Abstract:
This Layered Land explores the expansive and multi-faceted
concept of identity within the field of architecture – specifically
in the context of the New Zealand Department of Conservation
huts.
Persistent in traditional architectural theory is the concept that
the initial identity attributed to a building is capable of
transcending time - that the lasting notion of a piece of
architecture is dictated by the intentions of the sole designer;
that a building possesses one clear, static identity throughout its
lifetime that is prescribed by its original built form. The
legitimacy of this conventional idea becomes dislodged when
held in comparison with theories that address the duplexity
within identity as they relate to architecture.
This thesis ruminates on the idea that identity runs in two
forms, the first being that which is intentionally designed and
the second being an experienced, dynamic identity that is a
malleable and layered expression of socio-cultural norms,
historic reinterpretation and pre-conceived ideas. The research
element of this thesis informed a method of identity assessment
to be used in defining the dual nature of identity in architecture.
Applying these ideas upon the Department of Conservation
huts, a typology that already holds an established identity in
New Zealand, enabled a localised New Zealand-centric design,
thus producing a critical reflection of the legitimacy of identity
informed by design, versus identity informed by function.
This Layered Land exists as an homage to the intricate nuances
that, when threaded together, inform the identity of New
Zealand.