Language of trees: Secondary function of wood in the Buller region

Abstract

The process behind afforestation in New Zealand, is that of efficient and constant stream of marketable timber output. This heavily adopts foreign practice which is capable of meeting the demands of current domestic and international market. The negotiations made for the existing mode of forestry practice is the opening motivation for this thesis and argues for an expression of New Zealand that is uniquely applicable to the context of the Buller River. Inclined towards the vernacular, the research body investigates varied practices that involve wood; works which have made effective use of its natural bias or have given way towards functional uniformity. Informed by this study, the title; Secondary Function of wood, denotes an absence of knowledge due to insufficient accounts of our native resources. In response to such issues, this thesis propose integrated designs which serve as a means to synchronise living with the natural world. It aims to develop an architectural language which bridges the biological, cultural and contextual understanding of wood. Since its inception as a transport route, the scenic Buller gorge possesses timelessness. Facilitating for a platform which resonates with the research body, significance of the thesis is achieved under scrutiny of design. The route connecting Tasman to West Coast, follows the Buller River, along the valley of the gorge. Lake Rotoiti the source of Buller, and Hawks Crag a transit between, is accessible enough to contend a built outcome. Such unique conditions of the Buller proceeds to provide harmony between the natural and man-made, an