Abstract:
New Zealand has the tenth longest coastline in the world; however, the relationship contemporary coastal architecture has with the sea is hesitant. Coastal architecture forms a medium in the littoral zone between land and sea, where the confluence of both recreational and commercial coastal activities occur. The majority of New Zealand coastlines are protected by reserves and prescriptive setbacks, although there are private and commercial examples of architecture breaching this foreshore boundary. This is exemplified primarily by boatsheds along the edges of sheltered bays, rivers and estuaries as well as ports and ferry terminals in urban areas. This proposal focuses on how architecture can create a confluence of coastal activities so that our experience of movement is enhanced within the marine environment. Considering Auckland as a water city, this proposal at Granger Point in Auckland's Tamaki River, addresses the confluence of activities that occur in the littoral zone, architecture beyond the edge as well as the experience of movement created between land and sea by utilising the natural tidal system. The result is a bolder form of coastal architecture, a kind of contemporary boatshed.