Abstract:
The human race is experiencing a planetary catastrophe of an irreversible changing climate - Global Warming. The burning of fossil fuels and forests, resulting in the rapid rise of temperature and environmental erosion, has caused enormous damage to the atmospheric pattern. It is estimated that New Zealand will undergo an average temperature increase of 2.1 degrees by the end of this century, leading to further environmental collapses such as droughts, deforestation, food shortage, deterioration of biodiversities, and most extensively, the rise of sea level. The urban coastal regions and low-lying lands are yet to become the most vulnerable parts within our cities that will need to be protected from extreme threats of drowning and inundation. The population of New Zealand is expected to grow by 1,000,000 in the next twenty years (based on Statistics New Zealand). The growing population, particularly in the central urban areas, will put more pressure on the use of land, energy, water and other resources. We are now facing the challenge of determining how to accommodate and sustain the rapid growth of our city under the inherent risks of future climate change and rising sea levels. Being one of the most violent symptoms of climate change, sea-level rise and extreme coastal hazards can radically evolve the character of urban waterfronts. Instead of solely relying on holding the water back, an inverse logic of dissipating internal water will provide more resilience in terms of keeping the balance between safety and beauty. Ports, canals and rivers are no longer perceived as pure landscapes or monolithic functional spaces, but are being transformed into desirable and buildable spaces to live in and visit. While urban regeneration lies in not only old warehouses and abandoned power plants but also blue spaces, where the coexistence of humans and water can create more innovative habitats. The intention of this thesis is to transform the conflicts induced by the consequences of global warming into a state of concord – a holistic approach leading to an open system that will work for the current situation, and perhaps in the 50 years ahead without having to re-think ab ovo. The open system will induce a positive and resilient response to the rising sea level and future extreme weather conditions without compromising the accessibility or safety of the site, and at the same time, make the waterfront an innovative, vivid, attractive and comfortable location that lives up to the future expectations of the city inhabitants and tourists. Based on the coastal development of Wynyard Wharf, the project will contribute to developing sustainable infrastructure and flood-resilient architecture, a protection that is not merely a barrier to separating the water and the land, but also a string of social amenities that celebrate vibrant culture and the diverse local communities.