Bed

Here's a blog post talking about how I did a small project of my own - building a car bed in my Nissan Tiida hatchback for small road trips.

Pro-tip: always reverse into the best view.

Ever since going camping in my friend's Honda Fit - a relatively small hatchback - I started thinking of what I could do with my own car. My workmate also removed the back seats from his van and created a plywood haven with a kitchenette, providing inspiration. Staying in Airbnbs and motels/backpackers can get a bit samey and I've always wanted to give the character-filled camp sites a go without the drama of a tent.

The Honda Fit has the advantage of having the back seats lay down flush with the boot floor, so add a foam mattress and you're sorted. My Nissan Tiida is a different story - the seats laid down are quite a bit higher than the boot so it needs something to raise it up.

The Tiida is longer than it looks and with the front seats pushed as far forward as possible, there is just enough length for me lying down. Anyone shorter should be fine!

The car bed in it's set up state, mattress in. You can see the storage space underneath.

Chuck bags up the front, less used items underneath, the arm rests/door pulls hold our phones. 

Putting my architect skills to good use, I measured it up and started drawing.

Lying down in the car, I could get a sense of how much room I would have to sleep. Headspace is an issue, but it is passable. The simple X-shaped baffle support was the brain child of my fellow architect Han. Highlights the importance of bouncing ideas off others. One of my engineer friends thought up something far too complicated. Go architects!

I ended up purchasing a single sheet of 1.2 x 2.4m plywood (12mm thick) and cutting them into panels. Then a few cut outs and some sanding later, it was all done!

A bit of planning before prefabrication, always best to use material as efficiently as possible. I also made sure the plywood was E0 grade which means that almost has no toxic formaldehyde emissions as we would be cooped up in the car with it.

All it needs is a bit of set up and a thin self-inflating mattress. Unfortunately the head space isn't very much but it's alright as a sleeping platform. Feels like a capsule hotel in Japan. The upside of building it up a platform is that we get storage space inside the baffle construction.

A few details: we made 'curtains' with suction cups to stick to the inside of the windows. For the back seat windows we opened them up a crack for cross ventilation and put mosquito nets over the doors.

None of it is permanent, it's just a few plywood panels that can be removed through the side door. To drive, we just slide the panels on top of each other and slide the front seats back to driving position.

Now we can do weekend road trips easy as!

Backyard

Oakley Creek (Te Auaunga) is one of Auckland’s longest urban streams

It's not often I haven't heard of a place in my own backyard, and the Oakley Creek Waterfall is certainly one of them being only 12 minutes drive from home. I went to investigate and was not disappointed.

It is the only natural waterfall in Central Auckland, and hidden away. It's small and peaceful, but being fairly secluded, it is recommended you go there with a walking buddy. Bring a picnic, it seems to be the way to do it.

There are multiple ways to go onto the walkway and it's all worth a bit of exploring - the signs aren't too helpful. And the typical Auckland question: where do you park?! Google Maps show the track and it depends on where you start from. There are plenty of side streets off Great North Road, some which feed directly into the walkway behind people's houses. You almost feel like you're in their backyard sometimes, for lack of a fence.

A map of it's features, visit the Friends of Oakley Creek website for the full version.

Oakley Creek is like the water spine of the isthmus, going from north Hillsborough near the Manukau Harbour, through Mt Roskill, Waterview (where all the motorway works are occurring) and out to the Waitemata Harbour. Locals may have experienced parts of it, such as the stream running past Mt Roskill Grammar, or the riparian areas in Unitec. Over the years a nice walking track and viewing platform has been constructed to allow better appreciation of this natural habitat, running roughly parallel to Great North Road from the motorway onramp.

Swimming is possible by reports of people jumping in, but I couldn't find any official advice to this. Common sense tells me the stream runs through the length of urban Auckland, so it would accumulate things along the way. Perhaps not swimming there a few days after the rain is advisable which is what we would do at the beaches fringing the city.

The Friends of Oakley Creek (est. 2004) have taken upon themselves to "protect, enhance and restore the ecological health" of the Oakley Creek Environs. They have a map of the walkway, as well as educational events that promote its environment needs. A nice half-day adventure if you're up for it!

Cage

I was struck by inspiration this morning just as I was about to leave the computer for sunnier things (this just after the end of Daylight Savings after all). John Cage and his "Mushroom Book" of 1972 is a collection of drawings and poetry in a folio format. What caught my attention aside from the realistic renderings of fungi was his lithograph prints.

It's as if the mind and its ponderings fell onto a piece of paper, but as a print, these thoughts and manuscripts were purposely prepared then pressured into the paper. Sometimes there would be a map-like drawing to accompany it.

My journals have always been very text based - it's how I process things. Sure there are visual elements, but I'm keen to try this much less ordered (or ordered chaos) approach as a reflection of my own thought process - sometimes muddled, overlapping and reiterative.

For more on the exhibition in New York City, see Hyperallergic.

Archery

Having finished the main bit of thesis, things are winding down to a bit of a holiday period. That means more blog posts right? Not exactly. The backlash of being so focused on one endeavour for so long leaves a sense of floating in its absence – a tensely strung bow after the arrow is released. So here is a baby post to get me started again.

Recently I came across two architectural projects that had to do with archery. I've always love archery, and someday I'll get down to it and give it ago. But look how it inspired these two projects – one referencing the precision of string, air and direction, the other, a truss embodying the inherent tension of a bow. Both are inspired by archery and nothing to do with the popular culture hype that is going around at the moment (think Hunger Games and the Avengers).

Archery Hall and Boxing Club by FT Architects

The archery hall uses the multiplicity of finely detailed timber members, a motif of fingers grasping the bowstring, ready to release. In its serenity, there is an aggressive gesture as every step falls beneath the vector of a potential arrow. 

In the boxing space, the oriental layered timber language takes a heavier form. As opposed to the expansiveness of the archery hall, the boxing hall is cave-like and oppressive, like a boxer cornering his foe.

Bowstring Truss House by Works Partnership Architecture

Although this building is named after the formalism of the truss, the design captures the airiness of the activity. Expansive light and directionality can be felt in this space as the rafters roughly focus to the inhabited space.

The depth of the roof members help to baffle the light down into the space. Penetrations draw light in, even taking a moment of a glazed box, like a shaft of light.

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Sprint

The sprint to the end is always the hardest. This is no different (or, more so) for finishing a thesis. As you can see I haven't been blogging for a while despite the many ideas that spin my way - the task at hand is a big one after all.

What I will share is my final design presentation (shown above) that just exhibited over the weekend in Parnell. The presentation went well, the design was well received (thank goodness) and the critique was spot on. How it's a matter or funneling that discussion into the written thesis document.

I'll be done in a week, and I'll be back!

Participation

Here's to my 300th post on Creative Collision! Thanks for all of your readership.

The public streamed into the exhibition this weekend, helped by large boat show happening next door. Non-architectural people readily engaged with architectural design with a workshop that was run over two days. In fact, some kids got so into it that they begged their parents to bring them to the second day!

The participatory design system is the brainchild of Tim de Beer, a Master of Architecture (Professional) student at the University of Auckland.

A 3-storey monopitch design by a 7 year old, created all by himself. Each floor is insightfully planned, too.

Working with the children and parents into imagining/designing space was an incredible process. It reminds us that a hands on approach to architecture can be so engaging to both clientele and architect.

And that's the end of Architecture Week 2013! For more of what happened see the Architecture + Women Facebook page. Look forward to it next year and for now I'll still be tweeting architectural things on Twitter.

AW2013

It's right in the middle of Architecture Week 2013 and numerous events have been happening in Auckland and, I understand, across the country. The main event is the exhibition at Silo Park (open 9am to 6pm all week and weekend), and the fun opening night that went with it. Even though the weather has been Civil Defence warning worthy in some places, there was a great turnout to the lunchtime panel discussions and last night's discussion at Jasmax.

The exhibition shows a wide range of work including non-architectural work by architectural graduates. As good as Urbis Design Day.

Is Architecture Week merely an inward-looking industry event? It happens every year and is open to all. Yet you don't see the public engaging with architecture and more specifically, architectural design. It doesn't get the attention that other creative industries receive - the international film festivals, art exhibitions, music events and even Taste (I learned today it involves 18 countries worldwide). What is it about Kiwi culture that seems to disregard architecture as a creative profession that is worth getting to know?

Anyone can say this is a pretty model of a building, but very few in the public audience could point out what's good and bad about the design.

Having been to Open House in London and Dublin, I can see how great architectural design can be appreciated by the public who come in swarms to see different buildings and hear about their conception. Open House is an international programme that allows the public to visit buildings that are usually not open to the public. Our version of this? The budding AAA tours that happen on a sporadic basis. If you're not in the architecture industry, you probably didn't even know we have an Auckland Architecture Association. Or not to mention the elusive New Zealand Institute of Architects.

The Longroom at Trinity College Dublin. A huge line of people waiting to be toured around the immaculately designed educational facility. It is completely free. No such large scale event like this in New Zealand.

There are many architects who believe the public do not need to understand or engage with architecture. In some way, people cannot avoid architecture so are already 'engaging', however, there is a lot more that needs to be done in terms of education and a shift in ideology toward architecture to ensure the survival of the profession and good design in our city.

Architecture Week is open for all - this year it is themed Architecture + Women and touch on issues of equality and equity. Do check out their programme and visit some of the events. Next weekend I will be helping with a workshop at Silo Park that lets the public get hands on with discussing housing issues. 

I managed to get onto on of the panels through Kathy Waghorn's Fluid City project, community-engaging architectural installations.

Important

A message to the paparazzi by Benedict Cumberbatch, known to some of us as the 'new' Sherlock:

Benedict Cumberbatch to paparazzi: "Go photograph Egypt and show the world something important." pic.twitter.com/l0ADTHnZOU
— Ellie Hall (@ellievhall) August 17, 2013

Some food for thought as to where our photography/journalism talent is going or not going.

Cycleway

A flurry of upgrades are planned for Dominion Road and it really does need it. The simple 4 lane median strip road stretches almost from coast to coast (or at least the CBD) through the centre of the Auckland isthmus. It lags behind in providing transport infrastructure for future needs.

Currently the green bus lanes are supposed to be for cyclists too although countless encounters between buses and bicycles easily prove it is a terrible way to integrate cycling. Furthermore, the bus lanes are only exclusively for buses (and cycles as an afterthought) during the rush hour and, at other times, allow parked cars to disrupt even this provision. It's not pleasant at all.

The strategy for providing a cycleway has taken the form of a 'parallel' cycleway - taking cycles away from the straight but busy Dominion Road and into the parallel back streets. It's a bit twisty and turny, but I've cycled all the way down a few times and its nice on a fine day. At the very least, cyclists aren't constantly breathing the fumes of buses and in danger of being hit by vehicles.

However, this strategy can also be seen as marginalising a healthy and sustainable method of transport. Perhaps if they create a really pleasant cycle infrastructure along the marked routes, people will be encouraged to give it a go instead of the car.

Feedback is now being sought! One of the public days has just passed today, but there will be another 3:30pm - 7:00pm at Dominion Road Primary School on Thursday (25th July). Go and talk to the planners and give suggestions as to how this all could develop into a great cycleway. Visit the Auckland Transport page for more information, or to submit feedback online.

Bach

Baches are a staple of New Zealand architecture and it is where NZ architects get a lot of space (in every sense of the word) to experiment and work with our natural landscape. This bach by Min Hall frames the sea element with generous glazing and large deck spaces. What I like most about this bach is how it is split up into modules to fit around the trees. It's not the only one to do that (the McCahon Artist Residence by Pete Bossley springs to mind) and you can imagine the architecture maturing as the trees grow up around it.

See HOME New Zealand's article - Outtakes: A beautiful beach getaway by Min Hall for more.

Eco-mobility

What ifs: a future with eco-mobility.

Auckland, New Zealand, may be a small-scale city compared to others around the world but it has its share of mobility issues. It certainly isn't ‘eco-mobile’. Give us the slightest drizzle of rain and suddenly traffic jams up. Our public transport system? A prime target for casual hate sentiment. On a bad day it even has its own hashtag on Twitter.

Our lingering problem is that Auckland grew out generally unplanned. A few centres formed then the rest was haphazard 'fill the gaps' development. An extensive coast-to-coast tram network was removed in the modernist 1950s in favour of cars, cars and more cars. That unfortunate mentality remains today – it is our symbol of freedom, a part of the Kiwi dream.

But now in the 21^st century, we have the knowledge and, hopefully, the drive to create more sustainable transport options for the future of our cities. In an attempt to experience the local day-to-day of Melbourne, Australia, I chose to travel everyday by train in from the suburbs. The transport card reminded me of similar systems I used around London and China – the hallmark of an integrated transport network. Of course, there are the things to be expected: an occasional late train, thinking "why did I ever resort to public transport?" But all in all, the robust infrastructure allows you to go anywhere around Melbourne without a car.

There is always a rivalry between New Zealand and our neighbour Australia. Auckland, like many cities around the world, is going through some growth pains. Transport infrastructure, such as the City Rail Link, aimed at a future Auckland is being introduced, sparking great debate. Although we may beat many Australian cities on the ubiquitous liveability scales, this won’t continue if Auckland grows at its current rate without further thought and action.

"We know there is still a lot of work to be done. Our transport infrastructure puts us behind other cities on the international indices, and handicaps our people and our economy."
- Mayor Len Brown, Mayor of Auckland 

It’s just so hard for people operating in a car-centric city like Auckland to even imagine what it would be like to be in an eco-mobile city. We don’t know what it is like to live in a cycling city such as Amsterdam or drive around in an eco-mobile vehicle.  We don't know how it feels to be in a city without a desperate need for cars and smelly diesel buses! Connecting with other cities with different technologies and new ideas on eco-mobility gives us more insight to improve our city's transport.

The Eco-mobility World Festival 2013 happening later in the year calls upon the ‘global village’ to explore these ideas. The Korean city of Suwon takes on a very practical challenge to prove the merits of eco-mobility. Using technologies and approaches from across the world, the Haenggung-dong neighbourhood is going without cars for an entire month during the festival. Is this an incredible feat? Or will be it effortless? We shall see! This is where some people will get to experience eco-mobility in the flesh. For the rest of us who aren’t at the festival, this knowledge will be shared over oceans to start changing our thinking around daily transport; a different philosophy in getting from A to B. 

Personally, I can’t wait to see what comes out of it!

Authentic

A building I designed in architecture school in 2008 has proved to be useful in illustrating the points of authenticity and market space for my thesis. Revisiting this project has been quite enjoyable. Here is a brief summary of the project and the issues that it raises and the City Farmers' Market in Britomart that it challenges.

Britomart Farmers Market project (2008)

Long section

This project explores the notion of the ‘authentic’ for an urban farmers market in Auckland. The site in 2008 was pre-development Britomart with the site utilized temporarily as an open air car park with a farmers market springing up every Saturday morning. It demonstrates the temporal dimension of urban public space and how its sense of place evolves over time.

Streetview image from 2009 - one of the perks of Google Streetview not updating Auckland for 4+ years. Of course, now the site has become the Country Club, an airy bar full of cigarette smoke and high end consumers.

The crux of the scheme is finding an ‘authentic’ for urban Auckland instead of transplanting the character of a historic or geographically displaced market typology. The scheme is situated in the vacant lot on the southwestern corner of Galway and Gore Street in the Britomart Precinct. The farmers market is designed to bring people in via an ‘exhibitionary pathway’, utilized in retail and museum design to slow down the pace of the viewer. The design worked with the imprinted history of the site, specifically the imprint left by a demolished building on an adjacent building. By bringing market-goers up via an escalator and allowing them to cross the length of the building, the imprint of Auckland’s past is put on display and acknowledged alongside a freely adaptable market of current day wares and produce. In this way, the architecture brings together past and present whilst working for a future condition that Auckland can call its own.

Cross section

This Farmers’ Market project challenges this notion of bringing an authentic quality from elsewhere into an urban context and character. The scheme was designed in 2008 and the site has changed dramatically by the time of writing in 2013. Some things last, however. The City Farmers’ Market that the project drew inspiration and created critique of still exists by popular demand. As in 2008, the website still states that it is an ‘authentic inner-city farmers’ market at the heart of Britomart in Auckland’s CBD’ – an oxymoronic reading between ‘authentic’ and ‘inner city’ as the source of this authenticity is uncertain. In 2008, the market charter had a requirement that stalls provide a piece of hessian sacking as a table cloth in an effort to create a faux ‘authentic’ aesthetic – this has now disappeared from the charter. Although it may help bring cohesiveness to the collection of stalls, there is the problem whereby striving for a character which is not authentic to Auckland to the heart of the Auckland Central Business District denies Auckland from ever building up its own farmers’ market character. Other requirements include using wooden crates and baskets to exhibit produce and limiting the use of plastic.

Aesthetics aside, material is affected and relevant to the architectural expression of this urban space and public place. On one side, Britomart station’s glass louvre extension to the heritage post office building sees the 20^th century engage the historic character of Auckland. On the other side, the high end fashion shops and bars are clad in black metallic mesh and other contemporary materials. The controlled manner of conducting the City Farmer’s market is disjointed with the development of Britomart.

What are your experiences with this site and how it has evolved over the years?

Drive

Many may have noticed the Drive Social billboards up around NZ. My first impression is that it's to combat road rage, if in a very passive approach of doing so. Looks like I'm right - the crux of the concept is that if you know who your fellow drivers are then you will be a better driver.

Bit of a leap there.. high hopes for a billboard-website campaign. The billboards have been pretty uninformative, they didn't really carry all that much of a message until you partake in the lengthy website infographic at http://drivesocial.co.nz/.

Bit of guerilla street art over the large billboard image.

What I find more interesting is what some cycling enthusiasts in Whangarei. A bit of handle bar tape and there you have it: "don't forget about the cyclists!" Someone makes a good point about the campaign too, although the net links us where real world connection are often unlikely it still seems like a round about way to 'be' social:

"It seems that a campaign encouraging you to drive to work in an isolating automobile, then use a computer device to communicate with a human, who is often metres from you, has its heart in the right place, yet is going about things in a very roundabout way."

For a bit of an article about the newly defaced billboard, a form of engagement to the campaign I suppose, see the Northern Advocate article. Thanks to @nzdodo and @kaupapa for tweeting this.

Campus

So a bit of exciting news came through yesterday that the community at the University of Auckland was keenly waiting upon (at least for those who are clued on about their university). The university confirmed that they will be acquiring the old Lions Breweries site, a nice chunk of land still central in the bustling Newmarket. It gives so much opportunity for a fresh campus with high quality 21st century design. It may also mix up the configuration of departments across the campuses.

The university has a mix of building types at the moment. Clocktower and the buildings around it are the oldest, then the monumental modernist buildings (such as the science building), merging with the New Brutalist style (architecture building) and then some contemporary (the new part of engineering, Owen Glenn Building). The newest building to date I believe is the medical building at Grafton Campus, a pretty fresh design by Jasmax

The new medical school building which won an NZIA Award.

There is also talk of the university consolidating its landholdings toward the central campuses rather than having ones as flung out and disconnected as Tamaki Campus. With more connection to central facilities, hopefully there is more of a student culture around the wider university precinct.

Genesis

Thesis topic
Beckoning to the Homeland: Drawing upon Chinese Roots in the Auckland Context.

Critical question
What significance has architectural examples that 'beckon to the homeland' have to Chinese (particularly their ancestral roots - the commonality of all Chinese) in Auckland?

Where did this thesis topic come from? Initially it was my curiosity of my family's ancestral roots which drove me to think about these issues. Then I did a two design papers about culture in an architectural standpoint and realised that it is a rich thing to explore. The topic still needs more clarity and as I work more on it and critically think about what I want to focus on, I think it will become a lot more 'doable'.

Have you ever thought about your own roots? Which is the earliest ancestor you know of? Where did you ancestors come from? What rituals/traditions have been retained from their time up until today as you continue practicing them? This thesis raises these issues whilst working on it - the crux of it is, what is the role of this 'culture' here in Auckland, the multicultural mixing pot?

With increasing emphasis put on the multicultural (including within legislation), and various manifestations of different cultures around the city, there is still very little on why it happened and where it could develop as a public space - a communal space. 

Thesis

Some of you may know that I'm doing a Master of Architecture (prof) degree at the University of Auckland. As this year is my final year, I'll be preparing a design thesis - this is basically partly a written thesis (although not as intense or comprehensive as a PhD thesis) and an architectural design project. The latter involves designing a building based on your research and researching by designing.

And so it begins, the final push before actually starting a career in architecture. Some of my fellow thesis people are starting blogs about their thesis work. Although I'm not sure what the intention is (my supervisor and I had a bit of a discussion about this), blogging and the creative process is a very compatible thing. That we have to write as well as create makes it all the more a union. Often blogging is underutilised or, even more sadly, ditched before the water is deep.

Considering the prospect myself, I thought 'hey, I already have a successful blog with lots of readership and a plethora of creative gems from years and years of collecting!' So I thought I'd record my thesis blog on Creative Collision as a way of keeping it up and processing my thoughts. I did also consider just writing a post which said, 'hey guys, see you next year when I finish my thesis and recover from the subsequent implosion.'

Blogging about your creative process is one of the most personal things a creative person can do. Not to mention my thesis is of a very personal topic - exploring my family's roots and Chinese culture in the Auckland context. It is so exposing and you need determination to get through putting things that is happening onto the public realm. Basically, you need balls of steel. Particularly if you get "constructive criticism".

I do invite you to comment on what I am doing and I'll try my best to make it palatable for a wider audience. By the end of the year, hopefully things will have gone swimmingly.

I've created a new label 'Thesis' to keep the thesis posts marked. They will be about creative things and hopefully in line with the rest of the blog. There is also the option to subscribe on the left hand bar (just enter your email address). More pretty pictures to come.

Humans

Over the last while a controversy over street photos taken by Humans of New York came to light where the renown fashion label DKNY used the a bunch of photos in their Thailand shop front without credit or payment for the right to use the photos. You can read a good article about it on the Wall Street Journal.

Retaliating with a Facebook post demanding DKNY to own up to its mistake and donate the proceeds to a local Brooklyn charity, DKNY did eventually own up, saying it was a mistake and that they will go ahead with paying the charity. I thought it was all done and dusted - a pretty good outcome to a pretty bad situation on all sides. A global label like DKNY having a lapse in communication with an Asian branch? Understandable.

But it didn't stop. A stinging vindictiveness from the supporters of Humans of New York and from those standing up for intellectual property rights for creative products (which in itself is a terribly controversial issue with fuzzy boundaries and awkward skirmishes in price battles such as the one in this example). Humans of New York happened to take the initiative this time and got a compromise but still DKNY is still getting trashed post-apology. Perhaps it's the easiness of just pressing a 'like' button, the epitome of a 21st century cliché, or the convenience of reading half a sentence on a very long (partially hidden) post and sharing a scathing comment.

In the creative industries, it's not always clear cut but more importantly, the field is malleable and open to new collaborations. There are many ways to go about crediting/PR and I think this example is a particularly creative example of standing up for one's creative property rights. But let's remember that we are also human and prone to mistakes.

To see the raging comments about the issue (which toss between different views), see the Facebook post that started it all.