Whakaora

In consideration to the Anthropocene, this design-based studio project focuses on rethinking and redesigning for a vital but underserviced part of Newtown, Wellington.

This project considers the restoration and regeneration of landscapes to make them adapt to urban growth and to celebrate the way Wellingtonians identify with their endemic cultural landscape. Wellington’s rich natural and cultural history surrounding the Waitangi stream currently runs through a culvert under a poor urban fabric where building owners struggle to rent properties due to high costs of seismic reinforcements.

This design offers a partnership solution between the local community, iwi and government to daylight the Waitangi Stream, remove outdated structures and construct high density, mixed use buildings along the periphery. Finally an additional information infrastructure brings WHAKAORA (the creating of life) by allowing the expression of old and new narratives to the future of Newtown with the aid of geo-spatial technology.