic Financial Institutions in Malaysia

It is undeniable that Islamic financial institutions （IFIs） in Malaysia are growing with a positive impact on the national economic growth. In order to sustain and maintain Shariah compliance in Islamic fmancial industry, adequate Shariah audit practices are necessary to ensure that the operation of IFIs should be in parallel with Shariah guidelines and policies set by the authority. In order to equip Islamic industry practitioners with adequate Shariah audit practices, Faculty of Economics and Muamalat （FEM）, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia （USIM） has introduced a professional Shariah Audit Training （SAT） program for IFIs staffs. SAT is a program that covers various aspects on Shariah audit practices starting from Shariah principles, Shariah governance, Shariah audit program, Shariah audit process, Shariah audit fieldwork, Shariah risk management and Shariah audit communications. Modules used in SAT have been developed based on collaboration between academic institutions and industry players in order to ensure that the knowledge and practice in the industry are harmonized and relevant. The series of trainings conducted in the program are believed to achieve the programme＇s ultimate objective which is to produce Shariah auditors who are qualified and trained to fill the gap for Islamic finance industry. The objective is to produce talents with adequate Shariah audit knowledge. This study provides the result of the SAT program toward IFIs practitioners＇ skills and knowledge on Shariah audit practices.

Harnessing the power of immersive virtual reality-visualization and analysis of 3D earth science data sets

The availability and quantity of remotely sensed and terrestrial geospatial data sets are on the rise.Historically,these data sets have been analyzed and quarried on 2D desktop computers;however,immersive technologies and specifically immersive virtual reality(iVR)allow for the integration,visualization,analysis,and exploration of these 3D geospatial data sets.iVR can deliver remote and large-scale geospatial data sets to the laboratory,providing embodied experiences of field sites across the earth and beyond.We describe a workflow for the ingestion of geospatial data sets and the development of an iVR workbench,and present the application of these for an experience of Iceland’s Thrihnukar volcano where we:(1)combined satellite imagery with terrain elevation data to create a basic reconstruction of the physical site;(2)used terrestrial LiDAR data to provide a geo-referenced point cloud model of the magmatic-volcanic system,as well as the LiDAR intensity values for the identification of rock types;and(3)used Structure-from-Motion(SfM)to construct a photorealistic point cloud of the inside volcano.The workbench provides tools for the direct manipulation of the georeferenced data sets,including scaling,rotation,and translation,and a suite of geometric measurement tools,including length,area,and volume.Future developments will be inspired by an ongoing user study that formally evaluates the workbench’s mature components in the context of fieldwork and analyses activities.

DOING FIELDWORK ON CRIMINAL JUSTICE IN CHINA

This study examines fieldwork-methodology problems in China that few scholars have discussed in social science, criminology and law, and describes the author＇s experiences in conducting fieldwork for an empirical study of criminal justice in mid- and western China in three aspects： general access to the courts and procuratorates, informed consent in interviews, and access to courtroom trials and case files. It argues that researchers need to understand and exercise social, cultural and political sensitivities in overcoming various challenges and difficulties in data collection. Making use of guanxi, building up trust, and developing friendship are essential to the access to the field in China.