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Nga Tohu o te Whenua

Ko te kaupapa o tōku whakaahua, ko hononga
Ka tūhono te whenua ki te whare
Ka tūhono te tangata ki te whanaunga
Ka tūhono te whānau ki a Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei
He kaitiakitanga, he manaakitanga, he wairuatanga me he whanaungatanga

Exploration of a tīkanga Māori approach to the design of a high density, contemporary papakāinga for Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei at Kupe Street. The investigation of the sensitive topic of multi-storey Māori living with a focus on supporting the health and wellbeing of the people and the land.

Beginning with research into the Ngāti Whātua social and historical context, the assignment follows a narrative-driven design approach with strong roots in Māori morals, ideals and proverbs.

Hard Skills Developed

Multi-media

Physical modelling

Rhino modelling

VRay rendering software

Adobe Photoshop editing

Adobe InDesign Layout

Adobe Illustrator detail drawing

Exhibition presentation

Soft Skills Developed

Ability to design high density housing with community involvement and thorough social and historical contextual research

Narrative/storytelling to form and function of design

Integration of structure as aspects of concept development

Taking into account user needs based on how they currently prefer/choose to inhabit their spaces

Landscape design based on community needs

 

WHAT

ARCHDES700

WHERE

UOA

WHEN

June 2021

FULL FILE

Abstract

Over the past 200 years, the people of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei have been scattered across the globe. Now, they look to the future of papakāinga development to call their whānau back home.


Papakāinga are Māori housing developments, built on Māori land. Designed around traditional values and principles of the Māori people, papakāinga have always spread low, outwards and flowed with the land.
Today, Māori-owned land is scarce.


Within the confines of Government building codes and Eurocentric guidelines, Māori values have struggled to express themselves in architecture. And now, with urbanisation increasingly limiting space, papakāinga are at risk of extinction before truly being born. How do we prevail in the contemporary cityscape?


This design investigates the possibilities for a vertical papakāinga - the first of it’s kind. What victories can finally be had when so many sacrifices have been made?

•   Kaitiakitanga | Guardianship of people and land
•   Manaakitanga | Support, respect and care for one-another
•   Wairuatanga | Spiritual connection between people and the land
•   Whanaungatanga | Community connection and kinship


These tikanga were translated into physical representations, pono gestures and tika lines that drove the design.


How the Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei people live today - and have lived across history - are key to the success of this papakāinga development.


Ka mua, ka muri.


The ātea, ruma kai, mahinga kai and transitional spaces are vital aspects of the Māori home and none are sacrificed in this design.


He aha te mea nui o te ao?
He tangata, he tangata, he tangata.
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