Rob Small
How can matauranga Maori direct the development of a contemporary multi/purpose garden for Ngati Whatua Orakei
The aim of this project is to examine how to design a garden that will display the ethnobotany of the Māori people of Aotearoa. Importantly the design must reflect Māori thinking rather than a wider world view. There is no garden that I have been able to find that displays this traditional use of plants from our native bush or plants that were brought by the original Pacific Island settlers in an authentic and comprehensive way.
This project is important because it is connected inextricably to the language, customs, and art of Maori, and just as the revival of the Māori language (Te Reo) has become an urgent agenda in New Zealand, so too is the revival of those traditional uses of our native forests and our Maori gardening. It is important to reflect on the diminishing knowledge among our older Māori and the potential loss of these traditions and culture. The purpose that a garden designed in this way would fill, is to create a setting where these essential parts of Māori tikanga can come to life, a context within which the stories ,customs and practices can be revitalised and made relevant for future generations. While the project will be conducted for Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei with the proposed site being Pourewa Reserve, it bears high relevance to other Iwi in Aotearoa and indeed will demonstrate a legitimate branch of botanic garden design that will speak to a New Zealand audience in a way that has never been done before. It will also be a model that could benefit the wider world’s understanding of a Māori perspective as the original settlers of Aotearoa.
In order to achieve this project’s design outcomes, I will examine international models of ethnobotanic gardens to find design precedents. I will research the aspects of how a garden can reflect a Māori world view while exploring the history and practices of pre-colonial vegetable gardening and the aspect of Māori medicine or rongoā Māori, as well as the gathering of wild foods from the forests. I will then use this information to inform my design.
Title: Tall Bricks
Research question: How can brick veneer cladding be efficiently (or cost-effectively) and safely designed using NZ bricks and construction methodologies on new or existing mid- or high-rise buildings?
Intro/Abstract: The purpose of this project is to create homegrown research on mid- and high-rise brick cladding using NZ materials and construction techniques on which to base a reference guide for designing brick veneer facades. While the design and construction methodology for one and two storey buildings with brick cladding has been tested and proven in New Zealand, methods for designing safe brick veneer facades for buildings three storeys and above are relatively unknown. I have been designing brick facades based on international standards and best practices, and often get pushback from project teams questioning how international standards can be appropriately followed in New Zealand. The opposition to my design methodology has come from two opposite camps, both of which seem to misunderstand the strengths and/or limitations of bricks.
Firstly, some reference the Christchurch earthquakes as why brick should not be used in New Zealand. This group would likely have seen the damaged masonry buildings and decided that brick is inherently weak during seismic movement and therefore unsuitable for the local conditions without knowing that there are different ways to build a building with a brick exterior façade. Secondly, there are those that believe that brick veneers are very strong 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. This group attempts 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 similar in their lack understanding of how bricks behave, and of how to capitalise on their strengths and design around their weaknesses.
Through my observation of brick veneers at recently constructed buildings around Auckland, I have found a spectrum of methods for resisting or accommodating seismic movement (or lack thereof), and a variety of movement damage/failure patterns. Clearly, a lack of NZ-based brick veneer research has led to this wide spectrum of techniques, with overly conservative at one end and unsafe/non-durable at the other.
One commonality between all of the designs, however, is that almost all of them use traditional, one-part strap-style brick ties to laterally restrain the bricks. My hypothesis is that these strap ties secure the bricks rigidly to the substrate, and do not provide adequate seismic movement capacity between the brick veneer and the structure behind it. While this is acceptable for smaller buildings up to two storeys, taller buildings have larger seismic movements and higher forces, which need to be accommodated to avoid damaging the bricks and mortar within the veneer.
The lab testing portion of my research will include building 2-storey mock ups of brick veneer facades with identical layouts, using multiple construction methodologies to observe whether traditional low-rise strap ties are acceptable for taller buildings. If not, will movement accommodation between the brick veneer and the structure is sufficient to accommodate the seismic movements expected in NZ. The interstorey joint and top of wall will be moved side to side to simulate seismic drift movements, and observations will be made.
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 few homes in New Zealand have insulated walls.
What are the barriers that are preventing every architect/policy maker/housing provider/builder implement change that would result in a healthier population?
Hypothesis:
The hypothesis for this research is that we can externally insulate existing masonry buildings to internationally acceptable performance standards.
In New Zealand there are major knowledge gaps in how we build thermally efficient homes. It is therefore possible to improve practical understanding of creating thermal performance for existing dwellings.
The underlying barriers to implement the change are costs, both monetary and social and, practical understanding/knowledge in design and hygrothermal performance.
Methodology/Approach:
Case study & Design Research Project
Literature and observation will drive the background research.
The background research will inform the design and documentation of the architectural case study.
Testing using industry standard NZS4284 plus EM7 will show viability and validity of design and create E2/VM2 compliance pathway.
Findings:
Literature: External insulation has been applied to walls since WWII. This has been successful in European Countries.
Doing this the same way in New Zealand and in North America has resulted in leaky buildings.
Observation: Cold houses cost New Zealand $7 Billion annually in respiratory healthcare alone. Case studies of attempted improvements using external insulation eg. EIFS, ETICS suggest it can easily result in a negative outcome with building damage (moisture, water) when misapplied. Precedents internationally have suggested positive outcomes when insulation has been applied as an external blanket.
My initial research suggests architects, policy makers, housing providers and builders need to be given an understanding of what is possible and the tools to apply a measurable improvement approach in a sensible way for specific building typologies.
Value: Improved housing stock. Improving the thermal efficiency of a building allows it to retain heat for longer. Increasing temperatures in homes will eventually result in lower respiratory illness.
Guiding, educating, ‘how to do’ – implementing successful application within the NZ context. Promoting good practice to avoid further leaky home crises.
Inform policy change at Community Housing Providers and MBIE.
RAHELEH JAHANBANI
SAFER CYCLING NETWORKS IN AUCKLAND
High-density cities worldwide are trying to reduce the amount of motorised transportation mode usage and use a sustainable alternative such as cycling. It is clear that cycling offers significant environmental, financial, and health benefits. This paper is set up to investigate how the cycling network can be made safer in Auckland.
Auckland is the largest urban region in New Zealand and has the challenges of a growing population and, accordingly, ongoing urban growth. A Snapshot of Cycling in Auckland (2017), released annually by the Ministry of Transport, shows the rate of cycling in 2016 was only two percent, in comparison to the other travel modes, such as motorised vehicles, public transport, and so on. In a recent report, The Stuff (Flahive, 2019) comments that Auckland riders had increased by 8.9 percent in a year, compared to the previous 12 months. The increasing trend in biking requires more facilities, safer cycleways, and convenient routes. As well, reducing car dependency can preserve Auckland’s green network and help keep future growth ecofriendly and sustainable.
This thesis concludes with pragmatic solutions to enhance the biking corridor’s safety and make cycling an irresistible option. In this paper, Auckland’s current characteristics and its future challenges and plans are investigated. The project method defines appropriate environmental, social, and technical criteria drawn from the literature relating to New Urbanism and Sustainable Mobility and tests three different case studies. Furthermore, relevant road codes and Te Aranga principles are studied. This paper offers a safe practical design that is evocative of interest in cycling as a prime form of transportation by retrofitting five high-risk zones including intersections, T-junctions, driveways, parallel parking, and bus stops. Moreover, an entertainment/ social zone is promoted to expand social willingness and economic growth.
Faizan Javed
Nature’s Prescription: Making room for green spaces in highly dense cities to combat urban stress
Continuous urban growth and sprawling city development in the outskirts of Metro Manila means less and less areas to develop and thus the city is left with few open green spaces. Despite of being the nation’s major center for commerce 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.
The association between urban green space and well-being has been extensively studied and practiced in many parts of the world. However, in developing countries such as Philippines, there are few examples of such studies. This research looks at the effects of urban densification on green space and its planning. The researcher identified the problems, challenges, and strategies of urban green space planning during densification processes. Furthermore, this research also investigated the effect of urban green spaces in relation to public health. The project adopts the framework of research by design. This method visually shows the design model and the changing of the urban layout.
Findings from this research suggests that while urbanization in Manila is rapid, there are still plenty of available sites which could be worked on and turned into green spaces. Base on the findings, there are underutilized idle lands located in prime areas within the city. Many of these Idle lands are in highly urbanized areas. So, creating urban green spaces on this type of setting, will not only address the problem of urban greening, but also enhance the quality of life within the community.
Pippa Sommerville
Space for Zero
This research explores how design of public space needs to respond to urban development’s greatest challenge of the 21st Century - a reduction in carbon emissions to zero by 2050.
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.).
The Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) has advised that limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels is essential to reduce the extremity of weather events and avoid a collapse of essential ecosystems. To achieve that, being carbon neutral by the mid-21st century is essential.
Urban public space provides multiple and diverse functions in a city. Public space contributes to the preservation of biodiversity, the reconciliation of people and nature and promotes the health and well-being of the population (Joana de Sa, 2013).
Urban and public space design and development in the late 20th Century had its foundation in the burning of fossil fuels for energy. This led to suburban sprawl and as a consequence the human scale being designed out of the urban fabric.
The drive for zero-emissions living will lead to more localised living, which will create an opportunity to bring the human scale back to our cities. To remain an integral and cohesive part of the urban fabric, public space must adapt to serve people living zero-carbon lives. To do this there needs to be a shift in the way it is designed, developed and maintained.
Research question:
How will zero-carbon living impact the design of urban public space?
Methodology
A quantitative approach will be used following data collection to calculate sources of emissions from the community. A participatory design and evidence-based approach will be used to inform research by design.
The community will be involved in providing carbon footprint data which will be collated into evidence of the community’s carbon footprint. This will inform the design intervention possibilities that (when implemented) will support zero-carbon living. Design solutions will be developed in workshops with the community, who will own and implement the plan over 30 years.
Using a quantitative, evidence-based approach will ensure the plan and model will lead to a reduction in emissions that will reach zero by 2050. A participatory design approach will be used to ensure workable solutions are proposed that will increase the functionality of public space as the community reduces their reliance on fossil fuels for energy.
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?
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