Seeing and Being Seen: The Theatre of Ernst Plischke

<p>Ernst Plischke is one of the most well documented and evaluated architects in the New Zealand architectural discourse. However, when we look at the work he is the most well-known for, such as residences, churches and public spaces there is something missing within the language and value we place on this work. Articulating this lack, this thesis will evaluate the oeuvre of Plischke’s work for a more theatrical interpretation which asks the question: what if Ernst Plischke was viewed as an interior architect? By consuming a five-course meal of design-led inquiry, this research samples Plischke’s body of work and finds an inherent theatricality within it. In exploring the people-centred aspect of this modernist’s oeuvre will look through the lenses of the total experience such as gesamtkunstwerk and mise-en-scène Pursuing these thematic motifs will produce a restaurant scenography, which will be interpreted at shifting scales to establish a theatrical design language.</p>

Seeing and Being Seen: The Theatre of Ernst Plischke

<p>Ernst Plischke is one of the most well documented and evaluated architects in the New Zealand architectural discourse. However, when we look at the work he is the most well-known for, such as residences, churches and public spaces there is something missing within the language and value we place on this work. Articulating this lack, this thesis will evaluate the oeuvre of Plischke’s work for a more theatrical interpretation which asks the question: what if Ernst Plischke was viewed as an interior architect? By consuming a five-course meal of design-led inquiry, this research samples Plischke’s body of work and finds an inherent theatricality within it. In exploring the people-centred aspect of this modernist’s oeuvre will look through the lenses of the total experience such as gesamtkunstwerk and mise-en-scène Pursuing these thematic motifs will produce a restaurant scenography, which will be interpreted at shifting scales to establish a theatrical design language.</p>

Get Wavy: Introducing irregularity into modular timber housing

<p>The construction industry accounts for 23% of global CO₂ emissions each year¹. Coupled with contemporary pressures of urbanisation, there is demand for increased density construction². To improve the relationship the industry has with the environment it must reconsider its construction methods and material choices. Engineered timber is a sustainable and structural solution for these issues. Commonly when building with engineered timber, traditional construction methodologies are applied. The material is simply used as a replacement for steel and concrete and does not explore the tectonic opportunities available. This results in the same monolithic multi-story buildings. This research portfolio offers a new approach to flexible modular housing using cross-laminated timber (CLT). It is researched through an adaptable urban housing complex. It explores the tectonics of CLT and develops a diverse design language that offsets how the material has been traditionally used. The design research was conducted through a series of design-led experiments comprised of four key phases; the problem, the exploration, the parts and the test. The problem researched key issues around CLT. This highlighted current deficiencies in the design of timber medium-density housing in New Zealand. The research explores the specific tectonics of CLT as an engineered timber product. Developing a series of components that can be assembled on various urban sites. This process translated into a singular site-specific test in Te Aro, Wellington. The implications of this research are to provide an alternative approach to urban medium-density housing using engineered timber technology. The result of this process is the design of a modular system of interlocking dwellings that can be optimized to site and that optimise the visual and spatial opportunities of engineered timber. Offsetting the current design language of medium-density timber buildings and proposing visual and spatial improvements to inner-city living in New Zealand. ¹ (Huang, Krigsvoll, Johansen, Liu, & Zhang, 2018) ² (Wellington City Council, 2015.)</p>

Get Wavy: Introducing irregularity into modular timber housing

<p>The construction industry accounts for 23% of global CO₂ emissions each year¹. Coupled with contemporary pressures of urbanisation, there is demand for increased density construction². To improve the relationship the industry has with the environment it must reconsider its construction methods and material choices. Engineered timber is a sustainable and structural solution for these issues. Commonly when building with engineered timber, traditional construction methodologies are applied. The material is simply used as a replacement for steel and concrete and does not explore the tectonic opportunities available. This results in the same monolithic multi-story buildings. This research portfolio offers a new approach to flexible modular housing using cross-laminated timber (CLT). It is researched through an adaptable urban housing complex. It explores the tectonics of CLT and develops a diverse design language that offsets how the material has been traditionally used. The design research was conducted through a series of design-led experiments comprised of four key phases; the problem, the exploration, the parts and the test. The problem researched key issues around CLT. This highlighted current deficiencies in the design of timber medium-density housing in New Zealand. The research explores the specific tectonics of CLT as an engineered timber product. Developing a series of components that can be assembled on various urban sites. This process translated into a singular site-specific test in Te Aro, Wellington. The implications of this research are to provide an alternative approach to urban medium-density housing using engineered timber technology. The result of this process is the design of a modular system of interlocking dwellings that can be optimized to site and that optimise the visual and spatial opportunities of engineered timber. Offsetting the current design language of medium-density timber buildings and proposing visual and spatial improvements to inner-city living in New Zealand. ¹ (Huang, Krigsvoll, Johansen, Liu, & Zhang, 2018) ² (Wellington City Council, 2015.)</p>

Towards an Ontology-driven Intellectual Properties reuse for Systems On Chip design

Intellectual Properties reuse has gained widespread acceptance in System-On-Chip design to manage the complexity and shorten the time-to-market. However the need for a standard representation that permits IPs classification, characterization, and integration is still a big challenge. To address this problem, we propose to develop an IPs reuse specific ontology that facilitates IPs reuse at many levels of abstraction and independently from any design language or tool. Our ontology is built using the Protégé-OWL tool

Towards A Dadaist interior

<p>Modern interior design has reached a plateau. Due to the anaesthesia brought about by mass information sharing and the dominance of the image, very little innovation has occurred, stylistically as many designers simply seek to regurgitate each other’s designs instead of treading new ground. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the modern day office; as a program that is deliberately aimed towards productivity and profit, office design has been streamlined to achieve these ends often leading to unpleasant working environments. The study of the Dada movement and one of its key practitioners, Marcel Duchamp, led to a question regarding the possible architectural implications that his work and his subversive manner of working has to offer and if it have any relevance in contemporary practice. This thesis proposes an alternative to the modern office interior through a detailed investigation into the theory and practices of Marcel Duchamp. It aims to further examine the architectural implications of his work through in depth analysis of his methods using assemblage, as well as his theoretical investigations in perspective and representation. Through these investigations I hope to develop a new design language that simultaneously critiques the modern office interior as well as furthering the research already done into the Dada movement and Architecture.</p>

Towards A Dadaist interior

<p>Modern interior design has reached a plateau. Due to the anaesthesia brought about by mass information sharing and the dominance of the image, very little innovation has occurred, stylistically as many designers simply seek to regurgitate each other’s designs instead of treading new ground. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the modern day office; as a program that is deliberately aimed towards productivity and profit, office design has been streamlined to achieve these ends often leading to unpleasant working environments. The study of the Dada movement and one of its key practitioners, Marcel Duchamp, led to a question regarding the possible architectural implications that his work and his subversive manner of working has to offer and if it have any relevance in contemporary practice. This thesis proposes an alternative to the modern office interior through a detailed investigation into the theory and practices of Marcel Duchamp. It aims to further examine the architectural implications of his work through in depth analysis of his methods using assemblage, as well as his theoretical investigations in perspective and representation. Through these investigations I hope to develop a new design language that simultaneously critiques the modern office interior as well as furthering the research already done into the Dada movement and Architecture.</p>

Urban Embroidery: The Predicament Regarding the Incoherence of Wellington's Landscape

<p>Since Wellington’s establishment as a British colonial town in 1839 its townscape has evolved rapidly - becoming aesthetically complex, multifaceted and increasingly incoherent. New Zealand cities have characteristically borrowed an array of architectural ideas from other countries and applied them with little consideration of local context. In Wellington, as elsewhere, the result has been a townscape that has no common aesthetic base to build from and no shared design language. Yet from this aesthetic confusion, some informal but strong local typologies have emerged. In searching for an architectural solution to the problem of Wellington’s aesthetically incoherent townscape, this thesis takes the stance that it is these unique local typologies that must be built upon. Attention to local context and an awareness of site specifics are of most importance in the development of a strong design language for the city. The existing special qualities that give Wellington its personality must be carried through to develop a more coherent townscape. In this way local identity will eventually prevail and the aesthetics of the city will become something that speaks of clarity and truth. For logistical purposes, one particular block in the Te Aro neighbourhood has been focused upon. This thesis advocates an intimate understanding of place and so the site specifics of this block are looked at closely. The philosophy and methodology could be applied to other neighbourhoods and cities, with designs developed in response to their particular local conditions. Within the inner city there are many thresholds and blurred boundaries between what is private and public space. New Zealand cities are particularly interesting to study, because historically the inner city neighbourhoods have not been densely occupied for residential purposes. But this has been changing recently, and rapidly, in our larger cities. Te Aro is a good example of this trend. The relationships between public and private spaces within the city, and the spaces between these realms, are what this thesis is particularly concerned with. By applying the discipline of landscape architecture to revive and make use of these small, neglected interstitial spaces, it is hoped that the overall visual coherence of the inner city will be improved and some strong local typologies enhanced.</p>

Urban Embroidery: The Predicament Regarding the Incoherence of Wellington's Landscape

<p>Since Wellington’s establishment as a British colonial town in 1839 its townscape has evolved rapidly - becoming aesthetically complex, multifaceted and increasingly incoherent. New Zealand cities have characteristically borrowed an array of architectural ideas from other countries and applied them with little consideration of local context. In Wellington, as elsewhere, the result has been a townscape that has no common aesthetic base to build from and no shared design language. Yet from this aesthetic confusion, some informal but strong local typologies have emerged. In searching for an architectural solution to the problem of Wellington’s aesthetically incoherent townscape, this thesis takes the stance that it is these unique local typologies that must be built upon. Attention to local context and an awareness of site specifics are of most importance in the development of a strong design language for the city. The existing special qualities that give Wellington its personality must be carried through to develop a more coherent townscape. In this way local identity will eventually prevail and the aesthetics of the city will become something that speaks of clarity and truth. For logistical purposes, one particular block in the Te Aro neighbourhood has been focused upon. This thesis advocates an intimate understanding of place and so the site specifics of this block are looked at closely. The philosophy and methodology could be applied to other neighbourhoods and cities, with designs developed in response to their particular local conditions. Within the inner city there are many thresholds and blurred boundaries between what is private and public space. New Zealand cities are particularly interesting to study, because historically the inner city neighbourhoods have not been densely occupied for residential purposes. But this has been changing recently, and rapidly, in our larger cities. Te Aro is a good example of this trend. The relationships between public and private spaces within the city, and the spaces between these realms, are what this thesis is particularly concerned with. By applying the discipline of landscape architecture to revive and make use of these small, neglected interstitial spaces, it is hoped that the overall visual coherence of the inner city will be improved and some strong local typologies enhanced.</p>