Lost in Place. Architecture to Inform the Tourist Experience

Abstract

This thesis is interested in the relationship between the tourist, the viewed landscape and architectures place within that relationship. It sets out to answer the question; how can architecture improve the tourists’ ability to view the landscape, creating a more authentic experience of our environment than they would otherwise achieve? This project will set out to demonstrate the benefits that architecture can have in defining and informing the tourist experience of the landscape. The design of the Karangarua Alpine Retreat, a hospitality project located on the West Coast of New Zealand’s picturesque South Island, will attempt to provide tourists with a fuller experience of the New Zealand landscape, developing the relationship between tourists and the environment whilst providing the desired authntic kiwi experience. Careful consideration into behaviours unique to the tourist condition, combined with an understanding of the history of the landscape as the subject of the tourist gaze, will allow the design of a building which begins to cater specifically to the tourist and this process of experiencing the landscape. The project initially drew inspiration from the way that Norwegian architecture has evolved in parallel to their tourist industry, and how that partnership has led to the development of a unique contemporary style. This design thesis will serve to question how a similar initiative might succeed in a New Zealand environment, acknowledging issues that have hindered the progress of architectures growth in New Zealand’s natural landscape. The ultimate goal is to form an argument for the inclusion of architecture in New Zealand’s picturesque environment, culminating in the design of a feasible building which addresses hindrances within the tourist psychology whilst diminishing concerns of the local that development will only tarnish New Zealand’s clean green image.