Abstract:
There is significant social and cultural capital among the communities of South Auckland; communities that are big in diversity, numbers and commu-nity pride.1 The identity of the place is known but not shown, it is lost with-in the mass islands of administrative, retail, commercial, and manufacturing industries. The cultural diversity of Manukau is unparalleled in New Zealand. Though there is a distance between the people and their ethnic culture here in New Zealand. My proposed project is influenced by the Samoan fale, an architectural icon of Samoa and the wider Pacific. The Samoan fale is more than just a physical structure to cater for the climatic issues, it is a point of reference that is central to Samoan culture and it provides a sense of place and community. My project could play a similar role in the identity and relationship with Pacific communities in Manukau and the wider Auckland, like the Fale Pasifika’s role within University of Auckland. The aim is to incorporate the tangible and intangible aspects of the traditional Samoan fale into an architecture, that expresses the traditions of the Pacific (fale) with a modern language. It is with hope that the cultural essence of the fale is ever present through the transitions.