Embracing the Block

10.26686/wgtn.17151608 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Daniel Wezel

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Inner City ◽

Best Practice ◽

Central City ◽

Urban Housing ◽

High Density ◽

Housing Development ◽

Design Strategies ◽

Housing Shortage ◽

Design Case Study

With an estimated housing shortage of 150,000 homes in 2020, New Zealand is in urgent need of a new housing solution to keep up with demand. Given that families make up 70% of New Zealand households, attracting families towards inner-city living is the key to decreasing housing shortage and managing urban growth. The research investigates a housing model that is underutilised in New Zealand, but has the potential to accommodate families in high-density central city developments. The European Perimeter Block (EPB) is a housing model prevalent in Europe’s largest cities, providing highly liveable urban housing at relatively high densities. Analysis of traditional EPB literature, contemporary EPB precedents and best-practice apartment design is combined with analysis of the New Zealand context to develop an extensive list of design strategies and criteria. This list provides a framework for the design of EPB housing in New Zealand cities. A subsequent design case study tests the applicability of the design strategies and criteria on a successful high-density housing development in Auckland’s CBD, with a focus on providing an attractive inner-city lifestyle for New Zealand families. The resulting outcome is a concise set of design criteria and a repertoire of strategies to usefully inform the design of an attractive EPB housing development in New Zealand cities.

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Micro-Living: Learning to Live Large in Small Spaces

10.26686/wgtn.17011805.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Simon Richmond

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Public Perception ◽

Design Research ◽

Design Method ◽

High Density ◽

Design Strategies ◽

Spatial Design ◽

The Future ◽

Negative Effect ◽

Living Environments

High-density living has always been proclaimed as a way of the future, but the future is now here and we are plagued by inadequate, uninviting city-living environments. This design research paper aims to produce an alternate design method that can be applied to apartment living in New Zealand to produce positive, affordable apartment designs. The late 20th and early 21st centuries has seen urban New Zealand become an increasingly popular place to live. Large numbers are drawn to the cities by the convenience of closer proximity to amenities and greater job prospects. This urbanisation overlaps with the constant growth of the country’s overall population which, combined, puts pressure on cities as land becomes an increasingly rare commodity. In response, cities often expand outward. The negative effect of this has been heavily documented. The introduction of high density living solutions has attempted to combat the ever increasing ‘suburban sprawl.’ Many apartment complexes have risen in response to this demand, especially in the cities of Auckland and Wellington. However, this is where the problem develops. A large proportion of smaller, more affordable apartments have been identifi ed to be poorly designed, producing low quality spaces and unsatisfactory living environments. Moreover, the public perception of these ‘shoebox’ apartments is highly negative. This research not only investigates the issues associated with the small apartments in New Zealand but seeks to improve upon them by learning from an international precedent. The Japanese architectural movement of Kyosho-Jutaku or Micro-living provides urban accommodation through space effi cient stand-alone dwellings. These dwellings were developed in response to the harsh urban and economic conditions in the early 1990s and continue to be built throughout Japan’s urban prefectures. The architects of Japanese micro-architecture approach small spaces with design strategies resulting in interiors which appear expansive beyond their physical limits and produce quality living environments. Through the analysis and diagrammatic formulation of these Japanese micro-architecture design strategies, this research aims to produce an applicable technique for ‘micro’ design in New Zealand. The contexts are removed allowing the singular strategies to be understood and manipulated, expanding the design possibilities for each technique. Ultimately, this thesis tests the applicability of planning and spatial design strategies, adapted from Japanese micro-architecture, to a New Zealand context in the development of small, high quality urban apartments.

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Micro-Living: Learning to Live Large in Small Spaces

10.26686/wgtn.17011805 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Simon Richmond

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Public Perception ◽

Design Research ◽

Design Method ◽

High Density ◽

Design Strategies ◽

Spatial Design ◽

The Future ◽

Negative Effect ◽

Living Environments

High-density living has always been proclaimed as a way of the future, but the future is now here and we are plagued by inadequate, uninviting city-living environments. This design research paper aims to produce an alternate design method that can be applied to apartment living in New Zealand to produce positive, affordable apartment designs. The late 20th and early 21st centuries has seen urban New Zealand become an increasingly popular place to live. Large numbers are drawn to the cities by the convenience of closer proximity to amenities and greater job prospects. This urbanisation overlaps with the constant growth of the country’s overall population which, combined, puts pressure on cities as land becomes an increasingly rare commodity. In response, cities often expand outward. The negative effect of this has been heavily documented. The introduction of high density living solutions has attempted to combat the ever increasing ‘suburban sprawl.’ Many apartment complexes have risen in response to this demand, especially in the cities of Auckland and Wellington. However, this is where the problem develops. A large proportion of smaller, more affordable apartments have been identifi ed to be poorly designed, producing low quality spaces and unsatisfactory living environments. Moreover, the public perception of these ‘shoebox’ apartments is highly negative. This research not only investigates the issues associated with the small apartments in New Zealand but seeks to improve upon them by learning from an international precedent. The Japanese architectural movement of Kyosho-Jutaku or Micro-living provides urban accommodation through space effi cient stand-alone dwellings. These dwellings were developed in response to the harsh urban and economic conditions in the early 1990s and continue to be built throughout Japan’s urban prefectures. The architects of Japanese micro-architecture approach small spaces with design strategies resulting in interiors which appear expansive beyond their physical limits and produce quality living environments. Through the analysis and diagrammatic formulation of these Japanese micro-architecture design strategies, this research aims to produce an applicable technique for ‘micro’ design in New Zealand. The contexts are removed allowing the singular strategies to be understood and manipulated, expanding the design possibilities for each technique. Ultimately, this thesis tests the applicability of planning and spatial design strategies, adapted from Japanese micro-architecture, to a New Zealand context in the development of small, high quality urban apartments.

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The humane co house

10.26686/wgtn.17007874 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Chloé Coles

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Social Interaction ◽

Inner City ◽

Medium Density ◽

Private Space ◽

Common Space ◽

Design Case ◽

Communal Living ◽

Design Case Study

The Humane Co-house design-led research project presents a new typology for shared medium-density housing sited in a city-fringe Wellington suburb. The research argues communal living can be utilised to achieve smaller dwellings, a high medium-density grain, a humane living environment and a new form of social interaction that home buyers will find desirable. Buying a home is difficult throughout New Zealand and Wellington is no exception. Inner-city apartment blocks lack individuality, space for growing families and a sense of community and autonomy. While research shows houses in outer suburbs are perceived to provide these, they come at a high price and there are low amounts of available stock. There is potential for city-fringe suburbs adjacent to the inner city to accommodate more dwellings, creating available housing stock that is appealing to buyers who would otherwise be looking at expensive suburban houses. The research begins with the current attitudes and preferences within the New Zealand housing context, and suggests that the appeal of the traditional detached suburban house is intertwined with a desired balance of private space to common space. The research designs and develops a new typology that attempts to achieve this balance, but with smaller dwellings at a high medium-density. Through design-led research an architectural definition and manifestation of a humane dwelling is formed. This focuses on a balance of private space and common space. Qualities of common and private spaces within a dwelling are explored through literature and design tests. Evaluation of design case studies produced from research, tests and iterations draws conclusions about how communal living can be utilised by different demographics to achieve a new type of social interaction, and a basic level of affordability that will resonate in the current context. The final design case study was critically reflected upon in terms of a theoretical client that over time might transition through three demographic groups – a working young person or couple, a family and a retired person or couple. In this way the design case study produced was considered as a flexible and long-term dwelling, resulting in a humane and appealing home for occupants at different stages of life.

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Rise, Ruin & Regeneration: An Examination of the Regeneration of Post-War Suburban State Housing in New Zealand

10.26686/wgtn.17003356.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

James Arps

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Architectural Design ◽

Design Strategies ◽

Specific Design ◽

Design Case ◽

Regenerative Design ◽

Post War ◽

Design Case Study

Over 70 years since it was completed, the house at 12 Fife Lane, Miramar, New Zealand’s first state house, looks unchanged. However, the intervening years have seen the failure of some state housing models, the deteriorating condition of others, as well as shifting and increasing housing demands. This thesis examines the urban and architectural design, and the subsequent redevelopment, both private and state-initiated, of post-war suburban state housing in New Zealand. The objective of this thesis is to understand through analysis of existing literature, case study fieldwork, and redevelopment examples, the evolving urban and architectural design of these areas and dwellings, which have arguably shaped the residential face of the nation. The outcomes of this thesis are a series of design strategies for the regeneration of post-war suburban state housing in New Zealand. The purpose of these regenerative design strategies is to address a range of significant issues that the Housing New Zealand Corporation faces, while acknowledging the remaining value of the original investment in post-war suburban state housing. The regenerative design strategies are developed from the earlier research, and are broken into three distinct, but inter-related topics. These are suburban environments, state properties, and state houses, and are examined through a specific design case study. The design case study articulates the potential of regeneration to address a number of issues which became apparent through the research. This thesis concludes that while state housing may never again signify in every sense the ‘very heart of the New Zealand dream’ (Ferguson, 1994, p.117), through regeneration it can, once again, be a certain benchmark for housing generally, and can continue to provide for the nation for at least another 70 years.

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Suburban to Urban: Wellington High Density Family Housing

10.26686/wgtn.17064275 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Emma Curran

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Inner City ◽

Sense Of Community ◽

High Density ◽

Public Realm ◽

Spatial Design ◽

Family Housing ◽

The Creation ◽

Density Development

‘Suburban to Urban’ explores a family-focused high-density residential model as an inner-city alternative to the suburban detached home. The research responds to two key criteria; first how to meet the needs and desires of families in an inner city high-density environment, second the spatial qualities that encourage a sense of community in a high-density mixed demographic environment to enable the creation of a positive public realm. Located in Te Aro, Wellington, this thesis identifies through research a criterion of qualities intrinsic to suburban living in New Zealand and defines a methodology that enables the translation of this criterion into the spatial design of a family-focused high-density development in Wellington’s inner city.

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Suburban to Urban: Wellington High Density Family Housing

10.26686/wgtn.17064275.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Emma Curran

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Inner City ◽

Sense Of Community ◽

High Density ◽

Public Realm ◽

Spatial Design ◽

Family Housing ◽

The Creation ◽

Density Development

‘Suburban to Urban’ explores a family-focused high-density residential model as an inner-city alternative to the suburban detached home. The research responds to two key criteria; first how to meet the needs and desires of families in an inner city high-density environment, second the spatial qualities that encourage a sense of community in a high-density mixed demographic environment to enable the creation of a positive public realm. Located in Te Aro, Wellington, this thesis identifies through research a criterion of qualities intrinsic to suburban living in New Zealand and defines a methodology that enables the translation of this criterion into the spatial design of a family-focused high-density development in Wellington’s inner city.

Download Full-text

The humane co house

10.26686/wgtn.17007874.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Chloé Coles

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Social Interaction ◽

Inner City ◽

Medium Density ◽

Private Space ◽

Common Space ◽

Design Case ◽

Communal Living ◽

Design Case Study

The Humane Co-house design-led research project presents a new typology for shared medium-density housing sited in a city-fringe Wellington suburb. The research argues communal living can be utilised to achieve smaller dwellings, a high medium-density grain, a humane living environment and a new form of social interaction that home buyers will find desirable. Buying a home is difficult throughout New Zealand and Wellington is no exception. Inner-city apartment blocks lack individuality, space for growing families and a sense of community and autonomy. While research shows houses in outer suburbs are perceived to provide these, they come at a high price and there are low amounts of available stock. There is potential for city-fringe suburbs adjacent to the inner city to accommodate more dwellings, creating available housing stock that is appealing to buyers who would otherwise be looking at expensive suburban houses. The research begins with the current attitudes and preferences within the New Zealand housing context, and suggests that the appeal of the traditional detached suburban house is intertwined with a desired balance of private space to common space. The research designs and develops a new typology that attempts to achieve this balance, but with smaller dwellings at a high medium-density. Through design-led research an architectural definition and manifestation of a humane dwelling is formed. This focuses on a balance of private space and common space. Qualities of common and private spaces within a dwelling are explored through literature and design tests. Evaluation of design case studies produced from research, tests and iterations draws conclusions about how communal living can be utilised by different demographics to achieve a new type of social interaction, and a basic level of affordability that will resonate in the current context. The final design case study was critically reflected upon in terms of a theoretical client that over time might transition through three demographic groups – a working young person or couple, a family and a retired person or couple. In this way the design case study produced was considered as a flexible and long-term dwelling, resulting in a humane and appealing home for occupants at different stages of life.

Download Full-text

Flight of the Factory

10.26686/wgtn.17132228.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Mark Lovelock

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Design Research ◽

Research Question ◽

Design Guidelines ◽

Design Strategies ◽

Industrial Heritage ◽

Heritage Buildings ◽

Design Case ◽

Design Case Study

New Zealand’s industrial heritage is largely forgotten and at risk of being lost. Without intervention, these buildings will continue to decay until demolition becomes the only feasible option. This design research investigates how laminated timber can be used to adaptively re-use industrial heritage buildings. Adaptive re-use allows a new programme to occur within an existing heritage site, while simultaneously acknowledging its significance. This research produces a set of design guidelines and strategies that can be used to inform future projects. Laminated timber is typically used in the construction of new buildings and is becoming an increasingly popular choice of material due to recent technological developments and its sustainable profile. This design research explores the use of laminated timber within the adaptive re-use of industrial heritage buildings as an alternative to typical strengthening materials, such as steel and concrete. The ruins of the Tokomaru Bay Freezing Works is used as a design case study to explore the research question. Located 90km north of Gisborne, Tokomaru Bay is a typical example of the boom and bust experienced in the primary industries of provincial New Zealand during the 20th century. Constructed from Unreinforced Masonry (U.R.M), the freezing works opened in 1910 and initially brought prosperity and development to the region. After the factory’s closure in 1952, the freezing works was abandoned and quickly fell into disrepair and the Tokomaru Bay community sharply declined. This design case study aims to explore the contribution of laminated timber within the adaptive re-use of U.R.M in the context of a mānuka honey factory and garden nursery, within the ruins of the Tokomaru Bay Freezing Works. Using strategies identified throughout the design research, this case study shows the beneficial relationship that can be achieved between the use of new (laminated timber) and existing heritage fabric (U.R.M) that is compatible with economic revitalisation of small town New Zealand. While acknowledging the limitations of laminated timber, this research identifies five design criteria; architectural character, structure, heritage significance, envelope and program, to assess the success of the design strategies identified.

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Flight of the Factory

10.26686/wgtn.17132228 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Mark Lovelock

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Design Research ◽

Research Question ◽

Design Guidelines ◽

Design Strategies ◽

Industrial Heritage ◽

Heritage Buildings ◽

Design Case ◽

Design Case Study

New Zealand’s industrial heritage is largely forgotten and at risk of being lost. Without intervention, these buildings will continue to decay until demolition becomes the only feasible option. This design research investigates how laminated timber can be used to adaptively re-use industrial heritage buildings. Adaptive re-use allows a new programme to occur within an existing heritage site, while simultaneously acknowledging its significance. This research produces a set of design guidelines and strategies that can be used to inform future projects. Laminated timber is typically used in the construction of new buildings and is becoming an increasingly popular choice of material due to recent technological developments and its sustainable profile. This design research explores the use of laminated timber within the adaptive re-use of industrial heritage buildings as an alternative to typical strengthening materials, such as steel and concrete. The ruins of the Tokomaru Bay Freezing Works is used as a design case study to explore the research question. Located 90km north of Gisborne, Tokomaru Bay is a typical example of the boom and bust experienced in the primary industries of provincial New Zealand during the 20th century. Constructed from Unreinforced Masonry (U.R.M), the freezing works opened in 1910 and initially brought prosperity and development to the region. After the factory’s closure in 1952, the freezing works was abandoned and quickly fell into disrepair and the Tokomaru Bay community sharply declined. This design case study aims to explore the contribution of laminated timber within the adaptive re-use of U.R.M in the context of a mānuka honey factory and garden nursery, within the ruins of the Tokomaru Bay Freezing Works. Using strategies identified throughout the design research, this case study shows the beneficial relationship that can be achieved between the use of new (laminated timber) and existing heritage fabric (U.R.M) that is compatible with economic revitalisation of small town New Zealand. While acknowledging the limitations of laminated timber, this research identifies five design criteria; architectural character, structure, heritage significance, envelope and program, to assess the success of the design strategies identified.

Download Full-text