Bayswater Marina Site Report
Vanesssa Liu
N
Berths Car Parking Pedestrian Flow Roads Vegetation Pavilions/Buildings Wind Direction N
21 June W
21 Dec
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
S
Sun Diagram
Entry/Exit
E
Overlooking the Waitemata Harbour is Bayswater Marina, reclaimed land formerly known as O’Neil’s Point. The marina is exposed to South-westerly winds sweeping the site with insufficient shelter to be protected from the elements. While being mainly a concrete car park and a home to berths, Bayswater Marina is just 2km away from Auckland CBD. As a node of transport, the Marina holds breath-taking views and a breakwater experience which is undiscovered by many. It’s potential to be a bustling transport node and a place for recreation can be achieved functionally through an engagement between the public and the water.
The breakwater is a unique experience for the public whether it be for running or a leisurely walk. The public are taken on a journey around the breakwater feeling the movement of the waves. The density of yachts in the berth conceal the tip of the breakwater heightening the curiosity of the public to discover the nature of the breakwater around the bend at first experience. The emotive experience captured should be experienced on the water’s edge of the marina and not just on the breakwater. The soothing ebb and flow of waves achieved on the breakwater, similar to that on a boat should not remain undiscovered to the public.
Being surrounded by water, the current situation of the site doesn’t offer much in terms of interaction between the water and the public. The only access to water are the few boat ramps on site; insufficient incentive for people to want to remain on the Marina and almost immerse themselves in water. This raises the question of how and in terms of what function could vacate the site which would engage with the best qualities of the marina and would become more than a place of transition as a transport node.
As the sun set over Bayswater marina, the horizon line became more and more defined to differentiate between the horizontal layers of ocean, land and sky. At sunset, the southwesterly winds become milder and the marina provides a sense of stillness and tranquillity giving reason for people to stay and acknowledge and admire and come to realise what it is that makes this place so unique. As a place of transition, the site has not taken advantage of its potential. The marina should be a place that can be engaged with beyond the level as a terminal and for recreation.
While on site I noticed the recreational activities such as windsurfing and fishing with knowledge of others such as canoeing or rowing that could take place. The identity of the marina comprises of the marine environment and the recreational activities associated with the site. These activities may not be witnessed at all times but contribute to the identity and significance of the marina and the water. These should be enhanced for the liveliness of the site and to extract its potential as being more than just a transport node facilitating a car park and berths.
Masts of the yachts were the most striking elements and authentic to the marina. The sleekness and the elegance of the steel masts vary in density depending on the arrangements on berths which at times block views behind of the CBD and Waitemata, and emphasising the marine environment currently immersed within. When the surrounds can be seen, the masts acts as a filter to frame views of the Waitemata and the CBD, accenting and enhancing certain elements that may not have been perceived in its entity as a landscape.
Pou which stands for posts are significant to Maori philosophy and life. The use of pou are as markers to mark out boundaries on site. They can be carved or left as natural wood. Pou whenua which stands for a land post are carved posts marking territory or significance. They are carved with fine detailing and each carving is a narrative and carries cultural heritage significance to Maori. They represent the relationship between the land and the people and they are representative of the ancestors, the environment, land and the reputation of the tangata whenua.
When overlooking the Waitemata Harbour or Auckland CBD, the landscape can be seen as being comprised of horizontal layers from the sea to land and sky. The masts and posts on the marina slice through the landscape to frame views and challenge the horizontal elements of the view. The density of masts create a sense of dynamism by the berths. It fosters activity and liveliness which the current carpark and ferry terminal lack. The masts are significant elements associated with the marina and therefore are key to the identity and authenticity of the site.
While vertical elements identiifed at Bayswater marina seem to have been my main focus, creating dynamism on site and reviving the way we see Auckland CBD and the Waitemata Harbour through a filter of masts; there are also horizontal elements on site that work in conjunction with vertical elements rather than conflicting. The breakwater and pier projects horizontally further into the ocean while masts and posts project towards the sky, giving dimension to what is currently occupied mostly by a carpark. Vertical and horizontal components such as the openings to the pier frame views like the masts. The relationship between vertical and horizontal on site work in unison like the idea of warp and weft.
The calming oscillation experienced on the breakwater is a result of the horizontal and vertical force of waves forming nodes and antinodes. The marina is scattered with nodes where vertical components meet with horizontal components to form nodes. The ferry terminal for one is one of many transport nodes while the junction of the masts and sea also form nodes. Although there is dynamism projection when focusing on singularly horiziontal and vertical elements, the point at which they meet at a node to cancel out for stillness is needed on site. There is a need for a standstill like a node itself, where people can acknowledge the oscillation without being immersed within it. The ferry terminal should become a node that people spend more time amongst, being static by choice.