There's Gold In These Hills: Architecture of the Self-Built Hut

Abstract

New Zealand has a rich history of self-built architecture. From the wharepuni built from timber and ferns by the pre-European Māori, to the European influenced houses built by the early settlers, to the bush huts built by loggers and miners, to the city escaping builders of the bach, to the alternative houses built by the hippie movement, and finally to the tiny houses built by the crafty New Zealanders today. This thesis is an exploration of the New Zealand self-built architecture, through the most sensible lens: building a hut myself. The hut takes form as an unconsented development that pushes the boundaries of the law, asking what the role of self-built architecture is in the post leaky building aftermath. The thesis is concerned with how the construction of this form of architecture can be made as affordable and low impact as possible. The thesis takes form across five acts, each act follows the journey of building the hut. Rather than solving problems, each act presents the discoveries made along the road. In many cases, these discoveries influence the next part of the build.