Kaitiakitanga: homegrown resilience

Moving on to the second project, Kaitiakitanga has more restrictions than Puna and poses some interesting possibilities.

One of the most important factors is the limited space we have. Only 400m² for a potential family house will require innovative ideas. One of my first responses to the size is the concept of the capsule hotel. I believe that this one successfully portrays how a small space can be used to its maximum potential. 

In class today we analysed the spaces inside a given floor plan and then, in groups we compared the arrangement of the spaces through different architectural periods. Under the categories of purpose, privacy, inside/outside, wet/dry, fluidity and noise we discovered than generally the older designs separated the the opposite areas. For example, one end of the house would have all the leisure areas and the private spaces (bedrooms etc) would be on the opposite end. In the contemporary floor plans however, there was a greater sense of integration. It may also be relevant to note that the older plans would have had greater restrictions such as the old fashioned standard window size, which interferes with an inside/outside flow found in the modern designs. More often the modern houses had two floors and the older ones were only single storey. 

Touch ups

After the formative presentation it was apparent that there were some aspects I forgot to include. 

The orthographic set above now contains the details of the tank, including joists to hold it up.

The mesh suggests the filtering system which is protected by the filter box which prevents algae from getting trapped in the mechanics. The height of the bench I calculated by taking the measurement of an average person's flat hand to foot and adding the depth of the sink. In this way it would be a comfortable height to wash the dishes and work on the bench. 

Finally, I adjusted the hues on this photo to make the room look more similar to the actual colours of the walls. 

These fibre optic lights would be similar to the ones I would use. I would like to use them because they disperse light in an unevenly.

Boltshauser Architects source here

This is a similar idea to mine but on the opposite plane of the room. Aquariums can be linked to my work very easily although they contain a lot more water and fish. As seen here, water aqariums can create a calm space.

Formative Presentation

Peer Review:

Emma.

Emma had an effective and interesting idea that genuinely aided her client's homely ritual, however, I feel that there was a missing element in her design that could have bridged the busy vs. not busy ratio. Perhaps the qualities of the materials she used could have been explored in more depth to add volume. I really liked the idea of the hammock but it suggests that the viewer, reclining in the hammock could have some ceiling ornament as this is where he/she would be looking.

Emma S

Emma presented her ideas verbally in a very logical and clear way that was easy to follow. Her innovative idea for hide-away furniture to suit her client's minimalist taste really impressed me, however, I thought that this idea of minimalism could have been explored deeper and taken further.

Saphera

Saphera's technical ability in her paintings were admirable and effectively demonstrated the ideas of her design. Also effective was her video, however I couldn't help wondering what these hanging objects would look like in an irregular order. The room she created was dark and in some ways scary which led me to think that adding mirrors could heighten this to make it even more effective.

Kayla

Kayla's work was clearly well thought out, although it was hard to follow her presentation because I couldn't hear her. The work was cohesive, busy and kinetic and her slides effectively displayed her design. The connections between her homely ritual and final were clear.