The high-density apartment for future Auckland: Creating a sense of community

Abstract

Auckland is facing the challenge of accommodating a rapidly growing population. Increasing the density of dwellings in the city has become an efficient method to provide new dwellings. However, high density housing can result in serious social issues including lack of social interaction and a deterioration in the living environment. This thesis focuses on high density apartment living in Auckland and ways of improving the living quality of apartments. Most people in Auckland consider apartments to have a poor reputation. They are frequently of poor design and living quality with few amenities. People who live in those apartments are often isolated from each other. The Auckland Unitary Plan offers an opportunity to develop high density apartments in the city central area and this thesis aims to explore a suitable solution that can improve on existing types and attract more people to live in apartments in the future. The focus is on what it takes to create a sense of community. First, the thesis analyses the concept and principles of creation of community and proposes a series of strategies for design. Second, it introduces and discusses apartment typologies and design strategies to provide a guide for designing apartment buildings. Thirdly, it evaluates some successful designs that create a sense of community. The findings of these precedents are important in understanding the challenges and opportunities in order to design the appropriate solutions. Finally, it proposes a design for a medium rise building with high density apartments that promote a sense of community. The site is Wynyard Quarter on the old Tank Farm. From the research findings and site analyses, the design proposal mainly focuses on creating a sense of community and providing high quality social interaction.