Researchers Abstracts

Pippa Sommerville

Space for zero

Climate change is bringing extreme weather conditions such as drought, heat waves, heavy rain, floods and landslides to the world. A rapidly changing climate will result in rising sea levels, ocean acidification and loss of global biodiversity (EU Climate Change, n.d.).

How public space will develop and adapt to zero-carbon living will require design and planning. Current public space design also assumes fossil-fuel consumption by prescribing landscape intervention which is carbon-hungry. Development prescribed often also assumes carbon-emission machinery will be used to maintain public space.

To remain an integral and cohesive part of the urban fabric, public space must adapt to best serve people living zero-carbon lives. The development of public space also needs to be part of the zero-carbon solution, so there needs to be a shift in the way public space is designed, developed and maintained. 

Princeton Motupalli

Water Reclamation.

This Dissertation aims to address a growing threat that remains unseen until it has reached the front lines, a water crisis. As our world continues through its Anthropocene, fresh clean drinking water is being abused and misused through negligence, the elixir of life itself is being depleted without repercussions. We see this in recent events as Auckland city broke its record of a 39-day drought early 2020 causing the front line of the water crisis to edge closer as the seasons’ pass. Auckland’s average rainfall per annum is around 1284mm which means that hypothetically, we get an average of 107mm if rainfall per month, now to be a city that is fortunate enough to get scattered rainfall throughout the year yet dumping that same water into our harbor is a huge waste. Through our highways and infrastructure, we have built yet utilized foundations.

This thesis will critiquing Aotearoa’s stormwater management system in terms of treatment and conservation, more specifically through our roading network and our rural medium to high-density housings. Auckland city already has the foundation laid to create a well-functioning stormwater circulation system; however, it is unfinished due to most of Auckland’s stormwater being dumped out into our harbour unfiltered, this is a huge waste, not to mention, very polluting. Auckland isn’t far away from becoming a well-functioning city of sails, with our public system and our transporting networks heading towards completion of its current stage a well productive city is looking promising, however during this process a lot of focus is being taken out of critical needs such as water mitigation and climate change, are we ready for the upcoming challenges that are heading towards our direction? 

Raheleh Jahanbani

Safer Cycling Networks in Auckland

Ministry of Transport (2018) of New Zealand stated “We are driving further and more than ever before”. Nowadays, most of high-density cities around the world are trying to reduce the amount of usage of motorized transportation mode and use a sustainable alternative choice such as cycling. It is quite clear that how cycling affect significantly on enhancing environmental, financial and health. Apart from greenhouse gas emissions and economic advantages, “bring back the bike” could provide more physical, psychological and social pleasures. According to Wild and Woodward (2019), “cyclists are consistently shown to have the highest levels of satisfaction with the trip to work, yet the reasons for this contentment remain understudied”. They point four main factors in their research as the high commute satisfaction amongst cyclists: 1- Commuting control and time reliability; 2- Sensory stimulation; 3- Moderate intensity ex- excise; 4- More social interaction.

In general tree important components play the main roles in cycling for daily travel which are geography, climate and infrastructure. From infrastructure site, “the perception of cycling as an unsafe mode of travel is a significant obstacle in increasing the mode share of bicycles in a city” (Lawson, Pakrashi, Ghosh, & Szeto, 2013). According to the Winters, Davidson, Kao, & Teschke (2011), location and design of bicycle routes are very important in promoting the cycling. 

In this paper, I’ll try to investigate the causes and factors which are involved in the usage of cycling in Auckland and how can cycling became a more desirable & sustainable transport option in Auckland. At first, according to background reading and literature review, some criteria’s will be classified based on case studies. Then it will be evoked a suitable design plan based on findings and analyzing data’s. Improving safety not only prevent probable accidents, but also encourage more people to commute by bike. 

Faizan Javed

“Prescription for Nature: Making room for urban green spaces in highly dense city to combat stress “

The importance of land and personal space among individual signifies a lot to one’s overall being. It is one of the necessities of a single person to fully express its’ true nature. But in this modern Metro Manila, many resources that are indeed important for an individual has undergone in a quite shortage manner due to the rapid growth of urbanization and people migrations from different parts of the nation seeking for better opportunities. This is the reason for the enormous land scarcity and uneven distribution on properties. Creating a wide range crisis on lot entitlement on individuals who dreamt of having a valuable life in the city. Despite of being the nation’s major center for commerce, services, leisure and entertainment, the life’s value predominantly decreases. Causing a lot of problems on how the people respond to everyday life around, making them more stressed and deprived to the point that Metro manila is now one of the top 10 most stressful cities to live in the world. (Tom Connick, 2017)

The association between urban green space and well-being has been extensively studied and practiced in many parts of the world such as Australia, Europe and North America. However, in tropical countries, especially in developing countries such as Philippines there are few examples of such studies.

This research looks at the effects of urban densification on urban green space and its planning. The researcher will identify the problems, challenges and strategies of urban green space planning during densification processes. Furthermore, this research will also investigate the effect of urban green spaces in relation to public health.  

Rob Small 

What Design of a māra kai and māra rongoā will best reflect the ambitions, values (Mātāpono) and needs of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei today?

The return of Lands to Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, alienated from their rightful and plural ownership for decades, has been a significant event for this Iwi. The return of lands on the Bastion Point area on the Waitematā harbour near central Auckland, along with their traditional lands at Okahu Bay and Pourewa restored their mana (standing and pride).

This project involves the return to Orākei of their rightful ownership of Pourewa Reserve and the reoccupation of this land as recently as 2018. It involves the establishment of gardens that reflect the Ōrākei world view. The question began as, ‘How to establish an Ethnobotanic garden to meet the Māori world view.’ However, this project has adopted the methodology of Kaupapa Māori Rangahau (research by Māori, with Māori, for Maori). The question therefore evolved into the current research proposition as an adaptation to fit the methodology.

The recent pandemic exacerbated the needs of many of the members of the hapū and refocused the Trust and its service providing entity, Whai Maia, on their kaupapa about members’ health and wellbeing. During the epidemic many of the members were provided with the support of weekly food parcels by Whai Maia. The focus now is to produce good wholesome vegetables in a Community vegetable and fruit garden as a priority. The focus of the Hapū has always been around respecting Papatuanuku (the earth Mother) and healthy living through Hua Parakore (a concept of organic land management and “slow Food”)

Both the Ōrākei Visual Framework and the Pourewa Master Plan have given guidance and a hapū endorsement of this development. The proposal is to develop a Community vegetable garden (māra kai), a traditional pre-colonial Māori vegetable garden and a garden for rongoā plants (māra rongoā ngahere.) to assist in rongoā remedies and education.

The project examines the best design of these gardens on the site along with other infrastructure and functions that are also to be located on the land. The final test is to see how the design meets the values, principles, and needs of the hapū today.

Key words: Māra kai, Māra rongoā ngahere, Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, Hua Parakore, Mātāpono, Kaupapa Māori Rangahau

Ahlia-Mei Ta’ala

The Fires of Ambition: Te Awa Tupua 2040

Since the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi the Whanganui river has actively been destroyed through legislative acts by the Crown. The Highways and Watercourses Diversions Act 1858, the Wanganui River Trust Act 1891, and the Coal Mines Act amendment in 1891 have all undermined the Treaty and the ability for Whanganui uri (descendants of the river) to care, protect, manage and use the river. This has diminished the mauri of the river and resulted in the loss of ancestral knowledge around tīkanga towards the river. 

The Te Awa Tupua Act that was passed in 2017 represents a significant turning point. A point where we acknowledge the people who championed the longest running legal battle in New Zealand’s history, through imagining the future of the river and its people through their eyes. Now that the river is legislated as a legal person through Westminster law, Whanganui uri can shift efforts towards restoring the mauri of the awa and rebuilding their relationship with the river to be what it once was. 

This research follows a process of decolonisation towards re-indigenisation within Kaupapa Māori Rangahau, specifically through Whanganuitanga and Te Awa Tupua. Within landscape architecture, this research situates itself within the context of tūpuna (ancestral) landscape mapping - as the researcher is a descendent of the river, and the river is her tūpuna (ancestor). This follows a site investigative process of visualising the socio-cultural layers of histories of the site of Pākaitore and its context within the Whanganui river and to Whanganui uri, in order to reimagine the future of the urban site of Pākaitore to be a site that reflects its people and its history, through the rebuilding of the indigenous knowledges that reside within the landscape. 

The site of Pākaitore was chosen through the expression of Whanganui uri at He Waka Pakoko - a pathways to 2040 symposium (March 2020) - to rebuild waka knowledge and practises. Pākaitore was once a fishing kāinga, and trading hub for Whanganui uri. In 1995 it became the site for Whanganui uri to reassert their Whanganuitanga in opposition to the Crown’s Treaty settlement processes. 

Jon Davies 

The Parka Project. 

The purpose of the research is to create architectural interventions to increase thermal performance in existing occupied as-built homes. 

The limitations are the walls, as pre 1980’s homes in New Zealand do not have insulated walls. 

The barriers that are preventing every architect/government/policy makers/etc to implement change are: 

1. A lack of willingness to require better outcomes protects industry as we don’t have the skills in the industry to design and build to measurably high performance targets, 

2. An unwillingness to admit failure of a performance based code with too many ‘out clauses’, and,

3. The perception that requiring change (seen as higher cost of building) will be political suicide. 

Focus question:

Can Kainga Ora’s occupied Starblocks meet EnerPHit Standard.

Hypothesis:

The hypothesis for this research is that we can externally insulate existing masonry buildings to internationally recognised performance standards. 

In New Zealand there are major knowledge gaps in how we build thermally efficient homes. It is very simple to design improve thermal performance for existing dwellings and harder to implement.  

There is an underlying barrier to implement the change = cost, social and understanding/knowledge. 

Peter Raimondo 

Tall Bricks 

I would like a homegrown guide based on NZ-based research to reference while designing brick veneer facades. Through my engineering practice, I have been designing brick facades based on international standards and best practices, and often get pushback and scepticism from others in the industry questioning how international standards could possibly be used in New Zealand. The opposition to my design methodology has come from two polar opposite camps, both of which do not understand the strength and/or limitations of bricks.  

Firstly, there are those that reference the Christchurch earthquakes as a reason why brick cannot or should not be used in New Zealand due to seismic activity. This group would likely have seen the damaged buildings with damaged bricks either in person or in photos/videos, and would have written off bricks in their mind as unsafe for New Zealand due to seismic activity. They have decided that brick is inherently unsuitable for the local conditions without having done research into the causes of brick damage/collapse, and without knowing that there are different ways to build a building that is covered in brick.

Secondly, there are those that seem to believe that brick veneers have no limitations whatsoever, and therefore can be applied to mid- or high-rise buildings in the exact same way that they are applied to small 1- and 2-storey homes. These people try to “value engineer” or eliminate required items within the brick design to save money on a project without understanding that these deletions can and will compromise safety and durability. 

While the two groups opposing groups are opposite in perspective, they are two sides of the same coin as they both believe that the physics in NZ are different than the rest of the world and therefore international standards and best practices cannot apply and should not be used here. A NZ-written guide based on research done in New Zealand with local products would provide much more convincing and ironclad evidence to both the fearful and the stingy.

Chentong Wang

Building a neighborhood containing dementia and age-friendly design features

Dementia, or another name, Alzheimer, can be defined as the mild cognitive impairment. People experiencing dementia not only lost survival abilities, such as poor memory, but also have emotional disease, such as depression, anxiety, even apathy.

In the past, dementia is a common brain disease for elderly. Whilst, the situation has changed that middle age group over 45 are possible have dementia. The latest statistics reveals that over 60,000 New Zealanders have a dementia diagnosis and the population is predicted to increase in terms of demographic population change. It is not a unique instance that Scotland and UK have the similarly increased tendency as New Zealand and these two countries have designed specific public parks for sufferers suffering dementia to encourage them to do outdoor activities for developing their physical and mental health. Actually, most of sufferers with early stage dementia are able to survive alone and they need open public spaces to do exercises and meet new friends, which have positive impact on slowing down the deterioration. Thus, it is necessary to create public parks for people with dementia at the early stage in order to satisfy their needs instead of locking them at home or sending them into care villages.

The aim is to improve the wellbeing of early stage sufferers through making them feel safe, comfortable and confident in outdoor public environment leading to their greater empowerment. This project will investigate the extent to how to design dementia –friendly parks for people experiencing early stage dementia in Auckland. After collecting related data and selecting a site, it will evoke a completed design plan. This kind of public park not only satisfy sufferers with dementia needs, but also healthy old people.Lookout - applying a process of design participation with children

Wenjin Zhan

Children face many challenges in urban life today, including diminished contact with nature and reduced independent mobility. These indicators point to an erosion of rights. However, children have the political right and intellectual capability to participate in all aspects of urban life. As adults realise the seriousness of this phenomenon, more projects are trying to make changes to promote children's rights. Lookout is one such project based on performance art that provided equal communication opportunities for children and adults.

The purpose of this research is to utilise a child and adult participation project called ‘Lookout’, performed in Auckland, as an alternative process of participation in design. The methodology applied is research by design, taking qualitative data collected from the Lookout project and applying it in the design of a suburban park, in Mt Roskill (Puketapapa), Auckland. This area is currently undergoing housing intensification due to a need to replace aged housing stock coupled with an acute housing shortage in Auckland that is being addressed via the Auckland Plan 2050. This makes quality green space provision an even more important goal as the city grows and loses precious outdoor space for exploration and free play (eg backyards). 

The design outcomes validate the importance of the Lookout project as a unique, egalitarian encounter between children and adults, with both parties contributing their ideas and aspirations for future Auckland in an environment of equality and openness.  For the children, this was helped by the ‘mask’ of performance. There are limitations to its use as a participatory or consultation method – especially the time taken to workshop the ideas with the children beforehand.  It may, however, be possible to develop an abridged form of this that still provides children with the tools to communicate equally with adults.  Of particular value was the broad perspective it encouraged in the participants so that the ideas generated were applicable to a suburban site, while the Lookout project was performed in the CBD.