The June workshop was
another successful review of the MbP candidates by a distinguished group of
critics aided by an informed group of supervisors and colleagues. Grace Warne
started the day’s events with the third workshop presentation of her research
project, ‘The Sustainable Industrial Landscape’.
Graces research question
asks, “How can landscape architects advance sustainability within industry
through the use of social interaction and behavior?” Harbourside Business Park
was chosen to test the design methodology. The proposed design elements aim to
improve and increase the level of social interaction on the site and generate
awareness of others and the environment as a means to increase the level of
sustainable behavior.
The morning critics
included; Neil Donnelly, Manager of Strategic Planning, Todd Property Group
Limited, Richard Harris, Chairman, Jasmax Limited, and Richard Mann, principal
policy analyst for open space with Auckland Council, lecturer in the BLA
programme at Unitec, and principal of Mann Landscape Architecture Ltd,
The critics
appreciated the obvious pragmatic benefits of Graces research project clearly
seeing the implications of the research outcomes for the many other industrial
sites on the isthmus.
Raewyn Davie-Martin
presented her candidature proposal asking the question, ‘How can potable and
non-potable decentralized water networks re-image cities? Can the development
of parks, with a new synergistic neighborhood buddy water network, be a
successful densification model for the urban city? The research explores strategies to use
reclaimed water for ecological and community consumption. The project focuses
on the uses of reclaimed water from waste and grey water, to analyze the best
practice outcomes for ecological functions.
The panel felt that
Raewyn proposal connected to a number of important concerns for the future
expansion of Auckland, what is the role of waste water infrastructure in the 21st century city ? , how resilience are 19th century infrastructure systems? , and what is the role that
Aucklands existing parks will play? . The panel made some useful suggestion for
sites that Raewyn could use as case studies.
Helen Frances followed
with her research project, “At the confluence: heritage, rivers and walking.”
Helens research question is, ‘How can a riverside walkway be designed to meet
the needs of multiple stakeholders, in a site that is rich in heritage? “ Out
of the complex matrix of heritage, rivers, walking and landscape, the project
aims to generate a designed walkway for a particular community that responds to
the ways in which people forge their sense of place and belonging.
The panelists while
intrigued by Helen proposition, subject it to considerable scrutiny especially
by Richard Mann as he probed the ways in which the Maori heritage of the site might
be articulated in the design thinking.
The last project of
the morning was presented by Kieran Dove;” How could landscape architects
utilize digital design in the design process? Kieran presented a design
experiment, a coastal walkway. The experiment was a culmination of site
investigation and GIS analysis along with the designer/toolmaker constructing a
set of constraints/rules. The critics were intrigued by the premise of Kieran’s investigation,
the notion of the parametric landscape, and quizzed Kieran on the speculative possibilities
of this research question.
After an agreeable
lunch where critic’s, supervisors and students could meet n greet we kicked off
the afternoon session with Eloise Veber project, ‘Meeting at the edge. How
would we design Te Papa today? ‘ Eloise’s research project is looking at a new
design for the Museum of New Zealand. Reading the national museum as a place of
self-representation and inter-cultural exchange, Eloise explores our obsession
with the coast and the foreshore as a place of gathering for New Zealanders, to
inform a new design for the museum.
This presentation was
followed by Kelly Henderson research project, “The Body is a Temple, and The
Suburb is a Crack House.” Kelly asks the question, “How can challenging the
performative potential of suburbia affect social interaction and the health and
wellbeing of residents?” With the premise that the spatiality of our suburbs
influences our social interaction Kelly challenges the performativity of Ranui.
A distinguished group
of critics included; Dr. Charlotte Šunde, Research Development Manager, in
the Transforming Cities: Innovations for Sustainable Futures, University of
Auckland. Garth Falconer, founder and director of Reset Urban Design, Bill McKay,
Senior Lecturer and Associate Head (Student Relations) in the School of
Architecture and Planning and Jeanette Budgett a Senior Lecturer in the
Department of Architecture, FCIB Unitec, commented on the projects
The critics were simultaneously stimulated
and perplexed by Eloise’s research work, stimulated that the great white whale
of NZ architecture is still being chased and perplexed for the same reason.
Similarly with Kelly, the panel was intrigued by the investigation, agreeing
the research was important and timely but disagreeing whether Kelly’s response
should be serious and engaged or ironic and distanced.
Over all another intensely stimulating day
where all the candidates jumped through the necessary hoops, so congratulations
and thks to all concerned.
