Mangere Arts Centre - Nga Tohu o Uenuku

1. My initial impression of the Arts building was that it looked from the road like a sports centre or gym rather than an Arts building. However, the approach from the carpark highlights the cultural aspects of the designs: native bushes planted out front, bright 'pacifica' colours reminiscent of tropical flowers or a coral reef and the traditional connotation of the roof shape.

The low lying nature of the building allows it to fit into the urban space and be welcoming and communtiy oriented rather than monumental and distancing.

2. The buildings architect was Harry Street of Creative Spaces and it opened on December 3 2010. The building is a multiuse space for the arts visual (curated shows only) and performing (music, theatre and dance).
Only performances or exhibits with a Maori or Pacific orientation can be held in the the space.

3. The whakatauaki of the exhibition is "Kia Tupu, Kia Hua, Kia Puawa" meaning "To grow, to prosper, to sustain." The proverb is attributed to the late Princess Te Puea Herangi and local iwi Tainui honour it as a taonga or treasure of their culture.

4. 'The White Book' (2011) by Kvetoslava Sekanova best embodies the whakatauaki of the exhibition for me. It is made from recycled materials (newsprint) which reflects the environmental side of the word 'sustain' but is also symbolically represents actual books and newspapers which for me personally are something which sustain me in day to day life, I could not live without the written word. This dovetails with the notion to grow because a positively sustained life is one in which we grow both mentally and emotionally. I see prosper as being represented not in the acquisition of wealth but the time and space in life to enjoy the small pleasures an artwork and exhibition such as this brings.

Hotunui and the Maori Marae

http://www.travelblog.org/Photos/4170099

1. It is unusual to have a self contained structure like the Hotunui wharenui situated in the interior of another building, the Museum. The context of the building changes how it feels to approach the wharenui on a Marae. Being placed in a Museum it becomes less a focus of community and more an artefact of history that can be physically experienced by moving through it. It is less unusual once inside as the mausoleum like structure of the museum recedes and the surroundings are once again on a human and intimate scale. The process of removing shoes and crossing the threshold from a (perceived) exterior to interior has an aura of ritual and mystery to it that is enhanced when viewing the old carvings and thinking - "who made them, when and what do they represent?'. It is a very special experience.

2. Michael Austin is a Professor and Programme Leader of Architecture at Unitec New Zealand.

3. Austin has a Master's of Architecture and his doctoral thesis from 1976 was the first to argue that "Maori buildings were architecture, not just shelter, and deserved to be recognised with the same level of respect as Western architecture." (Barton, 2009). I agree with Austin as I feel vernacular architecture is increasingly important in the twenty first century especially for its ability to instruct contemporary architects how to design buildings that are sympathetic to their local environments and have a light ecological footprint on it.

4. Austin believes the experience of visiting a Marae and understanding the importance of it can only be "...interpreted by considering the architecture, social action and world view of the Maori." (Austin, 1976, p.223.)

5. Austin describes the Maori concept of community home (Marae) as being of greater importance than the individual family home. Austin states, "Marae, the place that a Maori refers to and expects to return to - on his death if not before." (Austin, 1976, p. 224)

This differs from the western sense of home because for westerners home usually refers to the house they primarily live in and can also be a parents or grandparents house, which is known as the 'family home'.

6. My home is the house I own with my fiance. My parents are divorced and neither live in the house I grew up in so I do not have a "family home" connection with either of their houses. However, a house I would consider a secondary home is my aunt and uncle's place  in Wellington, the city my father's family are originally from. I have lived with my aunt at different times through my life and going to stay at her place feels like 'going home'.

7. Austin defines the marae as... "the space IN FRONT OF the house. This is paralleled by social roles where those who speak on the marae are known as the 'man in front' (tangata i umua) emphasising that the house is necessary for the marae to operate. This space is further defined by the host group who range themselves on one side or the other of the facade of the house." (Austin, 1976, p. 228)

8. The social roles discussed by Austin, Tangata i mua (men who stand in front), Tangata i waho (men who stand outside) and Tangata i muri (men who stand behind) (Austin, 1976, p. 228, 229, 230) lay the marae out spatially so that it occupies not just the buildings of the space but the areas in between. These are emphasised as being just as important as locations of interaction and activity as the structures within the space.

9. According to Austin, how does the meeting house discuss notions of embodiment?
Austin describes the meeting house as spatially embodying the social positions of those within and that the structure of the house represents a geneology and history of the inhabitants. He sums it up as "when one enters the enclosure of the house, one enters the body of the ancestor." (Austin, 1976, p.231)


References

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=10570249

Austin, Michael. “A Descripton of the Maori Marae (1976).” New Dreamland: Writing New Zealand
Architecture. Ed. D. L. Jenkins. Auckland: Random House New Zealand; 2005. pp. 222-235

Response to IDEA journal article

Jo, Seungkoo. Re-discovering the Creative Collage in the Architectural Representation. Tongmyong University of Information Techonology, Korea. 2004.

Jo's text questions how the twentieth century notion of collage has affected the making of architecture and sums it up as the increased importance of the relationship between architectural elements, rather than the elements themselves. Jo links this to a desire of the viewer or inhabitant to play a more active role in interpreting and creating a narrative for the built structure. The Abstract for this article interested me because a theme running through my work this year has been the ability of a work to change physically or visually dependent on the user and the perception they bring to the space.

Collage is described as an art form of the twentieth century that breaks down space into fragments and collapses the relationship between ground and object. Architectural fragments can be seen as symbols whose meaning shifts and changes in relationship with other architectural fragments and the assumptions of the viewer. Jo describes "...the message of the collage [a]s contained in a web of relationships both within and outside of the collage. The construction of these relationships into a comprehensible whole or their acceptance as a random collection of elements is left to the viewer." (Jo, 2004, p. 82)
My Wallpaper project is a good example of the architectural collage, it includes structural and decorative layers that only reveal themselves at certain angles to the viewer and fragments within the piece will inform each person's reading of it differently depending on their knowledge and relationship with the site.

Jo refers to Semiotics in the text and relates the collaging effect of different architectural elements to the relationship between signifier and signified in a sign in order to make meaning. However, I believe the author should more correctly be referring to Structuralism which focuses on the deep structures or overall relationships within a system in order to make meaning.* Much like Gestalt theory it is about more than just the individual parts and their messages which is what semiotic theory can often be reduced to. (Rowe, 1997, p.24)




References







Rowe, Juan Carlos. "Structure" in Critical Terms for Literary Study, F. Lentricchia and T. McLaughlin (eds.). The University of Chicago Press, USA. 1997.



* The ideas inherent in the authors argument are fascinating and I can relate them to my own work however, I take issue with the lack of editing or academic rigour applied to this text. There are many incidences in the text where the syntax and/or grammar used is incorrect. Examples the author has used to illustrate their ideas are often not properly explained or do not follow logically from ideas put forward. Unfortunately this is not an isolated incident and I encounter badly written academic Interior Design texts on a regular basis. I am wondering if anyone else has found the same?

1. Introduce the 3 key ideas presented within your chosen text in your own words, this will introduce the text and frame what you are going to respond to.
2. For each key point:

a.       Provide evidence of this idea through the use of a quote/ idea from the text and reference it correctly.

b.       Devolop the ideas that this quote/idea illustrates by responding to it. State how this makes you understand more of/ differently about the practice of interior design or your own studio practice.

c.       You may be able to link some ideas directly to a studio project you have worked on so far OR to a project that you have come across through your research.

Each key point covered should be a paragraph.

4. Conclude by stating what you have learnt from this particular reading.

Remember to use correct In-Text citation using MLA Standards, and if it helps, you can use images to help articulate your ideas.

Respose to Robin Byron’s discussion of Historical Sites

1. The New Zealand Historic Places Trust Pouhere Tanga has a comprehensive set of guidelines for the restoration and preservation of historic sites. Some of those highlighted during Robin Byron's talk include:

• Consideration should be given to not just the facade but the original interior and its mouldings, floor levels and detailing need to be taken into account.
• Any new adaptations need to be reversible, for example dropped ceilings simply hung from the original.
• Try to maintain a building or site in its original use so as to maintain as many features and details as possible. If this is not viable then adaptatively reuse the building rather than pulling it down or completely gutting it.
• When intervening make sure the contemporary addition is apparent and not 'pretending' to be part of the original.
• Heritage buildings should try to have a functional life to remain relevant.

 Most importantly Robin Byron emphasised that the notion of 'Heritage' is always evolving, New Zealand now has entire suburbs protected, sites of cultural importance to Maori and Modernist architecture which until recently was not considered to be of cultural importance.

2. Historic Baches on Rangitoto Island

© Tamara Croft 2011

© Tamara Croft 2011

 

 

© Tamara Croft 2011

The majority of the heritage protected baches on Rangitoto remain in use by the families of the original owners. They are open to the public weekly during the summer and the continued occupation creates an environment where old and new are combined and welcome the visitor, feeling more like a visit to a grandparents bach than a historical site. There are no barricades between visitor and the rooms and their furnishings which further breaks down the sense of a museum or shrine. Most features in the buildings are original and there is an almost total lack of modern amenities but due to many summers spent camping or at my own Grandfathers bach this was a nostalgic reminder of years gone by rather than a glimpse into an archaic past - which is what I think the owners and preservators are hoping to acheive.



References 


http://www.historic.org.nz/en/Publications/SustainMgtSeries.aspx

Response to 'The Green Imperative'

1. I not only consider the impact of my work and lifestyle on the environment but actively work to mitigate it. I grew up in a family that always recycled and composted most of its waste, repaired and reused when possible rather than throwing away and made extensive use of public transport. This has helped develop some guiding principles that I try to live by, including:

• Living close to my workplace (Unitec at the moment) so I can live without a car.
• Not owning a television and refusing Junk Mail at home to avoid some of the most pernicious advertising.
• Buying green certified products for around the home.
• Avoiding products with excessive packaging, including bottled water.
• Refusing to purchase caged chicken meat or eggs.
• Refusing to purchase Tuna.
• Using demolition timber and materials on my home renovations.
• Buying locally made products where possible.
• Growing my own vegetables and composting all organic waste.

As I learn more about sustainability issues in design I am trying to develop a set of principles to guide me in my practice. I have been working on setting up recycling of waste paper products at the company I am doing work experience and have advocated for the same in our studio at Unitec. I have followed the advice given during our sustainability lecture and been investigating 'green' suppliers locally and have recommended their products and services on the jobs I have been involved with during my work experience.

Most importantly I have worked hard to educate myself outside of the classroom on Sustainability issues in New Zealand by attending lecture series like 'Future Impact' at Auckland University and those put on by the Designers Institute.


2. I agree with Papanek that environmental considerations are a contemporary necessity for designers. I agree because the production of human design is what eventually becomes our waste. Papanek's 'Six Sided Function Matrix' (p.36, Papanek, 1993) is an excellent starting point for designers to consider how each stage of a products life from conception to disposal should be designed to mitigate its wider ecological impact.

© Tamara Croft, 2011

3. Ironbank on Karangahape Road in Auckland City is the first building in New Zealand to receive a 5 Green-Star Office Built Rating from the New Zealand Green Building Council. Malcolm Walker at Urbis magazine described Ironbank as, "...this building is green. The building has a low embodied energy, rusting weathering steel replaces paint, and there are environmental strategies in place that no doubt are a good thing, but what I like is that they are not overt. Too often green equals ugly, but not here. Solar panels roughing up the roof line are the most obvious while natural cross ventilation (very Edwardian) is the nicest." (Walker, Urbis, 2010)

© Tamara Croft, 2011

 

 But are the Building Council and Urbis as thorough as Papanek?

 

i. Choice of Materials
Ironbank is primarily built in glass, concrete, structural steel and kordite (metal facade intended to weather and rust). All of these take large amounts of energy to extract and produce. However, the choice in materials was made for their postive impact in the built environment - providing natural insulation and cooling, no need for exterior painting, and solar heating.

ii. The Manufacturing Process

94.5% construction waste by weight was recycled (p.2, NZGBC Report, 2010) and being built in Auckland clean energy was used throughout the construction process. It is unclear if the construction waste included the demolition waste from the previous building that was removed from the site.

iii. Packaging the Product

All composite wood products are low emission formaldehyde, no carpet installed and low VOC paint used (p.2, NZGBC Report, 2010). However, as we learned in the sustainability lecture composite materials are difficult if not impossible to recycle at the end of their life and so pure materials would have been a better choice.

iv. The Finished Product
Ironbank is definately not another version of the same old Auckland office building. It is a unique design that in the words of Malcolm Walker, "... is brave and different but above all it is sound. Stripped of its frills the planning is clear and considered and it is exhilarating to be in. We cannot expect all new commercial buildings to be as daring or as extravagant as this but if they get even half the care and design attention that Ironbank has been given, Auckland will be a better place." (Walker, Urbis, 2010).

v. Transportation
Transportation of materials to the site would have used significant amounts of energy but the building itself is built to encourage low impact transportation options, it is on major public transport and cycleway routes, it has cycle storage and the carparking stacker system uses less energy than a traditional carpark space while taking up less area. (p.2, NZGBC Report, 2010).

vi. Waste
Ironbank is careful to minimise waste and emphasise recycling within the building including having a dedicated recycling centre, using rainflow run-off to flush low-flow toilets and irrigate landscaping, using natural ventilation to avoid the CFC's of refrigeration units and solar panels for heating. However, as stated above the end of life for composite materials has not been considered.

© Tamara Croft, 2011

Despite Urbis' glowing review and the case study from the Green Building Council I do not think Ironbank fits entirely within Papanek's 6 categories.

This is mostly because Papanek's categories are focused on product design and a building is composed of many, many products from necessity some of which will not always fit every category of sustainability and environmental soundness, especially in the extraction and transport of building materials. However, this building has been carefully designed and constructed to minimise its impact on the environment and provide a stimulating and healthy workplace for its occupants and I think if Papanek had a 6 category system for buildings then this would be an exemplar of it.

References

Papanek, Victor. “The Green Imperative: Ecology and Ethics in Design and Architecture.” London: Thames and Hudson, 1995.  

http://www.ironbank.co.nz/index.cfm

http://www.nzgbc.org.nz/images/stories/downloads/public/Knowledge/casestudies/Ironbank_Case_Study.pdf

http://urbismagazine.com/magazines/urbis/2009/urbis-oct-nov-2009-52-1/iron-giant/

 

Pierre Chareau's bathrooms in the Maison de Verre

1. Chareau's design blurs boundaries in the building between the domestic space of the home and the public space of doctors surgery and waiting rooms. The spaces throughout the building are multipurpose and mean an inhabitant can use it for one function during the day and another in the evening.  Users can choose what purpose to give primacy to within the space using screens and moveable cabinetry. Having multifunctional rooms means a smaller house and a more intimate living environment for the inhabitants.

2. These design strategies challenge the conventional segregation of bathroom from the rest of a domestic space by placing bathrooms within bedrooms, only shielded from the rest of the room by sliding screens of wire mesh or glass. This creates multipurpose spaces where bathers can look out at the open verandah space or around them at their bedroom rather than the conventional view of sealed walls and small frosted windows. A higher degree of natural light can penetrate the bathroom space and domestic noise that would normally be muffled behind walls is brought closer to the bather.

3. I would imagine these spaces are highly uncomfortable to inhabit, especially approached from the contemporary notion of the bathroom as a segregated space within the household. It would challenge the users sense of place and be a disorienting experience.

Personally I do not like the layout or design features of the Maison De'Verre. It reminds me of early twentieth century Frankenstein movies that played on the viewers fears of advancements in technology through heavily industrial sets bedecked with cranks, chains and levers. The house, and especially the bathroom, are reminiscent of this and therefore distinctly creepy to me.


An interesting review from an architecture graduate student about their experience visiting the site in recent years can be read here - http://sahstudytours.wordpress.com/2011/06/22/maison-de-verre/


References

Vellay, Dominique. La Maison de Verre : Pierre Chareau's modernist masterwork. London, Thames & Hudson, 2007.

Taylor, B.B. Pierre Chareau Designer and Architect. Germany, Koln Benedikt Taschen. 1992.

Image from

http://maddme.wordpress.com/2010/02/10/lecture-8-pierre-chareau-%E2%80%93-maison-de-verre/

Thoughts on Auckland's air quality

Auckland, New Zealand. © Tamara Croft

 I have moved from an apartment on Upper Queen Street to suburban Auckland recently and the change in air quality is significant. I was constantly cleaning walls and windows to remove the thin film of grime that came in when the windows were open and now I have to remind myself to wash windows as they are comparatively so much clearer. The combination of air and noise pollution in the city makes the atmosphere seem heavier, there is less light from all the high buildings and this contributes to a sense of weight in the air. I am not sure how much is my own perception through these other factors and how much is due to the air quality.

However, relative to other countries I have lived in Auckland’s overall air quality seems much better. I remember returning to Auckland as a teenager after living in South East Asia and the USA, it was early morning and it seemed like a small miracle to be able to see the silhouettes of buildings and trees in the distance clearly. The stars appeared brighter and more numerous and the place ‘felt’ cleaner. Los Angeles in particular had left me with a gritty sensation in my throat and a feeling of being coated in dirt particles even when I was inside.

Los Angeles, USA.  Tamara Croft

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.  Tamara Croft