WILL ANDERSON ARCHDES 701 Book 1:
The Great Marginal Metropolis
1.
THE MISSING PIECE
POAL: The blue-chip industrial wasteland. Auckland is the city of sails, despite this connectivity to the water-frontier is severely limited due to the current enterprises. Historically speaking Auckland owes much of its exponential growth to its location as a port, because of this economic stimulus the public’s access to their waterfront has been inadequate. My area of interest lies within the connection of the port to the metropolis, this connection could be achieved in two different ways, the tunnelling of Quay St or the creation of a tidal lagoon inland to the south of the ports.
2.
CONNECTION TO THE INTERNATIONAL WORLD
The Auckland harbour is the autobahn to the international world. The land based road network plays its part in connecting Auckland on a localised level. With the exception of the airport, travel via ships has always connected the port to international destinations. Travel via the ocean has always been a more primitive and natural way to explore. Cruise ships already frequent the harbour, despite this I would like to see increased facilities to support the expansion of the tourism industry within Auckland. Dedicated terminals with the ability to berth large ships are required.
3.
THE HISTORICAL GATEWAY FOR NEW ZEALAND
The Auckland waterfront has acted as a gateway for many years, and has played host to numerous ceremonies. Auckland is often the place of arrival for most tourists and immigrants (myself included). Therefore it should uphold the portrayal of our clean green image. The waterfront should also serve its residents, by providing a place of leisure and recreation in close proximity to the metropolis. Maori first settled in Auckland in around 1300, and travelled in waka to explore the harbour. Both Maori and PÄ kehÄ hold an affinity to the water, therefore I believe that it should have more presence and connection to the city.
4.
TRAM: THE VITAL LINK
Electric Trams were present in Auckland up until 1956, where they were replaced by diesel busses. The extension of the Wynyard quarter tram rail is essential to making the waterfront easily connected to the surrounding city, currently the network is a novel attempt and mainly used for tourist purposes. The lack of efficient public transport within Auckland has led to the gridlock of the city during rush hours. A dedicated tram network would provide the Auckland waterfront with a consistent and sustainable way to move people around the city.
5.
THE NORTH – SOUTH CONNECTION
Currently the blue-chip waterfront land is cut off from the city due to the Quay St and the train lines cutting it in half. Both Quay St and the railway provide a physical barrier to the safe crossing into the waterfront area. The recent construction of a bridge to cross these barriers has been complete on Tamaki drive, but still the connectivity is severely limited. One solution to this would be to tunnel these service underground and provide a level surface for greater public access.
6. AUCKLAND’s IDENITY CRISIS There seems to a distaste for the iconic, within the New Zealand architectural community. This image presents the problem of the globalisation of architecture, and the lack of a defined vernacular. Rem Koolhaas best described it in his curation of the Venice biennale “We live in a very flat digital world in which everything is accessible but increasingly there is less and less memory”. This memory is what identify us as the bi-cultural nation we are today. Therefore the presentation of Auckland’s waterfront should include iconic architecture from the New Zealand vernacular canon. Image: Above – Auckland, Below – Toronto.
7.
ARTERIAL CONNECTIVITY TO THE WATER-FRONTIER
The main obstacle to the public’s interaction with waterfront land is the problem of fast moving and busy roads. Sectional view through three key arterial routes of the city portray how the city is sliced into its blocks, I understand this this is necessary to encourage efficient transport of goods and people. But the road network leading up to the waterfront needs to become more pedestrianised. It is also evident in the sections the permanent protrusions the wharfs have of the tidal flow of the harbour. Both Fergusson and Freyberg wharfs are solid land masses and drastically increase the turbulence of the tides.
8.
THE LAGOON
Gems of hope exist along the waterfront in Auckland, the small lagoon to the east of the city is home to Judges Bay, and the Parnell baths. In my opinion these are successful uses leisure spaces, the sheltered lagoon environment allows for a tranquil area in close proximity to the CBD. It would be great to see this artificial lagoon extended further into the heart of the city. This in turn would give opportunity for the waterfront port area to become a more tranquil peninsular.
9.
ZONING AND THE AREA OF FOCUS
Currently the port gates, poor traffic management and train lines are all major obstacles to Aucklanders wanting to access their water frontier. My main area of focus lie on the southern boundary of the ports, and I am mainly concerned with the connectivity of the area. A variety of architectural forms and uses are required in order for the area to work well.
10.
THE SOLUTION TO THE HOUSING CRISIS
Within the masterplan of the waterfront it is important to include residential areas, this not only creates a community, but a suburb with a 24 hour cycle. Sure the housing is likely to attract a premium price, but the addition of more housing stock to the New Zealand market is likely to produce affordable gaps in the market elsewhere. Image: IJBurg Amsterdam, Floating houses.