Tongan Fijian anthropologist, Epeli Hau’ofa wrote in his text “Our Sea of Islands” that “there is a world of difference between viewing the Pacific as ‘islands in a far sea’ and as a ‘sea of islands”, the latter signifying Oceania and its people as part of a larger network built on the Pacific Ocean itself. Our project for a single, detached dwelling situated at Auckland’s Wynyard Quarter, aimed to create an abode for Hau’ofa that epitomised the fluidity of this networking as well as challenge modern New Zealand domestic design.
In particular we were both interested in exploring the idea of Natural Rhythms and materialising these pulses of energy in order to create a more tactile experience for the resident that manifested the intricacies of networking culturally, physically & environmentally. The clinker boat building method was an integral influence on our conceptual development as the overlapping of spaces, continuity & fluidity of form and connection of man & land to the sea are all rooted in this tradition.
There is a growing need for cultural appreciation, linkage to our ancestors and history in today’s increasingly isolated world and we hope that our project reignites that thirst for this connection.
Madi’s conceptual development explored through abstract model making and prints
Kim’s conceptual development explored through abstract model making and prints
Ink and paint prints based on individual concepts
Custom laser cut panels derived from individual ink and paint prints
1:50 Lower Floor Plan demonstrating dwelling’s relation to water on site
1:100 Elevations
Exterior Perspective expressing curvilinear form and perforated facades
1:50 Long Section demonstrating connection to site
