Plans for 'filter boxes'

(A) Accomodation Site
Site = Northwestern pennisular, near old water tower, sited on existing foundation lines.

• Light - want East light (morning sun), and a little West light (afternoon sun) but not midday sun. Light quality should be 'warm'.
• Skylight in middle of roof to let in reflected light, internal walls of skylight coloured a warm yellow.
• Wind - protection required, mostly westerly wind


• View - provide a focused view of the water tower (small window in West wall), and open or more difuse view of the Gulf (East end).

Overall qualities = protection, cave-like, cosy, warm

(B) ERC Site

Site = existing woolshed footprint, similar orientation.

• Light - want East light (morning sun), no West light (afternoon sun) or midday sun. Light quality should be 'stimulating, calm, balanced' (Green).
• Long skylight running across the roof pointing North with green internal walls to reflect light coming in as slightly green (a 'warm' green)
• Wind - protection required, mostly westerly wind
• View - provide a wide diffuse distant view of the Gulf (East) to give relief for workers doing close work (ie. short focal length staring at a bench/screen/microscope etc), and also of the bush (South)

Overall qualities = clean, modern, high-tech, diffuse but highly lit

Aerial shots

Current aerial shot (ACC GIS viewer) shows faint outlines of old buildings. Position the accomodation over these past sites. Do the foundations of these old buildings still exist, but buried?

Mutability = quality of being able to change, tendency to change or adapt. Sometimes associated with architecture - a building that changes or adapts over time to constanting changing requirements.

In this case, the site has been used for many different things, has adapted to these changing requirements for use and ultimately discarded (bulldozed over the cliff in 1962!). However, ghosts of these buildings remain.

Images below are from the Torpedo Bay Army Musem archives

Stock Orchard Street

http://www.archinnovations.com/featured-projects/houses/sarah-wigglesworth-architects-stock-orchard-street/

http://www.architecture.uwaterloo.ca/faculty_projects/terri/125_W03/smith_stockorchard.pdf

History, past use of the site (Water Tower)

The island was purchased from its Maori owners in 1839 and developed as a farm. It passed to the Crown in 1872 and a human quarantine station was built on the northwest peninsula. This was active from 1872-1929 with the most use during the influenza epidemic in 1918.
There is a small cemetery containing graves of those who died during this and later periods (influenza, scarlet fever).

During World War I, the quarantine complex was used as a POW internment camp and it was from here in 1917 that the famous German Count Felix Von Luckner escaped (after only 3 weeks in captivity). 

The internment camp was subsequently used as a children’s health camp (1929-1940).

During World War II, the camp was converted and enlarged to become the naval training base; 14 Jan 1941, it was commissioned as HMNZS TAMAKI. Before the end of the war, 6000 men passed out of TAMAKI or 'the rock', as it was known.

The wartime establishment on Motuihe Island was in need of major refurbishment by the 1960s, but when the costs were reviewed, the Government directed that TAMAKI be relocated to an  Army facility at Narrow Neck, Devonport.  The base at Motuihe was closed in 1963 and most of the buildings were removed, leaving only the water tower, a house and some sheds.

However, there remains ample evidence in the form of mature trees, roads, terraced areas, gun emplacements, the wharf, sea walls and the cemetery (DOC, 2003b).

Of particular note is the avenue of Norfolk Island pines Araucauria heterophylla) and Moreton Bay fig trees ( Ficus macrophyllus), the grove of olives (Olea europaea subsp. Europaea ) and the stands of Norfolk Island pines planted along the isthmus. This area is historically very significant and provides a valuable source of information for interpreting Motuihe’s European history.

The campground is located on the former HMNZS Tamaki parade ground. This is a large, flat, open space above Wharf Bay and an average of 400 campers use the facility each year (DOC, 2003a).

(Refs: Torpedo Bay Navy Museum website & Motuihe Restoration Plan documents)

Maori Myth

The Discovery Of Weaving - Maori Myth

According to one tradition, weaving and plaiting came from a fairy women-- patupaiarehe -- Hinerehia, who married a human man called Karangaroa, a chief of the Maruiwi people from Motuihe Island . She worked only at night and on foggy days. At dawn she would put away her unfinished work, hiding it from the sunlight. This was the custom of the fairy people, as the sun would undo weaving and cause them to lose their skills.The women of Motuihe were anxious to learn Hinerehia’s skills but could not do so in the darkness. A priest -- tohunga -- agreed to confuse Hinerehia’s senses and keep her working after the sun rose. Hinerehia continued to work while the women hiding nearby learnt her secrets.

initial model photos

soft walls, layers, diffuse views - focus is on feeling of privacy, both visual and acoustic

Gabion wall made to add in a solid inner layer, protection against the environment (bugs, animals etc)

ERC site  - research/lab area should feel 'clean' with smoothness/modern materials added in...

Smaller gabion wall made, to give variation in the feeling of 'protection' for the water tower site - protection from the elements, sun, wind. Experimented with adding in different materials, things that could be found on site

for the water tower site, the reverse would occur for inner/outer layers - the outer layer would be solid, thick and the inner layer more delicate and soft to balance out the material effects.

Historical Map (WWI)..

See this map...

Gabion walls

Solidity, grounded, recycled materials, let light through...
Face inside with glass?

"Added to the walls, they [the gabion walls] form an inert mass that insulates the rooms against heat by day and cold at night. We chose local basalt that ranges from dark green to black and blends in beautifully with the landscape. The gabions are filled more or less densely as needed so that parts of the walls are very impenetrable while others allow the passage of light: natural light comes into the rooms during the day and artificial light seeps through the stones at night. You could describe our use of the gabions as kind of stone wickerwork with varying degrees of transparency, more like skin than like traditional masonry." -  the Herzog & de Meuron Dominus winery.
pushpullbar.com/forum on this vineyard

Vary the thickness and materials depending on qualities required (more light, less light, more depth etc)Guide to gabion walls (enviromesh)
See also: Rock Office by a21 Studio

http://www.hy-tengabions.com/case_history.htm

NZ sites:
http://www.maccaferri.co.nz/afawcs0140261/ID=67/SID=465517339/productdetails.html

Things to do with senses video

1. make it clearer what I want to emphasise, using a word or couple of words linked with the photos to explain it a bit more
2. show the locations a bit more clearly - explode the map more and circle only the locations I'm talking about
2. maybe make a summary at the end as well

Body, Memory & Architecture

Excerpts from the book 'Body, Memory & Architecture' (Bloomer & Moore).

"A body boundary, or any outer boundary that envelopes the body, which is opaque and difficult to penetrate becomes a surface that gathers and concentrates the forces acting on it from all directions.... Conversely, a boundary which is transparent and penetrable can be expected to stimulate greater fusion between personal and environmental events....If the landmarks in the external environment are very close to us, like a nearby wall, we perceive our body as having shrunk, while if we are oriented to an opening in a great space by a doorway, window, vista, or park, we perceive our body as having expanded. When we consciously stare at an object the body boundary hardens and there is heightened sense of separation, whereas a casual viewing weakens the sense of separation and encourages instead a psychic fusion with the object. '
(page 42-43)

Augmented reality

Exercise to create an 'augmented' reality.

• to represent the filter you will create between yourself and the environment
• filter will emphasise certain things and control/de-emphasise others

Water Tower Site
Emphasise:

1. History & remnants of past use
1. - materials to show the passing of time
2. - light entering the space, an oculus, to show the passing of time
2. Horizontality, vast distant views - openings to enhance the horizontal panorama, but ones which focus the attention (smaller openings, 'zen' windows)
3. Proximity to the sea, salty smell of the sea
4. The water tower itself - emphasise view of the tower, provide a snapshot
5. Feelings of disrepair, 'being forgotten' - 'crumbling'

Control:

1. Exposure to wind and sun on at least 2 sides (prevailing wind = northwest?) - materials to give feeling of shelter (solid, depth)

Restoration Site
Emphasise:

1. Filtered views, enclosure but part of some larger 'enclosure' ie. the surrounding bush/trees - view to be 'diffuse' and/or only showing glimpses outside, moving walls with the wind?
2. Secret place, high up, private
1. can see out but people cannot see in
2. can hear others close by but know they cannot see you (proximity to walkway & other accomodation units)
3. acoustics - 'soft' interior to muffle interior noises, and avoid echos and sounds being transmitted outside (people cannot hear you inside)
3. Canopy-like feeling of the tree tops - scattered light coming from above but no sharp light coming in from the sides, movement of light
4. Sounds of birds
5. Feeling of hope, the future - use light colours & light, curved surfaces for light to filter through

Control:

1. Damp, cool temparature - well ventilated
2. Dim light in amongst the trees
3. Exposure to natural fauna eg. bugs... - not completely open (screens/mesh)

ERC (Woolshed)
Emphasise:

1. The past use of the site, the feeling of history, historical remnants - materials to reflect passing of time, however, see point 5 below.
2. Solidity (strength against the elements) - materials to feel solid and strong
3. Utility/work, thinking, researching - complexity, depth
4. Views to the outer gulf - emphasise
5. Feeling of moving forward, the future, reuse/remodelling  - perhaps old material used in a completely new way?, modern material combined with old?

Control:

1. Distracting noises (other than natural ones)
2. View of the existing accomodation view (don't want to see this) - control the view to not show this side

Random 4am ideas

Memory site:

• Cordite steel & etched glass
• Concrete & etched glass
• To show the passing of time, plus glass for transparency with traces of past images/memories but also to keep the inside light/airy
• Strong horizontal lines to mirror the site
• Interior to provide a connection with flatness but feeling of being up high with fresh sea air/sea gulls
• Naval baracks?

Need some historical pictures

Restoration site:

• Wood, textures that reflect the bush somehow
• Tree house - or at least the feeling of a tree house - up high, but safe and in a secret place
• perhaps just above the current bush so it grows up around the accomodation

Need some pictures and timelines

Common elements:

• Communal kitchen areas to faciliate interactions between guests
• Each accomodation unit to be separate but not too far apart, with visual connections still allowing privacy

Differing layouts to suit different user profiles:

• ACCESS: easy access for elderly/disabled people vs more difficult or less obvious access for people wanting to feel 'away from it all'
• PROXIMITY TO OTHERS: close for those who are uncomfortable with remoteness/openess and are used to crowds of people vs a feeling of isolation for people who want that experience
• REASON FOR BEING THERE: research/replanting vs recreation/holiday vs combination

The Body as the Site

Island = Site = Body

" The task of Architecture is to provide a specific horizon of perception and understanding of the human condition… Instead of merely creating objects of visual seduction, profound architecture relates, mediates and projects significance. It defines horizons of perception, feeling and meaning; our perceptions and experiences of the world are significantly altered by architecture."

Juhani Pallasmaa

For the past century, architecture has been mainly concerned with formal aesthetic values and programmatic matters, while ignoring the cultural context and the profound sensory dimensions of design. This century even more seems to be obsessed by excessive visual imagery, which promotes what Pallasmaa defines a retinal architecture: it is “deliberately conceived to be circulated and appreciated as instant and striking photographed images, rather than being experienced slowly in an embodied manner through a physical and full spatial encounter.” It is seductive, iconic, photogenic, and done to be observed, reproduced, published…
However, while passive spectator of the predominant architecture of image, we can actively embrace the alternative approach of the architecture of essence, whose task is to provide a specific horizon of perception and understanding of the human condition and strengthen the sense of the real.

- offers a different approach to architecture design, where people (the inhabitants) are put first and the building is generated around them.
-  to enhance the close connection between occupant and material, symbolic, and sensorial aspects of designed spaces.

- outcome = an architecture generated from the inside

Two ends of the island with differing sensory experiences.

Site 1 = Woolshed = Brain (logic, science), Heart & Reproduction areas of the island

• Research, Laboratory (brain, logic areas)
• Nursery, Restoration, Replanting, Rejuvenating, Growth (reproduction)
• Lifeblood of the island (heart)

Site 2 = Water Tower = Brain (stored memories) of the island

• Traces of past history (memory, emotion)
• Water storage, accomodation, recreation
• Proximity to main beach & entry point to island (wharf)
• Recreation, Rest, Fun, Commerce

Site photos - Motuihe

Restoration Site

Water Tower Site

Sensory mapping - Motuihe

Two sites - on different ends of the island....

Nursery site vs Water tower site
Restoration vs Exotic
Native vs Exotic
Undulating, blending vs Stark, plains
Hope vs Sadness
Energy vs Melancholy
Activity, industry, busy vs Still, forgotten
Looking to the future vs Looking to the past
Fantails, saddleback, tui song vs Shags, sea bird calls
Cicadas vs cicadas and crickets
Fresh, invigorating, damp vs Hot, dry wind
Gulf islands vs Auckland views
Diffuse, layered views vs Open views
Organic, rich dirt, forest smells vs Dry grassland smells
Growth, rejuvenation vs Decay, death, crumbling
Maintenace vs Disrepair

Overlaps = cicadas, shipping noise, boat/yacht noises, sea views, history

First assignment

Photos of a space (interior or exterior) which has a strong sensory element.
'Seat' = our seat in our bush, few metres from house
- enclosed but part of something larger (the bush)
- ability to see through, horizontally & vertically
- soundscape is very important - stillness plus the cicadas in stereo..
- fresh, clean, organic smell, oxygen, damp foliage
- dappled light
- cool

Theme: part of something bigger, within something. The walls should have 'depth' and texture. Floor not level but undulating, seating is at highest point

Seat in use...

Model....

Model made of recycled models from last year...