Dwelling through Multiple Places: Landscape, Identity and Transitory Dwellings in New Zealand

Abstract

In light of various mechanisms of globalization, the increased mobility of life today has led to an increased ability to dwell in multiple places. Second homes or transitory dwellings are the result of this movement and exemplify our desire to dwell in multiple places. An essential motive to use and purchase a transitory dwelling is the landscape. Thus this thesis examines the importance of transitory dwellings, primarily investigating their relationship with the New Zealand landscape. The first section explores the place of home in the landscape. Also explored in this section is the relationship between the primary home and transitory dwellings. Discovered here is importance of transitory dwellings for concepts of identity and sense of place. The second section considers the importance of the landscape, both within the discipline of architecture and within a New Zealand context. The significance of the New Zealand landscape is discussed as it has become a symbol of our culture. The third section consists of case study analysis based of representations of traditional and contemporary transitory dwellings in New Zealand. The case studies illustrate the significance of place or site as playing an equal part in defining the importance of transitory dwellings. Within the final section the focus shifts accordingly to my own design work which has been driven by the research objective to examine the strong connection between landscape and transitory dwelling within a New Zealand context. What resulted was a design that interacts with the landscape in several ways. The design enters into the land, hovers slightly above, and appears to dramatically release itself from it. The construction of the platform, either by subtracting or adding, creates new solid grounds in continuation of the natural topography. Thus the new architecture claims territory over the landscape while still working in harmony with it.