Abstract:
Architecture continues to rely on technical capabilities to approach issues in climate change and sustainability. While these can have positive and real outcomes, the emphasis on creating quality architectural space can be left by the wayside. This thesis asks how architecture and phenomenology can impact designed space, human inhabitation and the natural environment. The essence of this approach, The Natural Building Movement, considers the imperitives of sustainability. The material of baled straw has been chosen and will be interrogated in relation to the theory of atmospheres and poetics. From this the interrogation expands into a wider appreciation of the relationship between the occupation of space and the impact on the natural environment. It widens the approach of architectural sustainability. This thesis draws from a rich history of architectural theory, which contributes to the alternative and advanced perspectives on the role of natural building in tackling the most pressing issue of our time. Taking inspiration from the opening quote by Pallasmaa, the process has focussed on the creation of experientially powerful and contextually relevant space in the chosen material, at full scale. The investigation is split into two designed inquiries: an installation event and minor dwelling. The Installation for Auckland’s Artweek is an inquiry into the creation of a temporary public space considering the nature of straw in its raw baled form. The nature of the material results in a thermal, acoustic and texturally enhanced environment that engages the occupants in a unique experience. Understanding gained from the installation is developed in the design of The Sleepout in considering the poetic qualities of materials to encourage encounters with the open rural landscape. The idea of architectural atmospheres is shared across both projects but is interrogated in two unique and disparate contexts, relating the material’s adaptability to a range of conditions.