Abstract:
In the context of Outstanding Landscapes in coastal areas, the Resource Management Act articulates the view that the presence of buildings is detrimental to the surrounding environment. However, the way in which humans can occupy such areas can be investigated and architectural strategies developed, for the successful integration of people into natural systems. This thesis aims to examine the relationship between intellect and nature, where intellect is considered within a reconstructed natural environment. The specificities of a place demand unique solutions to make it viable for human occupation. The Tawharanui Peninsula, a Regional Park located north of Auckland, combines a 'Mainland Sanctuary' for the conservation of native plants and animals with a Marine Reserve. Theoretical framework promotes a shift in ecological conservation strategies, where the integration of humanity and nature is proposed. The reserve therefore provides a site for the extension of The University of Auckland's scientific research facility and accommodation. The contradictory placement of an institutional building for the purpose of research, in a 'natural' environment, gives rise to an exploration of the notions pertaining to nature and intellect. The rational and empirical notions perceived in human knowledge are examined in the context of epistemology. While sensory experience remains a fundamental component of one's natural state, the innate power to think provides man with rational scope. In reality, the distinction between thinking and feeling in humans is inherently undefined: each informs the other. The intellectual principles underlying Rationalism and Empiricism were influential in the development of architectural theory, and the consequent dichotomy within it. A design process which employs a simultaneously rational and empirical framework will give rise to an architectural proposition that will both embody and evoke the duality within humans. In examining this rational-empirical framework within the context of the Tawharanui Sanctuary, a proposal for a tripartite architecture can be defined; whereby the design process responds to the specificities of site, the requirements of programme and the sensitivities of the human mind. A laboratory complex which employs the elements of a tripartite architecture will foster an engagement between the human senses and reason while providing a resilient relationship between humans and the environment.