VEGETATION | MULTIPLICITY

Hannah Steenson
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Located on the outskirts of the proposed condensed CBD, bordered by the Avon River and the Christchurch Art Gallery, the proposal is for a mixed use building that facilitates a connection between the public and small businesses involved in the rebuild. The project aims to integrate several urban environments, office spaces, artist studios, retail, cafes, public space and native vegetation, encouraging the symbiotic relationships which allow these programs to bring life into urban spaces, while maintaining their individual identities. Through early investigations into the native vegetation of Christchurch the network of ecosystems highlighted the importance of interdependent structures and systems in the natural environment. This notion influenced the building concept from form to program focusing on the connections between the multiplicity of structures and environments. The project attempts to allow the notion of a garden city to reemerge through creating an environment where nature and architecture are intrinsically connected. Seeing a frame as a restrictive boundary the proposal incorporates green spaces into its built fabric providing a way to extend the garden city notion beyond the restraints of the CBD. Alongside Swarm Housing and The Plant Science Park these proposals create the opportunity for a green axis to extend the garden city without bounds. Conceptually a drawing, derived from a study of the manuka ecosystem, informed the buildings programmatic layout, circulation and massing assessing each structures inherent qualities to derive its placement and interpretation. Through the differences in kind and organization new environments emerge allowing programs to interact and influence each other. The multiplicity of programs and structures establishes diversity, while their dependencies allow for a fusion between each instead of a collage of isolated unconnected events. This process recognizes how a city works as a collective and interprets it at the smaller scale of a single site.

MULTIPLICITY

approach from Cathedral Square, the Avon River and proposed convention centre precinct.

DESIGN CONCEPT
SYNOPSIS
+ + + +

to create a unified built environment with spatial diversity, through dependant multiplicities.

individual ecosystem structure diagrams

Site existing and desired circulation

Program breakdown

Offices public open space

Derived conceptual site drawing

Programmatic Interpretation of Site Drawing

level 1 and 2 ground level

Studios Cafe/retail

seating

40

ic

Pu

Pr

iva

bl

te

60

Massing

pa

ce

32

ls

na

l8

% %

tio

cia

15

ea

er

io

Re

ud

Co

St

ffi

ce

cr

45

Initial three dimensional interpretation public overlap private Second Level

u Na ghw tiv ay e Ve 8% ge ta O tio pe n n 5% Sp ac e 19 Re % t Ca ail 2 fe % /C of fe e sh G op ro up s 6% s 12 In di vid % ua l3 Ce % lls 9%

ub

ro

7% De n

Th

Cl

Hi

ve

9%

20

First Level
studios retail/cafe

seating area retail/cafe

studios

offices offices

individual work low interaction eg. management, accountants, lawyers

group + individual work high interaction eg. creative firms, information technology

group work high interaction eg. insurance, media, advertising

individual work interaction eg. data entry, administration, information services

planting and pathways

offices

open space with native planting

Ground Level

PROGRAM OVERLAP

highlighting areas of higher interaction and space use

PROGRAMMATIC ELEVATIONS

PROGRAMMATIC PLANS

DESIGN INVESTIGATION
MANUKA ECOSYSTEM A B C D E F G H I

MANUKA TREE ROOTS

LEAF STRUCTURE/ OIL GLANDS

series of threads originating at one source, branching out to disperse.

groups of spheres organised between linear axis

Collection of cores that share sides to create an angular net.

Central spine with thinner aligned threads extending from it.

fluid liquid/string stretches to connect solid frames.

Series of fine threads randomly intersecting originating from various points around a frame.

Network of points with occasional clusters.

Large series of fine threads, varying in length, originate at a source and disperse towards a slightly larger destination.

elipsoids expanding radially outwards

ERIOCOCCUS ORARIENSIS (MANUKA BLIGHT)

ANTIBIOTIC
I J A B C D E F G H D E F G H G H F B C D E C D E F H I A B C D E C B A D C H G F E D C B A

TUI TONGUE

F G

KAKRIKI PARROT FEATHERS

A I H G F

F G

A B C D E

D C B

A I H G F E D

A B C

A I H G F E D

I H G F

D E

FLAX NECTAR

KAKARIKI PARROT BEAK

F G H

ECOSYSTEM DRAWINGS FLAX STEM

Each of these structures can be morphed into each other to form an image of this ecosystem. Numerous variations can be created based on where in the system the drawing begins, whether it follows the system in a clockwise or anti clock wise direction or how many of the structures are morphed into the image with all above working with at least two. The diversity created in the images provides an exemplar for how through connected origins a diverse variety of outcomes can be produced while still creating an element of cohesion throughout the set.

RESEARCH
PRE EARTHQUAKE MAP OF VEGETATION IN CHRISTCHURCH DRY PLAINS WET PLAINS COASTAL PLAINS HOUHERE
mid age plains ecosystem moist and deep waimakariri soils

TI KOUKA
mid age plains ecosystem droughty and shallow waimakariri soils

TUSSOCK
young plains ecosystem droughty and shallow selwyn soils

KOWHAI
young plains ecosystem moist and deep selwyn soils

Hoheria augustifolia
Tall trees or large shrubs endemic to NZ.

Houhere

Pittosporum tenuifolium
Small evergreen tree with coloured foliage

Kohuhu

Leptospermum scoparium
Small shrub found mainly in the drier areas of NZ

Manuka

Kunzea ericodes
A tree or shrub native to NZ and SE Australia

Kanuka

Ti Kouka
The Cabbage tree is endemic to NZ and attracts many insects and birds

Cordyline australis

Saphora microphylla
Tree native to NZ growing throughout the country. Distinctive yellow

Kowhai

Coprosma Crassifolia
Stiff bushy shrub

Thick leaved mikimiki

Coprosma propinqua
Small leaved shrub of tree common in scrub

Mikimiki

Christchurch CBD urban area parks garden and city heritage agriculture and farming exotic forrest

houhere ti kouka tussock kowhai

totara kahikatea te kakahi pukio

akeake pingao oioi

TOTARA
older plains ecosystem moist and deep kaiapoi soils

KAHIKATEA
older plains ecosystem wet taitapu soils

TE KAKAHI
dry or stoney wet taitapu soils

PUKIO
wet and peaty waimairi and aranui soils

AKEAKE
old dune ecosystem droughty waikuku soils

PINGAO
young dune ecosystem droughty and raw kairaki soils

OIOI
esturine ecosystem wet and salty motukarara soils

Fantail Small native insectivorous bird widely distributed in New Zealand.

Insects

Kakariki Native small forest birds. Orange-fronted parakeet critically endangered

Silvereye Native but not endemic bird of NZ which eats fruit of Karamu and disperses seed.

Lizards Native geckos and skinks endemic to NZ.

Insects

Tui Native but not endemic bird of NZ

Bellbird Endemic passerine bird of NZ. Pollinators of many native plants

Keruru Native but not endemic bird of NZ

Banded dotterel Endemic bird protected in NZ. Breed in a variety of habitats

Lizards Native geckos and skinks endemic to NZ.

Silvereye Native but not endemic bird of NZ which eats fruit of Karamu and disperses seed

Native Fuchsia, flax

Insects

miro, flax, NZ fuchsia

Insects

fuchsia, kowhai, flax, aphids

Totara Matai Podocarpus Prumnopitys totara taxifolia

Kahikatea Dacrycarpus dacrydioides

Kanuka Kunzea ericodes

Manuka Leptospermum scoparium

Pukio Carex secta

Karamu Coprosma robusta

Bracken Fern Pteridium esculentum

Ngaio Myoporum laetum

Akeake Dodonaea viscosa

Tauhinu Pomaderris ericifolia

Pingao Desmosch

Marsh Ribbonwood Plagianthus divaricatus

Remuremu OiOi Selliera Apodasmia Radicans similis

Keruru

Tui

Bellbird

Kakariki

Grey Warbler

Kuruwhengi

Silvereye

Keruru, Tui, Bellbird

Fantail

Grey Warbler

Sand fescue Austrofestuca littoralis

Fernbird Mingimingi Banded Inanga Coprosma Dotterel propinqua

MANUKA TREE

KAKARIKI

FLAX

TUI

INSECTS

Common Cabbage plum tree trees, miro, flax, kowhai, NZ fuchsia

Insects

Beech, flax seed, grass seed

Insects

fuchsia, kowhai, flax, aphids

Insects

Silvereye

FUTURE CHRISTCHURCH
COURSE THE UNIVERSITY OF AUCKLAND ADVISORS
Cambridge Terrace

V2

2nd Semester 2012 Design 6 School of Architecture and Planning Camia Young & Jordon Saunders

Armargh Street

Proposed Convention Centre

Gloucester Street

Christchurch Art Gallery

Worchester Street

Cathedral Square

Montreal Street

Christchurch City Council offices

Hereford Street

scale 1.400...

Casual Street

SITE PLAN 1:2000 N

MULTIPLICITY

Gathering area semi enclosed by office buildings

1 3

Den

Club

Club

artist studios

artist studios

artist studios

SECOND LEVEL

SECOND LEVEL

elevated public space

Cell

Hive Retail Retail Kitchen

Den Cell Hive Hive

artist studios

Retail Retail Cafe seating

FIRST LEVEL

FIRST LEVEL

FIRST LEVEL

Kitchen

Cafe seating

Den Den

Den

GROUND LEVEL

GROUND LEVEL N

GROUND LEVEL

BUILDING 1

5M

10M

5M

10M

BUILDING 2

5M

10M

BUILDING 3

Glulam

glass

cedar floor boards timber poles with steel connections

MATERIALITY

SECTION 1:200

INTERIOR VIEW

EXTERIOR TENSILE WIRE STRUCTURE

STRUCTURE

ROOF

INTERIOR VIEW

VIEW FROM WORCHESTER STREET