Round Up

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 19^th 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.