Barton topiwala vinisha

The Cultural Edge Vinisha Topiwala Chris Barton, Lyndsay Mackie

The Cultural Edge Vinisha Topiwala Chris Barton, Lyndsay Mackie

Mechanical structures and stacked containers blend into the city skyline, almost appearing as buildings in their own right. They function as a filtering screen between the sea and the city, creating a purposeful barrier, blocking any chance interactions between the populated urban fabric and the serenity of the sea.

The Ports of Auckland exist almost as a miniature city within a city.

Highly privatised, they offer no public access. How can this be changed?

Utilising the sites potential to create a dialogue between the city and sea, a place dedicated to the public that reflects their lifestyles and cultures can be created, adding value and defining a character that will be unique to Auckland.

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The Cultural Edge Vinisha Topiwala Chris Barton, Lyndsay Mackie

A clear boundary exists between the sea and land. Perhaps this boundary should be broken.

A significant aspect of the site is its proximity to the sea. What if the sea could extend onto the site? What implications would this have for the ground surface, and what qualities can emerge from this? With its countless qualities, the sea could become the defining element for the typology and treatment of the urban intervention.

The edge condition can be explored in various ways. This starts by experimenting with the surface treatment and taking into consideration the historical and cultural context of the site.

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The Cultural Edge Vinisha Topiwala Chris Barton, Lyndsay Mackie

As a gateway into Auckland, the Waitemata Harbour lacks a cultural connection.

The Waitemata Harbour was used long before colonisation by Maori’s as a portage and route for journeys. The sea, and the relationship between land and sea, holds great significance in Maori spirituality and currently there is no reference to this on Auckland’s waterfront.

A cultural connection is vital if Auckland is to be given an identity.

Inspired by the opportunity to emphasise the true historical value of the harbour, a cultural centre aimed at reviving and educating tourists and the community about Maori culture is proposed.

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The Cultural Edge Vinisha Topiwala Chris Barton, Lyndsay Mackie

The edge condition is explored in the masterplan with the creation of a new shoreline, and the declamation of land masses into archipelagos. The purpose of exploring the edge is to discover ways to bring the sea closer to people.

Quay Street becomes the new shoreline, transforming into a beach to invite people into the water, but also to bring the city closer to the sea.

Land masses are eroded and broken up into archipelagos, putting greater emphasis on the water. More edges are created through this, providing more opportunities for people to actively interact with the sea.

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The Cultural Edge Vinisha Topiwala Chris Barton, Lyndsay Mackie

Waitemata Harbour has a long history of being an arrival point, going back to its discovery by the Maori.

The history of Auckland can be reflected on this site, in reference to the regular migrations and voyages that occurred from the Polynesian and Melanesian Islands, evolving to today’s ships, ferries, and canoes.

A long piece of land extends out from the city onto the water, mimicking the notion of piers, and leading people further out to the sea. Wakas will be tethered within the cultural centre demonstrating a cultural aspect of arrival, while a more functional and current aspect of arrival is demonstrated by the creation of a berth edge to accommodate for two cruise ships.

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The Cultural Edge Vinisha Topiwala Chris Barton, Lyndsay Mackie

conceptual collage/sketch

conceptual collage/sketch

The cruise berth creates a “hard edge” along the western edge of the site, contrasting with the “soft edge” created on the eroded eastern edge.

This soft edge is where earlier experimentations of the edge condition come in to play. Tidal effects can be used to submerge parts of the site into the water, or buildings themselves can be submerged or extend over the edge.

The site deals with the notion of arrival and discovery. Tamaki Makaurau (Auckland) was discovered and inhabited due to the abundance of resources. The idea of abundance should be carried through on site, creating a journey through different activities that exist between the land and sea while also creating a transition between the hard and soft edge.

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The Cultural Edge Vinisha Topiwala Chris Barton, Lyndsay Mackie

Maori creation stories depict the earth mother, Papatuanuku, emerging from under water and giving birth to life. Another story depicts the demigod Maui fishing up the land from the depths of the ocean. In both traditions, images of an undulating and dramatic landscape emerging from the sea are evoked.

The building forms take cue from these mythologies, peeling up from the ground surface, and creating an undulating, accessible roofscape.

The craft of weaving was used as a way to experiment and generate compositions for these undulating forms.

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The Cultural Edge Vinisha Topiwala Chris Barton, Lyndsay Mackie

The more successful compositions were those displaying a northsouth relationship, as well as an east-west relationship. These compositions created areas of transition between the hard and soft edge, while also leading people further up through the site.

Here, the decision was made to have a series of undulating forms housing different programmes, connected to each other by a public path. This path starts from Quay Street and stretches along the soft edge before taking a diagonal turn connecting to the hard edge on the west.

This diagonal acts as the main axis of the cultural centre. It creates a transition between hard and soft edge, while allowing the public to experience the series of activities taking place within the cultural complex.

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The Cultural Edge Vinisha Topiwala Chris Barton, Lyndsay Mackie

The programmes within the cultural centre are aimed at both tourists and the community in order to retain an active environment throughout the year. The programmes are arranged within a rhythm of undulating, weaving forms that result in courtyard spaces facing the west, and an accessible public water’s edge to the north and east. The undulating roofs are accessible, and increase public engagement by adding some playfulness and providing higher viewpoints of the harbour.

The existing barrier to the sea created by the privatisation of the ports is removed, and the area is activated through the addition of this valuable public space.

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The Cultural Edge Vinisha Topiwala Chris Barton, Lyndsay Mackie

The soft edge is articulated to allow public interaction with the sea.

The edge is stepped into the sea, partially submerged at high tide.

Waka launching also occurs on this edge, with one of the structures being partially submerged at high tide and appearing to float on the water. By doing this, the idea of the edge condition is not limited to just the articulation of the site, but also the architecture itself.

Arriving on site via the sea should evoke senses of an undulating landscape emerging from below the sea. The notion of arrival and discovery becomes evident through the way people experience the cultural complex and are made aware of the historical and cultural context of Waitemata Harbour.

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