Auckland as a water-city : utilisation of the urban waterways for settlement development
Date
2013Citation:
Shaigan, C. (2013). Auckland as a water-city : utilisation of the urban waterways for settlement development. Unpublished master thesis explanatory document submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Architecture Professional.Permanent link to Research Bank record:
https://hdl.handle.net/10652/2511Abstract
Auckland’s waterways are being repressed and pushed into the background of our daily lives. The artificial land and road structure dominates the urban environment, and when it comes to accommodating urban functions, infrastructure, and urban growth, the waterways are disregarded. By repressing the city’s waterways, Auckland’s charm, unique sense of place, and identity is consequently being obliterated. It is architecture’s role to gather the environmental characteristics of the place and bring them closer to man. This research project devises a plan to regain the significance of the waterways and bring them to the forefront of our daily lives. What is proposed is the utilisation of the waterways as the building ground for urban development so that water, as well as land, can be the carrier of urban functions and infrastructure. The scheme, a residential development built on Auckland’s Waitemata Harbour, is proposed for the design.
The objective of the design phase is to design a floating Water-Complex. A Water-Complex may be defined as an urban development located on an urban waterway that comprises of residential, recreational, commercial, and public facilities.
Taking into consideration the site selection criteria set out above and the analysis of the Waitemata Harbour, the site for the Water-Community was chosen to be located on the waterway adjacent to Birkenhead Wharf and Hinemoa Park.
This site, located 4km from Auckland Central, is advantageous because of its close proximity to the CBD and its accessibility via both land and water. There are already existing public transport connections via ferry between Birkenhead Wharf and the CBD, and via bus between Birkenhead Wharf and Albany Station. The location has the opportunity to be strongly connected to the CBD by the water and to act as an extension of the city centre in the same way that existing city-fringe villages, such as Ponsonby, Parnell, and Newmarket, do.